Small Group Leader

As the Small Group Leader, you are the person who forms your group of 6-12 people into a small Christian community, a neighborhood of friends who pray for each other, who are concerned about each other’s spiritual well being, and who are involved in the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, formed and nourished through the Sacraments and Liturgy.

You are hopeful, enthusiastic, and dedicated to making sure that those in your small group are involved in a fruitful group experience that will lead them in the weeks ahead to share on a more spiritual level. Your group is intended to remain constant for the duration of the 6 weeks of the retreat (and perhaps beyond), and your resposibilities during that time will be to:

• Welcome your small group members and create a trusting atmosphere
• Encourage the group to share and pray for each other
• Relate personally to each member, getting to know them as spiritual companions on the same journey
• Affirm each member, being attentive to their individual experience with the materials (i.e., listen to each one)
• Prepare for each session by reading the Small Group Questions at the end of each week’s reflections in the Retreat Companion and the weekly Small Group Leader’s Tips on the website
• Facilitate the conversation of the small group, ensuring each person can share and that all are respectful of one another

To help you form your small group into a small Christian community, there are many valuable small group leader materials, tips, and downloads available to those who are registered on this website as HAPP Retreat Leaders and log in as such.