The Affinity Group Process
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people are in an Affinity Group and how long does it meet?
The ideal size is 8-10 Members, although a couple more or less is acceptable. Each session lasts about two hours. The Group meets once per week for nine consecutive weeks. The last meeting is a generally a social time, celebrating the group's time together and talking about how the work can be extended.
What happens in an Affinity Group?
People share what they are thinking and feeling in the moment. They are encouraged to share from the heart about anything that seems important to them. When one person shares, the others in the group listen in silence, holding a space of unconditional love and acceptance for them. If members find themselves making judgments about someone's sharing, they are asked to become aware of their judgments, gently put them aside, and bring their attention back to the person speaking.
What do we learn from being in an Affinity Group?
We learn what it's like to really be listened to and to really listen to others, not just through the filters of our judgments, but with an open mind and heart. We learn to hold a space of unconditional acceptance and love for ourselves and others.
Is there a fee for the Group Process?
No, we consider these groups to be opportunities for spiritual practice and community building. The gift of this practice is given with love and, if it is meaningful to you, we ask that you extend this gift to others by facilitating a group on your own. People may also support the work by making a donation to the Miracles Community Network, a non-profit organization that supports the Affinity Community.
Do I need special skills to start a group?
No. All you have to do is read Living in the Heart. If you understand it and resonate with it, then you are ready to start a group
How can I start a group if I have never facilitated before?
Actually, our best facilitators are the one's who have the least experience. They often are the ones who really know how to be quiet and listen. They don't dominate the group and they tend to be faithful to the guidelines.
You have compared the Affinity Group sessions to the rituals of confession and communion. You have also called the Process a Sabaath ritual. Can you elaborate?
Yes. In the early Christian communities, people knew how to how a space of unconditional love and acceptance for each other. When one person had something heavy on his heart, the others would listen, hold the conviction of his innocence, and allow him to unburden himself. By sharing his fears and his pains with others, he would bring them into the light and let them go. He would be washed clean and the community would bear witness to this. This is a great purification ritual.
It is also a Sabaath ritual because it happens once per week. For six days we may forget to hold the space of unconditonal acceptance and love for ourselves and others, but on the seventh, we help each other remember. Our remembrance is true communion. We come together to see with the eyes and hear with the ears of Christ. Together, we embody the teaching.
Is the Affinity Group a Christian ritual?
No. It is an interfaith, non-sectarian ritual. You don't have to believe in Jesus. You don't even have to believe in God. But you do have to believe in the guidelines and be willing to follow them.
I should point out that the Christ Mind teachings are not just about Jesus. They are about the state of consciousness that Jesus embodied in his words and actions. The Affinity Group gives you an opportunity to experience that same state of consciousness.
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