The Mission House Church

Sleepy Baby Mikala

2011-07-04T08:54:00.000-07:00

Just got this photo of Baby Mikala from her safe families host this morning.

This is who we're working so hard for.

Thanks for your prayers!
-kg

BAPTISM DAY FOR JULIE!

2011-07-03T07:57:00.001-07:00

What a wonderful day yesterday as we baptized our dear sister in Christ, Julie.

Let's do this again really soon!

-kg

Invisible: Organic Church

2011-05-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

A group of local organic church members recently got together to make a list of things that are "wrong" with Organic Church. More specifically, to identify weaknesses in the simple church and to think of ways we can address these challenges.

The first one I wanted to talk about from our list was that "Organic churches are often invisible to the community."

In our discussion we reflected on the fact that house churches don't have large signs out front, and don't market themselves the way traditional churches do. Because of this, it's often likely that a house church could exist for years right down the street from another house church and not even be aware of each other. Not to mention the fact that people in the community are also not aware that the house church meeting is taking place in their neighborhood.

So, what are the solutions to address this concern? I'd like to start out by isolating a few specific items first and addressing them individually.

*House Churches aren't as good at marketing themselves as traditional churches are.
Why is this? One of the main reasons is that house churches are not, by nature, attractional model gatherings. That is, the point of a house church is not to attract or to gather as many people as possible each and every week. In fact, in our house church family, our goal is to gather with as small a group as possible every week. If our group were to suddenly have 20 new people start attending our gatherings every Sunday, we'd have to split our group into two or even three other smaller groups in order to continue to maintain the quality of our fellowship together.

Simply put, in the house church, bigger is not better. Now, that doesn't mean that we don't value evangelism. Our group just baptized 3 people last weekend, but this was after several months, even years, of relationship and discipleship over time.

Here's the difference. In traditional churches I've served at in the past, our goal as a staff was to find new ways to attract a certain segment of people - young marrieds with children. We strategized ways to attract them. We flat out marketed our church to them with booths at local fairs and logo branded water bottles passed out at shopping malls and worship concerts in the park, etc. If we were successful we'd have 10 or 20 new people show up that Sunday morning and they'd eventually decide to join our church and tithe: SUCCESS!

Now, with the house church it's almost completely upside-down from that. In our house church we prefer to meet regularly with other disciples of Jesus; people who are seriously trying to follow Jesus in their everyday life and who want to connect with others who simply want to learn how to put the teachings of Jesus into practice daily. We're not perfect. Far from it. If anything we know how weak we are and we know that, without the help of the Holy Spirit and the support of our church family, we'd never make it alone. If we kept on adding new people all the time we'd dilute our ability to share deeply with one another - because there are some things that you'll share with a group of five or six that you would never share in a group of 25 or 30 people. Also, if we were to grow too large too quickly, we would struggle to build relationships with one another and the quality of our community would suffer.

So, what do we do? Well, first of all we don't attempt to artificially increase the number of people who fellowship with us. At the same time, we do not attempt to eliminate people or turn anyone away who wants to join us. In essence, we do our best to let Jesus build His Church. And you know what? He does!

When our family first planted our house church we did not recruit anyone to come with us. Only one other family, and one single woman from our previous traditional church came with us (and only because they wanted to, not because we convinced them to). Everyone else who has ever come to our house church has found us, we have not found them.

Secondly, I want to address the issue of being invisible to the community we're planted in. To me, this is a more serious problem. We've always felt that our calling was not only to plant a house church in our home, but that God was planting a church in this specific neighborhood. In other words, we were here in this house because God had a plan (and He still does) to love the people on our street through us.

So, from the beginning (about five years ago now) we started reaching out to the kids in our neighborhood. At first that involved leading Kids Church in our home on Sunday mornings. Mainly because Wendy and I had been children's pastors at our previous church (and we loved teaching kids together), and also because by inviting the kids in our neighborhood to come on a Sunday morning we would figure out which families already went to church somewhere and which one's didn't. Most of them, we figured out, didn't attend anywhere on Sunday mornings.

Later, we hosted pancake breakfasts for everyone in our cul-de-sac on the Fourth of July and we intentionally went out of our way to meet our actual neighbors, invite them over for dinner, take out their trashcans for them, and serve them in whatever ways we could. In essence, we determined that we would become missionaries to our neighbors.

Over time, (and this is an ongoing story), we got to pray for families in real trouble. We got to encourage them. We got to share Jesus with their kids. We got to see their kids fall in love with Jesus. We got to share groceries with families in financial need. We got to tutor their kids in math and spelling. We got to babysit when they were in a bind.

Suffice it to say, our neighbors know that there's a church on their street, and they know that we love them and that Jesus loves them. We're still hoping to make a deeper impact for them and to bring the Kingdom of God into their lives in a more powerful way, but we also know that God wants this even more than we do and He will lead us as we continue to submit ourselves to Him.

BAPTISM DAY!

2011-05-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

What a sweet day! We gathered at a friend's home to baptize 3 dear people - Rick, and Lolita (Rita) and her son, Moises.

Brent baptized Rick and I got to baptize Rita and her son.

What was so special about this day was that the people being baptized were the one's who shared before we got started. Rick read to us from the book of Acts, chapter 2 where Peter explains to his fellow Jews that they need to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sin. Then he read a prayer of submission to Christ to all of us.

Next, Rita sang a song that the Lord had given her in her native language, but afterwards she explained that the song was about surrendering all of her life to Jesus and giving Him back every blessing He had already given her.

After the baptism we sang together a few verses of "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" and laid hands on Rick, Rita and Moises to bless them and share encouragment and words of wisdom with them.

Our brother Ade had a specific word for all three of them that the Lord gave him at 2am this morning. He shared it and then he handed each of them a card where he had written down the word for them.

It was a wonderful day! Can't wait to do this again soon.

-kg

EASTER SUNDAY 2011

2011-04-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful (but cold and rainy) morning in the park singing resurrection songs together. Then we came back to the Giles' home and everyone took turns sharing what Easter means. Then the kids made "Resurrection Rolls" and we shared breakfast together.

It was so great having new people with us, and also to share the day with our neighbors too.

He is Risen indeed!

-kg

TEXT FOR GOOD FRIDAY STATIONS

2011-04-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

For those who want to recreate our Good Friday stations in their own home I've posted the text for each below.

BTW- If you want to make Resurrection Rolls for Easter, my wife reminded me we don't use olive oil, we use melted butter. Big difference!

Blessings,
kg
**

GOOD FRIDAY INTERACTIVE MEDITATIVE STATIONS

Note: We also have a station for communion with a bowl or cup for the juice and matza or bread for dipping into the cup. You can set this up as a station, or you can have that in the room and share communion all together at the end as a way to dismiss and close the meeting.

[DICE]- Participants throw a set of dice against a cloth on the floor with a seamless garment laying next to the them, if possible.

Station Card:

Throw the dice against the cloth to consider the triviality of the distractions in your life. Remember the disregard the soldiers had for Jesus as He died for them.

“When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven with one piece from top to bottom.

“Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” So this is what the soldiers did. “ – John 19:23-24

**

[VINEGAR]- A cup of red vinegar is in a bowl. Participants taste it using a Q-tip they dip into the cup and dispose of later.

Taste the vinegar to experience the bitterness He tasted because of His amazing love for you and pray that your heart would not be embittered by the cares of this world.

“There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.” – Matthew 27:34

**

[CROWN OF THORNS]- We have an actual crown of thorns but you can use just a rose stem with thorns on it if you need to.

Hold these thorns to remember the crown He wore for you.

“Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.” – John 19:1-3
**

[DRIVING NAILS]- We have a thick chunk of wood and large nails with several hammers. The sound of the nails being driven will echo through the house throughout the evening. Very powerful.

Drive a nail into the wood to remember the price He paid to set you free.

“Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.” – John 19:16-18
**

[TEARING CLOTH]- We cut up an old white t-shirt and slightly tear it in the top, center to get it started. Otherwise it can be very hard to tear.

Tear the cloth to remember that the veil in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom, and that we now have access to God’s Holy Presence in our daily lives.

"And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split.” – Matthew 27:50-51
**

[DIP HANDS IN RED PAINT]- Use a water based red paint. Make sure to have hand wipes nearby and a trash can to drop used wipes into. Always ask Parents to go with their children through each station and supervise

Dip your hand in the red paint to symbolize the debt that He paid for you, personally, in His own blood.

"Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing." - Luke 23:34

[We usually also post this poem I wrote next to the station for dipping the hands in red paint. Optional, of course.]

BLOOD
by Keith Giles

There was rhythm in the air that morning

a seed-planting rhythm in a land

of broken ground. It traveled

from my heel to

my fingertips and

circled in my neck until

I bowed my head in submission. The beat

continued, echoed across

the arid stretch

of the hillside and all

of the faceless people stood

swaying to the rhythm

the compelling metronome

of hammer and nail and

the crescendo mounted until the blood

the blood gushed hot and wet onto the grass

we held our breath until they lifted

the crossbar over our heads, until the sky

turned to black cloud, until he whispered

that it was finished

and the soldiers took him down.

But the rhythm never left my feet

kept time with

the beating in my heart, turned

my blood to wine.

**

WHAT IS A NEW TESTAMENT MODEL OF CHURCH LEADERSHIP?

