LIFT (Living in Faith Together) is where life and faith come together.

In LIFT, we create community through small fellowship groups to share our faith and to care for each other as one family in Christ.

LIFT offers a chance for everyone in the communities we serve to share their lives with one another through a small group model that will allow them to get to know one another more fully. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we have the opportunity to discover Christ walking in our midst along the way. This is not a one time program; it is a core part of who we want to be at AVCC. We believe that by providing individuals and families with consistent opportunities to live their lives (and their faith) together outside of weekly liturgy, we will continue to foster a joyful and faith filled community committed to bringing people to Jesus and transforming the world around them.

LIFT runs for two Seasons per year, one beginning around the start of Lent, and one beginning each Fall, continuing into Advent.



 

Our Mission echoes the Mission of the Apple Valley Catholic Collaborative.

We are called to be a joyful and faith filled community that is rooted in:

Nurturing a personal relationship with Jesus
Serving and caring for one another
Sharing our faith and lives together

The next LIFT Season will be Winter/Spring of 2026. 

If you are looking for Fall 2025 groups, please click on "Current Session"
 Use this form to sign up to be notified early when groups are open for registration.

Fall 2025 Season

Enrollment for our Fall 2025 LIFT Season is open now. Please feel free to browse the below groups to see if there is one that feels right to you. If the group does not have dates listed, that means we are still waiting for Fall dates. If you see dates listed and would like to register, please go ahead!

Like each one of us, each LIFT group is unique. The topics covered, the targeted participants, even the frequency of meeting and duration of the season. Take some time to read about each one and reflect on which one speaks to you before you sign up. If you don't see a group that's for you, please Email Tom and we can see about creating one for the next season that might meet your needs. 
 

Please note: all groups have a limited number of spaces and will be marked as FULL once they reach capacity.
 

October LIFT Group: Praying the Rosary

Hosted by Kathy Taylor

October is the Month of the Rosary, and we’re offering a short-term LIFT group to pray and reflect together. Led by Kathy Taylor, this group will meet weekly in the evening throughout October for about an hour. Each week, we’ll focus on one set of mysteries—Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious—and explore how they speak to our lives today.

Whether you’re new to the rosary or have prayed it for years, this is a simple yet profound way to grow in faith, experience spiritual comfort, and connect with others in prayer.

This group is still in formation mode - we need at least 6 people to launch. Are you interested? Contact Tom Spataro.

Time: Mondays from 7PM - 8:30 
Dates: 10/6, 10/13, 10/20, 10/27
Location: St. Elizabeth Parish Center

Emmaus Group - Strolling in Faith Together (SIFT)

Hosted by Barbara and Kelly

Join veteran LIFT leaders Barbara Dane and Kelly Faville for this outdoor walking LIFT group that will meet at the Acton Arboretum. Topics will include: God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Church, Social Justice, and Living a Christian Life in 2025. We will gather at the Acton Arboretum and each session would include gathering socially, faith based conversation while walking with 2-3 people, shared group discussion after the walks, and communal prayer.

Time: Wednesdays, 9:30AM - 11:00AM
Dates: 10/1, 10/15, 10/29, 11/12, 11/19 (special time 12:00 PM), 12/10 
Location: Acton Arboretum

Sharon and Marianne's Group - Faith and the Busy Life - For Women Only

Open to all women looking to fit and prioritize their faith in their busy lives. This year we may introduce  the " 8 Unnamed Women in Scripture and their Encounters with Jesus" as a starting point. 

We hope to have you join us!
Sharon and Marianne  

***Most LIFT groups meet every other week. This group will meet once a month on the first Monday of each month at 7:30

Time: Mondays, 7:30PM - 9PM
Dates: 10/6, 11/3, 12/1, 1/5, 2/2, 3/2, 4/6 and 5/4. 
Location: St. Elizabeth Parish Center

Maria and Rachelle's LIFT Group

Odeviz and Jim's LIFT Group for Men

Parables of Jesus - For singles and couples aged 60+
Hosted by Tom and Janet

Parables of Jesus explores six teaching stories Jesus told: building a house on rock
and sand, planting seeds in rocky ground and good soil, the lawyer asking about his
neighbor, finding a lost sheep and a lost coin, the prodigal son returning home, and
Jesus teaching that he is the vine.

Time: Mondays, 7PM - 8:30PM
Dates: 9/15, 9/29, 10/6, 10/20, 11/3, 11/17
Location: St. Isidore Residence

GROUP FULL - Email Tom to be added to a wait list

Kelley and Jim's Group - For Parents of Young Children

This group uses the Psalms as conversation starters to explore timeless feelings of hope, frustration, comfort, sadness, and all the other emotions parents of young children experience in a 10 minute timespan.

Time: Thursdays, 6:30PM - 8PM
Dates: 
Location: St. Isidore Residence

Bernice's book review for adults
“Finding Peace Here and Now" by Eric A. Clayton

The Joy of Salvation

Hosted by Jane and Tim

Ongoing Groups

Tom's Group - Hope in Hopeless Times - GROUP FULL - Email Tom to be added to the waitlist.

