About Discipleship Groups

Have you ever been asked to join a group or volunteer, and said yes, only out of respect and love for the person asking? Well, I have…frequently with not-so-good results.

When I received a call to join a discipleship group after coming to the Cathedral in 2020, my first thought was I didn’t need another meeting. But out of respect for the person calling, I said tell me more. After all, I had heard about discipleship groups when Dean Kate discussed the Restoration Project at a clergy retreat.

I learned that the group would gather as described in the format for Discipleship groups:

“We are gathered to help each other become better followers of Jesus Christ, which happens naturally when we love him. We become better followers of Jesus by holding each other in his love and by encouraging each other to practice the disciplines he teaches.”

After I heard that message, I decided to try the group, and I am so glad I did.

Our group meets by Zoom weekly and helps each other become better followers of Christ. We know we are in a safe place, a place of trust…where all is confidential. Over the past two years, we have shared ministries, joys, sorrows, frustrations, illnesses, and the presence of Jesus in our daily lives. I am grateful for our time together, our time of sharing, for Christian friends holding me accountable, encouraging me, and suggesting books to read. We all are blessed and, in turn, equipped to share those blessings.

Here are thoughts from other members of our group:

Like my new dear friend, I too agreed to participate in a discipleship group out of respect and love for the person who asked me to join. I was tired of Covid confinement and already had too many Zoom meetings and conversations. I squelched my reluctance and accepted the invitation.

It was awkward at first to begin a relationship with new people through a computer screen, particularly when one member was in a different part of the country. It only took a few conversations, however, before we began to bond through the sharing of our daily lives. Then we had the wonderful addition of our sister-in-faith in New Zealand.

While our discussions have included some major life changes, happy occasions, and some crosses to bear, we also share the mundane. I have empathetic listeners after a long frustrating phone call with my Internet provider who can’t seem to keep my TV from losing the signal! Although we have our faith in common and other similar interests in life from which a friendship might blossom, what amazes me most is that this bond we share has occurred without ever having been together in person. In fact, as we meet in mid-afternoon in the U.S. it’s already the following morning in New Zealand. We truly reach across the globe to one another and talk about a rendezvous someday!

Our discipleship means much to me for a variety of reasons. However, these four most easily come to mind. 1) This a group of four women who really listen to one another.
2) Since I am a (retired) clergyperson, it is especially meaningful that in our group I am not treated any differently. No one expects me to make pronouncements or sound deeply theological! 3) It is also refreshing that we are in different geographic areas, even beyond the US. This manifests itself in different experiences and perceptions. 4) Our love for one another has increased as we have gathered. While it would be an enormous treat to see one another in person, we have been brought together in a way that speaks of the love of God.

My discipleship group is such a blessing in life. I “stumbled” upon Reverend Kate’s morning devotions on YouTube approximately two years ago and emailed her a few times to thank her from Rotorua, New Zealand. About a year after our first exchange of brief emails, Kate asked me if I would be interested in joining a discipleship group. I said I would love to, and early in 2022, I started meeting weekly on Zoom with three wonderful women from the United States. They immediately welcomed me into their “fold,” and I now look forward to our hour of conversation every week before I head to work on a Tuesday morning (Monday afternoon in the US). My dear friends were wonderfully accommodating in changing their historic meeting time to suit my New Zealand hours. And then came the challenge of the change to daylight saving in the United States and New Zealand, putting the clocks back for autumn/winter.

Every week I feel the relationships growing. I find great comfort in hearing each of the women’s perspectives on life and faith. I have become attached, in a short period of time, to the women in my group and somehow, one day would like to meet them in person in their hometowns. Each member of the group has a diverse range of interests, and while our faith is a binding factor, we are discovering connections through these interests and places traveled.

I look forward with hope to our weekly meetings as I cannot imagine the future without them in it.

For me, it is a true joy to spend an hour or so every Monday with those who have become good friends. If you are interested in becoming a member of a discipleship group, contact Owene Courtney to learn more.