2010-07-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

The church in Corinth is a fascinating example of a church with numerous moral and ethical failures, yet when Paul writes to correct them he doesn't address their Pastor and command him to fix things. In fact, he doesn't even address their Elders or Overseers to respond to this by exercising their authority over the people. Why were the pastors, or for that matter the Elders of the Church, not commanded to exercise their authority and deal with the very serious moral failures within the Church in Corinth? Perhaps because Paul understood that the Body itself was capable of coming together to correct the problem themselves. Something he hints at when he says, "Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life?" – 1 Corinthians 6:3

A DIFFERENT KIND OF SUBMISSION
I would like to humbly suggest that "Authority", and "Submission" do not necessarily imply organizational structures are at work in the New Testament Church. Submission is something that all believers are urged to do, and authority is only to be submitted to if it is in line with God’s Word and not on the basis of an office or appointment.

"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." – Ephesians 5:21
Everyone is urged to submit to everyone else. It's a shared submission among brothers and sisters in Christ who are equals and who humbly care for one another. Only Christ is the head, or the leader, of the Church.

Many are of the opinion that Jesus actually taught and promoted hierarchy in the Church, something I find alarming and dangerous. But, just for a moment, let me ask, "What would we expect to see in the New Testament if Jesus DIDN'T want His Church to be run like a hierarchy? Wouldn't we expect to see Jesus condemning this practice? Perhaps he would have pointed to a hierarchical system and commanded His disciples not to follow that example?

"Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." – Jesus, in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 10, verses 42-45.

Does Jesus command his disciples not to exercise authority over people? Yes, he clearly and plainly does. What, then, are today's pastors doing if they are not exercising their authority over their church members? Isn't this a fair question to ask? Am I allowed to point out the disconnect between what Jesus says and what His Church actually does, or does not, do?

Here, in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus points to the Roman Government (a secular hierarchy) and commands his disciples not to imitate this system of lording it over people or exercising authority over those who follow.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus points to a religious system of hierarchy and instructs them (again) not to imitate this system of hierarchy where the "Teacher" is exalted over the student. Instead, he says, remember that you are all brothers:

"But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." – Matthew 23:8-12

Next, let's look at the Apostles themselves. If they heard Jesus commanding them to avoid the hierarchical system of leadership, wouldn't we see evidence that they obeyed this command? Did they take his words to heart? Let's see:

"Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm." - 2 Cor.1:24

Paul the Apostle obeys Jesus and refuses to "lord it over" those who follow Christ alongside him. Instead he works with them, as a brother, not as an authority figure.

"To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." – 1 Peter 5:1-4

Here, Peter identifies himself, not as an Apostle, but as a fellow elder among the brethren. He then urges these elders (plural) to serve as overseers because they are willing, not because they have been handed a title or an appointment, and especially urges them to be careful not to "lord it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock" – as Jesus commanded him several years earlier.

Having said all of this, doesn't the New Testament ask that we submit to our leaders and their authority? Yes, it does. For example:

Hebrews 13: 17- "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you."

Let me be clear, I am not arguing against leadership here. Not at all. Every church needs leadership, and this is also clearly taught in the New Testament, however I would like to ask us to consider the possibility that leadership doesn't automatically mean top-down, authoritarianism. Jesus modeled something different than this, and then he commanded his disciples to emulate his example.

So, going back to our verse above, you might read this and ask, "What is the basis for our submission to our leaders?" Does their authority rest in the office they hold, or is it found in something else? Are we to submit to these leaders only because they hold an office? Or are we to submit to them as they point us to follow Christ? Hopefully we do not blindly follow people because they are "the Pastor" or because they have a title of authority. Hopefully.

No, the only authority we are to submit to is Christ Himself. To me, this truth is self-evident when we look at the NT as a whole.

Earlier in this same chapter, the writer of Hebrews, in chapter 13 and verse 7 says, "Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith."

Here we are told to submit to our leaders as they speak the Word of God to us. Not to them as authorities in and of themselves, but as humble servants who lovingly teach us to follow Christ, and who then demonstrate this by their actual lives of faith.

Submission then is to Christ and to the Word of God. If our leaders handle and teach the Word of God wisely, and if they faithfully live lives that reflect Christ, THEN we are to submit to their authority. But only if. Their authority is not automatic and it is not based on the office they hold. Otherwise, we would be accountable to obey leaders simply because they held that office, regardless of whether or not their lives reflected Christ or their teaching of God's Word was true.

If we follow the policy of hierarchy for the sake of itself we can end up with someone holding an office within the Church and exercising authority even if they are not followers of Christ. Such a person should have no actual authority in any spiritual sense over the life of believers. What counts is character, not the office or the position. However, someone with no organizational office may, because of gifting by the Holy Spirit and sincere love for others, have actual authority to speak and teach and lead his brothers and sisters in Christ (who are his equals).

Churches that employ such a man-made organizational method can only hope to mimic the kind of leadership such as the "rulers of the gentiles" possess, something that Jesus expressly commanded us not to do - "It shall not be so among you!" - Matthew 20:25-26.

The Holy Spirit is the only source of spiritual authority and accountability in the Church through real-life relationships, not titles handed down by men.

Did the Apostles depend upon the authority of men or did they give any weight to the opinions of men? Apparently they did not. For example, Paul says, "Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody." - 2 Corinthians.3:1-2

If hierarchy was so important in the early church, why don't we see them exercising it? Why do we see them operating as a Body and not as a business? Perhaps the answers are right in front of us? Are we courageous enough to answer truthfully?

As Biblical Scholar Richard Halverson has said, "When the Greeks got the Gospel, they turned it into a philosophy; when the Romans got it, they turned it into a government; when the Europeans got it, they turned it into a culture; and when the Americans got it, they turned it into a business."

I pray we can help God's people to see that they were never intended to be run like a business, and instead to help them see that, according to the Word of God, they are simply a Family, a Body, an Organism, and a Bride.

-kg

GOOD FRIDAY MEDITATIVE SERVICE TONIGHT

2010-04-02T09:12:00.000-07:00

Tonight will be our third annual Good Friday meditation and reflection service.

Participants will move from station to station and meditate on the passion and sacrifice of our Lord.

Here are the stations we will observe:

Casting Lots for Christ's clothing

Tasting the vinegar and bitterness He tasted for us on the cross.

Touching the crown of thorns He wore in our place.

Driving nails into the wood to remember the price He paid to set us free.

Dipping our hands into red paint to make a collage of thanksgiving to Jesus for His amazing love.

We will also tear cloth to symbolize the veil of the temple being torn in two for us.

Afterwards we will sit and share the Lord's Supper together. Each person may sing a song spontaneously, and we will all worship together accapella.

Finally, we will all light a candle and, one by one, share what Jesus' sacrifice means to us individually, blowing out our candles as we go. We will dismiss in darkness and exit in silence.

LET US BE ONE

2010-03-16T09:30:00.001-07:00

In the Gospel of John, we get to eavesdrop on the intimate conversation between Jesus and the Father. In this prayer Jesus prays for us and his prayer for us is that we would be one:

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message that all of them may be one, Father, just as you and I are one....May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." - John 17:20-21

Unity in the Body is essential. According to the prayer of Jesus, our unity is a proof of the messianic identity of Jesus and of the love of God for us:

"May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (v. 23)

Hopefully in your experience as a follower of Jesus you have had the opportunity to meet another believer in Christ and fall in love with them immediately. I don't mean that in the romantic sense, but in the sense that you feel as if you have known them all your life even though you've only just met them.

If so, what you're experiencing is a kinship of faith with another member of your family - the Family of God.

Regardless of whether or not that person is a member of your denomination, or whether or not this person agrees with you about specific points of doctrine, you have an undeniable feeling of brotherly (or sisterly) love for this individual. You are recognizing the Christ in them and you are responding to the love of Jesus shared between you both.

Whenever we experience this we are bearing witness to the unity of the Body of Christ. There is only one Body and if we have loved Jesus and put our faith in Him, we are members of His Body.

Whenever we make a decision to love the Jesus in another person - and to overlook the doctrinal points of disagreement - we are keeping the unity of the Body of Christ.

A good friend, and brother in Christ, recently pointed out to me that throughout Christian history, when christian leaders gathered to nail down points of doctrine the result was never unity - it was always more division.

Our little house church, the Mission, is comprised of a variety of different people who are all from extremely divergent streams of faith. In our house church there are former Calvary Chapel pastors and youth leaders, former Vineyard members, former Southern Baptists, former Bretheren, former Church of Christ, former Lutherans, and former independent, non-denominational, "whatchamacallits".

On paper our house church has no business surviving for over 4 years as a family of God. Yet, somehow we manage to love one another, to serve one another and to consider one another as dear brothers and sisters in Christ in spite of our obvious doctrinal differences.

How do we do it? Well, mostly we've done it by choosing to see and love the Jesus in one another. We've made a choice to overlook those doctrinal differences in favor of learning from the experiences - and varying perspectives - of others in our Body.

Now, to be honest, our house church if far from perfect. We are people, just like everyone else. We're human. We're sinners. We're just as foolish and fickle as you are. And most of all, we all recognize our intense daily need for more of Jesus.

What blesses me, however, is how God called each of us to be part of this Body. I did not recruit anyone. Most people who currently attend our house church each week found us and sought us out. I did not find them. God touched their hearts and called them out and lead them by His Spirit to join this church family.

