METHOD OF BUILDING SMALL CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY (SCC)

 

1.      Conviction on the part of the Church workers and of each individual.

2.      Training of personnel- to instill the felt need for responsible Christianity for all include the nuns

3.      Plan- in which you select a village to start with, preferably where changes of success are paramount (Lk 14). Avoid mushrooming the scheme all over the whole parish. This one place later will act as an example to the rest.

4.      Survey- which will involve: home to home visitation as an attempt to dissolve natural values to implement the plan in no.3. Take notice of the size of the area type of people, the tribes, the beliefs they hold, of people leading and of those led, influential people. The types of leadership, plan or emergent charismatic or prophetic. Take not of the prevailing situations be moral political, economic or social. Be aware of what is where and its impact on the people (i.e. of things like market places. Be aware of possible feature of SCC, based either on geographical or historical factors, interests, education etc.

5.      Studying – the information gathered. Then planning what to suggest or share with the group i.e. laying out the felt-needs and possibly codifying them.

6.      Orientation – calls the particular village together and share with them what you mean by SCC. Learn a tactic of how to make them come. Make an awareness programe on them. Base this on no.4 above.

7.      Meet the particular groups you want to start with in order to come to: Further awareness of the needs of SCC. Further insight of the leaders they need and what they will do. Election of leaders where people who can coordinate, and not shouters or people who have material riches and yet deep in their hearts are less Christians. Choose leaders leading to Christ-centered kind of leadership not leaders in administration but start with leaders to guide others in Bible meditation.

8.      Training program for leaders: - to bring them understand what they can do in their SCC in the long run. To train them in their ministries for nobody can do well what one does not know, train them in many Christian services e.g. burial, music (church music), family catechesis, family causes.

9.      Regular meetings of SCC and your following constantly or by any other animators. Include periodic visits in your plan. Include periodic visits in your plan. Do not wait to meet people again only at marriage or death. Do not leave everything to the care of the lord. After starting and firmly establishing SCC in the village, carry out then a general survey, choose another village which already shows the best response to Christianity.

CAUTIONARY REMARKS FOR FORMATION OF SCC

 

i)                   No hurrying with things which may lead to rejection

ii)                 Do not start many things at the same time.

iii)               Before passing out anything share it with the leaders and make sure that they understand.

iv)               Make sure the plans made are implemented and followed.

v)                  Free things should be avoided

vi)               As regards the size, not too big, 8-12 families are more ideal.

vii)             Where there is political confusion forestall with proper information

viii)           In certain circumstances SCC may be inopportune, do not impose it.

ix)               Try not to give up, may be the method was not the right one.

In all we do as mentioned above we have to note that SCC is a pastoral approach centered around personal conviction. It will involve:

a)      Commitment to adult catechesis

b)      Drawing our approach from both individual and social life of the people. This will require the change of our theological approach. We have to employ a situational theology and a theology based our national learning e.g. African learning, American etc