1. Describe the pieces of the logo
Lk 19:5 – “I must come to your house today.”
Friends Encountering Christ: The Lord visits you in your home, church, friends. We are called to encounter Christ in all those ways and places.
Our pastor had long envisioned that there should be a sense of church and community within the neighborhoods around our parish territory.
He is also a great believer in small groups and in faith-sharing
SATG has 4000 families – over 11,000 registered members

2. Catholic Theology Encounter Accompaniment Made for communion
As I said: The Lord visits you in your home, church, friends. We are called to encounter Christ in all those ways and places.
Pope Francis talks about our need to encounter Christ – for us to encounter Christ in others, and for them to encounter Christ in us
This happens - or can or should happen - most naturally in a home setting.
In our parish prayer, we pray that we might each become welcoming doorways to others.
We know it to be true that small groups and faith-sharing are the two paths to deeper communion in Christ and the Church.
Pope Francis also stresses accompaniment – the very important step in our Christian lives of walking with others through their sorrows and their joys so that they need never feel alone. Again, that we be Christ for one another. It should be the shining quality of Church – that everyone feels they belong, everyone feels that they are not alone but that there are always others walking with them.
We are not there to socialize with one another – although that will sometimes be a result – but we should always be there to minister to one another.
We imagined groups that would be small and foster community, provide a concrete experience of life in the church. serve as Lenten preparation, and stress faith-sharing, not Bible study

3. 1st Steps Break the territory into neighborhoods
Select leaders with staff input
Send letters inviting potential leaders
Obtain their availability
Publicize the Lenten program
Have a parish-wide sign-up
Place people into groups
So our plan became
Break the territory into neighborhoods based on the number of actively participating households in each (about 25 in each)
Review all of the households in those neighborhoods and ask the staff to recommend people who they envisioned could lead a small group
Send letters inviting potential leaders to a meeting to explain the vision of the program
Obtain from them their availability for hosting a group in their home
Publicize the expectation to the entire parish
Have a parish-wide sign-up
Place people in the groups that met their stated availability and as close to their home as possible

4. Home Gatherings Yard signs Candles with logo Leader Packets
Attendance sheet
Name tags
3 weeks of prayer, Gospel text, faith-sharing questions
DVD for each week with 3 parish priests’ homily preparation reflection

5. Surveys Host/Facilitator Survey Participant Survey
94% helped them grow spiritually
37% had not attended previous Lenten program
26% first time faith-sharing
97% felt prepared to lead group
77% felt 3 gatherings were a good number
Participant Survey
87% helped them grow spiritually
90% appreciated a home setting
95% video helped them better understand the Gospel message
99% felt welcomed by leader

6. Church@Home 2018! Solidify small groups as part of the parish culture
Continue the search for geographic leadership
Ensure optimum size of small groups
Train for faith-sharing – not Bible Study
Conclude with a large gathering in the church, inviting all participants
Translate experienced hospitality from home to parish eucahrist – increasing intentional engagement in the Sunday Eucharistic Liturgy