I love that God would call former Lutherans and Baptists and Church of Christ and Vineyard and Calvary Chapel, etc. members to join hearts and hands and lives and become one fellowship of saints together. I love that He would allow us to learn to forgive one another, and to honor one another, and to lay down our denominational and doctrinal identities to embrace membership in the Body of Christ.

We are part of your church. You are part of our church. All of us are members of one another. Because there is only one Body, and one Church, and One Lord.

"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink." - 1 Cor 12:12-13

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2009 in Review

2009-12-29T10:07:00.000-08:00

This year our house church family began to draw nearer to one another in many ways. We're still learning what it means to love one another. But, at least we're being more honest about our fears, and what holds us back from being loved and showing love.

Our house church family has learned to embrace those among us who are going through difficult financial times. We've taken time to listen, to pray for, and best of all, to dig down deep and provide financial blessings for families in our Body who are struggling.

We're learning how to set aside our own personal preferences in order to honor those among us who have needs that are different from our own. Sometimes that means waiting patiently for others to wrestle with things we may have already endured.

We're also learning to honor our children again. Welcoming, and encouraging them, to share more and speak up, and participate as fully functional members of the Body of Christ.

I am still learning when to be silent and when to speak up. I'm being challenged to prepare teaching more often, but also still careful to at least try to listen more than I speak. It's not easy.

For me, this year was pivotal. This was the year when I ceased being the pastor of the Mission and became one of the members of the Body. Now I am one of the brothers here, not the leader. Our leader is Jesus. And more and more we are learning how to allow Him to actually lead us, and speak to us, and be the head over us.

Our themes this year were love, the priesthood of the believer, the headship of Christ, compassion to one another, and corporate prayer.

I've been very blessed to begin every Sunday gathering with 30 minutes of prayer time. As we gather together to seek the Lord's leadership and guidance for the day, I've seen the Lord working more in our midst and teaching us more about His will for us.

For the last 4 years the word for this church has been "love". I believe we are still mainly called to explore this core command of Jesus together. What does it mean to love one another? How can we become experts at loving our family, our friends, our neighbors, and our co-workers? How can we learn to love one another more? What does that involve?

One thing I do know is that love is messy. Just like church. There are no easy answers. Things can be more challenging and difficult than we imagine. Love is not easy. It does not come naturally to us. Love means letting go. It means laying ourselves aside for the sake of others. It means dying to ourselves. Love means putting others first. It means enduring seasons of discomfort in order to comfort those in pain.

So, I may not know what is ahead for us in 2010, as a church family. But I do know that, as we allow Jesus to have more of us, He will lead His Church. He will speak to us. He will reveal His heart and He will make His will known to us.

-kg

THIS WEEK AT THE MISSION

2009-12-15T19:08:00.000-08:00

Hey Missionaries,

Quick info to share:

*CAROLING - At 6:45pm, Thursday night at Fountain Care. Afterwards we'll return to our house for snacks, coffee/hot chocolate/fellowship.

*MOTEL SERVICE - This Saturday at the California Studio Inn from 2pm to 3:30pm. We'll pray for our friends living in the motel, pass out free groceries, and host a bounce house for the kids. If you want to join us please RSVP.

*DEADLINE FOR MOTEL GIFTS - This Sunday is when we need everyone to bring their toys/gifts and their tags for the motel children. These will be passed out to the kids on Monday, Dec.21st.

*ROBERT HIGGINS: I'm going today to sign papers with him where he's allowing me to be the one to make decisions for his care when the time comes that he can't do it for himself.

Basically, this insures that I will be with him until his last day. I'm very honored and blessed that he wants me to be the person who does this for him - but really it should be his son, or his daughters, not me.

I hope one day everyone can meet him. He's a great guy.

Thanks for keeping him in your prayers as he struggles with his bone cancer and wrestles with trusting God with his life.

BABY ELLA UPDATE - 9/16/09

2009-09-16T12:41:00.001-07:00

(From Peggy Helander)

Just wanted to let you know that Ella is doing well. She had an x-ray of her shoulder yesterday. I got to see the before and after x-rays and even my eye can see a big improvement in her bone structure in her shoulder.

I'm not sure why the bone had been thicker and is now back to the thickness of the surrounding bones, but that is what has happened. The blood tests have no sign of infection. So her health is much improved.

She is still tiny, only 8lbs 4 oz, but is now steadily gaining weight (though slower than the doctors like)

She is a sweet little girl. I've had the pleasure of spending time with the family and holding her… (she likes to be held most the time - go figure!!) But, I like that. She is so cute when she stretches while she's sleeping.

Thank you for your prayers… the family feels the Lord's arms around them.

Peggy

Pray for Baby Ella

2009-08-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

Baby Ella had an MRI today and they found that the infection has spread to the bone. So she's on her way back to CHOC (Children's Hospital of Orange County) for more intravenous antibiotic treatment.

Please pray for healing.

THE MISSION: A Family of God

2009-07-26T16:45:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our own Kelly Tague for these awesome photos of some of our recent Mission gatherings.

See a whole lot more over
HERE

THE CHURCH OF "ONE ANOTHER"

2009-06-19T17:18:00.000-07:00

The New Testament is full of letters written to instruct, not men of authority (pastors) but an entire Body of Believers who are called to submit to one another out of love as everyone submits to Christ Himself.

Here are a few of the "one another" passages from the New Testament:

John 13:14
Wash one another's feet.

John 13:34 -
Love one another.

Romans 12:10 -
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.
Honor one another above yourselves.

Romans 12:16 -
Live in harmony with one another.

Romans 13:8 -
Love one another

Romans 14:13 -
Stop passing judgment on one another.

Romans 15:7 -
Accept one another.

Romans 16:16 -
Greet one another with a holy kiss.

1Cor 1:10 -
Agree with one another

2Cor 13:12 -
Greet one another with a holy kiss.

Galatians 5:13 -
Serve one another in love.

Eph 4:2 -
Be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Eph 4:32 -
Be kind and compassionate to one another
Forgive each other

Eph 5:19 -
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.

Eph 5:21 -
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Col 3:13 -
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.

Col 3:16 -
Teach and admonish one another with all wisdom,

1Thes 5:11 -
Encourage one another and build each other up

Heb 3:13 -
Encourage one another daily

Heb 10:24 -
Spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

James 4:11 -
Brothers, do not slander one another.

1Peter 1:22 -
Love one another deeply, from the heart.

1Peter 3:8 -
Live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.

1Peter 4:9 -
Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

1Peter 5:5 -
Be submissive to those who are older.
Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another

1Peter 5:14 -
Greet one another with a kiss of love.

1John 1:7 -
Have fellowship with one another

1John 3:11 -
Love one another.

1John 3:23 -
Love one another as he commanded us.

1John 4:7 -
Love one another

1John 4:11 -
Love one another.

1John 4:12 -
Love one another

2John 1:5 -
Love one another.

JON ZENS - SATURDAY, JULY 11TH

2009-06-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

Author and theologian Jon Zens will be coming to Orange County to speak to the local Orange County house churches on Saturday, July 11th from 9am to 12pm.
(LOCATION TO BE ANNOUNCED)

Event is Free. Must RSVP to attend. Please send an email to register or to get more info to:
ochousechurch@gmail.com

About Jon Zens
Dr. Zens has a wide-ranging theological background. He holds a B.A. in Biblical studies from Covenant College, a M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, and a D.Min. from the California Graduate School of Theology.

Zens' groundbreaking articles in the late 1970s, "Is There a 'Covenant of Grace'?" and "Crucial Thoughts on 'Law' in the New Covenant," were highly instrumental in developing what came to be called "New Covenant Theology."

For the last thirty years, Jon has been the editor of a magazine entitled Searching Together. He's not only a NT scholar, but he's an expert on church history. Jon also served as a pastor for a number of years, but moved on after concluding that full reformation within the existing institutional church system was unworkable.

Also, for the past thirty years he and his wife, Dotty, have been ministering in small fellowships concerning living under grace and learning to extend grace to others.

If you'd like to read more about Jon Zens I've included a link to an excellent debate between Jon and Ben Worthington on hierarchy in the New Testament church
HERE

More details on this as we get closer to the date.

Blessings,Keith
http://www.missionhousechurch.com/
http://www.ochousechurch.com/

UPDATE: ILLEGAL BIBLE STUDY IN SAN DIEGO

2009-06-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

In late May of 2009 county official overturned the warning issued to the Joneses.

In a statement a county CAO Walt Ekard responded saying:

"I have received dozens of e-mails and calls from people concerned about reports that the County is attempting to muzzle religious expression by shutting down a neighborhood Bible study.

"As the Chief Administrative Officer for San Diego County, I want to say in the most direct terms: the County has never tried to stifle religious expression and never will."

FULL STORY
HERE

Relax everyone. The issue is resolved. Our religious freedoms remain intact. This is still America.

BIBLE STUDY ILLEGAL IN SAN DIEGO?

2009-05-28T15:44:00.001-07:00

A local pastor and his wife claim a San Diego County official threatened escalating fines if they continued to hold Bible Studies in their home.

FULL VIDEO CLIP VIA ABC NEWS SAN DIEGO
HERE

So, what would I do if it suddenly became illegal to continue hosting house church gatherings in my home?

What if it became illegal to continue passing out free groceries to the poor or the homeless?

Would I continue to obey Jesus and risk being arrested, or thrown into prison, or fined thousands of dollars by the county?

Maybe I'll find out sooner rather than later...?

