What does a Friendship group look like?

Groups and One-On-One Relationships

Friendship is all about building relationships between mentors and friends. It’s not always clear who is learning from whom! It is a process of bringing the family of God together to learn more about God’s love. Friendship groups typically meet on a weekday evening or as a Sunday morning class. Here’s how it works:

• Sessions often start in a large group with singing, sharing, praying together, and hearing a Bible lesson.
• The lesson is told by a storyteller and usually includes group participation, often in drama format.
• This is followed by one-on-one time, where mentors and friends meet to go over materials related to the Bible lesson; often this time includes crafts, activities, prayer, and memory work.
• Finally, the group gathers again for snack and social time and a closing prayer or song.

If you're thinking about starting a Friendship program, you should know that Friendship is not a ministry to people who have intellectual disabilities. Rather, it is a ministry with them. We refer to them as “friends,” not as “students.” While we teach them about the Bible and God’s love for them, they teach us about caring and compassion, and about what it means to be fellow members of God’s family.
Starting a Friendship group will enable you to reach out to people who have intellectual disabilities, their families, and their communities.

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