Ongoing Support Group Meeting

Leader Guide

For a complete description of this meeting and its rationale, see www.beginanewlife.info/osgmo on the Begin a New Life (BNL) website.
This meeting invites participants to share their experience of the BNL process and to support one another along the way. The aim isn’t perfection, but growing awareness and a steady, ongoing practice of this life-giving process.
As people share, some may speak easily, while others may be more reserved. Everyone is welcome. Creating a space of attentiveness, respect, and openness to all is central to this gathering.
Your role in this meeting is not to guide people to conclusions, but to help create a space where honest sharing can happen.
A calm, attentive presence—along with simple encouragement—is often more powerful than many words.
Time allotments are based on a one-hour meeting and can be adjusted as needed.

Opening prayer

Open with a brief prayer, or invite someone else to offer one.

Check-in

Invite each person to say their name and share either a highlight from their day or week or a brief opening comment (one or the other, not both)—just a sentence or two—as a way of engaging with the group.
The rest of the group listens without comment or discussion during this time.
After each person shares, simply respond, “Thank you,” before moving on.
Anyone who prefers not to speak may simply “pass.”
If the group is larger than eight people, consider breaking into smaller groups of four to eight.

Group business

Share any announcements or decisions that need attention.
If there is nothing to address, skip this portion. Like Check-in, it should move quickly.

Transition by saying something like:
“We now move into group sharing.”
There are three types of meetings used in the BNL Support Group model: Step meetings, Topic meetings, and Process meetings. Depending on the type of meeting, guide the group in one of the following ways:
For a Step meeting
- Invite the person who selected the step or sub-step to share what they’ve chosen as the focus.
- Invite participants to share their experience of that step or sub-step.
- If they would like, the person who chose it may begin the sharing.
For a Topic meeting
- Invite the person who selected the topic to introduce it to the group.
  - One helpful resource is 90 Topics for Sharing and Discussion (www.beginanewlife.info/osg-90).
- Invite participants to share and reflect together on the topic.
- If they would like, the person who chose the topic may begin the sharing.
For a Process meeting
- Begin by asking:
  “What has been your experience of practicing the BNL process?”
- Allow sharing and reflection to unfold naturally, giving space for each person to respond as they feel led.

Leader for the next meeting

If your group shares leadership, take a moment to decide who will lead the next meeting.

Next meeting type

If the next meeting will be a Step or Topic meeting, invite the group to decide who will choose the step or topic in advance. This responsibility may be taken on voluntarily, assigned, or rotated among members.
If the next meeting is already scheduled as a Process meeting, simply remind the group of this.

Closing comments

Invite each person to share a brief closing comment.
This is not a time for further sharing—just a simple word or brief reflection.
It’s a time to listen, without comment or discussion.
After each person shares, respond, “Thank you,” before moving on.
If the group is larger than eight, consider breaking into smaller groups of four to eight.

Closing prayer

Invite the group to say the Lord’s Prayer together.