Living Stones small groups provide a warm, welcoming environment in which 6 to 12 adults gather to share life, prayer, and God’s Word while growing closer in relationship with Jesus and each other.   Men’s, women’s, couples, and combined couples and singles groups are formed each Advent and Lent and continue to meet periodically in friendship throughout the year to mutually support and encourage each other in our walk with Christ.
The small groups are facilitated by parishioners who receive leader formation through St. Martha using a ministry process developed by The Evangelical Catholic, an organization with over 20 years of experience in both Catholic parishes and university ministries.  The small group leaders’ formation, which is based on prayer, discipleship, community, and sharing the Good News of God’s love with others, equips them to guide others to grow in discipleship as well.  The vision for our parish is a continuous offering of formation to those who feel called to lead so that eventually everyone in our parish has the opportunity to be a member of a small group family in which they grow in relationship with Jesus and each other and are guided and encouraged in a life of discipleship.
 To learn more about our small groups, please contact Lynn Lucas at lynnl@stmartha.com or 281-358-1959.  Below you will find testimonials from those who have been blessed through participation in our Living Stones small groups.  We invite you to join us!

I cannot say enough about what a gift our men’s small group was, and hopefully will continue to be for years to come.  Meeting with our fearless leader Larry Berkovsky and the other men of our group both prior to and during the COVID-19 quarantine kept the spirit shining bright during the darkest days of the long Lent of 2020.  Praying with the other men, and really reading and studying the upcoming Sunday readings closely (in a Lectio Divina manner) and prayerfully, not only prepared me for the upcoming Sunday Mass, but more importantly unleashed the power of the Holy Spirit within my heart and rekindled my love for the Holy Scriptures!  It also allowed me an opportunity to share some of my theological background especially my study of the Scriptures to assist the other men in their understanding. This was a tremendous gift to me since I am not actively and professionally teaching anymore in this moment of my career.  The best part, however, was just spending two hours of fellowship, prayer, and reflection with 12 other men of whom most I did not know prior--and really enjoying each other's company and feeling like I was connecting with other men from our parish that I did not know before.  It makes Mass that much more meaningful when you come across faces and smiles at Mass of men whom you have developed a tremendous bond with over the course of a couple of months.  Thank you Fr. T.J. and Larry for unleashing the power of the Holy Spirit through our St. Martha "Stoners" Men’s Small Group! – Martin (Marty) Matulia, Small Group Member

Being a small group leader has been a very rewarding experience. In preparing for the meetings I had a chance to dive deeper into Scripture readings and get more meaning from them. Then at the meetings there were always smarter people in the room to share their experiences with the readings which would shine even more light on them. When you combine that with the Sunday homily, you get several ways to look at the same reading, and none of them are wrong.   - Kevin O’Kelley, Small Group Leader

Our small group endeavor, consisting of men only, was a success.  Our Lenten reflection discussions, preceded by a period of food and fellowship, resulted in many informative and thought-provoking conversations within the group.  It was spiritually enlightening to hear a group of men, many of whom just met each other, discussing with interest and passion the details of Lenten Gospels like the Transfiguration or the Resurrection of Lazarus.  The “walk-away” feeling at the end of our meetings was similar to the end of an ACTS retreat or an ACTS team meeting, with fire from the Holy Spirit and everyone looking forward to the next meeting. I strongly encourage the men of our parish to come experience the unique fellowship and spiritual support of a men's small group. – Larry Berkovsky,  Small Group Leader

The Living Stones Small Group was a great experience!  It was so nice to be with people I already knew, and to meet new people. It’s always good to extend my Catholic network. These women were a great resource for me for everything from family to faith.  - Caroline C. Stevens, Small Group Member

My spiritual journey through this process is in constant motion. I have always felt a piece of my faith was missing. This has definitely filled the gap. Please join us.  – Elly Mead, Small Group Leader

Each week we get together in our Living Stones Small group, whether in person or via ZOOM, to pray, dig deeper into God’s word, eat snacks and simply be together.   For a couple of hours, all of the stress of work and life just melts away and we are just there with God and each other in fellowship.  Our small group has become a family within the larger community of St. Martha.  God has designed us to work and grow in community.  To walk with one another and encourage each other as we do life together.  We have developed a sense of family and caring for each other.  Being in a small group puts you in a community where people know what’s going on in your life.  There’s something special about knowing people and being known by them.  – Debbie Mikan, Small Group Leader

When I heard about this process starting. I felt called to be a part of it.  Little did I know how it would impact our lives. The training was in the fall and it prepared me in many ways to begin a group in February as this was to be a Lenten reflection.  We had met only a few times when the pandemic hit.  Because of the experience we were living the study became a deeper and richer understanding and it filled us with the hope and peace that only Jesus can give.  It was a guiding light in our troubled times.  It was not a coincidence.  It was a gift of grace from God. – Linda Sarman, Small Group Leader

I am a firm believer in small groups and the Living Stones Ministry program confirms my belief.  We conducted these meetings via Zoom and although I knew most of the ladies, I learned so much from their sharing.  Sometimes it was something they read or a prayer they shared but always something that strengthened my faith.  I will definitely participate again.   - Carol B., Small Group Member

I envisioned this group as “stones dropped in water“ and as the ripples moved outward, the faith we shared moved outward too. However, the “ripples“ from other women in my small group touched me and they became part of my journey of faith. This small group study is a chance to grow your faith, no matter where you are on your journey to salvation.
 - Sarah, Small Group Member

It was a blessing for us to host and facilitate the Living Stones small group ministry. We were fortunate to have a few face to face meetings prior to the pandemic and believe this enabled the Holy Spirit to move through our group and strengthen our bond. The continuation of our weekly meetings using virtual video sources gave us strength and assurance through praying together. Even though we knew the small group members prior to the ministry, our bond was strengthened through this ministry.  - Kay and Terrell Nelson, Small Group Leaders

“Men of Stones” small gathering approach was great! The open format created some of the best conversations about my faith and the faith of the men in a group that I have ever been a part of. It was refreshing to have a group like this to be a part of.
I hope it continues. -  Dom Villarreal, Small Group Member

This ministry has allowed my husband and me to be connected with an incredible group of friends and mentors at St. Martha.  The Living Stones formation process was an incredible opportunity for us to journey deeper into our faith and then to receive the space and grace to share these fruits as we led a small group throughout Lent. We grew so much by diving into Scripture with our small group community and cherish the conversations and perspective that was shared in these weekly meetings.  - Samantha Pellittieri, Small Group Leader

I was a little nervous when asked to participate in the small group leader training for the new Living Stones Ministry here at St. Martha. It ended up being a true blessing in my life. It helped to deepen my faith journey as well as it gave me an opportunity to meet new people in our parish. I look forward to our next group gathering!  - Samantha Leger, Small Group Leader

It is very easy for me to become stagnant in my relationship with God. Living Stones provides me with an opportunity to grow closer to Him, keeps me on track while at the same time allows me to learn from the beautiful insights from the ladies on our team. Pope Francis’ wrote, “The attitude of searching is the essential condition for finding.” This ministry is truly a gift for anyone who is searching for or who wishes to find strength in their relationship with our Lord. – Maria Robichaux, Small Group Member