Post by hishomemaker on Jul 20, 2013 16:33:13 GMT -5
My son and I recently started attending a home church in our area. So I'm not setting myself up to be an expert on the subject, but I will share with you what our group does.
The location rotates between the homes of different members. We meet at 10am on Sunday mornings (weeknight services fluctuates between being on Tues or Wed nights.) The end time is simply open ended - we are done when we are done. So we don't have a set time on the clock that we have to finish by. On Sundays, we come prepared to share the noonday meal together.
Our focus is worship. Not necessarily a time of sitting and listening to a sermon in the traditional sense. Yes, we do have a time in God's word but at the same time, we all feel that everyone involved keeps up lots of personal study time on their own time during the week. So our focus isn't to sing and pray to simply use those things as a means to get to the "sermon" because there is no sermon in the traditional sense. We try to spend as much time in active worship and praise as possible. So this involves *lots* of singing and *lots* of praying. We start off with several songs mingled in with different prayers. Eventually one of the men will lead us to a Bible verse or chapter and that will be discussed for a little while.
Once that is over we will sing a few more songs, ending with a song used to prepare our minds for the Lord's Supper. After that song, there is a small time frame to mingle and chat while the ladies prepare the table for the noon meal. The table is set, but each person who is taking communion also has a small glass with the fruit of the vine poured in. Also placed on the table will be a plate with communion bread - homemade. We pray over our meal and begin to eat. Invariably, the conversation will flux back and forth between normal conversation and Biblical topics. After we have eaten for a few minutes one of the men will call for attention/silence and lead us in a prayer for the bread. We take the bread during a moment of silence and then resume eating. Towards the end of the meal, the routine will repeat, this time for the fruit of the vine. That is how we handle communion.
The goal here is to be as much like the early church as possible. Following the pattern of meeting in homes and sharing communion over a meal together. However, if there is a visitor or anyone else in attendance that is uncomfortable with communion being done in that manner, we will take it in the way the more resembles modern day churches - during the worship. But for the most part, it is almost always done in the way I described.
After the meal, all is done. We help clean up and people will start to leave. Last week we started at just after 10:00 and we ended at almost 1:00. I know that sounds like a long time, but it's really not. It truly didn't seem that long at all. As I said, my son goes with me and he's a teenager and he loves these services and looks forward to them. I know he learns and grows from them.
The location rotates between the homes of different members. We meet at 10am on Sunday mornings (weeknight services fluctuates between being on Tues or Wed nights.) The end time is simply open ended - we are done when we are done. So we don't have a set time on the clock that we have to finish by. On Sundays, we come prepared to share the noonday meal together.
Our focus is worship. Not necessarily a time of sitting and listening to a sermon in the traditional sense. Yes, we do have a time in God's word but at the same time, we all feel that everyone involved keeps up lots of personal study time on their own time during the week. So our focus isn't to sing and pray to simply use those things as a means to get to the "sermon" because there is no sermon in the traditional sense. We try to spend as much time in active worship and praise as possible. So this involves *lots* of singing and *lots* of praying. We start off with several songs mingled in with different prayers. Eventually one of the men will lead us to a Bible verse or chapter and that will be discussed for a little while.
Once that is over we will sing a few more songs, ending with a song used to prepare our minds for the Lord's Supper. After that song, there is a small time frame to mingle and chat while the ladies prepare the table for the noon meal. The table is set, but each person who is taking communion also has a small glass with the fruit of the vine poured in. Also placed on the table will be a plate with communion bread - homemade. We pray over our meal and begin to eat. Invariably, the conversation will flux back and forth between normal conversation and Biblical topics. After we have eaten for a few minutes one of the men will call for attention/silence and lead us in a prayer for the bread. We take the bread during a moment of silence and then resume eating. Towards the end of the meal, the routine will repeat, this time for the fruit of the vine. That is how we handle communion.
The goal here is to be as much like the early church as possible. Following the pattern of meeting in homes and sharing communion over a meal together. However, if there is a visitor or anyone else in attendance that is uncomfortable with communion being done in that manner, we will take it in the way the more resembles modern day churches - during the worship. But for the most part, it is almost always done in the way I described.
After the meal, all is done. We help clean up and people will start to leave. Last week we started at just after 10:00 and we ended at almost 1:00. I know that sounds like a long time, but it's really not. It truly didn't seem that long at all. As I said, my son goes with me and he's a teenager and he loves these services and looks forward to them. I know he learns and grows from them.