ROBERT HIGGINS

2009-05-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

For the last several weeks I have been doing my best to spend time with Robert Higgins. He's a 77 year old man who lives alone in the motel where we serve each month.

The manager of the motel, Pete, is the one who helped Robert get off the street and into a room there just over a year ago. Pete and I confer together and do our best to make sure that Robert has food, is doing well, and is cared for as much as we possibly can.

Just about a year ago Robert fell and broke his arm very badly. They put a plate in his arm to help it heal but now, after 11 months of agony and endless back and forth visits to UCI for CAT Scans and MRI's, he is still in pain and unsure of what to do next.

Today I took him lunch (he loves Taco Bell burritos) and we sat and talked about his situation. I prayed for him and he finally agreed to go and see an M.D. about his other symptoms - emphysema, vertigo, chronic fatigue.

I've also been trying to help him get back in touch with his son (Robert Anderson Higgins) and his daughter (Cynthia Anne Higgins). So far I've had no luck getting in touch with either.

As I stood up to leave his room this afternoon, Robert hung his head and said, "Thank you so much for keeping up with me, Keith" and I saw him pause and his face contorted and his eyes squeezed shut and I knew he was trying hard not to cry.

I touched his shoulder. "I'm happy to do it, Robert," I said. "God bless you."

Whether or not Robert ever gets in touch with his children again, and whether or not he ever gets his medical situation worked out, I think his greatest need is simply human contact. He needs to know he is loved. He needs to be reminded that God sees him and loves him and has not forgotten this little, fragile, old man.

Pray for Robert today if you would. Pray that God would reveal more of Himself to Robert and bring healing to his heart, and to his soul.

Amen.

Holy Week

2009-04-08T09:09:00.001-07:00

We started off by celebrating Palm Sunday in the back yard of Mary Ann's brother, Gordon. Together with many of Mary Ann's friends and family, we gathered to remember her life and celebrate her influence on our lives.

While the children held crosses made from palm leaves, the adults stood up, one at a time and shared their memories of Mary Ann and how she had touched their lives. A circle of red-tailed hawks flew in a thermal over our heads as we lifted up our voices and sang "The Old Rugged Cross" together.

I stood and reminded those who had gathered to remember to honor the living while they are with us, and to practice letting go. Letting go of toys to embrace responsibility. Letting go of fantasy to accept reality. Letting go of anger and hard feelings to embrace forgiveness and receive love. Letting go of life in this world to embrace eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

Last night we gathered again, this time in the home of Betsy Kollberg, to celebrate the Passover Seder. It always amazes me that God instructed the Israelites to observe Passover on a specific date every year, and on that date to blow the shofar at 3pm when the passover lamb was slain, so that roughly 6,000 years later when His Son was hanging on the cross, ON THE SAME EXACT DAY, and they blew the shofar at 3pm, Jesus would say, "It is finished."

On Friday we will celebrate Good Friday together in my home. We will enter quietly and move silently from station to station as families to tear cloth, drive nails, taste vineagar, touch a crown of thorns, tumble dice, and leave our red handprints on the same paper curtain.

Afterwards, we will sit around a low table and light our candles, sing worship songs, share communion, and one by one voice thanksgiving for what Jesus has done for us, blowing out our candles as we go. When the room is dark we will leave as silently as we have come, or perhaps revisit one of the stations to reflect more on the love of Christ for us.

On Sunday morning, we will meet in the morning, on a grassy hill, under a tree and surrounded by passing cars and sunlight we will raise our voices to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, read scriptures of the events and experiences of that first Easter, and share our thoughts and open our hearts to one another on resurrection and what it means for us.

Aftewards, we'll return to our home and help the children create resurrection rolls and continue to share and worship and love one another as Christ loved us.

I love Holy Week.

Mary Ann is at home with Jesus

2009-02-08T16:44:00.000-08:00

Last night our dear sister in Christ, Mary Ann, went home to be with Jesus. She had been battling brain cancer for several months and at last she is in her Savior's arms.

Mary Ann was a light and a blessing to all of us at The Mission over the last year and her smile, her compassion and her great faith will remain with all of us forever.

Today at House Church everyone took a stone and, one by one, each person stepped forward and laid their stone on this altar and shared how Mary Ann had blessed them. Then we sang her favorite hymn, "The Old Rugged Cross" together and also "My Redemmer Lives".

We were all very blessed to have known Mary Ann. She made our family complete and we look forward to the day when we can embrace her once again in the Kingdom of God.

Peace,
Keith

PICTURES FROM THE PURPLE PALACE IN TIJUANA, MEXICO

2009-01-06T10:45:00.000-08:00

Our house church has been blessed to serve the wonderful kids at the Purple Palace orphanage in Tijuana.

Here are some photos from recent visits to bless these awesome children.

MOTEL CHRISTMAS - SUNDAY, DEC. 21

2008-12-24T11:31:00.001-08:00

While our family was in El Paso, Texas for vacation, our Mission House Church family was delivering Christmas gifts to the children (and our friends) at the California Studio Inn in Santa Ana, CA.

Our church family was joined by our brothers and sisters in Christ from Orange Coast Christian Church who provided 50 boxes of food for the families living here.

This is what Christmas is all about!

Christmas at the Motel - 12/21/08

2008-12-12T17:01:00.000-08:00

This year the Mission House Church will help to provide toys for the families living in the California Studio Inn in Santa Ana.

Last year we were very blessed to have Cartoon Network donate a ton of toys for the kids, along with items purchased by our own house church family.

This year we have the blessing of partnering with a few 4th grade elementary classes locally as well as Cartoon Network (thanks again), and our own house church family, of course.

We're also planning to pass out the toys alongside another church in Orange County that will provide 50 meals to 50 families in the motel.

On Sunday, December 21st, we'll pass out the gifts, pray for the families and help distribute the food alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ, and local school children.

Praise God for everyone who had helped, planned, donated, and wrapped to make this all possible!

To me, this is what Christmas is really all about.

Shalom,
kg

Like Sheep Without A Shepherd

2008-11-24T19:28:00.000-08:00

On Saturday several of us from The Mission passed out free groceries and hosted a bounce house for the families and residents of the California Studio Inn in Santa Ana.

It was a great day. We had a chance to pray with a lot of people, some of them even hung around and talked with some of us, others shared their pain and their struggles with us and we did our best to give them assistance, advice, phone numbers to call and organizations to seek out for help.

One person really impacted me. His name was Vic. He told me with tears in his eyes about how he had just gotten off of drugs after many years of struggling with addiction. He was about 17 months sober. He and his wife had an adorable little baby girl who was only about 6 months old with them. After losing his job about a month ago, and then losing their apartment soon after, Vic had been in a motorcycle accident a few weeks ago and was needing surgery on his knee. Then he told me about his father who had just passed away from a massive heart attack a week and a half ago.

Could it get any worse, I thought? This guy has been through more pain and more disappointment than almost anyone I've ever met. Still, he talked about his faith in God, and about how he knew that God would see them through this time. I had a chance to encourage him a little and, of course, we prayed for him and his family. I even gave them a phone number to see if they could get set up at the Village of Hope in Tustin, but still I felt that there was still so much to do.

As we stood around talking I caught a flash of something in my mind. Maybe it was a vision, or maybe just a stray thought, but I saw these residents sitting in folding chairs and worshiping Jesus. I saw myself teaching them from the Bible. I saw others from the Mission praying with them in small groups. I saw us laughing with them and eating with them and playing with their kids. I saw us being in community with them.

Then I heard a verse of scripture, just part of one actually, that said, "They are like sheep without a shepherd".

The next day at house church I opened my Bible and found this verse. Here's the entire passage in context:

"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'" - Matthew 9:35-38

These dear people at the motel need more than free groceries once a month. They need more than a free breakfast and a sermon every other week, what they need is to be part of a loving community of mature believers who will help them and stand by them and pray for them and invite them into the fellowship of the Family of God.

What does this mean? I'm not exactly sure. But I do know that I believe that our house church needs to pray about investing more than we have so far in the lives of these people. I can see now that they are like sheep without a shepherd and since one of my primary giftings is to shepherd I can't help but feel compelled to pastor them. I would prefer not to do this alone. I pray that others from our house church would also decide to join us in "being the Church" to these dear people a bit more...whatever that might mean.

This is something for our house church to pray about together and to hear from God about. Does it mean a monthly church service at the motel? Does it mean something more often? Does it mean changing the way we minister there? Right now I don't know exactly.

Please God, show us what you would have us to do in this place as ambassadors of your Gospel and carriers of your Kingdom.

-kg

This Saturday - Motel Ministry

2008-11-19T20:38:00.000-08:00

This Saturday (11/22/08) our house church will serve the people living in the California Studio Inn in Santa Ana by passing out free groceries, praying for them as they have need, hosting a bounce house and game time for the children, and spending time listening to them as friends.

My wife and our 2 boys have been serving at this same motel now for over 7 years. It's become a monthly habit for us to go and serve there. We've seen some of the same faces over the years. Some have died. Some have moved to better places. Others have moved to worse situations or simply relocated to other motels.

We've made new friends and we're in the process of learning to love everyone we come into contact with here.

Even though we've been doing this a long time, I pray it will never become a habit for us. I never want to just go through the motions. Instead, I pray that God would always keep this ministry about Jesus and about serving and loving the people who live here.

