New Thang
January 18, 2008 On Thursday February 7, 2008 a good friend and I are going to begin a new adventure. We don't have a name for it, but the shorthand we've been using is "the simple church". I know that term sometimes refers to a house church, but we aren't that, either. So what is this, exactly? Well, we're going to get together with some of our friends here in town and pray, talk, laugh, share some music and look into the bible. Then we'll probably talk some more. Mostly, I think, we'll just figure it out as we go along.
We have no big structure or grand ambitions except to say that we value creativity, authenticity, simplicity and loving relationships.
If you're a local reader - or local-ish (and you know who you are!) send me an email and I'll tell you how to find us. We'd love to have you hang out with us...
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Reader Comments (16)
if i lived near the hangout i would surely come...it sounds awsome.
(but will be praying for your endeavors to find God right in the midst of you...)
That's great. You'll love it. The great thing is you may find yourself meeting with friends like that several times a week and it may not even be the same group. I have four different relationship groups. Some have overlaps, but it's fun. Some "go" to traditional churchs. Some participate in simple gatherings.... it's all church. Its the people you are with, the people you love and the people you are acocuntable to.
It has actually changed my life, and frankly, my definition is still changing.
Some will argue that you need the relationships of going to a traditional church. I've found my deepest relationships in these simple gatherings of people who get together and love Jesus. Yes, we do other things together. It was through these relationships with people who want to see the Kingdom advanced that our small groups served over 200 homeless people at Christmas.
It is through these groups that we are reaching out to Cuban Refugees. Among these groups in the past year we've baptized and discipled four or five people at least...not bad for groups of people numbered together is probably only fifty or less.
I have relationships with more kinds of Christians as well. I'm charismatic, so many of my friends are as well, but in the past year my relationship circles have increased to include Southern Baptists, and other evangelicals. I love them all.
What you guys will be doing, it is simply this... loving God and loving each other. I'm pretty sure with you in the mix it will also include "loving your neighbors".
It's a grand adventure RWK.... Enjoy.
Babara, Nancy, Wilsonian.... you can do the same thing. It doesn't even have to be a house. Get some friends together at a Starbucks, a coffee house, a diner, whatever. It's a great chance to get closer to God and each other. It's also a chance to dream what the Kingdom can be like.
...it is interesting how my ideas of circle that was given to me a couple of years ago is finally being given to me in more idea of what it means for circles to be and to overlap maybe forming one big circle in a way...but always circles of people comes the idea...
and now how that relates to other circles....wonderful.
i pray for all the ineractions and relationships that we have
and pray that we can be in a place in relationship with God that God can use us and work through us there.
hard to put my thoughts into words sometimes...but it is helpful to me...thanks for listening.
I'm more curious about where you're getting together and what you're doing in general terms. I don't need a format - these things work themselves out. But I've been wondering about your adventure for a while.
For a while, I belonged to a men's bible study that met on Friday at 6:30 AM. If you were there, it was because you WANTED to be there. I mean, really, REALLY wanted to be there. And there was a time or three when something very close to worship ended up breaking out there. But a bunch of white middle-aged men in a Panera coffee shop didn't want to attract attention to themselves, so it never quite hit critical mass. But the fissionable material was there...I could hope it could happen again.
Your words continue to challenge and inspire me, even when I don't want to be challenged or inspired. Those are good things, in case you wondered...