The first meeting of any CoreGroup is a wonderful mix of excitement, nervousness, and potentially awkward pauses. Don’t worry, all of those things are normal. Just like with most new things, creating group chemistry takes time. You probably won’t leave this first meeting as instant best friends, but this is an opportunity to start the year off on the right foot.
With that in mind, there are some things you can do to prepare for a great first meeting.
Hopefully these simple tips will give you some ways to channel your nervous energy and prepare for your first meeting. A well prepared Leader is a major asset to any CoreGroup. At the same time, we believe that a lot of what happens within a CoreGroup meeting is beyond our control. So, I hope you spend some time turning your first meeting over to God. Spend some time in prayer before the big day and rest in the knowledge that when God’s people gather together God’s spirit is there with them.
With that in mind, there are some things you can do to prepare for a great first meeting.
- First, send out a couple of reminders before your meeting. Share your excitement about your upcoming gathering and make sure the details are clearly stated. When will you meet? What’s the address or Zoom meeting link? Are there any special instructions you should include? (I always included a picture of my cat in my emails for both the allergies and the cuteness.) Finally, how do you plan to address COVID concerns?
- Second, think about snacks. What you do for your first meeting will likely set a precedent for the future. Purchasing or preparing some kind of snack can be a great way to make people feel at home in your group. This is also a great role to share among members of the group throughout the year.
- Prepare your meeting space. If you are meeting in a community location, like a coffee shop, this will be easy. Scope it out and make sure you have enough seats for the number of people you are expecting. If you are hosting the group in your home you’ll want to put in a bit more effort, but perfection is not the goal here. Tidying up your space is a good idea. Do what you can to create a space that is welcoming, comfortable, and authentic.
- Finally, take some time to look over your curriculum. To get the conversation started, it is helpful to know where the conversation is going. You might not use all of the material provided in a lesson, but you don’t want to have to make those decisions on the fly.
Hopefully these simple tips will give you some ways to channel your nervous energy and prepare for your first meeting. A well prepared Leader is a major asset to any CoreGroup. At the same time, we believe that a lot of what happens within a CoreGroup meeting is beyond our control. So, I hope you spend some time turning your first meeting over to God. Spend some time in prayer before the big day and rest in the knowledge that when God’s people gather together God’s spirit is there with them.
Posted in CoreGroup Leader Hub
Recent
Archive
2024
January
Clean Slate: Week 1 Discussion GuideStarting & Sustaining Change // M-Note 1.6.24Clean Slate: Week 2 Discussion GuideStarting Small, Dreaming Big // M-Note 1.13.24Clean Slate: Week 3 Discussion GuideTogether Towards Change...and Healthy Habits // M-Note 1.20.24Clean Slate: Week 4 Discussion GuideSlowing Down for God to Show Up // M-Note 1.27.24
February
More Isn't Always Better // M-Note 2.3.24Money Talks: Week 1 Discussion GuideAshes for Valentine's Day? // M-Note 2.10.24Money Talks: Week 2 Discussion GuideLenten Devotional 2024Money Talks: Week 3 Discussion GuideWhat's your legacy? // M-Note 2.17.24Strength in Numbers: Community in Ministry // M-Note 2.24.24Entourage Discussion Guide - Week One
