We're still doing what we set out to do, and yes it is still an adventure! Not because it's so difficult to understand: endeavoring to experience the type of church lifestyle we see embodied in the first few chapters of Acts; but because to recontextualize those description into our lives today is so vastly different than what church lifestyle has come to be known as in America today. We are not 'against' conventional churches at all. In fact, we partner with 'normal' churches. That's what we call them - then people ask 'then what does that make you?' Abnormal I guess. Anyway, this makes for a continual adventure!
Two and a half years ago, we set out to start a movement - or really just to throw ourselves into the force of a larger movement of God - of bringing the Church Experience back into the hearts & homes & hands of ordinary people. That means that we seek to reignite lay-leadership (aka, not paid leadership) so that all Christians realize that
1) WE ARE THE CHURCH, all of us.
2) SMALL CLUSTERS OF THE CHURCH CAN/SHOULD GATHER SIMPLY, doing life together.
3) WE CAN SPREAD GOD'S LOVE TO THE WORLD AROUND US THROUGH ACTS OF SERVICE!
We started with a small gathering of people in our own home, all of us already followers of Christ. Of that original group, a few have since reconnected with their previous 'normal' churches, one family is implementing these ideas into their neighborhood and a local church in Wilsonville, and the other family is still with us. Since then, we have added several other individuals, families, and even other groups...almost all of whom were previously unconnected with another church and/or Christ. We are blessed to be experiencing what we set out to experience - praise be to God!
We now have 11 different weekly groups going, comprising about 55 individuals. The groups are as small as 2-3, and as large as 15-20. The one in our home is the largest, when everyone shows up on the same night :) We also now have a separate, public non-profit to carry out service projects in partnership with public businesses, government entities, etc. A lot has happened in the past couple years, and it's been a blessing to be part of what God is doing!
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