Groups Guy

My wife has been leading a women’s discipleship group for the last couple years. She’s worked hard preparing for the lessons. The Bible portion has been transforming.
Part of the program is what the call tapestry. On these days the ladies are asked to share a piece of their story. It might be to tell a mountain top experience or a difficult episode. They prep beforehand and share. As I watch my wife come home I can see that something significant has happened. She never tells me specifics, but its obvious the group has gotten to a new level.
These tapestries have shown me the power of telling our stories. There are lots of ways to have folks share their story. I first learned about it when I went to a Serendipity conference. They do a great job giving nice easy questions that most anyone would be willing to tell. See the Serendipity Bible for more examples.
I recently saw Lyman Coleman speak. He shared my new favorite way to to tell your story. Its the Kitchen Table. The idea here is describe the dynamics of your kitchen table when you were a kid. Give your group paper and markers. Have them draw who sat where, and what the table looked like. As your people share they’ll have fun getting to know things they’ve never heard about you. They’ll feel more connected.
Of course, one other great way for your participants to reveal more is through telling their spiritual journey or testimony. I like having folks share 5 minutes before they met Christ, 5 minutes how they met Christ & finish with 5 on what life has been like since. You could have one person share each week until they’re all done.
As your group does these you’ll watch it go from a group of acquaintances to real friends. It is beautiful to see it happen. It may seem awkward at first or even weird. Yet you’ll be so surprised how impactful it is.