Maranatha Groups January 2011 What defines a Maranatha group? Is - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

• Maranatha Groups January 2011

What defines a Maranatha group? Is it -

• The table and the circle of chairs?
• The Maranatha vision?
• Individual commitment to Maranatha by

members of group?

• Content of meeting?

What defines a Maranatha group? Is it-

• Size?
• Groups vary in size from 2 to over 100
• Meeting place?
• Homes, churches, halls
• Frequency and time of meeting?
• Monthly groups mainly meet in weekday

evenings;

• bi-monthly groups mainly meet on Saturdays

Is there a pattern?

• Usually a fixed meeting time
• Place may vary especially if groups are meeting

in homes

• Many of the groups are meeting primarily for

prayer and Christian fellowship

• There seems to be critical points at which the

nature of organisation changes.

• Larger groups have a core team
• Local advertising and word of mouth bring in

new people

Maranatha Members October 2010

What defines a Maranatha Prayer cell? Is it

• A commitment to meet regularly usually

weekly?

• Intercession based on the prayer letter,
• r e-mail list from Hazel or office?
• A small group, mainly 2 or 3,
• very flexible with minimal organisation?

Prayer Cells October 2010

What defines a Maranatha group?

• 39 active groups
• 21 are under 10 (regularly attending)
• 11 between 10 and 20 (regularly attending)
• 7 are over 20 meeting mainly bi-monthly
• 8 have ceased to meet as groups this year but

5 of these are meeting as prayer cells with contact details on the newsletter

Maranatha groups December 2010

What defines a Maranatha group?

• The number of people registered to a group

and actually attending meetings may be very different.

• This is more likely the larger the group
• Special speakers or focus will draw in people

who are registered to a group who rarely attend and bring in visitors.

• This can be difficult to organise if a group is

very small and meets in a home

Prayer Cells & Groups

Regional Gatherings 2010

Regional Gatherings

• Usually annual in Summer months
• All day meetings on a Saturday
• Usually a key speaker or team of Maranatha

leaders sharing news of the wider work

• Advertised nationally

Gatherings, Groups & Prayer Cells 2010

Vision Meetings planned 2011

Travelling distances to Gatherings

Gatherings, Groups & Prayer Cells 2010 With 40 mile circles

The Way Forward?

• Regional gatherings need a strong, praying, core team
• ften drawn from different groups
• There is a lot of organising and physical work for a

large group of people

• Advertising
• There needs to be time for people simply to meet
• There needs to be follow up procedures
• Timing of meetings need to be co-ordinated through

the office but there could be more than one on the same day

The Way Forward?

• Prayer is the foundation of the Community
• The vital importance of even the smallest

group which meets together to wait on God

• God may give a message to the community
• r for the nation just as clearly in a small

group as a larger one

• A number of small groups coming up with

the same message independently is especially significant and valuable

The Way Forward?

• Meetings for a specific purpose
• Quiet days
• Training/Teaching days

Healing Prayer Campaigning Other?

• Encouraging people to come to

regional meetings and core teams seeking the Lord on the structure and content of each of these meetings

• Communication with Spotlight
• Single purpose meetings
• Using media gallery shorts as DVD to

give focus in meetings The Way Forward?

The Way Forward?

• Realistic expectations –
• most people who attend Maranatha groups

are heavily committed in their own church or community

• many of the people who come to groups

come for mutual support; they are struggling with problems especially financial & family

• Unless each group meeting offers an
• pportunity for an encounter with the Lord

there is not much point in it!