"Bringing Church"

Christy has two daughters who regularly participate in our Vineyard at Home Foothill Ranch House Church.  She usually has to work Sundays and so has not been able to join us for our regular Sunday a.m. meetings.  However, recent circumstances allowed her to join us for about a month or so.  She even participated in the mudfest (see the previous post).

On the last Sunday before she had to return to work she made a special point of telling us how much she has felt at home and how enriching the house church had been to her and to her children.  Sadly, though, going back to her normal schedule would once again prevent her from continuing her fellowship with us on Sundays each week.

That got us to thinking: if Christy can no longer be "at church" with us, how can we "bring church" to her where she works?

Before long, we came up with an idea.  What if, in a couple of Sundays from now, we put together a visit to where Christy works?  What if we "took church" to her by packing up the kids and adults and carpooling over to the retail store she manages.  We could bring a nice array of things for a coffee break for her and her coworkers.  We could bring some handmade cards that the kids could make between now and then.  We're going to give some more thought to this and put together some things that allow everyone to participate in some way.

The message Christy will get when we "bring church" to her will also, no doubt, overflow to her coworkers.  Christ's love is mobile.  His community is not confined to a particular locale.  The Scriptures teach us that, as believers, we are the church.  Therefore, when we visit Christy, we bring "church" with us.  I can't wait to see what happens and, don't worry, we'll make sure and tell the story in a future post!

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A Song Is Born!

This is another story related to our mudfest experience.  Only, this time, it doesn't involve mud.  It involves music.

The household with the biggest post-storm problem (the swimming pool 'o mud) includes a musical mom.  I recall that, during one of the "neighborhood festivals" we threw some months back, she was out on a stretch of lawn with a gaggle of kids gathered around her while she played her guitar and led them in some fun songs.  This is especially interesting in light of the fact that, for her "day job", she fulfills the role rather demanding role of a forensic psychologist.

A week or so after our mud-a-thon, this grateful neighbor showed up at our host family's door with a CD she had made in her home studio set up.  It contained just one song - an original piece that commemorated her family's experience with the house church in the after-effect of the storm.  It's worth noting that, as far as we know, this family does not profess a particular faith or church affiliation.  Nevertheless, the title of her catchy tune  is: "Praise the Risen Lord".

After listening to it together at house church the next Sunday, we sent the disc off to Ryan who will be leading worship for our annual outdoor Easter Sunday on the Street worship gathering in the neighborhood.  You can bet that "Praise the Risen Lord" will figure prominently into that morning's songs of praise and celebration!



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Sermon In the Mud

Some of the shovel army tackle the pool after the backhoe did 

what it could to relieve it of the mud that filled it eight feet deep and 

overflowed another few feet thick throughout the back yard area.

"I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day;
I'd rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way.


The eye's a better pupil and more willing than the ear,
Fine counsel is confusing, but example's always clear;


And the best of all preachers are the men who live their creeds,
For to see good put in action is what everybody needs.


I soon can learn to do it if you'll let me see it done;
I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run.


And the lecture you deliver may be very wise and true,
But I'd rather get my lessons by observing what you do;


For I might misunderstand you and the high advice you give, 
But there's no misunderstanding how you act and how you live."


- Edgar A Guest


And so, with Mr. Guest's words in mind, I further reflect on what I have come to call: "The Sermon in the Mud".  The backstory is in the previous post.


A week has passed since we took on the task of helping nearby neighbors clean up their homes after massive December mudslides overwhelmed them.  Since then, the feedback from these folks has been quite remarkable.  One of the neighbors told our house church hostess that "the entire tone of the neighborhood" has changed since the volunteers came to help.  Another neighbor told her that he really wants to come and cook us all breakfast!  Yet another neighbor left a couple of boxes of baked goods as a gift on her porch.  Along with it was a thank you card that affirmed that the efforts to help were much appreciated.  

Instead of "church" (i.e. our usual practice of breakfast, followed by worship, Bible teaching and discussion and interpersonal ministry) on Sunday morning, we had a "Sermon in the Mud" of the kind Mr. Guest would have approved.  So what was the "message" of the sermon that morning?


Well, in fact, I did gather everyone in the midst of the mud fest for a moment or two to thank them for their efforts that day and to point out something quite biblical.  "All things are NOT good," I asserted.  "That's not what the Bible teaches.  It was NOT good that these families were affected by these mudslides.  It was NOT good that this happened to them.  But, God has turned it for good.  


That's what the Bible teaches in Romans 8: 28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose".  That was the essence of "the sermon in the mud" that day and it is a message that continues to reverberate - and will continue to reverberate - in the relationships that were formed, deepened and blessed by the "sermon that could be seen".  

