Transitions

This session is the fourth of five introductory sessions for a Small Group. Members are encouraged to think about transitions, particularly the transitions in their lives, and the resources they have drawn upon during those times.

This session also includes 10 minutes for members to state whether or not they have decided to remain with the Small Group for the rest of the year.

Member Preparation

In preparation for this session, read the following quotes, and take some time to think about what transition means to you.

"As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world…as in being able to remake ourselves." - Mohandas K. Ghandi

"The real art of conducting consists in transitions." - Gustav Mahler

"...transition is the psychological process we each go through to come to terms with the new situation. Change is external, but transition is internal." – William Bridges

"The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind is part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter into another." - Anatole France

"Before you can begin something new, you have to end what used to be. Before you can learn a new way of doing things, you have to unlearn the old way. Before you can become a different kind of person, you must let go of your old identity. So beginnings depend on endings. The problem is, people don’t like endings." – William Bridges

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change, and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate, is strength undefeatable." - Helen Keller

These questions provide ways you may want to approach this topic. Remember to focus on just one or two of the questions, if you choose to use them, as this will allow you to explore the topic in more depth.

  • Transitions can be smooth or bumpy. They may bring up a wide range of emotions—anticipation, uncertainty, grief, celebration, confusion, stress, and excitement, to name just a few. Have you drawn on personal or spiritual resources to help you through times of transition? If so, are ones that have been particularly effective or ineffective?
  • Think about some of the meaningful transitions in your life. Did you respond differently when the change was one that you chose to make versus one that was outside of your control? Were there other factors that you felt affected the duration or the intensity of your transition?
  • Have you had times when the transition period between one situation (or state of being) and another seemed too short or too long? Would you have felt or responded differently if you had (or hadn’t) had as much time as you did?
  • This gathering may seem like a transition as group members decide whether or not to commit to Small Group Ministry for the church year. What hopes, concerns, or feelings do you have tonight?

Special Materials

  • Name tags and marker(s).
  • Ground rules written out on a large piece of paper or poster board, to be posted on the wall.

Further Exploration

  • William Bridges, Making Sense of Life's Transitions (Perseus Books Group: 1980).
  • Steve Donohue, Shifting Sands: A Guidebook for Crossing the Deserts of Change (Berret-Koehler: 2004).