Una fit use each of the three books for the My Catholic Life! Series for Catholic study programme wey go last 8 weeks. This means say una fit study for a total of 24 weeks to cover the whole Catholic Catechism! This small group study programme good well well for these settings and other ones:
Family – Why una no gather family members together to study our faith for eight weeks?!
Friends – Start study group among your friends and invite some new friends!
Neighbourhood – This na very good way to spread the Good News right for your neighbourhood. Send letter to invite your neighbours. The number of people wey get interest fit surprise you!
Parish – Talk to your parish priest to get permission to start one or more study groups for your local church.
R.C.I.A. – This na very good tool to use for people wey dey prepare to become Catholic. All three series together go cover the whole Catechism! See the R.C.I.A. Guide for more information.
Who fit start a programme? – Dem arrange this programme so e go easy for any Catholic to organise and lead. You no need to be expert for the Catholic faith before you take the first step. If you feel say God dey call you to take this step, then “No fear”—go ahead and start!
Wetin una need? – Di materials include one out of di three catechism books for di My Catholic Life! book series and di study guides wey dey below. Una fit read di books for website, get dem as free eBooks or as paperback. Each person wey join no need anything pass one copy of di book wey una dey study. Group leaders go use di materials below. Each person suppose read di chapter for dat evening before dem come, so dem go ready.
How di meetings dey go? – To lead small group no hard reach as e fit first look. You no need special training or background for theology. Na just to arrange things well and dey willing to help run dis programme you need. For some ways, e no too different from to arrange party.
Study group meeting go run by itself if you just follow di format wey dem provide. Allow di Holy Spirit lead, and you go surprise how e really easy reach. Na dis be di basic format for each meeting:
5 minit – Gather & greet and talk with one another.
10 minit – Opening prayer and Scripture as dem provide for each session guide.
50 minit – Go through di discussion questions. Invite each person to share something or ask question if dem want. No allow one or two people take over di discussion. Give everybody turn round di circle, and no fear to share wetin you get to talk! Wetin you understand fit help another person understand di topics better. Your question fit even be di same question wey another person get.
20 minit – Go round and give each person chance to share wetin stand out pass for dem from di discussion dat night, or wetin confuse dem pass, so dat wetin others share fit make things clearer or help dem understand better.
5 minit – Closing prayer as di study guide for each session direct.
How I go start? – Three easy steps dey to help you start:
- Send email to the group, call your friends, let people for the neighbourhood know, put announcement for the parish bulletin, or post am for Facebook! Find out who get interest and encourage them small. Gather their contact details so you fit give them more information once you know who get interest.
- Before or after you find out who get interest, choose di time and place wey una go dey meet every week. Di meeting no suppose pass one hour and thirty minit. Try choose di same place for eight weeks wey follow each other. Send dat information to your group together with link to di book wey una go study. Tell dem to read di introduction and Chapter One before di first meeting.
- Hold una first meeting. You fit provide small snacks and start with time to greet and talk with one another as everybody dey arrive. The study guide go guide una from there. Just follow the format for that guide and enjoy as una dey learn about una faith!