Jan and Timothy ACIM Teachers

Timothy and Jan highly recommend that Course students consider meeting together in small groups to closely study and share Course-related experiences and insights.

If you have been studying on your own and would like to have study partners for the extra benefits of support, think what joining with a friend or two – in person or on zoom – would do for your spiritual development.

Close reading pays rich rewards,
and anyone can do it.
The Little Garden

Tried and True Tips for Starting ACIM Small Groups:

Forming a Group

Find 1 or 2 others who would give importance and priority to group study.

Let Holy Spirit choose them for you. Your joined purpose is part of the learning and healing process. In our experience, any number up to six or eight people in a group seems ideal to give everyone a chance to share. “Whenever two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them. ”

Group Leadership

Your group may have an experienced Course student as a leader, or you may want to rotate leadership.

The leader chooses the reading for that class, and will help keep comments focused on the Course during the meeting. Staying with the material helps the group avoid analysis of each others’ issues, opinions based on pop psychology, and comparisons with other paths.

We have found that this is important for the longevity of the group.

Timing & Scheduling

Set a specific time and place (or channel) for your meeting and don’t vary it.

Each meeting can be focused on a lesson, a set of lessons, or a section of the text. Read closely and carefully. Our Text Class videos are an example of how this can be done with close reading, where everyone is encouraged to read carefully and comment on what they have read.

The leader can be counted on to keep the focus on the Course.

During Your Meeting

Set a time limit. We have found that 1hr, 15 min is about the longest it should go unless you are going to take a break.

One person reads a paragraph or so and says what stands out in it for them, or how this applies to a situation in their lives, or any other comment they may have on that paragraph. Others in the group then may also comment on the paragraph just read. Then on to the next person who reads and is the first to share.