Create a Cathedral Circle

Cathedral Circles will create and support opportunities for social engagement and community-building through small groups. Small groups build trusting relationships with God and one another. When we meet each other for conversation, practice, and prayer, we learn how to love. Cathedral Circles are small groups that exist for no longer than one year to provide spaces for prayerful support and action in the world as we follow Jesus. 

Circle administration will exist within each Mission Team, with the support of Cathedral Ministries Committee. A Mission Team may manage a maximum of three circles at a time. These might be a book club or action group, or the Mission Team may add a new level of intention to an existing group such as the choir, LGBTQ Group, or Daughters of the King. Groups that hope to be long-term must resubmit Circle forms each year. The goal of each Circle is to open new doors for God to work on us, in us, and through us each year, in powerful ways through small, intentional, dedicated groups of disciples. 

REQUIREMENTS:

  1. A circle must have a facilitator who is listed in Realm before it can be established.
  2. Regular spiritual practice and reflection appropriate to each Circle must occur.
  3. A circle must have at least three people (including the facilitator) who commit to being in the Circle before general invitations can be sent out to the congregation/public.
  4. Fill out the form below.

If you need help or clarity filling out the form, please reference the examples below:

EXAMPLE 1

Name of Group: Walk in Love

Facilitator: Ms. Suzy Q

Schedule: Weekly, Tuesdays at noon in the Chapter room starting January 14 and ending May 12, 2024. The group will be closed to new members after the second meeting, January 21

Location: The chapter room, we’ll use our own laptops for the video

One sentence description of what you will do: We plan to read the book “Walk in Love” by Scott Gunn and Melanie Shobe. We would like to use the ChurchNext class associated with the book to guide us and help us with asking questions.

One sentence description of why: We want to deepen our understanding of what it means to be Episcopalians and how to live that out in our personal lives.

Spiritual Practice and Reflection: We will have opening and closing prayers and reflective conversation in-between, utilizing the ChurchNext study.

Corresponding Mission Team(s): Faith Formation

EXAMPLE 2

Name of Group: Holy Hiking

Facilitator: Mr. Joe Shmo

Schedule: Monthly, one Saturday morning a month at various locations around Northeastern Ohio.  Starting May 1 and ending October 1, 2025. The group is open to anyone the entire time. We might do a long-distance trip once over the summer (Hocking Hills?).

Location: We’d like to post a list of locations and dates on the website (including rain dates) before the group begins in May.

One sentence description of what you will do: We plan to explore God’s creation and use our hikes both for conversation and for meditation.

One sentence description of why: We hope to deepen our appreciation of nature and see ourselves as a part of, rather than separate from, the earth

Spiritual Practice and Reflection: We plan to use the poetry of Wendell Berry, in his book, This Day: Collected & New Sabbath Poems. We will read a poem before each hike and then at the end of the hike take a few minutes for people to share their experience.

Corresponding Mission Team(s): Creation Care or Congregational Life