Groups for Authentic Community
Environments of Raw Honesty and Unconditional Acceptance
One of Jesus’ best friends on earth wrote,“If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)
Jesus’ earthly brother wrote, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” (James 5:16)
And the Apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.” (Romans 15:7)
Atlanta Ministers Samson Society
Who Is This Group For?
Any man in ministry (e.g., pastor, campus minister, non-profit ministry leader, chaplain, music minister, etc.) who needs a safe place to experience the deep refreshing that comes in vulnerable, gracious community – a place where you can take off your title and your armor, not be expected to lead, and be accepted and loved as a human being, just as you are, no matter your sin or weakness – and find that you are not alone.
When: Mondays at 10am
1st Monday of each month – In-Person | 2nd-4th Mondays -Virtual | 5th Mondays – Virtual: Contact Jim for virtual access info
(Each virtual meeting lasts one hour. Our monthly in-person meeting is part of an extended day away together for solitude with the Lord and community with each other in a beautiful and peaceful location.)
Where: Monastery of the Holy Spirit
2625 Highway 212 SW, Conyers, GA 30094
Northwest Atlanta Samson Society
Who Is This Group For?
- If you need a safe place where you can experience the deep refreshing that comes in vulnerable, gracious community, this group is for you.
- If you are a man with private struggles that you are trying to fight alone, this group is for you.
- If you long to be accepted and loved as a human being, just as you are, no matter your sin or weakness, this group is for you.
- If you are desperate for hope, freedom, and healing, this group is for you.
- If you need to know that you are not alone, this group is for you.
- If you are looking for real friends, this group is for you.
- If you want to learn to live in and for relationships of authenticity and intimacy with God and others, this group is for you.
- If you want to play a part in helping your church become a place of raw honesty and unconditional acceptance, this group is for you.
When: Thursdays at 7am
1st & 3rd Thursdays – In-Person | 2nd & 4th Thursdays – Virtual | 5th Thursdays – TBD. Contact Jim for virtual access info
(Each meeting lasts one hour and [when in-person] is immediately followed by optional breakfast together onsite. The informal breakfast time, though optional, is intentional and important, providing a time and place for free and easy conversation that deepens our friendships with each other.)
Where: Abiding Together Office
1950 Bolton Rd. NW, Atlanta, GA 30318
(Located at First Baptist Church Chattahoochee)
Marietta Samson Society
Who Is This Group For?
- If you need a safe place where you can experience the deep refreshing that comes in vulnerable, gracious community, this group is for you.
- If you are a man with private struggles that you are trying to fight alone, this group is for you.
- If you long to be accepted and loved as a human being, just as you are, no matter your sin or weakness, this group is for you.
- If you are desperate for hope, freedom, and healing, this group is for you.
- If you need to know that you are not alone, this group is for you.
- If you are looking for real friends, this group is for you.
- If you want to learn to live in and for relationships of authenticity and intimacy with God and others, this group is for you.
- If you want to play a part in helping your church become a place of raw honesty and unconditional acceptance, this group is for you.
When: Thursdays at 7pm
1st & 3rd Thursdays. – In-Person | 2nd & 4th Thursdays – Virtual | 5th Thursdays – TBD. Contact Jim for virtual access info
(Each meeting lasts one hour and [when in-person] is immediately followed by an optional meal together nearby. The informal meal time, though optional, is intentional and important, providing a time and place for free and easy conversation that deepens our friendships with each other.)
Where: New Hope United Methodist Church
700 New Hope Rd., Marietta, GA 30067
WHO
We are Christian men devoted to authenticity, community, humility, and recovery.
We are brothers who together are learning to take off our armor and talk honestly about the things in our hearts and lives that we usually hide and carry alone in silence and shame. As we share honestly, we learn to live honestly – in community. “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
WHAT & WHY
Groups are not issue-specific.
We may struggle with any number of issues:
Abandonment, Alcoholism, Anger, Anxiety, Codependency, Depression, Divorce, Drug Addiction, Father Wounds, Fear, Financial Responsibility, Gambling, Isolation, Job Loss, Loneliness, Marriage Struggles, Mother Wounds, Pornography, Same Sex Attraction, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Addiction, Sexual Dysfunction, Singleness, Spiritual Deadness, Stress, Work Addiction, Etc.
But regardless of each person’s particular issues, the crux of our struggle with so many of our private problems is that they are just that – private. We seek to find private solutions for our private struggles in isolation, even if that isolation is spiritualized as “me and Jesus.” And it never works, because it was never meant to. “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Gen. 2:18). We were made for relationship – not just with God, but also with each other. And not just casual relationships, but deep, honest relationships in communities of grace. It is only there, together, that we find true hope, freedom, and healing in our struggles.
WHAT WE ARE NOT
- We are not an “accountability group.” Instead of living our lives separately and reporting (or lying) about our progress, we try to live our lives together.
- We are not a 12-step group. Many of us attend 12-step groups and are grateful for them, but our addictions do not define us, and we do not segregate our membership by behavior.
- We are not your typical “men’s group.” The level of honesty and depth of intimacy we aim for is quite different than what many of us have experienced before in other men’s groups.
- We are not perfect. Not even close. We are broken individuals, but in our fractured fellowship we find a foretaste of God’s approaching restoration of all things.
HOW
We meet weekly as a group and also, as we develop trusted friendships, speak daily with at least one other man from the group for honest sharing, feedback, and encouragement. We heal and grow as we walk together on a shared path, a way of living that leads to godliness and freedom. What we say at the beginning of every meeting defines our purpose:
“We are a company of Christian men. We are also:
- Natural loners — who have recognized the dangers of isolation and are determined to escape them,
- Natural wanderers — who are finding spiritual peace and prosperity at home,
- Natural liars — who are now finding freedom in the truth,
- Natural judges — who are learning how to judge ourselves aright,
- Natural strongmen — who are experiencing God’s strength as we admit our weaknesses.
As Christians, we meet at other times for worship, for teaching, or for corporate prayer. Today, however, we meet to talk. Our purpose is to assist one another in our common journey. We do so by sharing honestly, out of our own personal experience, the challenges and encouragements of daily Christian living in a fallen world. Our faith rests in the love of God, as it is revealed in His Word and in the life of His Son.”
HOW CONFIDENTIAL IS IT?
As part of our Charter, every member at each meeting affirms that “We hold in strictest confidence any personal information shared by other members, unless permission to divulge it is given by any whom its disclosure might affect.” The Group Coordinator, as a Pastoral Counselor, is also bound by law to hold all that is shared in strictest confidence unless there is reasonable cause to suspect child, domestic, or elderly abuse, or a serious threat to any person’s health, safety, or life.
COST
Groups are free! Seriously. Why? Because these groups are ongoing communities, not temporary workshops or classes, the costs are covered so that members can remain in groups as long as they need to without financial barriers.