John Wesley tells us that we have an obligation to "watch over each other in love." This is different from studying the Bible, singing in the choir, or teaching Sunday school. Covenant Discipleship groups exist solely for the purpose of watching over one another's spiritual growth and development. By establishing a covenant that makes members mutuallly accountable for their daily Christian walk, Christians commit themselves to close scrutiny and responsibility. It sounds hard and painful; often it is.

Opening up your spiritual walk to others makes you vulnerable and often ashamed. Confessing that you have not prayed or read Scripture, that you have done nothing in a week for anyone but yourself, or that you don't listen to the Holy Spirit's leading in your life, is a challenge unlike anything you ever do in or out of church. However, you are never alone in your walk. The love and prayers of the rest of the group hold you up. You realize that you do not want to walk alone. You understand why Jesus gathered disciples to follow him, why early Christians met in house churches, and why attending worship on Sunday is vital to your relationship with God. God gathers us together to watch over us in love.

When we watch over one other, we are sharing in God's love and care. We are truly wearing the face of God.

When I wake at 5:00 and want to roll over and go back to sleep, I get up because someone may need me this morning. That someone is my sister in Christ whom I have needed and prayed for. How can sleep be more important? How can I neglect my sister's spiritual welfare? Maybe I have a need that I am unaware of until I get to the group.

Are these women my best friends? Not in a worldly way. Do we go shopping? Not often. Do we gossip on the phone? Never. Our ages range from mid-forties to mid-seventies. We are very centered on one another's families. My children know that, if something happened to me, these women would be first at the door. I know it too. The men in our lives know that we are their sisters too. My husband wants to know what we laugh about when he hears us meet. Our individual social circles know how important these women are to us. Everyone in my life has noticed the change in me.

These women are my sisters in Christ. Given to me by my Father God, they are my family. We have all been on an Emmaus walk. Individually we have been on Emmaus teams, done lay speaking, taught VBS, been lay members of annual conference, and taken and taught Disciple classes. We have hosted showers, done special music for worship, prepared meals for Habitat workers, fed Pedaling Parsons, given money for emergency needs in the community, worked for the Salvation Army, and made items for the mission auction. It all grows out of what happens on Tuesday mornings. None of it is as important as Six Sisters Seeking the Savior at 6:00 a.m. on the second day after Sunday.

A member of Millersburg United Methodist Church, Millersburg, Ohio, Diane McCartney is a certified lay speaker and lay member of annual conference for her congregation. She is an English teacher who is married with two adult children.