Parish Core Community

PARISH CORE COMMUNITY

The Parish Core Community (PCC) is a ministry within the St. Timothy parish who:

· is committed to the vision of the parish as an evangelizing community of communities,
· encourages and supports the development and continuance of Small Christian Communities (SCCs),
· provides information to SCCs concerning study resources, and
· provides forums for inter-SCC dialogue.

What is a Small Christian Community?

A SCC is a face-to-face gathering of six to twelve people who invest time with one another
for the common purpose of applying gospel values to every aspect of their lives.

The characteristics of a SCC are:
· small, no more than 15-20 adults,
· often meets in the home of one of its members or rotates the meeting home,
· held in addition to Sunday Eucharist,
· leadership comes from within itself,
· meeting has regular Bible sharing/reflection,
· emphasizes personal relationships and solidarity within the context of cultural values and customs,
· has some kind of planned action, mutual aid and social outreach,
· participates in parish structures, and
· has regular meetings and training sessions for leaders.

Elements of a typical SCC

· Prayer (Leitourgia) – Centrality of God’s presence and power in each person and in the community
· Faith Sharing (Kerygma) – Talk freely about God and about life experiences in light of scripture and tradition
· Mutual Support (Koinonia) – Fidelity to the gospel and support for one another
· Learning (Kerygma, Didache) – Fuller understanding of the gospel, church and its teaching to life’s circumstances
· Mission (Diakonia) – Work for compassion, justice, reconciliation and peace in all areas

For more information, contact:

· Bill Archer

· Micki Gillman

· Tony Gillman

· Marilyn Hoffman

· Tom Kochansky (Diocesan Core Community)