GOING DEEPER HouseGroup

"Going Deeper" is a broad term for a Christian discipleship program designed to deepen one's relationship with God, often through house groups & small groups – the goal is to grow in understanding and actually live out one's faith, and includes praying, studying the Bible, and sharing one's faith with each other. That is our aim at Silverdale, that’s what we want to do – it’s why we do what we do in the way that we do it!
Our culture is distracted, fragmented, and hurried – many of us are simply too busy and exhausted to have a meaningful life with God. We need what Dallas Willard called a “curriculum for Christ-likeness” – a clear path to being formed by Jesus in the modern era, rather than being counter-formed by a culture that skims near the surface.
We’ll be going deeper into shared sets of rhythms based on the life of Jesus, that will help us to learn how to be with Jesus, become like him, and do as he did. It’s not that people don’t want to become like Jesus, or that people aren’t trying to become like Jesus – it’s that we don’t know how to become like Jesus, we need a pathway to formation for the modern era, and we believe that we have found that pathway! However, the resources that we’ll be using are meant to be used in community – the place where deeply ingrained ways of living are re-patterned in the way of Jesus, as we collectively adopt his practices. It’s why we want as many as possible to join – and it’s why we start each session with food that we all bring along to share with each other!
Sharing meals as Christians symbolises unity, community, and generosity, following the example of Jesus and the early church who shared meals with glad hearts. Beyond a physical act, a shared meal creates fellowship, breaks down social barriers, fosters spiritual formation, and offers a tangible expression of God's generous love. It provides opportunities for face-to-face conversation, to know and be known, and to build strong, welcoming communities that reflect God's inclusive kingdom. Christians have always enjoyed sharing a meal because of the rich biblical symbolism; because it is a tangible expression of service, love, and unity; and because of the opportunity it affords for true fellowship and genuine community. In our digitally connected world, we share a tremendous amount of information through texts, e-mails, and tweets; however, because a significant amount of communication is non-verbal, precious little communication actually occurs digitally. Seeing someone’s facial expression, hearing the tone of their voice, and looking into their eyes are all vital elements of real communication. Tragically, in our modern, Western culture, authentic communication and real relationships are in decline. Sadly, nuclear families rarely eat together today; how much less do we invite others to our homes? In a world where we are growing more divided and isolated, one of the tangible, compelling, and attractive distinctives of the church should be our authentic relationships and loving community. Christians should be people who actually talk to one another face-to-face (2 John 12). Sharing a meal will, we hope, be an “otherworldly” experience to our otherwise fractured, de-personalised, and hyper-individualised world, and therefore a tremendous witness to the reality of Christ’s kingdom.
It all starts at 6pm, when the food will begin to be served – then, after we’ve eaten, we’ll study together, and discuss in smaller groups – it is envisaged that we will end around 8pm, it all depends on how long we discuss for! If you want to join us and you haven’t before, please let us know – so that we know who’s coming that is new, and we can make sure all the food is sorted – that’s all that we ask, just let us know (or Jayne or Lee) if you want to come for the first time!