Our ministry isn't flashy. It's not "big". It's nothing to marvel at. It is simple and humble and very straight-forward. Hopefully the people we serve here know that we love them, and that Jesus loves them, more than anything else.

If nothing else, we have the opportunity to see Jesus in the eyes of these people in real need as we give them something to eat and pray for their families, their relationships, their finances, and their dreams and hopes.

I always feel that we could do more...that it's never enough, really. But our only job is to serve and to be obedient to God as He leads us, and mainly to practice loving others as Christ loved us.

Peace,
Keith

PICS FROM THE PURPLE PALACE TRIP LAST SATURDAY

2008-10-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

BIG CHANGES AT THE MISSION

2008-09-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

Hey Missionaries,

If you weren't with us last Sunday then you missed an historic gathering and discussion about where we've been, where we are today, and where God is leading us as a Church.

It was really great for me to hear everyone share and confirm this new direction of shared ownership and increased transparency among us as a Family of God.

I can't possibly sum the entire thing up but essentially, starting next Sunday, I will no longer be the facilitator in our gatherings. Instead we'll allow each person to take a turn at leading us as we gather for worship, share time, communion and dialog. I will sit quietly in the back of the room and observe along with everyone else (and contribute whenever necessary), but we as a Body will now become less "Keith-centric", or as Liz so eloquently phrased it, "You'll be shutting up more?" ---(Can I get an "Amen"?)

Seriously, it's been painful for me to realize it, but our group isn't nearly as organic and peer-lead as I had hoped to inspire us to become. One big reason for this is related to the fact that I take the lead on everything and you guys are left waiting for me to direct traffic. So, in order to correct this and to put us on a path where everyone really does share ownership and take a more active role in this Church on a regular basis, we'll be rotating our facilitation each week to individuals and/or families who volunteer to lead. (No one will be forced to partcipate in this, but we do hope everyone will take a turn at least once). We're even planning an all-children day where the kids lead us in worship, communion, and share time. (Maybe that means the Adults can leave early and go into the living room to watch videos or play outside?)

I cannot wait to see how God stretches us and grows us as we move forward in this.

-kg
**

IMPORTANT LINKS AND RESOURCES:

*"THIS IS HIS CHURCH" by Keith Giles (How we got here and where God is leading us):
CLICK HERE

*Awesome Video: "Don't Ignore the Poor" (Or "Why you should re-think the Orlando Outpouring")
WATCH HERE

*MORE PROOF THAT BEING A "CHRISTIAN" DOESN'T MAKE YOU A FOLLOWER OF JESUS:
READ HERE

*JESUS FIRST by Keith Giles (Are we followers of Jesus, or of Paul the Apostle?)
ARTICLE HERE

*"THE ROYAL PRIESTHOOD" BY W.C. KETCHERSIDE (A great, free, online book)
READ HERE

MISSION IN THE PARK - AUGUST 10

2008-08-11T15:32:00.000-07:00

This summer our house church has intentionally tried to break our regular Sunday morning liturgy by adopting a policy of "expecting the unexpected".

So far we've had great times together breaking out of our normal routine and embracing new and different ways to enter into God's presence and learning new ways to share together.

Last Sunday we met at 3pm in a local park to play kickball together, toss around some water balloons and eat dinner together under the shade of a large tree.

It was so great many of us are thinking of doing a Sunday evening gathering once a month just to hang out and play together more.

Pictures coming soon.

kg

2ND ANNUAL PANCAKE BREAKFAST

2008-07-04T12:58:00.000-07:00

Our family hosted our 2nd annual community pancake breakfast this morning.

Great meeting new neighbors and re-connecting with others. Prayfully these relationships will grow into deeper friendships over the next few months.

This is our mission field.

kg

FAMILY FUN

2008-07-04T12:41:00.001-07:00

Our First Baptism! - Mollie Ellen Wright

2008-06-24T08:07:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, June 22nd, everyone from The Mission was on-hand to celebrate the baptism of our dear sister, Mollie Wright, at the home of John and Connie Rehagen.

(That's Mollie in the blue next to me, the guy holding the Bible)

Her Dad, Jason (that's him on the left), and I were honored to stand beside her and do the honors.

We pray that this is the first of many more Baptisms to come!

-kg

Father's Day Recap from Brent K.

2008-06-18T08:54:00.000-07:00

The past two Sunday mornings have been truly beautiful. Last Sunday was probably the greatest expression of Church that I have experienced, and I know that God has much more in store. Either of us could have prepared a lesson about the love of God and the fear of God. We would probably have put 1-3 hours of prayer and preparation into it. We would have struggled to retain the interest of the young people and keep them engaged, and it may or may not have had the emotional and personal impact we saw Sunday.

On Sunday the Holy Spirit wove a lesson that taught us a little more about his nature. He did this by giving key scripture verses to the children to share. He surfaced a question in a heart about how the fear of God relates to his love. He led several adults during the week to ponder and meditate on fear and his love. A passage from a children’s story was shared that drew a powerful picture of our need for God and the painfulness and fear associated with his stripping away our old nature – but that it was for our good. Another scripture that related but was not memorized was located and discussed. Tear filled eyes were present as well as a quiet peace and joy. Afterward children and wives gathered to bless their fathers and husbands and honor them on father’s day. It was very beautiful.

-Brent Kollmansberger

GROWING: LARGER AND DEEPER

2008-06-03T09:05:00.000-07:00

Wow. Look at all these happy people. Isn't God good to us? When we first started, just about 3 years ago, we had no idea who would come along with us.

There were those who said that no one would want to be part of a house church like this. Some of our friends even dared us to step out in this way, assuring us that we were settling for less and that failure awaited us.

Instead, God blessed us. We've grown in numbers, and more importantly, we've grown in depth. There are so many mature believers and followers of Jesus at The Mission. I've been so blessed this last year to see many of our house church family take steps of faith and begin to disciple others, lead Bible Studies, share Christ with friends and co-workers, and step into their giftings and their callings.

This last Sunday we had a full house. I didn't count but I would estimate we had about 28 people in our little den, which was like 10 people too many.

One of the difficult things about becoming the Family of God and learning to love each other and share life together is the inevitable splitting into a second house church as we grow larger.

Yet to maintain intimacy and develop community we have to face the fact that the larger we get the harder it is, the more impossible it is, to be intimate and to share deeply.

We know that, soon, we'll have to get serious about starting a second house church group in order to continue to grow and develop intimacy together.

I know that this will come with tears, but we can't let those tears stop us from taking the natural steps in front of us.

Do we cancel a wedding because someone will cry? Do we forgo a graduation ceremony because there will be tears? Of course not. We understand that certain inevitabilities in life bring joy and sorrow, sometimes mixed together.

I know that God has lead us this far, and that He has promised to continue to grow the Church (that's you and me) as we move forward. Everything we've experienced so far has been by His hand, so I know He will lead us through the next phase of our life together too.

For now we will count our blessings and enjoy this time of sweet fellowship and Koinonia.

HOUSE CHURCH Q&A

2008-05-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

HOUSE CHURCH Q&A

For some reason I've been doing a lot of thinking and counseling and talking the last few weeks about house church. Most of it has been answering questions for people interested in starting their own house church, a bit of it has been responding to people online in various conversations about how to overcome some of the challenges commonly associated with the transition to house church.

Here are some of the common questions and concerns raised about house church and a look at what we've done in our community at The Mission to address them.

*WHAT ABOUT THE KIDS?
Usually this question is the very first one we hear. Most people can't imagine juggling little Billy while they pray for someone or engage in meaningful dialog about the gifts of the Spirit. Others are asking because they fear being the one elected to spend the two hours at house church alone in a guest room with six toddlers and a fussy baby while everyone else enjoys the fellowship and community in the living room.

THEIR CHURCH TOO!
At our house church we have invited the children to be with us throughout the entire gathering. They are the Church too so we allow them to share and speak and pray and participate along with everyone else. In fact, the children are usually the very first to speak up and share a scripture verse with the group. What's more, their insights often lead our discussions into challenging territory.

"At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure." - Matt 11:25-26

LITTLE ONES
We do have little toddlers who either play quietly on the floor under the supervision of their parents, or play in the other room with a parent nearby if they are fussy or disruptive. However, for the most part we tolerate children being children. We do not view the gathering and share time as a performance that needs to be "just so" and this means we're not offended when a kid laughs or talks out loud or whatever. Many of us are parents too and we have grace for one another.

ATTENTION SPAN
After about an hour to and hour and a half the kids tend to get restless so we usually dismiss them to go watch videos in the other room or to play outside in the back yard while the adults move into more serious talk and/or prayer and ministry time.

*WHAT ABOUT NON-PROFIT STATUS FOR THE TAX WRITE-OFF?
The next most important question (if not the first) is always money. Many are used to receiving a Giving Statement from their Church so they can write it off their taxes. I'm sure there are a few people who don't attend our house church because of the simple fact that we do not provide this service to them, however we felt a strong conviction against filing for Non-Profit Status and here two reasons why:

1) We give out of simple compassion and obedience. The gift is about helping others. It is not about us.

An example I always use is something like this: If you were walking down the street and ran into a homeless woman who was cold and sick and hungry on the sidewalk, would you say, "Wait here while I go find an appropriate Non-Profit organization where I can give my money (so that I can get a tax write-off) and then I'll be right back with clothes and food to help you." I hope not.

