Anyone and everyone, but we encourage you and your friends to reach out one or two circles beyond your usual. Unity through diversity will heal our divisions, not more time with the people we already know and understand.

It depends. If you’re having a small event at home, an ideal number is 7-10 people. Big enough to have a great time, but still small enough to feel personal.

But if you’re hosting a community event, it can be as big as you want. It will be helpful if you have volunteers to help facilitate small group conversations, though.

Living rooms and dining room tables make great spaces for meaningful conversations. But we know that’s not for everyone, so feel free to utilize other spaces you have access to. Coffee shops, bars, restaurants, churches, mosques, synagogues or even community centers that allow food and great conversation.

Your Common Ground Gathering is an opportunity to get to know each other outside of the polarizing topics that are everywhere around us. Instead, focus on things like “tell me about yourself” and “what makes me feel safe?” We have conversation starters for you in our gatherings guide.

Literally anything. Pizza. Chips. Roast beef. Fried chicken. Totally depends on what you want. We have a few recipes from friends all over the world if you need some inspiration. If you want to get your guests involved, create a main potluck dish and invite everyone else to bring a side dish or drink of their choice!

Yes! We’ve got a bunch of resources to share that will help you get started. You can also join our hosting webinars where you can ask us questions face-to-face. And as always, feel free to shoot us an email at gatherings@sfcg.org.

Yes, having a Common Ground Gathering in your home is great, as long as you are comfortable. We highly recommend doing so with people you know, as you will have more control of external factors!

Yes! Securing a venue may be easier than you think. We believe every yes starts with a conversation.

We get that and we all have to start somewhere. Finding and engaging with people that are different from you can be really intimidating, but also very rewarding. Differences don’t only have to be on the surface. There may be someone you know that practices a different type of faith than you, votes differently than you, has a different family dynamic than you and the list goes on. We want to encourage you to think past the obvious and lean into the less-obvious. And remember, it’s totally fine to start with a few!

Yes, of course. If you wish to host more than one, that is more than welcomed, especially if you have different and large circles of friends! Don’t forget to register all your gatherings here! If you need help, don’t hesitate to reach out to us!

Share our website, share the sign-up sheet, and forward their email to us so we can also reach out. Every gathering hosted is a chance for people to connect and learn about each other in a time when we really need it.

Email us at gatherings@sfcg.org.

Yes! If you feel like you have to change your Common Ground Gathering in any way, please do so. We want you to be comfortable with hosting and connecting in the best possible way.  If you would like to discuss this, please reach out to us!