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Dirty for God - A Dream Comes True, Part One

Who ever knew that mud, lots and lots of mud, metric tons of mud, could feel so good?

When we first visited the scene, mud was the enemy.  In the storms that smashed through Southern California at Christmas time an avalanche of mud was born in the hills of the wilderness park just behind the dozen or so homes on Cabrillo Street.  This is the neighborhood in Foothill Ranch where our house church meets.  We believe ourselves to be called to it and we have responded to this call in a wide variety of ways over the past two years.  Now, the mud was changing everything about our call and our response.

(there will be many more photos in future posts)

When we first visited the worst hit home, it was overwhelming.  Their back fence and wall had buckled under the mudslide that entirely filled the eight foot deep pool.  The heavy goop and dirt was then piled four feet deep against the back of the home before sluicing out the sides toward the street.  Homes on both sides were also severely affected.  The cleanup would require a large team, heavy equipment and lots of money.  The homeowners association struggled to understand the limits of its responsibilities.  This was county mud, city mud, not Association mud.   The homeowners' insurance company apparently doesn't do mud.  The family was literally stuck in the mud without a clue as to how they were going to pay for and remove the liquid hill that had melted into their living space.

For us, there was no hesitation.  Our mission to empower everyday people to take the ministry of Jesus to everyday places meant we needed to act.  But we are not a large group, even when you count kids and teens.  So, we decided to start somewhere with a response - something to say "we're here and we care".  Restaurant gift cards were purchased and tucked into handmade cards which were then signed and delivered to fourteen households.  The responses to this simple act of kindness were good and the conversations it opened led us to better understand the needs and how we might further respond.  That's when the miracles really began!

I have often said that the kingdom of God is "bigger on the inside than it is on the outside".  If you could have watched what happened last weekend, you would have understood how true this little phrase is.  That's because, in His mercy, God provided resources way beyond anything that could be guessed by looking at our little family of believers.  The Goliath of a mudslide was about to feel the impact of a little David of a church.

One of our members, Eric Brown, works in the construction field.  After church on the weekend before last, we walked as a group over to the two worst - hit homes and surveyed the damage for ourselves and pledged to respond.  Eric led the charge and, before long, had rounded up a Bobcat, dump trucks, and a backhoe.  The people who owned this equipment and would run it were practically volunteering to spend a Saturday on rescuing these families from the worst of the mud.

Many more calls were made by Eric and by others of us in the church and a small army of teens, children and grownups with shovels and other implements arrived in shifts to do their part.  Others helped with food and assorted support tasks.  The families on the receiving end of all this struggled to understand what was going on.  What was it that was motivating these people to help them out of a five star jam?  The impact was growing.  The genius of the gospel was being expressed in some very simple and focused ways and the message of love, care and divine inspiration and provision was rising through the dirt, mud and sandbags in to the hearts of us all.  We were getting dirty for God and boy did it feel good!

(To be continued!)

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A Sublime Celebration

The tones of a skillfully played piano began to swell as the singing voices blended and filled the room with the sound of a familiar carol.  Hardwood floors bounced the waves of sound up the tall walls which sent them unhindered to the second story ceiling.  This sonic phenomenon made it seem as if there were more voices in the room than there actually were.  It also hid any flaws in our singing so that we sounded much better than normal as when one sings in the shower.

The beautifully lit Christmas tree was just a few feet from where I sat.  I glanced at it, and then scanned the room as I listened to the voices and added my own.  Suddenly, I felt as if I had been transported far away from the Orange County suburbs to an intimate country chapel in the woods.  The sheer warmth and simplicity of the moment filled me full.  I realized there was no cathedral in which I would rather be and no trained choral group I would rather hear.  It was a perfect Christmas moment - simple, beautiful, human and divine all at once.

The elements of communion were produced and I gave a talk about the Exodus.  God's deliverance of the Jewish people from Egypt is the defining story of their history and the root of their identity.  I put us in remembrance of the fact that first "Lord's Supper" was the Passover meal which Jesus shared with his disciples on the night before He was betrayed by one of them.  As He took the traditional bread and cup of the Passover, He redefined their meanings within Himself.  He is the new Lamb.  He is the New Exodus.  He is the New Defining Story of the people of God - the One who saves us from bondage and frees us to belong to God - and all because of the First Christmas that brought Him to us as Emmanuel, "God with us".

As we partook of the elements, the piano softly played a carol - yes, a carol and not a typical hymn.  We finished the communion singing along with it and then moved into two contemporary worship songs including one that features the words: "This is the air I breathe - Your holy presence, living in me".  How beautifully this fit the Christmas Eve theme: Christ conceived within the virgin.  Christ born in to the world.  Christ now in us "the hope of glory" (as the Scriptures proclaim).

