U of C IVCF > Large Group

What is it?

On most Fridays we gather for music, study, sharing, games, refreshments, and whatever else seems interesting. "Large Group" or the "Friday Night Fellowship" meeting seemed an appropriate name. For many Large Groups we invite a speaker, usually a local pastor or IVCF staffworker, to explicate a portion of Scripture with us. Another typical Large Group might involve chapter members sharing about God's work in their lives recently. We often organize each quarter's Large Groups around a central theme, such as "The Christian Mind" or a particular book of the Bible. We sometimes have joint Large Groups with other IVCF chapters on campus.

vital details

Large Groups usually take place in Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 E. 59th St. (N.B.: check ivcf-info for the precise location.) Look for signs directing you to the proper room once you're in Ida Noyes. We try to begin at 7PM or shortly thereafter and be done around 8:30-9PM. Although some people leave right when the meeting is done, many people hang around to talk and eat refreshments, and it's not uncommon to find folk inviting you to grab some coffee, or go to someone's apartment or dorm room for more talk and games.

We meet every Friday of the Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters, except for finals week. We also don't meet for Large Groups on weekends where there are IVCF retreats or training conferences.

A typical Large Group schedule

If you're interested in what a "typical quarter" of Large Groups looks like, here is a schedule from a recent Autumn quarter:

Oct. 3 (1st week): Welcome to IVCF!, followed by a (now-)traditional dinner in Chinatown.

Oct. 10 (2nd week): Who is Christ?, Joel Selking, our staffworker, talked about the unique claims of Christ.

Oct. 17 (3rd week): Being a follower of Christ at the U of C, an alumni panel discussion. See below for notes.

Oct. 24 (4th week): Ancient-Future Worship. John Fawcett from Church of the Resurrection talked about worship and liturgy, and led us through a service of Evening Prayer (see below).

Oct. 31 (5th week): Fall Retreat: we headed up to Williams Bay, WI and heard Mr. Rose speak on spiritual disciplines.

Nov. 7 (6th week): Prayer. We spent time praying together and sharing ways that God has answered prayer.

Nov. 14 (7th week): Service. We explored Acts 6 and investigated the basis for Christian service. Then we made sack lunches for some of Chicago's homeless, distributed the next day by the Warmhearts folk.

Nov. 21 (8th week): An Agape Meal. A potluck where everyone brings food to share (the culinary-challenged, like me, often bring forks or paper plates), and stories of how God's been at work in their lives over the quarter.

Nov. 28 (9th week): Thanksgiving!

Dec. 5 (10th week): Advent and Christmas Celebration. We took the last Large Group of the quarter to help us focus on Christ's Nativity. Joint with AAIV and GCF.

large group resources

Notes from alumni panel: On Oct 16 2003 we asked several U of C (and IVCF) alumni to share their thoughts and reflections on challenges and joys of being a Christian in college. Check out their answers.

At Large Group on Oct 24 2003, John Fawcett talked about worship and liturgy. He also led us through a service of Evening Prayer. If you're interested in learning more, here are some useful links:

John Fawcett also quoted two people who had written extensively on worship:

Going to be leading a Large Group? Wonder what goes on behind the scenes? Volunteering to help is the best and easiest way of finding out the inner workings of Large Group (such as they are). But you could also click on the following links:

Large Group Leader's Handbook from the national site. Everything from "why have large groups at all?" to contacting speakers to chair setup.

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