09/22/07 Meeting Report

We had a different kind of meeting. Come to think of it, since we don't follow a particular agenda, every meeting is different. We thought it would be a good idea to combine the mundane work we all have to do with the more important things like fellowship, so we had a work-bee. We painted a fence and repaired a couple doors at Damien's house. Afterward we had some awesome potato leek soup, herb bread and assorted crackers. We got tired, laughed and talked about where to have the next work-bee.
Our sharing included things such as helping immigrants, getting into scripture and things we've done for a living. We figured that together we accomplished in a couple hours what would have taken all day for one person to do. This allowed us to share a meal and fellowship while taking care of those tedious chores.

Things that are important to us

As we have begun to talk about what a christian gathering looks like, we have shared some things that are important to us as a fellowship. Please keep in mind that these are not necessarily things we have all agreed upon, nor have we fully discovered what these things look like. Some of these things we have done and others we have only talked about as important. In no particular order:

• Sharing a meal
• Breaking bread (communion) as part of a full meal
  
• Sharing spiritual burdens through prayer
• Reading scripture
• Living simply
  
• Praising God in song
• Helping with practical needs
• Being together
• Avoiding materialism
  
• Meeting on the Lord's day
• Receiving the gifts of the Spirit
• Reaching out to the community
• Working on projects together
• Meeting everyday
• Letting kids be kids
• Learning from one another
• Leaning on one another
• Giving time and money to those in need
• Showing hospitality
• Fasting and Prayer
• Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists and Teachers
• Eldership and Servanthood
• Releasing others in ministry
  

There are some I may have left out, but these seem to be the most often raised subjects of conversation. I would love to know what others would add to this list. We may never come to a complete agreement about all of these things, but we are talking and I believe open, to whatever the Holy Spirit may lead us to.

Myth of Church Planting

I've heard of church planters. I've seen books too great to number on the subject of church planting. I've read of expensive consultants in how to plant churches. Clearly Church Planting and Church Planters are very popular buzz-words these days. I have just a couple tiny problems. Where are the Church Planters in the bible and how did the early church manage without cutting-edge seminars? I have searched from cover to cover and I cannot find this creature anywhere. I can't find the scripture that tells us to start churches. There are a lot of helpful materials for sale that tell us how it's done, what it looks like, how to organize it, how to plant it, grow it and multiply it. What if we just went out and preached the gospel with signs following? What if we just loved one another as Christ told us to? What if we just read the bible? I have a feeling there would be lot of publishers and promoters looking for a job.

Speaking of Kids

Meeting Report 09/01/07

We went to Bradbury Mountain for what Damien referred to as a "Mountaintop Experience". Renee has some pictures and her thoughts here http://www.tougas.net/node/1115.
We did a lot of talking and walking. We broke bread at the summit and shared our feelings and thoughts about what things Christians do when the gather. Sharing needs, Communion and the Lord's day were some to the topics we discussed. It was a great day for laughter and sharing. I have to confess that every time we get together, my heart hungers for more of Christ and his people. The kids were a great blessing to all. There was a wrestling incident that involved tickling and piling on an Innocent adult. It's great to not send children off to some basement room for "proper instruction" but rather for them to learn the love and fellowship of Christ in a bright, airy, sunny place.