• Maranatha Groups January 2011
What defines a Maranatha group? Is it - • The table and the circle of chairs? • The Maranatha vision? • Individual commitment to Maranatha by members of group? • Content of meeting?
What defines a Maranatha group? Is it- • Size? • Groups vary in size from 2 to over 100 • Meeting place? • Homes, churches, halls • Frequency and time of meeting? • Monthly groups mainly meet in weekday evenings; • bi-monthly groups mainly meet on Saturdays
Is there a pattern? • Usually a fixed meeting time • Place may vary especially if groups are meeting in homes • Many of the groups are meeting primarily for prayer and Christian fellowship • There seems to be critical points at which the nature of organisation changes. • Larger groups have a core team • Local advertising and word of mouth bring in new people
Maranatha Members October 2010
What defines a Maranatha Prayer cell? Is it • A commitment to meet regularly usually weekly? • Intercession based on the prayer letter, or e-mail list from Hazel or office? • A small group, mainly 2 or 3, • very flexible with minimal organisation?
Prayer Cells October 2010
What defines a Maranatha group? • 39 active groups • 21 are under 10 (regularly attending) • 11 between 10 and 20 (regularly attending) • 7 are over 20 meeting mainly bi-monthly • 8 have ceased to meet as groups this year but 5 of these are meeting as prayer cells with contact details on the newsletter
Maranatha groups December 2010
What defines a Maranatha group? • The number of people registered to a group and actually attending meetings may be very different. • This is more likely the larger the group • Special speakers or focus will draw in people who are registered to a group who rarely attend and bring in visitors. • This can be difficult to organise if a group is very small and meets in a home
Prayer Cells & Groups
Regional Gatherings 2010
Regional Gatherings • Usually annual in Summer months • All day meetings on a Saturday • Usually a key speaker or team of Maranatha leaders sharing news of the wider work • Advertised nationally
Gatherings, Groups & Prayer Cells 2010
Vision Meetings planned 2011
Travelling distances to Gatherings
Gatherings, Groups & Prayer Cells 2010 With 40 mile circles
The Way Forward? • Regional gatherings need a strong, praying, core team often drawn from different groups • There is a lot of organising and physical work for a large group of people • Advertising • There needs to be time for people simply to meet • There needs to be follow up procedures • Timing of meetings need to be co-ordinated through the office but there could be more than one on the same day
The Way Forward? • Prayer is the foundation of the Community • The vital importance of even the smallest group which meets together to wait on God • God may give a message to the community or for the nation just as clearly in a small group as a larger one • A number of small groups coming up with the same message independently is especially significant and valuable
The Way Forward? • Meetings for a specific purpose • Quiet days • Training/Teaching days Healing Prayer Campaigning Other?
The Way Forward? • Encouraging people to come to regional meetings and core teams seeking the Lord on the structure and content of each of these meetings • Communication with Spotlight • Single purpose meetings • Using media gallery shorts as DVD to give focus in meetings
The Way Forward? • Realistic expectations – • most people who attend Maranatha groups are heavily committed in their own church or community • many of the people who come to groups come for mutual support; they are struggling with problems especially financial & family
• Unless each group meeting offers an opportunity for an encounter with the Lord there is not much point in it!
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