Welcome to Connect Group for 2025!
The questions here are to help us to get to know each other and get our groups started on the right foot.
First, to get to know each other, answer whichever questions you'd like to - or for a bit of fun, use a random number generator (numbers 1-10) to decide which question to answer next! (re-rolls are permitted!)
What inanimate object do you wish you could eliminate from existence, and why?
What was your dream job when you were in high school? (And what job do you have now?)
What's a charity or cause that you support, and why?
If you could send a message back in time ten years to yourself back then, what would it say?
What is something you're looking forward to about 2025?
What is your favourite thing about church?
What is something God has been teaching you or challenging you about in the last few weeks or months?
Who is on your heart at the moment, who you would particularly like to be blessed by God this year? (take a moment to pray for them now!)
What do you hope to get out of being in this Connect Group this year?
If you could choose one topic or part of the bible to hear a sermon or do a bible study on this year, what would it be, and why?
Next, spend some time discussing what it means to come together as a group:
What are your expectations for our Connect Group this year?
What are your hopes/aspirations for the year ahead as a group?
What are we committing/promising to do?
Read John 15:1-8
Is anyone in the group a keen gardener? Perhaps you can explain the process of pruning to the group - what is it for, why is it important?
So what might be Jesus' focus here in using this metaphor? [1]
What is a vine for? Why does Jesus want his disciples to stay connected in to him as the branches in the vine?
How could this Connect Group help us
to remain in the vine?
to bear much fruit?
to be disciples of Jesus?
Spend some time praying together - pray for the year ahead, and for this group to be fruitful and sustaining for everyone involved.
[1] In the original Greek, the word for 'prunes' in verse 2 (kathairo) is an unusual one. It is the verb form of the word for 'clean', which follows in verse 3 (katharos). In both cases, the word means clean, clear and pure (or cleanse, clarify or purify). So perhaps the pruning Jesus has in mind is particularly a cleaning or clearing away process.
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