Group Planning
Getting Started – Building Your Gather and Grow Group
Now that you’ve signed up for a Gather and Grow Group, here are some helpful tips to get you started.
1. Prayer:
Building the foundation for any house is the most important step. Without a solid foundation, the structure of the house will always be tenuous. The foundation for a Gather and Grow Group is to pray. Gather two or more women together who will commit to pray daily for your Gather and Grow Group members.
2. Explain Your Group Vision:
If your group is connected with a church, meet with the Pastor, Women’s Ministry Leader, or outreach committee to explain the vision of Proverbs 31 Ministries, and what you hope to achieve through your Gather and Grow Group. It is important to have the support of the Pastor and leadership of the church. They can do much to support your group.
3. Recruit/Promotion:
Here are a few ways to get the word out about your Gather & Grow Group:
All the women in your group need to complete an online registration form. You can also print it out and mail it in to: Proverbs 31 Ministries 616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road, Matthews, NC 28105.
5. Review:
Review all leadership materials and then make sure everyone has the agreed upon group resources for the year. You can visit the Proverbs 31 Ministries web site to look at all of the resources that we offer and their descriptions. We highly recommend that you choose resources with study guides for ease of use in a group setting available at www.proverbs31.org.
6. Define Your Goals, Group and Mission:
Before you begin your Proverbs 31 Ministries Gather and Grow Group, it helps to write a mission statement, talk about any goals for the group that you might have and even name your group. Just naming your group will give the group a sense of unity, and it’s fun. Examples of goals could be: to encourage young mothers, share the gospel with the community, reach out to the poor, bring older and younger women together for the purpose of mentoring, or to reach out to single and widowed women. A mission statement early on will help set the pace and direction for you God-ordained ministry to women. For example, the mission statement of Proverbs 31 Ministries is “Bringing God’s Peace, Perspective and Purpose to Today’s busy Woman.”
Your Group Name:
_____________________________________
Your Gather and Grow Group Mission Statement:
_____________________________________
Your Goal For The Year:
_____________________________________
7. Schedule Meeting Places, Dates and Times:
Create a schedule of where you will be meeting. If it is a church, schedule the room and the dates of the planned meetings. If you are meeting in someone’s home, meet with the hostess(es) and secure the dates on her/their calendar(s).
Preparing to Meet
Preparing to meet is important and thought should be given to what the group will be talking about and studying when they get together. Here are some tips for preparing for your meeting.
Beginning a Gather & Grow Group is an exciting time. The initial meeting is very important to set the tone of the group. Below are some suggestions:
Announcements: Share quick announcements with the group about things such as: (birthdays, births, awards, illnesses, as well as any Proverbs 31 Ministries announcements).
Prepare: Prepare by reading in advance, let your group know what they need to have ready, and look up Bible verses. A handout is also an option, but not necessary.
Socialize: Serve refreshments to set everyone at ease.
Icebreaker Activity: Have an icebreaker activity to help women get to know each other and relax. There are ideas for icebreakers on the Gather & Grow blog.
Testimony: You may want to share your testimony and/or take turns having a different person, each time you meet, share their testimony.
Read: Read an excerpt from the book and/or Bible you will be studying.
Share: Have women tell why they came or what they hope to find in the group.
Explain Vision: Explain the vision of Proverbs 31 Ministries, and discuss as a group the vision for your group. This may be a good time to name your group if you like.
Suggestions For Group Meeting Schedule
Every Proverbs 31 Gather & Grow Group will be as different as the women who are involved. The schedule for a group made up of mothers with young children will be different from a group of working women meeting during their lunch hour. Tailoring your meetings to meet the specific need of the women involved is important.
Frequency: Gather and Grow was established to be a very flexible program, in an effort to meet the needs of the unique groups. Meeting frequency is up to the groups, however we have found that meeting every week may cause burn out among the group members, and meeting too infrequently makes it hard to build a sense of community with your group. If someone were to miss a monthly meeting, she would then go two months without attending her Gather & Grow group.
Sample Schedule: The following is an example of a schedule for a 90 minute meeting.
15 minutes:
40 minutes: Group Discussion
20 minutes: Time for prayer requests and group prayer
The following is an example for a one-hour meeting:
10 minutes: Welcome and announcements
40 minutes: Group Discussion
10 minutes: Prayer (You may want to write down the prayer requests and have each member take them home.)
Now that you’ve signed up for a Gather and Grow Group, here are some helpful tips to get you started.
1. Prayer:
Building the foundation for any house is the most important step. Without a solid foundation, the structure of the house will always be tenuous. The foundation for a Gather and Grow Group is to pray. Gather two or more women together who will commit to pray daily for your Gather and Grow Group members.
2. Explain Your Group Vision:
If your group is connected with a church, meet with the Pastor, Women’s Ministry Leader, or outreach committee to explain the vision of Proverbs 31 Ministries, and what you hope to achieve through your Gather and Grow Group. It is important to have the support of the Pastor and leadership of the church. They can do much to support your group.
3. Recruit/Promotion:
Here are a few ways to get the word out about your Gather & Grow Group:
- Meet with other women in your church, neighborhood, or workplace who may be interested in forming a Gather & Grow Group.
- Personal phone calls are a great way to encourage membership to your Gather & Grow group. Share individually how the ministries of Proverbs 31 Ministries (i.e. Encouragement for Today daily devotions, She Speaks conference and P31 Woman magazine) has meant to you is great promotion.
