What church do you go to now?

This is the short version of how we came to church family where we are now.

We attended school of ministry and as we studied and discussed some of the content in the Church History and Apologetics classes, my husband started wanting to study more about origins of church and what church practices were after Christ died (....rose, ...and ascended) and as the apostles spread established churches and shared the gospel with new believers. He wanted to experience and serve in a church body where we could be as close as possible to the original practice of the church.

He studied a lot about it and read a book or two where others had gone on a similar quest. We were pleased to find many other families who are doing the same, all over the country and in many other countries (where missionaries go, from America) this is how they dwell together in the body and serve person-to-person, family-to-family, ministering to each other as they see needs.

So that's the basis of what we do. We meet with other believers, almost always in the home, but other times at the park, or at a chapel (one Resurrection Sunday). There is usually a facilitator and everyone participates throughout, sharing a Bible passage, testimony, song, prayer, etc. The children also share stories, either read or acted out. This is usually twice a month "formally" and we leave the other weeks / weekends open for the families to gather in each other's homes, attend a party, visit someone who's sick, meet someone's practical need, etc. A lot of it is still developing as we learn together with the other families, but we're excited that this is the direction in which we're headed. The number one goal is to grow together in Christ, and minister according to his example, ultimately bringing Glory to him.

I'm so glad my friend asked. I love the topic and I love how the Lord works through the Body of Christ, in many forms. Here are the other blog posts I wrote about it over the past year. We're still on the journey.

1. Church

2. Going to Church

3. Every Member Functioning

4. Today I'm Reading (A book entitled, "So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore?")

Easter Weekend on The Streets

Don't get me wrong, I know about all the controversy around using that word. But I used it because it's the most familiar, especially to people outside of "church" circles.

This year we're looking to do something quite different. Taking it to the streets. Where all the people are who are NOT "at church" that morning and reaching them with the Love of Christ.

The event will be at a park in Forth Worth and is sponsored by City on a Hill Connection (a network of churches). If it rains we'll just have to bring rain coats and galoshes!

Read more about City on a Hill Connection.

Here's a list of churches.

And here's one testimony of the event in 2007 - Easter Like No Other

Today I'm Reading....

....the Everywhere Church Blog

Check it out

http://everywherechurchblog.wordpress.com/

A group of people who are serving the Lord by reaching and discipling others, worshipping the Lord, sharing the Word of God, encouraging one another, giving their time and talents to others, all in the name of the church. What's WRONG with that? Really?

Going to Church?

Someone sent me a link to this free book So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore?

Quite thought provoking, and as at least one Pastor put it -- "still Christ exalting"

I hope to :-) come back soon and share some of the thoughts I have about it.  I'd love to hear your thoughts as well.

Church

More of my ponderings. The last one I talked about was 'every member functioning'.

Today I am pondering this statement that I've said before and heard others say.

"I need to make sure that my church activity does not outweigh my involvement with my friends"

I'm thinking twice about that. And I'm asking myself why is it that in my mind, I even refer to church as being different than my friends. If my friends are believers, and the church is defined as those who are part of the body of Christ then there is no separation right?

If any of my friends are part of another "church fellowship" or local assembly, we're still not separate are we? I ask myself how I think of someone when they decide that they are no longer going to be a faithful member of the local assembly I'm part of. Do I ridicule them and say, 'oh they left our church' or 'yeah you know SO AND SO is not a member anymore'?

Maybe that's okay that they made that decision. Maybe I should send them in peace and pray for them and be glad that God is going to use them in another capacity.

Beyond that, I just have to be careful that I don't have the CHURCH so segregated in my mind.

The Lord says that we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. That's in verse 25 of Hebrews Chapter 10. Am I even applying that passage correctly in my mind? What does that mean?

So I go back to verse 24 and read it along with verse 25. It reads:

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

What are we doing (my husband and I) with all this pondering?

First, we're looking at our relationships with our friends and family, not as segments but as joint members of the body -- THE church.

I dare not go and do a bunch of great things with a local assembly and forsake fellowship with my dear and true friends. I don't want to be more intimately aware of the prayer needs of the people in my organization than the needs of those who I shared a fridge with growing up, those who I share Turkey with every year, the one I walked home from school with every day for years, the ones who come to my children's birthday parties, the people who stood with me on my wedding day, the ones who I started the Christian journey with but may now happen to be going on a different path (membership wise). I still love them. I want to be in fellowship with THEM. I want fellowship with them (with you - if you're reading this) -- LOL.

There's balance to all that but you get my drift.

I know the Lord will orchestrate how that plays out in our lives. In the meantime, we'll take steps as the Lord leads.

This may sound random, I know. Just more ponderings I have. Thanks for reading.

The Church: Every Member Functioning

Every member functioning..... what is that really like? Is that something you see often? What does that mean?

I have a desire to see that in action and to it's fullest.

I realize that may be asking for perfection and I may not ever see it but "why not look for it?", I ask myself.