2) We do not not want the Government to have any control or say over what we do or say. We do not need the State of California's approval to meet or to worship or to follow Jesus. We are the Church.

Of course, others feel differently and if they depend on the tax write-off for their family financials I simply encourage them to give to another non-profit of their choice.

THE WAY WE HANDLE THE OFFERING/TITHE
We do not pass the basket in our church. We do not mention the offering as part of our ongoing conversation, except once in a while I might announce that we are helping someone who is need and/or send out a regular statement of how our offering has been invested in the lives of the poor in our community.

We take our attitude towards the offering from the Early Church and give 100% of our offering basket money to the poor. I do not take a salary and we do not use any of that money for food, rent, utilities, dessert, etc. All of it goes to help people in need, both inside and outside our house church family.

We are also 100% transparent with all of the money we receive each week and where and how it is spent each week. The ongoing log or book is kept in the same basket where the money is received so anyone, at any time, can see what's going on with the money.

Last year we were amazed to discover that our little house church had given over $3,000 to the poor in our community. We're on track this year to go over that amount.

Why? Because when people can see that the $100 they gave went to help someone pay their bills or feed their children or make it through another week they start to get excited about giving. They truly become "Hilarious givers" who take joy in providing help to others. Imagine that...

SPIRITUAL COVERING OR ACCOUNTABILITY?
I wrote a pretty comprehensive article on this very subject about a year ago and rather than re-type it or paste it I'll provide the link.

YOU CAN READ IT
HERE

Essentially, our house church is not under any official "Spiritual Covering" of any sort, which is Biblical. We do, however, have loads and loads of Spiritual Accountability, which is Biblical. As the pastor of The Mission I have mentors who I can call on (and I often do) for advice, guidance, and insight. These are people like David Ruis, Todd Hunter, Paul Martin and a few other pastors who are smarter and wiser than I am. At the same time, I am personally accountable to every person in our group. They are accountable to one another and to me also.

Spiritual Covering is a concept built on fear and superstition, not on Biblical principles or values. We believe in the Priesthood of the Believer. We believe that the Holy Spirit leads us into all Truth. We believe that the Word of God is active and powerful and effective to establish our Church and keep us on the path where Jesus walks.

If you have any questions about these three areas, or if you have other questions that I haven't addressed here feel free to comment below and let me know.

Blessings,
Keith

Our First Mission Passover Seder

2008-04-17T21:43:00.000-07:00

Our first Mission Family Passover Seder

Special thanks to Betsy and Candy from Marti Clark's house church fellowship in Orange. They brought the tables, the china, and printed up all the books for everyone and even waited on us like servants so everyone in our group could enjoy the Seder dinner together.

It was a marvelous time and everyone said it was a great blessing to them, each in different ways.

Next year we'll have to do it again!

-kg

Partnering With Others

2008-04-14T15:25:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Wendy and I took our boys to another house church fellowship in Orange (after our group had concluded at 12:30pm that same day) to help lead a dialog about Poverty in Orange County.

There were actually two different house churches represented in this meeting, other than our own, (so I guess that makes it more like 3, right?), and as we took turns reading our scriptures and statistics on poverty in Orange County we each felt the presence of God and the depth of His love for people in need.

We also had a chance to pray over a few in their group who needed work (one lady had been out of work for one year...I could relate to her having been through the same thing...twice), and we got to share about the possibility of getting our three groups together to do more things together in the future.

Marti Clark leads the group that hosted this afternoon gathering. She's a good friend who has worked with ALPHA USA in this region and I've had the good fortune of working with her to do conferences locally (she lead one of our workshops at the Non-Con).

Joyce and Van Pewthers were also in attendance yesterday. They were also at the Non-Con and they lead a house church in Placentia/Brea area. It was great to see them again and to continue this dialog about God's heart for the poor in Orange County.

Each group expressed a desire to join our house church ("The Mission") the next time we serve our friends over at the motel in Santa Ana, and we also talked about getting together for other events and sharing opportunities down the road.

Each of our three groups has different strengths and area of expertise. It will be exciting to see how the intertwining of our groups adds depth and resource across the board.

Two from Marti's group (Betsy and Candy) will be helping lead our Passover Seder dinner this Thursday night, and next Thursday night we're planning to get together for a special evening with Todd Hunter (which we will share with the Pewther's house church and with Soul Survivor also).

It's exciting to me to consider how this could work as a catalyst for each of our groups moving forward.

More as this develops...
kg

THE MISSION: RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

2008-04-08T10:11:00.000-07:00

A.W. Tozer put it best when he said, "We must not think of the Church as an anonymous body, a mystical religious abstraction. We Christians are the Church and whatever we do is what the Church is doing. The matter, therefore, is a personal one. Any step forward in the Church must begin with the individual." (From "The Knowledge Of The Holy"; pg.114.)

When we speak of "The Church" we're talking about our own family. So, whenever we at The Mission feel compelled to point out something "wrong" the Church is doing, we have to stop and realize that we're talking about something we are eternally still part of.

One thing I think would help would be to use the word, "We" whenever we feel compelled to point out something another church or leader is doing that troubles us instead of the word "they". Why? Because these are things all of us have also participated in. Plus, if we say, "Sometimes we act this way or do these things" then the focus stays on us. It forces us to look at ourselves, the log in our own eye, rather than that speck in our brother's eye.

We are the church, and so, it's more helpful to just admit, "We do this" or "We used to do that" and keep the focus on ourselves. That way we can quickly move on to what we've learned from those mistakes and talk about whether or not we're actually putting any of what we've learned into practice.

Let's try hard to keep the focus of our share times on encouragement and whenever we do share criticism let's get quickly back onto the road of exploring what we can learn and what we can do, right now, to take those lessons we've learned from our own mistakes and apply them in our lives.

One of our stated values at The Mission is that we will not spend any time tearing down the rest of the Body of Christ. I'm not picking on any one person here. In fact, I know I'm probably more guilty than anyone else here. So, please help to keep me accountable to this important value.

You and I are the people of God. We are the Church that He has assembled for these times. We are the Church called to make a difference in this day and to this culture.

We are the Church God has chosen to love others in a way that no one has ever seen before. We are the Church that God has entrusted to be His ambassadors to the world.

In the four walls on Sunday, and outside the four walls the rest of the week, we are the Church. At home, in line at the Grocery store, at work, at school, in fact, everywhere you are, there you will find that Church.

We are the Church. The only Church the world will ever know.

So, now, let’s go and be the church we dream of.

Love,
Keith

EASTER IN THE PARK

2008-03-23T17:47:00.000-07:00

Our second annual Easter In The Park service was great.

We gathered on the grassy hillside, under the trees, and worshipped together and prayed and read the Resurrection story together as a Family.

Let's remember that we are the Body of Christ and our lives of love and our continuation of Jesus' ministry declares that He is truly alive.

Afterwards we ran back to the Giles' home for breakfast, Resurrection Rolls (Yum!), and great coffee and fellowship. Some even stayed over for lunch too and we had a great time spending the day together.

He Is Risen! He Is Risen Indeed!!

kg

GOOD FRIDAY UPDATE

2008-03-23T17:35:00.001-07:00

For over a year now I've been planning this special Good Friday meditation and reflection service.

Everyone who came had a wonderful time going from station to station and meditating on the passion and sacrifice of our Lord.

These are photos of the basic stations we had set up, but the actual evening service was very dark, lit only by candlelight.

Here are the stations we observed:

Casting Lots for Christ's clothing

Tasting the vinegar and bitterness He tasted for us on the cross.

Touching the crown of thorns He wore in our place.

Driving nails into the wood to remember the price He paid to set us free.

We dipped our hands into red paint and made a collage to thank Jesus for His amazing love.

We also tore cloth to symbolize the veil of the temple being torn in two for us.

Afterwards we sat and took the Lord's Supper together. Each person shared a song spontaneously, and acapella, we all joined in worship together. Then each person shared something in thanksgiving or prayed to thank Jesus for His gift of salvation and blew out their candle. We dismissed in darkness and silence.

It was a very powerful evening. We can't wait to do this again next year.

kg

GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE AND EASTER IN THE PARK THIS WEEK

2008-03-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

*GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE - 7:30PM (NO SHARED MEAL)

This Friday night, (3/21/08), we'll observe a meditative worship time to reflect on the crucifixion of our Lord.

Our time will be spent quietly moving between stations set up throughout the house to help us connect with the passion of Christ and his suffering on our behalf upon the cross.

Our stations will include:
-Tearing cloth to symbolize the veil of the temple which was torn in two.
-Holding thorns to remember the crown he wore for us.
-Driving nails into wood to remember the price he paid to set us free.
-Tasting vinegar to exprience the bitterness he tasted because of His amazing love for us.
-Throwing dice against cloth to consider the triviality of the distractions in our life as we remember the disregard the soldiers had for Jesus as he died for them.
-Dipping our hands and fingers into red paint to create a collage of grief, pain, joy and freedom through his shed blood.

After each of us has taken our time visiting each of the stations we will gather together to light candles to symbolize our witness to the life and death of Jesus. Together we will sing songs of his love for us as the Holy Spirit leads us. We will end by sharing communion together, offering thanks to Jesus for his sacrifice, blowing out our candles one by one to experience the darkness that fell upon the Earth at his death and the separation He felt as the Father turned away from him on the cross.

We will dismiss silently and allow time to re-visit the stations if necessary or simply wait in His presence in silence before Him.