- Print the promotional flyer (ADD LINK) and display them in your church, local schools, businesses, and neighborhoods.
- Put an invitation or flyer in your church bulletin, a neighbor’s mailboxes, or co-workers’ mail slots. Please make sure to get permission if needed.
- Send an email out to all your friends announcing the beginning of your Forever 31 - Gather and Grow Group and invite them to join you.
All the women in your group need to complete an online registration form. You can also print it out and mail it in to: Proverbs 31 Ministries 616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road, Matthews, NC 28105.
5. Review:
Review all leadership materials and then make sure everyone has the agreed upon group resources for the year. You can visit the Proverbs 31 Ministries web site to look at all of the resources that we offer and their descriptions. We highly recommend that you choose resources with study guides for ease of use in a group setting available at www.proverbs31.org.
6. Define Your Goals, Group and Mission:
Before you begin your Proverbs 31 Ministries Gather and Grow Group, it helps to write a mission statement, talk about any goals for the group that you might have and even name your group. Just naming your group will give the group a sense of unity, and it’s fun. Examples of goals could be: to encourage young mothers, share the gospel with the community, reach out to the poor, bring older and younger women together for the purpose of mentoring, or to reach out to single and widowed women. A mission statement early on will help set the pace and direction for you God-ordained ministry to women. For example, the mission statement of Proverbs 31 Ministries is “Bringing God’s Peace, Perspective and Purpose to Today’s busy Woman.”
Your Group Name:
_____________________________________
Your Gather and Grow Group Mission Statement:
_____________________________________
Your Goal For The Year:
_____________________________________
7. Schedule Meeting Places, Dates and Times:
Create a schedule of where you will be meeting. If it is a church, schedule the room and the dates of the planned meetings. If you are meeting in someone’s home, meet with the hostess(es) and secure the dates on her/their calendar(s).
Preparing to Meet
Preparing to meet is important and thought should be given to what the group will be talking about and studying when they get together. Here are some tips for preparing for your meeting.
- As the leader, read the chapters, go through the study guide, and look up the verses in advance.
- Then contact all the women in your group in advance and have them read the chapters that you will be discussing during your group time. Sending a schedule of what will be covered for the year is very helpful, so that the women in your group know in advance what to read/review.
- After reading the designated chapters, have the women answer the study guide questions (study guides for most P31 books are typically at the end of the chapters).
- If you would like to take it an extra step you can prepare a hand-out/lesson so the women will also have something to take home.
- Ideas questions that you can put on a handout:
- What is the major theme of this material that you took away?
- How did this material relate to your life and your walk with Jesus?
- How do you plan to use what you learned today throughout the rest of the week?
- What do you think that God is trying to tell us when we read that verse/material?
- What was your favorite part of what we studied today and why? What was your least favorite part and why?
- Send the women in your group scriptures that pertain to the material and have them look them up in advance. Most of the P31 study guides have Bible verse suggestions that pertain to the material. You can also add a few of your own.
- If you are using a CD or DVD as the leader preview it in advance, take notes and look up verses that pertain to the material, and send the verses along with a few questions that relate to the material to the women in your group in advance. When you meet play the DVD or CD, answer the questions as a group, and discuss the Bible verses together.
- If you have chosen a book or resource that does not have a study guide, please email us at forever31@proverbs31.org if you would like suggestions on how to lead your meeting, we would love to help you with that.
Beginning a Gather & Grow Group is an exciting time. The initial meeting is very important to set the tone of the group. Below are some suggestions:
Announcements: Share quick announcements with the group about things such as: (birthdays, births, awards, illnesses, as well as any Proverbs 31 Ministries announcements).
Prepare: Prepare by reading in advance, let your group know what they need to have ready, and look up Bible verses. A handout is also an option, but not necessary.
Socialize: Serve refreshments to set everyone at ease.
Icebreaker Activity: Have an icebreaker activity to help women get to know each other and relax. There are ideas for icebreakers on the Gather & Grow blog.
Testimony: You may want to share your testimony and/or take turns having a different person, each time you meet, share their testimony.
Read: Read an excerpt from the book and/or Bible you will be studying.
Share: Have women tell why they came or what they hope to find in the group.
Explain Vision: Explain the vision of Proverbs 31 Ministries, and discuss as a group the vision for your group. This may be a good time to name your group if you like.
Suggestions For Group Meeting Schedule
Every Proverbs 31 Gather & Grow Group will be as different as the women who are involved. The schedule for a group made up of mothers with young children will be different from a group of working women meeting during their lunch hour. Tailoring your meetings to meet the specific need of the women involved is important.
Frequency: Gather and Grow was established to be a very flexible program, in an effort to meet the needs of the unique groups. Meeting frequency is up to the groups, however we have found that meeting every week may cause burn out among the group members, and meeting too infrequently makes it hard to build a sense of community with your group. If someone were to miss a monthly meeting, she would then go two months without attending her Gather & Grow group.
Sample Schedule: The following is an example of a schedule for a 90 minute meeting.
15 minutes:
- Get nametags (folding over index cards and placing them in front of each member
- also works – a fun idea is to have the ladies put down their name and also a creative “Title” that best describes themselves i.e. Wendy Pope -- The Get it Done Girl)
- Greetings/Welcome
- Refreshments
40 minutes: Group Discussion
20 minutes: Time for prayer requests and group prayer
The following is an example for a one-hour meeting:
10 minutes: Welcome and announcements
40 minutes: Group Discussion
10 minutes: Prayer (You may want to write down the prayer requests and have each member take them home.)
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