About Bayside Small Groups

At Bayside Church, small groups are found as a part of almost every ministry program. We believe that from children, to youth, to adults, spiritual growth and significant relationships happen best in a small group discussion setting. 

How do we do it? 

Children:  Starting withour weekend children’s programs all kids, first grade  and up, are broken out for a short time into causal small groups with a youth/adult leader discussing the lesson for the day. It gives kids a chance to express themselves and to explore new ideas outloud. Smaller settings are less intimidating. It also allows them to become comfortable with the small group setting that our Club 56 (5th and 6th graders) will find themselves in during its weekend programs. And on Wednesday nights –Club Knights (5th & 6th graders) can participate in a school-year program where they will be assigned to a small group (boys and girls specific) with a leader who is crazy about them.

Jr. High: Bayside’s Jr. High program features small groups that meet at a variety of homes different nights of the week.  Boys andgirls specific, they will be with the same group and leader who cares about them the entire ministry year. Go to the “Search” button to the right of this page and contact Laura Bonne now for more information.

Sr. High:  At Bayside, high school students will find  a variety of groups that meet during the week at different homes. Guys and gals specific, they are with a leader who cares about them. Go  the “Search” button to the right of this page and contact Jessie Carrilo now for more information.

Adult Small Groups:  We like to ask potential small group participants- “Who do you want to be sharing a discussion about the Bible with? Is there a “life-stage” that you wish to make more friends with or do you want to be with all types? What is the “Right Fit” for you?  At Bayside, our adult small groups can be found in several different types of categories from College, Community Care/Support groups, Sermon- Series, and Open-to-All Neighborhood groups, to Men’s, Women’s, Married Couples, and Singles. 

The choices get even more specific than the above listings– Maybe a person wishes to be in the group that has members of the Law Enforcement & Fire Department; or the husbands all work in sales? Maybe its a group of newly divorced, single women; or people who work in the medical profession or dentistry? Or perhaps its with people who are roughly the same age; or the kids are all the same age? Some of our groups are open to whoever wants to join them – ”On Friday night in Folsom”.  Bayside has a huge variety of people in our congregation so why not have a huge variety in our small groups?

All of the groups that currently have openings will be listed to the right on the “Search for a Small Group” button or go to the “Find a Group” page at the top for more details. (Please be aware that during the summer season, many Bayside small groups take a break for the summer. Check back in late August when there will be lots of new choices.)

Life Groups: Every small group is listed under the ministry that will support them and guide them. Life Groups are a certain type of small group where there are a set of criteria for them to adhere to in order to be listed as a Life Group. For example, all Life Group leaders are trained, members of Bayside Church and follow the “Small Group Covenants” in maintaining a healthy and vibrant group discussion. Life Groups are required to have fun- Yes!  They also participate together once a year in a service project.   Many Life Groups track along with the Sermon Series discussing the latest message from the weekend and what the scripture featured really means. There is no Bible knowledge required to join a Life Group. Participants learn and discuss together as they go through a Bible study. And as they do they experience spiritual growth and develop significant relationships.

The Small Groups Team

The umbrella heading of “Small Groups” including this web page, training, Starting Point, 2nd WeekendConnection, weekend ministry table, various events & programs, Life Groups, and a variety of other things pertaining to Small Groups are managed, supported, encouraged, prayed for, planned for, organized and assisted by the Small Groups Ministry Team.

Mariann Eitzman,  Director of Small Groups    marianne@baysideonline.com

Karen Gilbert, Small Groups & 301 Core Classes   kareng@baysideonline.com

Karen McGraw, Small Groups Administrative Assistant   karenm@baysideonline.com

Twitter: Baysidesmllgrps

For further information, please feel free to contact us on this site.