Small Groups
Winter 2021
Small group studies will be offered by the pastoral staff and friends on various platforms throughout the week. Below you will find the small groups, their descriptions, and locations. Please find a group and join!
Coffee, Coloring, & Conversation: Pandemic Parenting
Sunday mornings at 9:00 am on Zoom
This is a strange season with many new and unique challenges for those of us caring for kids and students. Parents and caregivers, grab your cup of coffee and join us on Sunday mornings on Zoom at 9 am as we make space to address these challenges and draw encouragement from each other. These sessions will be led by Brittany Stillwell and Claire McGowen, our new Baylor School of Social Work intern.
Email Brittany Stillwell or check your eNews for the Zoom link.
Women’s Christmas
Sunday Afternoons at 3:00pm at Brittany’s House
In some parts of the world, Epiphany (January 6, which brings the Christmas season to a close) is also celebrated as Women’s Christmas. Originating in Ireland, where it is known as Nollaig na mBan, Women’s Christmas began as a day when the women, who often carried the domestic responsibilities all year, took Epiphany as an occasion to enjoy a bit of respite and celebrate together at the end of the holidays.
Whether your domestic duties are many or few, the season of Epiphany is a good time to pause, rest, and recover from this strange Christmas season. This group is meant to provide sanctuary and sabbath for young(ish) women balancing home, work, and so many other things.
Ladies, let’s carve out Sunday afternoons at 3 pm to sit on Brittany’s patio or Zoom (depending on the weather) and draw strength for the new year in community and conversation. Please let Brittany Stillwell know if you plan to participate.
Poetry with Preston
Sunday Nights at 7:00pm on Zoom
For many people, poetry is the flower of human language; it’s aesthetically pleasing and nice to look at but it’s of little pragmatic use. But much of the Bible is poetry, and much of the classic literature throughout human history is poetry as well, especially that which speaks of the Divine. Poetry has a way of slowing us down, of prompting us to pay attention to our words, to our world, and to ourselves. Poetry appeals to the deepest, emotive places of our being, beneath our rationale. So come and join Preston as we reflect on certain poems as a means of Spiritual Formation, a way of seeing the world, and a way of probing our own souls. Everyone is welcome!!! Join us on Sunday nights at 7:00 pm on Zoom.
Email Preston Clegg or check your eNews for the Zoom link.
What is Evangelicalism and Why Does it Matter?
Monday Nights at 7:00pm on Zoom
What’s in a name? Well–sometimes, at least–everything. In recent years, to be an “evangelical” has come to have a specific, highly politicized meaning. But even if they would not claim the name themselves today, most American Christians think about what it means to be Christian in what are historically “evangelical” ways. In this group we will examine what it has meant to be an “evangelical” in the past, and what it has come to mean lately. By asking how we do or do not see ourselves as “evangelical” we will discover more about ourselves and our own Christian convictions.
Join us at 7:00 pm on Zoom. Everyone is welcome!
Email Andy Black or check your eNews for the Zoom link.
Praying the Hours with the Church
Wednesdays at 8:00am, 12:00pm, and 9:00pm on Facebook Live
“When we pray, we add our own voices to the ceaseless chorus,
taking our part in the song that has been sung since creation began.
Prayer is the way by which we join earth’ refrain to heaven’s hymn”.
-The Little Book of Hours
When we pray at fixed times of the day, we are joining our voices with other believers across the globe who are praying at different times of the day. We are taking part in unceasing worship and prayer, which is our highest calling. Pausing for prayer throughout our day is an opportunity to set aside our busyness and the demands that pull us in different directions. Benedictines live by “ora et labora” – pray and work. This is the spiritual discipline of making space to remind ourselves that God goes before and behind us in the midst of our doing. Divine Presence is above and below to lift our heads and steady our feet.
Join Suzanne on the 2BCLR Facebook page at 8 am, 12 noon, and 9 pm for morning, midday and nighttime prayer. Each prayer time will be a little different and midday and night prayers will be about 10 minutes.
Email Suzanne Cain if you have any questions.
sacred science
Wednesday nights at 6:00pm on Zoom
Robert Sproles and Chris Ellis will lead a small group discussion on Wednesday nights at 6:00pm that centers on the intersection of science and faith. Before each meeting, participants will be asked to watch a video, listen to a podcast or read an article that will center the discussion. Topics may range from artificial intelligence to cosmology to quantum mechanics. Everyone is welcome!
Email Chris Ellis or check your eNews for the Zoom link.
second studies: the Bible for today
Thursday Mornings 10:00am on Zoom
Join Dr. Hulitt Gloer on Thursday mornings at 10:00am for a Bible study that connects the scriptures to the 21st century and calls us all to be faithful followers of Jesus today. This Bible study is for all who bring an open mind and an open heart and a deep desire to understand and apply God’s Word to daily life. There is a place for you at the table.
Everyone is welcome! Email Brittany Plouch or check your eNews for the Zoom link.