Building Community
Building relationships takes a lot of work. Consider some of the following variables.
What is the best setting for building relationships? Is it on a weekday or weekend? How often is it? Is in at a consistent day and time or does it change? Does it include children or is it separate from them? It may include some or all of the following options.
A pot luck where everyone brings their own dish to share.
Going out to a restaurant (for a brunch).
Visiting a park.
Offering coffee and tea.
Options that are easier to execute may be easier to do on a weekly basis, while organizing a pot luck may be something that's only successful if you do it once a month.
Persistence and trying different things is key. Don't get discouraged and look for opportunities to invest in building relationships.
Tips from the book: Starting your own Savvy Moms Group
The intent behind savvy moms is to help moms find their God-given calling and grow in relationship with God and community. I’ve developed several questions to help facilitate community when getting to know people.
Questions to ask the group: (If you have trouble getting conversation started)
What was your greatest success in the past week?
What have you found challenging in the last week?
How can we encourage you?
How can we make you feel welcome?
Answers can be about anything, not just motherhood. The goal is to allow everyone a chance to speak, to focus on the positive and acknowledge the strengths of each woman.
When inviting women it is most effective to give an invitation face to face. Some women may not be available. Moms can frequently run late or may have to adjust their plans due to napping or sick children. Don’t take this personally and keep giving out invitations until you have the size of group you like. Don’t be afraid to invite someone more than once.
Many moms I know admit to feeling lonely since they have little time to connect. There are some moms who are happy and content with their lives. You won’t know who falls into which category until you get to know them more. Someone who admits to being lonely will usually be more invested in building relationships than someone who describes having a best friend or close family members. Paying attention to these cues can be a big help.
For more tips check out our blog.