House Groups

House Groups are small, weekly groups that offer people the chance to develop their understanding of the bible, pray, worship, get to know God and each other better and explore His purposes.

There are currently 8 groups meeting at various times during the week and catering for all ages. They are all led by members of the church and held in the homes of members of Downs Baptist Church.

House Groups are an integral part of life at Downs Baptist Church, and they are a wonderful source of encouragement, pastoral care, and spiritual support. All members and regular attenders of DBC are encouraged to be involved.

We have been exploring in greater depths two of our key purposes; well being (being part of the family of God) and wholeness (growing in the Lord, both individually and corporately).

Our Key Purposes

From "God is closer than you think" - John Ortberg

Well being - Sharing love and caring for others

  • Encouraging and enabling members to find ways to express love and care for each other.
  • Demonstrate our love by sharing in practical ways, making sure no one is overlooked.
  • Using the gifts given by the Spirit and developing the balanced fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
  • Addressing and dealing with difficulties, disagreements and disputes honestly.

Wholeness- Equipping and building each other up in the faith, "Spiritual Growth"

  • Applying the Bible to enable members to grow in maturity of faith, out into the community, and together in love through teaching, study and practical example.
  • Ensuring that all members grow in faith from a baseline of: repentance of sin, trust in Jesus, immersion in water, and immersion in Holy Spirit
  • Making opportunities for people to discover and develop emergent gifts in an atmosphere of love.

Foundational truths of my life in God (My life in Christ)

Review these truths once a day for two weeks as you cultivate the practice of God's presence:

  • God is always present and active in my life, whether or not I see Him.
  • Coming to recognise and experience God's presence is learned behaviour. I can cultivate it.
  • My task is to meet God in this moment.
  • I am always tempted to live "outside" this moment. When I do that, I lose my sense of God's presence.
  • Sometimes God seems far away for reasons I do not understand.
  • These moments too are opportunities to learn.
  • Whenever I fail I can always start again straight away.
  • No one knows the full extent to which a human being can experience God's presence.
  • My desire for God ebbs and flows, but His desire for me is constant.
  • Every thought carries a "spiritual charge" that moves me a little closer to or farther away from God.
  • Every aspect of my life (work, relationships, hobbies, errands) is of immense and genuine interest to God.
  • My path to experiencing God's presence will not look quite like anyone else's.
  • Straining and trying too hard do not help.