Small Group Offerings
SIGN UP BELOW FOR OUR FALL SMALL GROUP OFFERINGS!
At 2BC, a small group is a sacred space designed for soul care in community. This fall promises to be a noisy season—elections and so many other forces will be pulling at our attention and pulling us apart. Small groups offer a chance to step back from the noise and tune into the voice of God, rooting ourselves in that love so we can love and serve the world well. Each group meets over a set period, typically 6–8 weeks, providing a rhythm of connection, growth, and reflection. Space is limited in each group, so please be sure to sign up below. You can read more about our fall offerings below.
Standing Still, Being Astonished: A Season with Mary Oliver
led by CJ Fowler
When & Where: Sundays (September 13 – October 18), 3:00-4:15 pm at the home of C.J. Fowler
Purpose: To be in a beloved, contemplative community guided by the life and work of Mary Oliver. This small group will work our way through Mary Oliver’s poetry collection “Devotions,” encountering themes like death, salvation, hope, and time. Those poems, selected essays, and biographical pieces about Mary Oliver will all become occasions to wonder, to pray, and maybe even to lament over the many glorious mysteries of creation and our shared life together.
Audience: Anyone who is looking for a touch of stillness, a bit of grace, or an invitation to contemplation in this season.
Materials: You will need access to Mary Oliver’s book Devotions (2019).
I Am the Potter, You Are the Clay
led by Lois Davis (potter)
When & Where: Tuesdays (October 6, 13, 20, 27, & November 3 & 10), 6:00–7:30 pm at Lake Nixon
Purpose: To explore scriptures that use the imagery of pottery and clay, deepening our understanding of God’s shaping hand in our lives. As we work with clay together, someone will read the scripture aloud using Lectio Divina, allowing the words to settle in even as our hands are at work. We’ll discuss questions like: How does it feel to make something and love it simply because you made it? How does it feel to be the clay—molded, stretched, and shaped?
Audience: Anyone curious about a hands-on, reflective way of encountering scripture—no pottery experience needed.
Materials: The cost is $10 each to help cover the cost of materials.
Creation & Wonder
led by Chad Nall
When & Where: Sundays (September 20 – October 18), 5:00–6:00 pm at various outdoor locations
Purpose: To explore our deep connections to creation and cultivate wonder with assistance from the book Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss by Margaret Renkl. As people made from dust, we’ll reflect on shalom—peace with God, peace with others, and peace with creation—through guided time outdoors and intentional journaling.
Audience: Those who feel drawn to green spaces and the beauty of creation, and who want to deepen their connection to God, others, and the natural world.
Materials: Bring a journal to capture reflections and insights from each gathering.
Understanding Baptism
led by Brittany Stillwell
When & Where: Thursdays (October 1, 15, and 29), 4:00-5:30 pm at Second Baptist Downtown
Purpose: To explore the history, practices, and theology of Baptism from a Baptist perspective — considering the sacrament of baptism as both initiation into the Body of Christ and as a symbol of our commitment to follow Christ. Together we’ll dig into what this core practice of our faith really means.
Audience: Those who want to make sense of a baptism they experienced as a child, those hoping to reclaim a baptism that felt coerced or inauthentic, those who haven’t been baptized and are curious what it’s about, and anyone wanting a deeper understanding of this practice.
Materials: No materials necessary, though you may want your Bible and a journal if you like to take notes.
Weaving a Web of Faith
led by Allison Hiblong
When & Where: Sundays (September 13, 20, 27 and October 4, 11, 18) 3:30-5:00 pm, at local parks, We will start at Echo Valley Park in Little Rock and the last park will be at Lake Nixon.
Purpose: To help nurture a faith in our children that can flex and grow, that can be broken and repaired, rather than one built on a rigid foundation that cracks under pressure. Many of us have found that the “firm foundation” our faith was built on has been pulled up brick by brick, or toppled by removing just one foundational piece — and we want to pass along a faith to our kids that they won’t have to heal from. Together, we’ll begin to weave a new web of faith, strand by strand.
Audience: Parents of young children (infant to elementary)
Materials: Woven by Meredith Miller is recommended but not necessary. Individual snacks are highly recommended. Lawn chairs and/or picnic blankets may be deemed useful.
Poetry with Preston
led by Preston Clegg
When & Where: Sunday afternoons (September 20- November 15), 4:00-5:00 pm on Zoom
Purpose: This class is designed to slow our pace, take us deeper into our lived existence, and provide some soul care in a chaotic election season. Together, we’ll consider poetry as a window to ponder different aspects of life and faith.
Audience: Anyone who wants to tend their soul and live from a deeper register. It is open to poetry lovers and poetry novices alike.
Materials: The poems will be provided to the group, so no materials necessary.