Inspire fellowship bands are small groups of three or four friends who meet regularly for spiritual conversation. Band meetings help us become more committed followers of Jesus, who grow in His likeness from the inside out. They encourage us to keep in step with His Spirit, as whole-life disciples and everyday missionaries. 

At PMCH, a small group started meeting as a fellowship band in mid-2019 and, having travelled well with each other in their journey of discipleship, feel inspired to share the same blessing and help new bands start and spread organically in the church.

A fellowship band meets for about an hour, ideally each week or fortnight, or as regularly as possible. Monthly can work but may make it difficult to share the journey of discipleship in a deep way. 

The Inspire Movement provides good resources including a simple guide with question prompts to help members of the band pray, reflect, share, question and support each other following the four core values of discipleship, which are:

·       Seeking growth in our love for God and neighbour,

·       Using disciplines as a means of grace,

·       Sharing fellowship on the journey of discipleship, and

·       Engaging mission by sharing faith with others in words and deed.

Each time the band of friends meet, we share about the goodness of God in our daily life, being open to hearing the Spirit as we listen to and share wisdom with each other, using the gift of the Spirit to help each other discern His leading in our lives. 

As a band grows in friendship, we develop trust, confidence and intimacy as we open ourselves to be led to a deepened heart of prayer and service for one another, during and before our band meetings.

Initially, a fellowship band can meet for six weeks with Week 1 focussing on introductions, discussing the core values of discipleship and agreeing the times of the next five meetings. Weeks 2-5 focus on each of the four core values described above and Week 6 provides a chance to review our experiences together, what has been useful and what has been challenging. At this point, a band can make a decision about whether the fellowship is meant to continue to meet, and if so how. 

If you wish to find out more about fellowship bands go to  https://inspiremovement.org