Eat, Learn, Pray, Help - Part 2

The Connection Groups Model is focused on 4 practices--eat together, learn together, pray together, and help together--based on Acts 2:42-47.  The first practice--eat together--is articulated in the phrase, "They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts..."  So what is it about "eating together" that contributes to biblical community?  In a world where technology makes connecting easier than ever, so much "connecting" is nothing more than surface-level interactions the lack heart, emotion, and genuine concern.  That's what makes connecting over a meal so different.  Around the dinner table you experience face-to-face conversation, laughter, emotion, and depth of discussion--all with limited disruptions.  And it's the easiest way to connect meaningfully with others.  While satisfying your physical hunger you satisfy relational emptiness.  

This is why we emphasize over and over a challenge to connect at least once during a Connection Group semester around a meal outside of your regular group meeting.  Group meetings typically have a set agenda.  But when you can spend a couple hours enjoying a meal together without an agenda, relationships deepen, transparency increases, and the stage is set for deeper community.  How?  Because the depth of relationship outside group meetings has a direct bearing on the quality of discussions inside group meetings.  While we use the phrase, "eat together," the truth is it can be any fun activity together where the group gets to know one another in a greater way.  So what  have been your group's best "eat together" activities in the last couple semesters?  Take a moment and post a comment to share ideas that other group hosts can benefit from.