March
Entourage Discussion Guide - Week TwoUpdates from Clayton and Easter Invitation // M-Note 3.2.24Twenty Students Confirmed Last Sunday // M-Note 3.9.24Entourage Discussion Guide - Week 3How serving at Easter can really make a difference // M-Note 3.16.24Entourage Discussion Guide - Week 4Can You Know Joy Without Pain? // M-Note 3.23.24Entourage Discussion Guide - Week 5It's time for EasterSTL at The Factory // M-Note 3.28.24
April
Easter Discussion GuideScreen Time: Troubleshooting our Relationship with Technology // M-Note 4.6.24Screen Time Discussion Guide - Week 1Springtime Reminders: Joy Comes with the Morning // M-Note 4.13.24Screen Time Discussion Guide - Week 2Shaping the Future at the UMC General Conference // M-Note 4.20.24Screen Time Discussion Guide - Week 3 General Conference Halftime Report// M-Note 4.27.24Screen Time Discussion Guide - Week 4
May
Very Good News at the End of General Conference//M-Note 5.4.24Uncomfortable Truths Discussion Guide - Week 1Uncomfortable Truths Discussion Guide - Week 2Announcing The Gathering’s Church Planters Lab//M-Note 5.11.24My (Hypothetical) Commencement Address // M-Note 5.18.24Uncomfortable Truths Discussion Guide - Week 3Uncomfortable Truths Discussion Guide - Week 4
June
July
September
Worth Sharing Discussion Guide - Week 1Transitioning...to 47 // M-Note 9.7.24Worth Sharing Discussion Guide - Week 2Invitations Work in Mysterious Ways // M-Note 9.14.24Students Stepping Up: Getting Involved in Ministry // M-Note 9.21.24Worth Sharing Discussion Guide - Week 3A Stressful Season // M-Note 9.28.24Worth Sharing Discussion Guide - Week 4
October
It Doesn't Have to Be This Way // M-Note 10.5.24Hold These Truths Discussion Guide - Week 1Love Thy Political Neighbor // M-Note 10.11.2024Hold These Truths Discussion Guide - Week 2Fear is a Powerful Motivator // M-Note 10.19.24Hold These Truths Discussion Guide - Week 3Why Do Bad Things Happen? // M-Note 10.26.24Why? Discussion Guide - Week 1
2023
January
February
Explore - Week 1Explore - Week 2Explore - Week 4Explore - Week 3God is Leading Us Forward // M-Note 2.3.23SENT: Week 1 Discussion GuideSomething To Try This Weekend // M-Note 2.10.23SENT: Week 2 Discussion GuideSENT: Week 3 Discussion GuideWe're Doing Something Big! // M-Note 2.17.23Lent Devotional Day 1Lent Devotional Day 2Lent Devotional Day 3SENT: Week 4 Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 4Lent Devotional Day 5Lent Devotional Day 6Lent Devotional Day 7
Categories
Tags
1 Kings 3
1 Kings
1 Timothy
2 Corinthians 9:5-7
2 Timothy
Belden Lane
Beyond Simple
Celebrate
Change
Christ
Commit
Confidence
Denee Bowers
Devotional
Discussion Guides
Distractions
Divine Love
Doubt
Easter
Ephesians
Equity
Evangelism
Explore
Five Shared Practices
Focus
Frederick Buechner
Fresh Take
Friends
Generosity
God
Gratitude
Hebrews
Holy Ambiguity
Holy Spirit
Hope
Humanity
Identity
Inside Voice
Isaiah
Jesus
John 21
John
Joy
Kids
King Solomon
Lectio Divina
Lent
Life
Limitations
Longing
M-Note
Matt Miofsky
Matthew
Nadia Bolz-Weber
No Filter
Open
Parables
Parenting
Patience
Paula D'Arcy
Paula D\'Arcy
Paula D\\\'Arcy
Paula D\\\\\\\'Arcy
Paul
Privilege
Proverbs 1
Proverbs
Psalms
Purpose
Questions
Redeem
Rejoice
Righteousness
Sabra Engelbrecht
Second Chance
Self-Love
Struggle
Success
The Bible
The Church
The Gathering
Timothy
Uncertainty
Untethered
Vision
Weird
acts
adulting
advice
challenge
commitment
creation
deconstruction
deconstruct
faith
finances
fitness
forgiveness
forgiving
foundation
freedom
give
growth
kelley weber
love
meister eckhart
money
mystery
new life
opportunity
reconstruction
reconstruct
redemption
relationships
responsibility
simplify
sin
social
thomas merton
transition
truth
willingness
willpower
will
young adult