Wholly Living a Holy Life

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." 

~James 5:16~

"... encourage one another and build one another up..." 

~1 Thessalonians 5:11~

Accountability. This is not a word many of us like to hear. We become squeamish when it reaches our ears because we have been conditioned to believe it to mean something other than what it truly means. For many, the word evokes feelings of being judged or demeaned in some way. However, accountability is meant to be a positive accomplice to righteous living.

"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17).

Many Theologians, including John Wesley, held that community is essential to Christian growth and that in order to fully experience a relationship with Christ, one must be in relationship with others. As an extension of this belief, early Methodists were committed to weekly out-of-church meetings, called "Class Meetings." These meetings were a source of growth through self-examination, confession, loving support, encouragement, and mutual accountability.

University United Methodist Church is building off of the former Wesleyan practice with our new "Life Groups" ministry. Life Groups are weekly in-home gatherings meant to facilitate community, fellowship, and discussion. They offer a chance for people to share their strengths, their weaknesses, and stories of how God is moving in their lives.

This new ministry aims to be a venue for accountability--a way of working as one body toward wholly living a holy life.

Life Groups are about doing life together, or as John Wesley would say, "watching over one another in love." They are about achieving transformation rather than merely collecting information. They are a way of moving beyond learning about how to live the Christian life into actually living the Christian life. For, it is impossible to be a partially devoted Christian; being a truly  devoted Christian requires more than having a mind in Christ (Philippians 2:5), it also requires walking as Christ walked (1 John 2:6).

UUMC's first round of Life Groups will run during the six weeks of Lent, beginning the week of February 22nd and concluding the week of March 29th.  Our hopes are that all who commit to this exciting new opportunity will grow through the practice of actively exploring what it means to live as Christ has called us to live.

If you would like more information on the different group options, visit the church office or contact me at chrisann@uumclascruces.org.