Energy Groups:
New Canaan Society meetings are about making connections that will lead to authentic and transparent friendships, but that is just where the conversation begins. Building and deepening those friendships requires the kind of intimacy that is difficult to achieve in a group of more than 10-12 men. NCS Energy Groups are smaller groups of men (not groups of smaller men) recreating the feeling of those first meetings in a family room in 1995. Every New Canaan Society man should get involved in the community of an Energy Group.
There are two ways to get plugged into NCS Energy Groups. The best way is to gather a few NCS brudders, pick a mutually convenient day and time, and begin meeting weekly. By meeting with the same men, you will build trust and develop deeper relationships. The other way is to show up at one of our Energy Fridays (check the Event Calendar). We gather around a very big table (actually lots of small tables pushed together), break into groups of 4-6 and share life. The men you connect with may change from week to week, but it is a great way to develop new and deep friendships.
Why are they called “Energy” groups?
The name “energy group” came from Jim Lane, but its genesis shouldn’t be published on the Web. You’ll need to ask a few NCS New Canaan members to find out where it came from.
What is an “NCS Energy Group”?
It is easier to define what an NCS Energy Group isn’t than to describe what it is. An NCS Energy Group is not a bible study, not a traditional church “small group” and not an accountability group. It is a safe “place of grace” where men can be transparent and authentic with each other. Although there are no hard and fast rules for an NCS Energy Group, here are some guidelines based on what we have found works best to encourage “living life together”:
- No more than 12 members: any more than that and intimacy is compromised
- No prescribed assignments or topics: it is not a bible study
- No member is required to talk: it is not an accountability group
- No leader or facilitator: all members are equal and all should feel free to be open
- Complete confidentiality: transparency and authenticity are critical
- Agreement on new members: the group should decide together if it is “open” (accepting any new members) or “closed” (accepting members only by invitation) and, if closed, the criteria for inviting new members
- Meet regularly: make it a predictable calendar entry
- Pray for each other: hopefully that doesn’t need explanation
Energy Fridays:
7:00am (EST), every other Friday from September to June, and every Friday from June through August, at the Sugar Bowl Luncheonette, 1033 Post Rd, Darien, CT 06820 On alternate weeks when we are not together for a Chapter Friday at Ten Twenty Post Oyster Bar and Bistro (and every week in the Summer) we meet for Energy Fridays right across the street at the Sugar Bowl, a Darien institution. There we are warmly welcomed by owner Bob Mazza. So every Friday you can find us at one home or the other.
Sugar Bowl Luncheonette
1033 Post Rd Darien, CT 06820 Phone: (203) 655-1259