Ryde Presbyterian Church

Current Small Church groups running - Monday 10:30am & 7:30pm. Contact us for more details, or if you'd be interested in a Small Church being run on a different day.

The Bible urges us to encourage one another, bear one another's burdens, confess our sins to one another, pray for one another, spur one another on in love and good deeds, to rebuke one another, and generally get to know each other better!

In his letter to the Corinthians Paul encourages them to open wide their hearts to each other, as indeed he has opened his heart to them. We realise that one hour of Church on a Sunday is not always the best place to try and do some of these things.

At RPC we have developed 'Small Churches' to enable us to get to know each other better. They are much more than a Bible Study. We do study the Bible, with an emphasis on application to our everyday lives, but also spend time in sharing, praying, socialising, and more. They are not a substitute for Sunday's 10am Church, but are designed to complement it!

To make sure our Small Churches are effective we emphasise the following:

1 - Confidentiality. What is shared in Small Church should stay in Small Church.

2 - Acceptance. Jesus accepted all 'sorts' - even a woman caught in the act of adultery (John 8), even the man who would hand him over for a bag of silver (Matt 26:15). We are all sinners, we all fall short, and yet we have all been accepted by Jesus. Jesus encourages us to accept each other as well.

3 - Vulnerability and Intimacy. As mentioned above, Paul encourages us to pe open with one another. Paul knows that because we are all one in Jesus that we are all the same and no longer need to hide from each other. We can be honest about who we are, just like any close family unit.

4 - Accountability. Sometimes we need each others help to move forward in life. The New Testament suggests that the Holy Spirit works in and through us to help each other grow in maturity.

To know more about our Small Church program - contact Dave!