Neighbourhood Christian Communities
What are Neighbourhood Christian Communities (NCCs)?
Neighbourhood Christian Communities (NCC) is a microcosm of the Church having the following characteristics:
- One – they are united with the parish and with each other.
- Holy – they are Christ-centred, they do gospel-sharing and engage in other forms of prayer.
- Catholic – they welcome everybody, they are not exclusive by age or interest etc.
- Apostolic – they serve and evangelise (mission in action).
All four characteristics must be present for the group to be a NCC.
Neighbourhood Christian Communities are basic Christianity. Members can devote their lives to forming them and know that they are building something that will last.
Our Vision
To make St Mary of the Angels Neighbourhood Christian Communities an integral part of our Church and its people, united with the parish and with each other, living their faith in a communion of communities.
Purpose of NCCs in the Parish
A NCC is not a Church Ministry. They are Christ-centred communities, approved and encouraged by the universal Catholic Church. These communities are a sign of vitality within the Church, an instrument of formation and evangelization, and a solid starting point for a new society based on 'civilization of love.'
"So that all parishes of this kind may be truly communities of Christians, local ecclesial authorities ought to foster...small, basic or so-called 'living' communities, where the faithful can communicate the word of God and express it in service and love to one another; these communities are true expressions of ecclesial communion and centres of evangelization, in communion with their pastors"…. Pope John Paul II, (The Lay Members of Christ's Faithful People). (http://www.presentationministries.com/brochures/IntroCommunity.asp#0)
NCCs at St Mary’s
Since the NCC movement started in the parish in 2007, there have been about 15 new NCCs formed. The coming years would see more NCCs being started as our parishioners respond to the call to live out their baptismal vows in their communities.
NCCs are typically a group of parishioners that live nearby (within the same housing cluster or within a cluster of nearby blocks). They are a group of about 3 to 5 (and up to 20 people) that meet once a month in each other’s homes.
In a large group, not all can turn up for the meetings and typically about 6 - 10 people are present at monthly meetings. There is no formal group structure or leader and the group is led by facilitators who surface with the grace of the Holy Spirit.
NCCs within the parish of St Mary of the Angels are a communion of communities well grounded in the AsIPA (AS-ian, I-ntegral, P-astoral A-pproach) 7-step gospel sharing method. When the NCC meets, the facilitator goes through the 7-step gospel sharing method with the group which entails the following:
- Inviting the Lord in a prayer.
- Reading a text from the Bible.
- Picking out words from the Bible passage and meditating on them.
- Keeping silent & allowing God to speak to the participants.
- Sharing what the participants have heard in their hearts.
- Discussing the tasks which the group is called to do.
- Praying spontaneously (ending with a prayer or hymn).
(Singapore Pastoral Institute (SPI) conducts regular training for NCCs. Please do contact the NCC core team for facilitator training and training in the AsIPA 7-step gospel sharing).
Please see attached list of NCCs currently operating in the parish of St. Mary of the Angels. Do contact them if you would like to join in or need more information.
NCC MEETINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Mon, 05 Feb – Fri 09 March 2012
The following Neighbourhood Christian Community (NCC) will
be having their meetings for the coming week:
Bukit Batok Area
Blk 267 Bukit Batok East Ave 4 | Wed 07 March 10:15am
Mystical Rose NCC | Monica 9328-6862
Blk 251 Bukit Batok East Ave 5 | Wed 07 March 8pm
Bukit Batok East View NCC | Helen 9479-7964
Blk 203 Bukit Batok Street 21 | Wed 07 March 8pm
West Mall NCC | Raymond 9060-6050
Blk 288D Bukit Batok East Ave 4 | Fri 09 March 12:30pm
Lady of The Holy Rosary NCC | Josephine 9763-2671
Bukit Panjang Area
Blk 654 Senja Road | Thur 08 March 8:30pm
Bukit Batok NCC | Rey 9680-4761
Choa Chu Kang Area/Yew Tee Area
Blk 681 Choa Chu Kang Crescent | Thur 08 March 8:30pm
Yew Tee NCC | Gani 9154-8405
Blk 613 Choa Chu Kang Street 62 | Sun 11 March 7:30pm
Bread & Water NCC | Harold 9785-9398
Blk 638A Choa Chu Kang Crescent | Fri 09 March 8pm
Mary’s Soldiers NCC | Gina 9168-3047
Hillview Area
26 Hillview Regency Bukit Batok East Ave 2 | Fri 09 March 8pm
Hillview Regency NCC | Lily 9686-5595
Malayalam Community
Bukit Batok East | Sat 10 March 7:30pm
St Mary’s Community | Martin 9068-0874
Please contact the respective NCC coordinators for more details