Intersect
where small groups and service meet

The Intersect program is an opportunity for small groups at Fairfax Community to get involved in community service. We partner with several local ministries in the Fairfax/DC metro area, serving the most vulnerable in our community.

FCC Local Ministry Partners

Click on the links below to learn about our Local Ministry Partners:

Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center

The Lamb Center

Study Buddies

Best Kids

Young Life Capernaum

International Justice Mission

Care Network

The challenge is for every small group to commit to serving together twice a year with our Intersect partners. It is a chance for small groups to connect on a deeper level by serving the community.

It's easy!  Just visit the websites of our local partners listed above and discuss with your small group which organization you would like to serve.  You can contact us at sarapearce@fairfax.cc or fill out this Intersect sign up form.  

Read below for how to overcome obstacles and get some ideas of what your small group can do to serve together. 

Breaking down barriers for small group service:

We know there are several obstacles for small groups serving together and we want to help you dispel any myths about serving in small groups and break down any barriers that are keeping you from serving together.

Obstacle #1:

It’s too hard to get everyone together on a day or night to serve.

** You are not required to have everyone from your small group present. While it would be nice to have everyone there, it’s just not always realistic. Even if only 3-4 people can serve, then that works!

Here are some ideas:

1. Tag team it! Find a time when a few of you can get together and serve one of our partners. For example you can prepare and serve lunch at the Lamb Center one afternoon. And then plan a second time when others in your group can serve together and do the same thing on a different day. Then at your next small group meeting you can discuss your experiences and how they compared or differed and how you were impacted while serving.

Obstacle #2:

We have children and it’s too difficult to work out childcare

** Don’t be afraid to find a project that your kids can join in as well! And if you have young kids, perhaps one or two of the people in your small group could stay behind to watch the children. Then the next project you can switch and someone else can stay behind. Remember Obstacle #1 – not everyone has to be there in order for your small group to serve together. Those baby-sitting are allowing everyone else to have the opportunity to serve and therefore are just as apart of the service project as everyone else is!

Here are some ideas for projects with children:

1. Spend a Saturday morning and afternoon at the Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center sorting through baby clothes and doing other odds and ends around the center. They will always have work for you to do!

2. Once a month, Best Kids has a “Peer Group Event” that includes a day of fun activities, such as bowling or canoeing or a scavenger hunt in DC! They always need a small group to bring healthy snacks and to lead the group in icebreaker games. And since it happens on a Saturday from 10am to 2pm, it’s a perfect way for your small group and your children to serve together.

Obstacle #3:

We just don’t have time

**This is why we call it a challenge!! We understand that everyday life in the DC area is busy and hectic. So we only ask you to serve with your small group twice a year. And let God speak to you through that experience and be open to whatever it is He has for you. You’ll be amazed at how your perspective can shift when serving others with serious obstacles as well.

Here are some ideas for the busy bees:

1. Use your normal small group meeting time as a time for your service project. Perhaps you want to prepare a hot meal to serve at the Lamb Center for lunch? Well your small group can prepare that meal during small group time. And you can freeze it for when it’s time to serve the lunch meal at The Lamb Center. 

2.  If your small group meets on Wednesday nights, IJM needs volunteers on many Wednesday nights to help with lots of their projects!

3. You can also turn your small group time into a diaper drive for the Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center. Invite your friends and neighbors and turn it into a party as a way to reach out to your friends as well as collect much needed diapers for those young moms who desperately need them!

4. Use your small group time to go on a shopping spree! Contact one of our partners and find out what they need the most at the moment. Divide up the list and go crazy! This is another way to involve your children and even turn it into a scavenger hunt or game.

Obstacle #4:

We just can’t agree on one thing as a group or can’t decide

**That doesn’t sound like a problem at all! Just do it all! Pick randomly out of a hat until you have done each service project that your group wants to do.

Obstacle #5:

There are some projects that folks in our group just don’t feel comfortable doing.

**There are some service opportunities that do feel scary or intimidating. And this is why we strongly push for small groups to serve together. Your small group is meant to be safe place for you all to grow together and live life together. If someone is uncomfortable, be honest about it, but you have an opportunity to step out of your comfort zone and experience God’s presence and grace and love while surrounded by a group of your friends and loved ones who will support you all the way! And once you go, you will find that there was nothing to be intimidated about and you may find that God stirs your heart like never before. But be open to it and let you small group support you in that.

Keep checking our events page for scheduled service projects and remember that you can come up with your own projects to serve our partners and we’re here to help you work through that.

For questions and more ideas, please email your small group director or sarapearce@fairfax.cc. And we’ll help you find a service project that fits your group!

You can also sign up for service projects by filling out this Intersect form.

For questions, please email sarapearce@fairfax.cc.

Your small group will never be the same!