For parents of young children, this group uses the Psalms as conversation starters to explore timeless feelings of hope, frustration, comfort, sadness, and all the other emotions parents of young children experience in a 10 minute timespan. 

Time: Thursdays from 7:30PM - 9
Location: Saint Elizabeth Parish Center Room 4
 

Barbara & Wendy’s LIFT Group - Women’s Group - GROUP FULL - Email Tom to be added to the waitlist.

This group is for mothers of older teens and young adults. This can be a time of especially challenging transitions for women. Utilizing prayer and Scripture, this group provides support and  hope in friendship, as we discuss these issues together.

Time: Wednesdays from 10AM to 11:30AM
Location: Offsite (in homes - address will be given to participants in advance)

When the coronavirus pandemic hit our community, everything changed. This is not unique to AVCC or the Catholic Church as a whole. In response, we shut down our traditional Faith Formation programs and scrambled to put together something that could work while the pandemic ran its course. While we struggled in some areas, we also had a lot of epiphanies about what worked with our new models. We (re)discovered that providing opportunities for children and/or adults to be together in a small group setting yielded great results: a feeling of closeness, of shared experiences, of walking challenging paths together with others in our community. A feeling of not being alone. We believe that the small group model was essential in providing these moments of clarity and togetherness and want to expand that opportunity to everyone in our community.  

Under the guidance of Faither Jeff Archer, a worksgroup was formed to explore the idea of creating a cuture around a small group ministry at Apple Valley Catholic. Beginning in March of 2021, this group of staff members and community volunteers explored the concept. Research and analysis consisted of interviews with local and national communities of many faiths where small groups are an established part of their community.

In Fall of 2022 we launched LIFT Pilot 1.0, a trial version of LIFT with three groups, led by our workgroup members. 

Fall 2022 LIFT Groups:
Group 1
Wendy and Barbara's LIFT Group - For mothers of teens and young adults

Group 2
Andrea and Tom's LIFT Group - For parents of young children - Hope in Hopeless times

Group 3
Sheila and Fr. Jeff's LIFT Group - Reflections on 'The Shack'

I wish each of you a blessed and peaceful Summer and look forward to seeing you at Mass. Thank you for your support of LIFT as we continue to grow this amazing ministry. 

Is this only for families?
No! This is for everyone. We will offer LIFT groups for folks from every walk of life. All are welcome and we hope to offer a group that will appeal to you. If you don’t see one you’re interested in, let us know!

Do I have to go to church?
Well, no, but as LIFT grows in prominence in our community, we imagine a greater impact in both liturgy and LIFT meetings when you are able to participate in both. But one does not rely on the other.

When will this start?
It's already started! In Fall of 2022 we launched a Pilot Program of three groups.  We will be launching Pilot 2.0 in Lent 2023 and hope to have open enrollment for all who are interested in Summer of 2023 for a Fall session.

How do I sign up?
We'll let you know right here.

Is this just another word for a bible study group?
No. Although there may be some LIFT groups who are interested in a deeper connection with the bible, it is not a requirement. These are not academic groups (unless you want one!) - our goal is to bring people together outside of liturgy to share their lives with one another.  

What will we be talking about?
Anything! We will provide conversation starters to every group, but the idea is not forced catechesis, rather to provide the opportunity to reflect and share with one another.  

Why am I not allowed in a specific group?
We have some groups that are intentionally crafted to create safe spaces for people at a certain "age and stage" of life. It's not to keep you out--rather it's to make sure those who sign up for the group have shared needs. If you see a group description that you like, but it's not for you, email Tom and we can work to create a version for you and others.

Who will be leading these groups?
Your fellow parishioners. Are you interested in hosting a LIFT group? You do not need a degree in theology to be a LIFT host, we promise. Email us.

Where will we meet?
Anywhere and everywhere. We will make locations available on both of our “campuses” but the LIFT meetings will not be restricted to only at or around our church buildings. They can be in your homes, at local dining establishments, in the outdoors–wherever people want to meet.

Why this? Why now?
When the coronavirus pandemic hit our community, everything changed. This is not unique to AVCC or the Catholic Church as a whole. In response, we shut down our traditional Faith Formation programs and scrambled to put together something that could work while the pandemic ran its course. While we struggled in some areas, we also had a lot of epiphanies about what worked with our new models. We (re)discovered that providing opportunities for children and/or adults to be together in a small group setting yielded great results: a feeling of closeness, of shared experiences, of walking challenging paths together with others in our community. A feeling of not being alone. We believe that the small group model was essential in providing these moments of clarity and togetherness and want to expand that opportunity to everyone in our community.      

What if I don’t like my group?
We purposely have expiration dates for each group season. The default setting is for the group to disband, rather than to re-up. This will give everyone that chance to assess their comfort with moving forward with the same group, or exploring other options.