*MOTEL SERVICE - THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON FROM 2:00PM TO 3:30PM
Come join us as share what God has given us with our friends who live in this local motel. We'll pass out Groceries, play games with the kids and serve these wonderful people together.

*EASTER MORNING IN THE PARK! - HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!!
This Sunday I'm excited to invite everyone to join us for our second annual "Easter In The Park" service at El Camino Real Park in Orange, just off of Main street, North of Chapman avenue. We'll meet at 9:30am under the large tree which is right on the corner and next to the sign for the park itself.

Come and bring a blanket, a chair, a Bible and something to share with everyone about the resurrection of Jesus and what it means to you.

After reading together about His resurrection from the dead we will sing songs of celebration together and end in prayers of thanksgiving.

Afterwards everyone is invited to join us back at the Giles' home for more fellowship, shared breakfast and yummy, yet instructional, "Resurrection Rolls"...and coffee.

Hope you can all join us for this very special day.

For more info please email me directly at
- elysiansky (at) "hotmail" (dot) "com"

-kg

Subersive Seminary - "The Kingdom of God"

2008-03-03T11:20:00.001-08:00

On Sunday, March 2nd, our house church spent the day (from 9am to 2pm) looking at the Gospel of the Kingdom and the Kingdom of God together.

Here's a bit of what we discussed.

First, Jason Wright looks at what the Kingdom looks like and how we're called to enter as little children.

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." - Jesus, Matthew 6:33

Matthew 18:1-4
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

What exactly did Jesus mean when he said to “become like children”?

Did he mean we should be:
- whiny
- messy
- clumsy
- impatient
- impulsive
- boisterous
- booger eaters

???? Probably not what he was referring to…

Perhaps he meant …
(Not complicated, simple) Dictionary Definition
- Humble
- Trusting
- Dependant
- Vulnerable
o Not guarded or protected by walls
- Living in the moment
- Not anxious for tomorrow
- Open and Teachable
- Creative/ Artistic
o All kids in Kindergarten are artists! Year by year it becomes less cool, until there are only a few “artists” in grade 8.
- Joyful
- Resilient / Not holding onto grudges
- Not infatuated with money
o Kids losing / mishandling money… need to be “taught” how to cling tightly to their cash.

And what and where is this Kingdom of God that He spoke of??

The Kingdom of God is a giant sandbox for us “children” to play in… and it’s here right now.

Matthew 6: verses 5 and verses 26-37
5"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?”

26"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”

28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

It’s when we begin to complicate our lives with “stuff” and “things” and the maintenance, protection, and monthly payments on the “stuff” and “things” that we begin to lose our ability to be like children and trust God. We start to worry and fret SO MUCH about tomorrow, that we are no good for today.

“All of these things will be given to you”
-Food
-Clothing
Not…
-Hummers, 60” plasmas, Season Tickets, and Hawaiian time-shares.

I see the Kingdom of Heaven in the backseat of our Ford LTD station wagon in 1979…

“Are we there yet?” My brother, sister and I would continually whine from our oversize vinyl backseat; Our feet swimming in Twinkie and fruit roll-up wrappers on the floorboard. We impatiently nagged Dad because we were tired of waiting to finally get we were going. We felt the need to stretch our legs, use them to run around, and be released from the long sentence of “keeping still”.

Although the barrage of “are we there yets” pelted the front seat like machine gun fire, that didn’t mean we spent the whole trip questioning and wringing our hands over every lane change, stop light, or u-turn. We simply trusted that our Dad had it all under control and that he would deliver us to our destination safely.

-Jason Wright

**
My portion was a bit longer and dealt with the Gospel Jesus preached and how we deal with the "Upside-Down" nature of the Kingdom of God...among other things.

KINGDOM REALITY by Keith Giles

The Kingdom of God is the present reality which breaks into this illusion of ours intermittently, like very bad cell phone reception. It’s God’s way of saying, “Can you hear me now?”

In fact, experiencing and living in this Kingdom Reality is, in itself, an exercise in the Kingdom principles of “Letting Go” and “The Power of Weakness”. When we give up on our strength and wait for God’s power to come and to move it’s a testimony of our trust in His promise to us that “Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar like Eagles”, resting and gliding under the power of the wind of the Holy Spirit.

Waiting and trusting in His power, not our own, taking confidence in His strength, not ours, is a demonstration of The Power of Weakness in action.

For us, this coming, advancing, intermittent reality is counter-intuitive. We’ve been born into this illusion – falsely labeled “Reality”- and have been immersed in this do-it-yourself mentality all of our lives. We need to learn to “Re-Think” everything – or as Jesus said, to “Repent,” (Metanoia = Rethink), “for the Kingdom of God (Heaven) is near” (Or, “It is within our grasp, our reach, and close enough to touch.”)

It is very much like taking the red pill and finding ourselves wide awake in a reality which is upside down and backwards from the world we have been born into. At first we reel with the vertigo of a world where up is down and the first are last. Those who humble themselves are exalted, the greatest is the servant of all, and those who lose their lives find everlasting, eternal life, even though they die daily. This is the Kingdom of God.

Welcome to reality. Because this upside down world, we quickly discover, is NOT upside down, it is right side up. We have lived so long, head over heels, immersed in an illusion of selfish fulfillment and a pursuit of more, more, more, that we need to detoxify our minds and hearts and flesh in order to remain in God’s Kingdom Reality.

Jesus announced this Kingdom, told us how to see it, how to walk in it and remain in it, and gave us the best news possible: We could enter and begin living in Reality anytime we wanted to.

In the Kingdom of God there is just one King; God Himself. He is a good, loving, kind, and wildly, unpredictably, sometimes uncomfortably intimate, inclusive and wonderful King, and Father, and Friend.

His Kingdom is a place where His perfect will is always done and those who rest in His will are refreshed and delighted and fulfilled and at peace and overjoyed. They are children born into the poverty of excess wealth and selfishness who have been adopted into a new Family of the unending wealth of generosity and the joy of always having enough to share and give away.

This is reality. Before God made this vast oasis called “Space and Time” there was no space or time. Everything was perfectly “Now” and Eternally present with Him. This is the only reality there has ever been. God’s Kingdom was, and is, and is to come.

Our temporary stay in this unusual experiment called “Time and Space” will eventually expire and the temporary Kingdoms of this Earth will soon fade away. The Kingdom of Pleasure will fall to the ground. The Kingdom of Greed will perish. The Kingdom of Exploitation and Oppression and Excess and Fashion and Wealth and Flesh, will all crumble and burn and disappear into oblivion. Only one Kingdom will remain and that is the Kingdom which was here “In The Beginning” – which has even now come, and which we can enter today. And, one day, soon, this Kingdom will break forever into this illusion we drift through for the moment, and overtake all we see and know.

Are you ready to enter this Kingdom? Are you ready to begin living under the awesome rule and reign of The King? There’s just one thing, before you take that leap, before you swallow the red pill, that you should know, so that you can count the cost. Those who enter the Kingdom can only step across the threshold if they pay the price. It’s really nothing when you think about it, when you compare the amazing riches of God’s Eternal Kingdom with the tokens and trinkets of our counterfeit reality. The price of admission, the way to step across, is to let go of this world.

Just as you were born naked and weak and vulnerable and empty-handed into this world, so you can take nothing with you into God’s Kingdom. It’s called being “Born Again”.

The things of this world are not truly treasures. When you die they will stay here anyway, and just as you can take nothing with you beyond the grave, you can take nothing with you when you step into God’s Kingdom.

Jesus only asks for one thing- It’s called Everything.

But what you gain, what you receive in exchange, is beyond anything you can dream of or hope for or imagine. The Kingdom of God, when you see it, when you really understand it, you will gladly rush out to sell all that you have, as quickly as possible, to step across the threshold into Heaven.

This is the moment where many people stop and turn back. Their grip on this world, or its grip on them, is so strong that they can never let go of their tiny, petty lives in this place in order to receive real life and treasure in God’s Kingdom.

If we have really seen the Kingdom, if we really understood and believed that this Kingdom was real (in a way that nothing else can ever be “real”), then we would rush quickly to surrender all that we have and all that we are in order to receive the treasure that does not rust or face or disappoint.

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." - Luke 9:24

“The Kingdom of God is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:44)

All God wants is all of you. All He asks is that you Trust Him and Believe Him and surrender your meager treasures and petty personal kingdoms in exchange for His Kingdom. God wants to be your God. He wants you to be one of His People.

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” – Jesus (Luke 9:23). There is no other way but the Cross.

Jesus says it is very hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom.” Who then can be saved? His disciples asked. “With man this is impossible,” Jesus replied, “But not with God; all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10: 23-27)

Will you let go? Will you surrender it all? Will you seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness? This is the only question we need to answer in order to step across the threshold into the amazing reality of God’s Kingdom.

You can stay here, on this side of reality, where you are safe and miserable, in your tiny kingdom where your will is what matters. Or you can sell it all, exchange the handful of crumbling mud for real treasure which lasts forever.

Is your kingdom so wonderful? Aren’t you tired of wearing the crown? Haven’t you suffered long enough under your own rule and reign?

When you are ready to set fire to your kingdom, and surrender your lordship, and dance as the flames consume your empty way of living, He is ready to invite you to experience Reality, today.

There is only One King, and He is good. He really wants what is best for you, and He can, above all, beyond any other, be Trusted. His Name is Faithful and True.