I then shared a meditation on the life of God - eternal life - and how it intersects our natural lives in Christ.  How the First Christmas was the gateway through which God's own kind of life became available to us through Jesus.  It was an invitation.  It was a celebration.  It was a meditation that drew our hearts back to the Manger and then forward into eternity.

Finally, little Stephanie walked around the room with a basket of candles until everyone had one to hold.  Lights were dimmed.  Now, only the pinpoint lights of the Christmas tree illuminated the room as the pianist led us into "Silent Night".   The candles were lit one by one as the flame was shared person-to-person.  It was Christmas.  It was Holy.  It was stripped down to its sweet and simple core.  "God with us" -- such a sublime celebration.  This was my house church Christmas.

- Bill Faris

Live! It's the Grinch (With a Twist!)

This year at the Foothill Ranch House Church, the ante was upped for our annual "garage production".  Previous years were fairly simple affairs featuring a nativity and some dance.  This year, however, our live performance featured a homegrown "Grinch" play, written with a Gospel twist, and presented by our children and teens (including neighborhood volunteers and other "friends of the family").  As the "curtain" (garage door) was raised, an enthusiastic audience stood on the driveway under EZups to shelter them from the light rain that had been soaking Southern California for days.  Less than 15 minutes later, the cast took their bows and everyone retreated to celebrate the successful, delightful and meaningful production with a few cookies, some hot cider and some hot chocolate, too.

We're proud of our young people, Eric (their adult leader), our host family and all who made this year's "Grinch" a hit.  Next year, who knows: camels and flying angels?

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How Do We Know When It's Church?

One of the paradigm shifts that goes with "going organic" in church life after a lifetime of participation and leadership in more traditional church structures is what happens "at church".  In more traditional modalities, "church" begins at a particular point after worshipers arrive at the church campus (how often have I heard - and said - things like "church starts at 9:00"?).  Then, in effect, church "ends" sometime after the formal worship service is dismissed.

Not so with house church.  It is more like a family gathering.  And since this family is the family of God, "church" begins not just theoretically, but actually, as soon as two or more come together in His Name.  For us, "church" begins with a potluck breakfast meal around 9:00 a.m.  It is fair to say that church begins with the making of the first latte', the distribution of the first donut or bowl of oatmeal, and the passing of the first sausage -- and I'm not just saying that.  It is a fact.  What could be more "church" than God's people bringing things to someone's home and feeding one another - taking care of one another - thinking about what people would enjoy, what we could add to the whole.  A prayer of thanksgiving and blessing is prayed and then we get on with interacting, serving, cleaning up after and enjoying one another.  If that ain't "church", what is?

See, at the house church, we don't "put on a service" per se.  We meet, yes.  We worship, certainly.  We get into God's Word together, absolutely.  We minister to one another, regularly.  But we don't really "go to church" in the way we used to.  We meet as church to be the church.  So, on many days a church meeting includes the experience of us plowing through I Samuel a couple of chapters per week, as we have been doing over the past several months.  But today "church" (after b'fast, worship, sharing, etc) took a much different turn as we divided into three groups and went out door-to-door through the neighborhood.  Our mission was to pass out invitations to our three upcoming home grown Christmas activities planned for December.

Before we left on our neighborhood trek, we read a passage from Luke 14 where Jesus tells us to freely invite people to a banquet without concern as to whether or not we would get payback for doing so.  Then we went out and DID IT.  Along the way we talked with each other, spoke with a few neighbors and generally enjoyed a stroll in the brisk but sunny Southern California air.

After finishing our neighborhood tour, one of our new house church friends sat down at the piano and began playing "Silent Night" while I joined in strumming on the 12-String guitar.  A few voices picked up the refrain and, for a moment or two, the room spontaneously filled with beautiful song.  That's right - we were still being the church.  And, without a doubt, "church" was still going on.

If you are coming from a place where you know it's "church" because a worship service has been formally begun, bulletins have been passed out, sermons have been preached, collections have been taken, and other hallmarks of a traditional worship service have come to pass, you might find some of what we do during "church" to be a little befuddling.  But when I revisit the biblical definition of the church, I have reason to believe that God is right in the midst of our life together - interacting with us, using us and (dare I say it?) enjoying His time with us as His called out community while we are engaging in fellowship, worship, and action in His name.    

Maybe that's one reason why I look forward to coming every week - well, that and the fact that it is the best breakfast I will eat that week for sure!

See us at www.vineyardathome.com