S2E7: Creating Consistent Community with Bailey T. Hurley

In today’s episode of The Turquoise Table, host Kristin Schell interviews Bailey T. Hurley, who is committed to small, consistent community settings with her husband and two children. Kristin and Bailey discuss small groups: how to find one, how to join one, and even how to start one. Kristin shares how she and Tony are in the process of starting their own small group in their church community. Bailey gives tangible tips on how you can invite people into community in your life, as well as how you can sustain community.

Show Notes

As believers, we need the body of Christ every single day if we want to change and grow. We are all called to serve, which means engaging with and helping others to change and grow and become more like Christ. Bailey shares how this happens in small groups, like your Thursday night Bible study. The best remedy for feeling left out of groups is to go and invite yourself to a small group or to invite someone else over that is also feeling left out. Bailey explains her and her husband’s commitment to consistent community with her small group over the long term, which is only ever cancelled for a holiday.

While Bailey is committed to lifelong friendships, she explains how you can start slowly and easily, as well as how to maintain high-quality friendships when you live far apart. In her neighborhood, Bailey builds friendships across generations. When Bailey arranges play dates, sets up the book club meeting or invites someone over, it’s a lot of work. However, she gets quality time, the conversations she needed, and the chance to he heard in her circle of friends. On the other hand, when you experience hospitality fatigue, it is important to take breaks and know your boundaries. It’s equally important to make sure that what you choose to do in community is something you love, so if you love reading, have a book club, and if you love cooking, invite people over for dinner.

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