HGBC Fellowship Groups Purpose To discover together, by studying the Bible, God’s principles for Christian living and witnessing, and, by prayer and encouragement, to help one another to put these principles into practice. Fellowship groups provide the main structure for discipling Christians in the church. They provide a more intimate framework within which individuals can grow together in maturity. They have been an essential part of HGBC from its earliest beginnings. In fact, the church was formed out of a housegroup belonging to Poynton Baptist Church. There are currently 11 conventional groups meeting plus a number of special groups. Group Meetings The groups mainly meet on Tuesdays from 8.00 – 10.00pm. The last Tuesday in the month is given over to either a joint Prayer Meeting in church or a Church Meeting. An evening’s programme will include a time of worship, prayer and a Bible study, the subject of which is decided by the Church Elders. The studies are either, prepared by the Fellowship Group Co-ordinator or taken from a commercially produced publication. There is no fixed order for each evening; this is left to the leader’s discretion. Subjects studied in the past Nehemiah; Sermon on the Mount; Prayer; Second Coming; Various Psalms; What Jesus Taught About… ; Fruit of the Spirit; Various character studies from both Old and New Testaments; Acts 1 & 2; Members’ Covenant (4 parts); Mark’s Gospel; Christian Disciplines; John’s Letters; Jonah; ‘I am’ sayings of Jesus; Selected Proverbs; Genesis; 2 Timothy; Ruth; 7 churches of Revelation; John 1 – 6; 40 Days of Purpose; Meeting God in Praise; Ephesians; Exodus; Romans; Philippians; Acts; Freedom in Christ; 1 and 2 Thessalonians; Decisions (9 studies); Elijah and Elisha; 1 Peter (current) Policy To encourage all adult members of the congregation, whether or not they are church members, to join a Fellowship Group. To provide regular training courses so that potential leaders can be trained in readiness for the creation of new groups. People new to the congregation are encouraged to attend an Alpha course. This process takes about eight months and at the end of it is the intention that these latter groups form the nucleus of new Fellowship groups. Further Information Please contact either the church on 0161 487 3708 or email office@hgbc.org.uk