Hosting House Church

These days we are NEVER late for church.  Of course, there are those times that I barely get out of my pajamas before the doorbell rings and my church family enters into my home bringing with them various breakfast foods as we prepare to “break bread” together over the next hour before we move into worship and Bible study.  How different church is from what it was a few years ago.

Sunday mornings used to be stressful in our home as our family of six rushed around to eat breakfast, get dressed and out the door to be at church at the 10 am start time.  It was a very rare occasion when we were actually on time.  Worship always seemed a bit on the short side but that was simply because we had arrived at church 10 to 20 minutes late.  Next week, we would promise ourselves, we will be on time.  Rarely happened.

Our house church is not big by any stretch of the imagination, but we have something I find better than big numbers.  We are family.  I love that.  A lot.  Many times after breakfast, as worship is starting in the living room, I am still in the kitchen washing a few dishes and putting away some of the food that didn’t get eaten (usually not much of that with a houseful of hungry teenagers!), yet I still feel included in the worship.  So much like a typical weekend family night...kids are watching a movie and mom is still putting away a few dishes before joining them.

On a recent Sunday a few people were gathering in the living room to pray for a person, some of the kids and teens were in the backyard playing ping pong, and I was being prayed for (while washing more dishes...haha...see? it is JUST LIKE family) by a dear friend.

This past week I had the privilege of praying for and encouraging another homeschool mom.  She was struggling with some issues I had struggled with a few years ago.  What a joy to be able to share and encourage her.  Where did this “church” take place?  In a driveway of a mutual friend in Huntington Beach.  We prayed, cried, looked at scripture and shared life for 45 minutes.

Church is scheduled and loose at the same time.  Stuff happens in the backyard, living room, family room, and kitchen.  God, from the beginning, has never  confined himself to a building.  He walked with Adam in the garden.  He wants to walk and move today in everyday places.  We need to be open to that.  House church is the perfect vehicle.

See us at www.vineyardathome.com

Five Hours of House Church? Why Not?!

At some point today, when I realized nearly four hours had gone by since first arriving at house church, I turned to someone nearby and said: "I remember when I tried to get in and out of church as quickly as possible".  Someone else quipped: "I remember when I used to be late to church all the time".  Our host chimed in: "I remember when I used to have to leave my house to go to church!"

Ahhhh - how things have changed.

If five hours seems like a lot of time to "go to church", you have to remember that "church" begins with an hour or so of potluck breakfast.  Today's spread included: quiche, oatmeal with raisins, bananas, strawberries and milk, a potato cheese hot breakfast hot dish, sausages, breakfast burritos, warm coffee cake, fresh fruit assortment and (if you want one) a hand-made latte' courtesy of our hostess.  

After such a feast - complete with noisy kids and adults, stories and updates from our crazy lives, and other this and that, we retreat to the living room for worship.  Adults circle up on the main floor area.  Teens and pre-teens sit on the stairs and on the landing above, looking down.  Smaller children spread out a few quiet toys and puzzles near their adult parent while the baby got pretty much passed around (he seemed to like it, too!)

Now it's worship time!  Beautiful and sweet (worship leader disclaimer: "the kids want some faster songs this time").  Next it's sharing.  First order of importance: the 11-year old who (while jumping up and down on the stairs) proclaims: "I accepted God and Jesus this week" while at a VBS event.  Applause!

Others share.  Encouraging words.  Interesting experiences.  Now the youth are leaving for their own time outside while the adults pull out electronic and paper Bibles for our first dip into I Samuel (chapters 1 through 3 if you must know).  There is observations, group readings and discussion - wonderful insight, wonderful application!  Now we circle to pray for two folks who could use some personal ministry.  

Outside, the sound of ping-pong and kids splashing in the pool increases.  Soon adults are wandering out and joining in.  SPLASH!!!  That's the sound of the 17-year old doing a canonball.  SSSSPPPPLLLLAAAAASSSSHHH!  

That's the sound of the, um, more mature aged youth leader doing his "preacher" canonball.  Is there any water left in the pool.  Fortunately, there is. 

We take a group photo.  We eat popcorn.  We challenge each other to ping pong and talk some smack.  All the while, kids are swimming and, by 2 p.m., the hostess throws on some pasta and hooks up some tacos to serve for lunch.  Time for us to leave, but others stay on.  Who knows how long "church" will last?

Driving home I reflect upon the fact that I like this house church thing.  It's family!

See us at www.vineyardathome.com

Welcome to Vineyard at Home

Vineyard at Home is a new blog about our house church experiences, philosophy of ministry, quirks, adventures and points of view. In it, I will be sharing not only my own insights and experiences, but also those of others who are meeting in simple church / organic church / house church modalities. Should be pretty interesting - and fun!

Vineyard at Home is the name of our house church "network" in Orange County, California. We are affiliated with the Vineyard USA which is the community of Vineyard Churches in America. However, as a house church, we are definitely breaking new ground for our movement and for ourselves. We don't mind (too much) that people don't always get why we would move away from more traditional/conventional church life to house church. Indeed, there are things we sometimes miss about the "old days" when we were a small church in Southern California meeting in a rented building and reaching out as churches in our neck of the woods do. But, after two years in house church mode, we're pretty hooked on the chance to "empower everyday people to bring the ministry of Jesus to everyday places". Oh, and you'll notice that - while we take God very seriously - we don't take ourselves too seriously at all!

We welcome comments, questions and the experiences of others who, like us, are launching out into the sometimes lonely paths of alternative church modalities. Please don't hesitate to weigh in!

So, welcome!

Bill Faris, Director and Blogger

Vineyard at Home