Sprawling out with abandon, a large building with gleaming white walls is before you. Green lawns and colourful gardens spread out from the building and a large gravel path leads up to the front entrance. The doors are glass and slide back as you approach.
You find yourself in a large reception-like area, with laminated floors and a large desk unit at the centre. People are walking through on their way to the rest of the building, cheerfully greeting the receptionist as they go by. There are a few beige leather sofas in front of the desk, arranged in a diamond shape with a low wooden coffee table between them. On the table are a few dog-eared magazines with bright and colourful headings.
Along the right and left walls of the reception are a variety of potted plants, ferns and other such leafy foliage. Two corridors follow along those walls and wind through the building. The wall between the corridors makes up the back wall of the reception and has a door in the centre, just behind the desk unit. The walls are painted with a pale and soothing green and the lights are small spotlight clusters randomly placed on the ceiling.
The large desk is wooden and a pale lacquered colour, seating several people. A pair of computers sits in the middle of the unit with a gap for a small tower of trays filled with papers. Various pots and trays litter either side of the two computers and two phones reside at the ends of the desk. A plaque on the front of the desk pronounces proudly “Reception” and you are greeted cheerfully by a receptionist.
“Welcome to the Gaian Christian Fellowship Groups Guild! If you want to join, please just read the Announcements and Important Items Thread, and then fill out the Entry Form.”
The receptionist hands you two pieces of paper and a pen. You go take a seat on one of the sofas, make a space on the coffee table and put the papers there to read. You think about it and decide to give this a go; you fill out the Entry Form. Handing it back in, you have to wait a moment while the receptionist inputs the information into the computer and then waits for the response from the Council. The computer beeps and the receptionist beams up at you.
“You’ve been placed in a small group – if you just want to follow the left corridor, your groups’ room is 5B… Have fun!”
You take the left corridor, which seems to stretch out for ever as it winds it way through the left half of the building. The walls are painted a light blue and doors are spaced out regularly along the hallway. Each door is painted a dark blue colour and has stencilled in white its number. At the end of the corridor you can just make out a stair that twists as it goes up to the second floor. The light clusters illuminate the hall and there are paintings of nature and mirrors hung along the walls. Potted plants are spaced out, near the walls, adding a living quality to the corridor. Eventually you arrive to room 5B and you push open the door. There’s a large, brightly light room with huge windows and veranda doors. Several comfy-looking sofas are scattered in the room in a vague semi-circle and there’s a kitchen counter along the left wall where you can see that coffee and tea are brewing. A bookshelf is against the right wall and there are many books on the shelf. You suddenly realise that there are other people there and you find yourself quickly surrounded. One of them comes forward and welcomes you.
“Hi, I’m your small group’s leader and I’m here to make this a safe and pleasant place for you. I’m also here to help with Bible studies and to represent you to the guild’s Council. This is a place for you to make friends with other Christians and to grow in your faith. Now, all important question – do you want tea or coffee?”
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Key Points -
• This is a Christian guild that is based on a small groups’ structure.
• All members are placed in a small group with similarly-minded Christian and the objective of the small group is to build up a fellowship between members.
• The groups are to be God-centred and to aim to be an open and inviting setting in which the members can share their faith and their current situations.
• This guild is open to all denominations and will – for the sake of good relations – place those who are in similar denominations in small groups together.
• The ultimate objective of this is to create a strong community of Christians, with the small groups at the core.
• The guild does not want to exclude Non-Christians and wished to encourage them to join – they will be placed in a small group with other members, regardless of whether the other members are Christians or not…
• This Guild wants to work in conjunction with the other Christian guilds and wishes to encourage members to consider joining other Christian guilds as well if they are interested in debate and theological discussion on a wider base.
• The Rules and Guidelines in the Announcements and Important Items thread explain the system further and should be read before applying to join.
• To join, you will need to fill out the Entry Form (also in the Announcements and Important Items thread) – please give as full an answer as possible to make it possible to place you in a small group that will suit you.
Athena_Satov