Christian Life Community

"For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."
Matthew 15:20

What are CLC groups?

Christian Life Communities (CLCs) are small faith communities grounded in spirituality, community, and service. Groups consist of 6-12 people who meet weekly for prayer, reflection, and support they seek to integrate their faith with the realities of everyday life. An easy way to understand this is to take apart the words: Christian.... Life.... Community. The group is affiliated with other Christian Life Communities in Nigeria and the world. Or visit the World CLC website.

Christian: CLC is for anyone who believes in Jesus Christ and to whom Jesus Christ means something to personally.
Life: CLC meets you where you are in your life. You do not need to be a saint or feel as if you are a perfect Christian to be a member of a CLC group.
Community: CLC is not to be experienced alone, but rather, with friends; friends with whom you will build lasting, intimate, trusting relationships. Sharing your life with one another, and having lots of fun in the process.

Spirituality: CLC Spirituality is based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. St. Ignatius believed that God could be found in all things, events, and experiences.
Mission: Our mission involves each CLC member and group discerning the questions of how do I/we respond to God's Love for us?

A Typical CLC Meeting
A typical meeting will begin with prayer. Then there is a check in with everyone to see how their week is going. There will then be some scripture, reflection, a song and/or questions put forth that everyone will be ask to reflect about and then share. There is a closing prayer. Periodically there will be an evaluation (a day of recollection) to see how CLC is going for each member of the group.

CLC was introduced to LJC in July 2002, and the first group made up of 16 students was started in September 2002. CLC now has over 80 student members in seven groups, and a CLC group for teachers. CLC has enabled the students to open up and share about their lives, and has created awareness for the love of God and the need to see God in everything. Meet with some of CLC members

My God and I Who is God? To many people like me this answer is easy till I joined CLC, it became more challenging to answer this very controversial question. CLC helped me to realize that God Almighty is not that strict boss upstairs but someone with all the qualities you desire to have in a friend. With the help of my CLC group facilitator, Mary-Jane Omonuwa, I have become free to express our fears and beliefs concerning our God without fear or shame. Now, I find God in everything I do: a tiring marathon of Socials, an alarming 35% in French Language, a verbal fight with my best mate etc. God is everywhere around us: dwelling in our friends, family and even our teachers (Yes! Believe that) waiting for us to come to him and experience the exhilarating experience of Him in our lives.
- Ekinadese Osayande (Year 5)

The Christian Life Community has played a major role in my life in Loyola Jesuit college it's a group that has helped me discover who I really am and has helped me to find true companions whom I can confide in any situation. Above all it has drawn me closer to my creator. The retreats help me to reflect deeply and ponder on my life and as a result I am able to change it for the better. It is an experience that I will never forget even when I leave LJC into a new world.
-Ify Agbakoba (Year 6)

When you're in a group with many different people with different views and ideas about Christianity, you learn a lot about your faith and about yourself. My CLC group has become very close over the past year. We share our personal experiences, and advise each other, and learn from each other. The group has helped me grow in my faith, to come closer to God, and to try and live my life for Christ. I can trust my friends to guide me in the right path, and lead me to a close relationship with God.
- Angela Omiyi (Year 4)

My experience in CLC hasn't been a bad one. I have mixed feelings/ experiences about the group. Through this group I came to meet a very close friend, my best friend. CLC has afforded me the chance to share my problems and personal experiences with people I can trust. But on the other side, with tight schedule of the school, fixing meetings are difficult and mostly fall on my free time and as a result my mind usually is not tuned in for discussions. - Joseph Omeiza (Year 5)

For more information on the CLC group contact:
Rita Obinabo or Mary-Jane Omonua.