Etcetera. Whatever.

I lead a Small Group that’s a little bit out of the ordinary. We call ourselves the “Geeky/Deepen Women’s Group” and we’re not a typical Small Group. We organized largely because I knew a few women who were strong in their faith who longed for meaningful community, but who were somewhere between tired & fed up with the way Small Group typically go. We were tired of being slaves to curriculum. We were tired of discussions that hardly got past “what do you think about that?” We were tired of groups that tried to be one-size-fits-all and wound up being one-size-certainly-doesn’t-fit-us. A lot of us were burnt out, or nearly burnt out on church life as we’d experienced it. We were people who had been around the block with God, having trusted Christ for decades in some cases. We were people who loved and respected folks who were still trying to figure out who Jesus is, but we were absolutely looking for a place where we could come with our own questions, instead of always feeling like the experts to answer questions for others. We were tired of Sunday school answers, and (honestly) tired of feeling like we had to always stay in the shallow end for the sake of those who were just checking out faith. We were looking for something that was richer, truer, less formal, more inviting — oh, and also more accepting of our geeky/nerdy/dorky tendencies.

For years, I joked with my old boss that if I could just advertise for a small group made up of people who could quote substantial lines from the Simpsons, I’d find a good group. The ladies who have joined our group aren’t all fans of the Simpsons, but the premise basically worked… we had some shared interests and we’ve developed a nice little group (and I do mean little… with a perfectly-fitting-member moving, we were down to just 4 people).

But… 4 people, even when they’re the most awesome 4 people ever, doesn’t quite make a group. It just takes one person being sick or otherwise occupied, and meetings shrivel into nothingness. So, with Gateway being part of the “Walls” series in September, we opened up for new people.

Opening a group like this for new people is always a step of faith, and it gets confusing along the way. I think I was contacted by around 25 women who wanted to join our group. 25! Oh my, I’m glad I knew that not all 25 would ever possibly show up! In the end, we’ve had around 6 of those 25 visit. A few seem like they just might be kindred spirits. A few others, well… our group is usually kind of self-selecting. You either love it or you hate it. :)

When I started this group, I really felt called to do it. This wasn’t one of those “arm twist” moments; I did not feel guilted into it. Instead, I had seen a situation and people who were struggling thru it alone, and knew that I was in a place to do something about it. A year and a half later, the scope sometimes gets murky… should we go away from our “deepen” roots? Should we let up on the geeky tendencies? Thus far, I’m confident that we’re supposed to stick with what we’re called to be. Even if that means we remain a very small Small Group, I think it’s the right call for us.

Why am I blogging about this? Well, it felt right. :) Maybe somebody out there will be inspired to respond to your own calling, even if it is as simple as creating a place of community for people you see as being left out. Maybe somebody will be inspired to create a geeky/beginner’s group to come along side ours, even. Who knows. Perhaps I just thought it was good to put these thoughts on virtual paper.