“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life and no one comes to the Father but by me” – Jesus (John 14)

-Keith Giles

[MISSION MAIL] - 2/19/08

2008-02-19T12:25:00.000-08:00

We had a load of great stuff take place last week with The Mission and this week will be great too.

Our Valentine's night last Thursday was such a blessing. It was wonderful to spend time with all of you who came to remember what love really means and how, without it, we are hopeless.

Love is tough. It's not for the faint of heart, and if we do it as Jesus commands us to it will involve laying down our lives for one another.

This is our calling, as followers of Jesus - To practice daily the art of loving others as Jesus loves us.

Here's more opportunities to practice loving others that are coming up:

*THURSDAY NIGHT - 6PM - 'THE MISSION' MID-WEEK GATHERING
Bring something to share with everyone- a word, a hymn, a tongue, an ecouraging verse of scripture, and something to eat! Together we'll partake of God's goodness and share His presence as we embody communion with God and with one another in love.

*THIS SATURDAY - MOTEL MINISTRY - 2PM TO 3:30PM
Join us as we share free groceries and pray with our friends at the California Studio Inn in Santa Ana this Saturday. We'll have a bounce house, play games, visit our friends and make new ones- Don't miss it!

Directions to the California Studio Inn (Motel):
55fwy to Dyer Street (West) exit and Go West.
After a few blocks you'll cross a set of railroad tracks and see a
school on your left. Just past the school, on your right, BEFORE you get to
Bristol, you'll see a blue and white sign at the back of the motel that says 'STUDIO INN'. Turn right into that parking lot. We'll be in the back.

*SUNDAY MISSION CHURCH - 9:30AM - GILES' HOME
We're really having a wonderful time together each week...and we're growing too! Last week's discussion about the differences between the Gospel and Western Culture, along with a great insight or three into what it really means to 'lay down your life for a friend' was stimulating and thought-provoking. Can't wait to see what we talk about this week! Come with something to share (food, encouragment, questions).

*SUMMER VILLAS - THIS SUNDAY - AT 3PM
We'll visit our friends at this local senior home this Sunday afternoon. Come join us as we engage in the ministry of listening.

*WOMEN'S MINISTRY NIGHT - THIS SUNDAY EVENING - 7PM AT THE WRIGHT'S HOUSE
Our second ever monthly Women's Ministry Night will be this Sunday evening at the Wright's house. Come and enjoy some great fellowship, ministry and encouragement.
Leave the kids at home and bring your Bibles.

*NEXT SUNDAY - [Subversive Seminary] - 9AM TO 3PM - MARCH 2ND
This will be a special Sunday focused on shared teaching and interactive dialog. We'll start with breakfast at 9:30am and after singing and sharing communion we'll move into more interactive teaching sessions. These will involve ten to fifteen minutes of teaching on a single topic followed by responses from everyone in the group. We'll have two of these interactive teaching sessions before breaking for a shared lunch together. After lunch we'll move into another session of interactive teaching on the same topic. Our goal will be to finish the day by 3pm on this special Sunday.

Our first topic will be 'The Kingdom of God' and our sessions will be lead by Jason, Josh, Brent and myself.

TO PREPARE FOR THIS SPECIAL DAY:
I had a very interesting online dialog with Dale Williams (a good friend and seminary graduate) on the subject of the Kingdom of God and, specifically how our obedience influences the breaking in of God's Kingdom into our personal lives. If you've got the time to look it over it contains a lot of very useful info from two different perspectives.

Here ya go

Remember - YOU ARE LOVED!

Peas,
Keith and Wendy Giles

MOTEL CHRISTMAS 2007

2008-01-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

Our church partnered with King's Harbor in Torrance to deliver over 60 wrapped gifts to the children at the California Studio Inn in Santa Ana, California.

Thanks to Cartoon Network for donating a lot of the gifts, and also to those who purchased gifts and helped wrap and distribute them.

*Sorry this image is late, but it's good to remember...

kg

The Mission - Vision and Mission for 2008

2008-01-02T15:48:00.000-08:00

Hey Missionaries,

What a great year this has been! Wendy and I are so blessed to see this Church grow as God continues to speak to us and lead us onward. I keep saying that I'm living the dream and I really believe it's true. Yesterday it was so awesome to see God moving in our midst and speaking to and through us to minister to one another. We're so excited about what God is doing!

As we look forward to 2008, I've been praying about what God would have us to focus on for the next 12 months. Here's what I’ve been hearing from God about so far:

First, I believe God wants us to continue on our previous path of learning what it means to love others as Jesus does. Developing a heart like Jesus is a key spiritual discipline for all of us and we're all still taking baby steps in this area as we learn how hard it can really be. The uncommon love that Jesus modeled, and commanded us to have for others, is something that we cannot hope to emulate without a supernatural touch from God. (See 1 Cor 12 & 13). This next year I believe that God would have us continue in this direction towards discovering how to love those closest to us, and as we go, to add to that a love for those on the outer edge of our concentric circles.

Second, I've been reminded again of the motto of the early church -"Conversatio Morem!" which can mean either "Death to the Status Quo!" or "Constant Conversion!" I think our calling as followers of Jesus is to daily walk the aisle, bend our knee and surrender our lives to Jesus. This is what a true "Death to the Status Quo" involves and without this almost everything else we attempt to do will fail.

Thirdly, Jesus instructed his disciples (in Matthew 6) not to worry about the daily cares of the day but to instead seek first the Kingdom of God, and His Righteousness (or "being made right with God"). We need to take our eyes off the problems around us, and the worries of our daily lives, and start seeking the Kingdom of God first. Let's encourage one another as we seek first the Kingdom of God this year.

Fourthly, one of the most important things for each of us to understand in the Body of Christ is where we "fit" into the framework. According to 1 Corinthians 12, God has put the Body together using various people like us of varying spiritual gifts and talents for the purpose of building up the Body into a healthy representation of Christ on Earth (among other things). This year I'd love for us to identify everyone's specific spiritual gift and encourage each other in learning how to exercise our gifts so that the entire Body can be healthy and grow as it should.

Some of us already know our basic spiritual gift, but others still don't know yet. Discovering what these are and how to operate in your gifting is very important for all of us. I look forward to helping everyone understand their gifting and begin to put it into practice this year.

As a pastor, I also have a desire to encourage each of you in your own personal mission and calling. It may be closely-related to your spiritual gift, but it may not. Again, some of us already know our personal calling and mission but some of us still don't, and that's ok. We're all learning and growing together. This is what makes the adventure worth it!

So, to condense all of that, here's what I feel God is urging us to pursue in the new year:

*Concentric Circles of Love- Same as last year, only better.

*Conversatio Morem! - We all need a "Constant Conversion" where, daily, we go forward and bend our knee to surrender our lives to Christ.

*Seeking First The Kingdom- What is the Kingdom? How do we enter the Kingdom? How do we see the Kingdom of God in our actual lives? How do we develop a Kingdom-perspective?

*Helping One Another Discover Our Spiritual Gifting and Calling.

And also…
*Deeper Spiritual Intimacy-

I've also felt a strong need for us all to develop a greater spiritual intimacy together. This involves several areas where I would encourage us to spend more time together outside of the Thursday or Sunday gathering. We need one another. This means being accessible and spending time together just having fun, being family and eating together. Invite someone over. Hang out. Know and be known.

In the same way, I've also become convinced that we need to cultivate a greater spiritual intimacy within our ministry times. This will involve a slight change to our regular meetings where we'll have time to break up into smaller groups of men and women in order to minister to one another and facilitate a deeper level of sharing and of encouraging one another in the faith.

Our church is now two years old! I can hardly believe it. This has been the best thing I’ve ever done with the word "Church" on it!

Just this last year our little church was able to give away thousands dollars to help many, many people in practical ways. Even our motel Christmas ministry a few weeks ago was an amazing testimony to how God has multiplied our humble efforts to serve people and give 100% of our offerings and tithes to benefit the poor.

*Note: I'll have a year-end update for everyone soon on the total amount of money given to the Mission basket and the total amount spent, with specifics whenever appropriate.

I know that as we continue to seek His face, and to daily surrender to Him, and to walk in the direction He has laid out before us, we will see even more amazing things in the coming year and beyond.

It's an honor to "be the Church" with each of you.

Blessings to you all and Happy New Year!

Peace,

Keith Giles
http://www.KeithGiles.com

OUR MISSION COMMUNITY

2007-11-20T16:50:00.000-08:00

OUR MISSION COMMUNITY

As we've spent time thinking about what it means to "Give Thanks" at The Mission, several of you have shared with us that The Mission is like your family. Many of you on Thursday and on Sunday expressed a thankful heart that God has brought you to The Mission and that you've started to connect with others in the group, just like a family. Wendy and I feel the same! In fact, this is a very large part of what we're hoping to inspire at The Mission. We're commanded by Jesus to "love one another" and to hear that many of you are experiencing this is very encouraging to us.

Because of this, I’ve been thinking about how we can inspire greater community within our house church. Wendy and I have talked a lot in the last few days about how we can get to know others more and develop a deeper sense of family with everyone at The Mission.

The truth is, we're together a lot. Just glance at the list of ministries and gatherings this week alone and you can see that we've opened up a lot of our schedule to The Mission. Getting together to serve or to share or to celebrate together is very important…but what more can we do to inspire deeper connections within our group?

I don't think the solution is to schedule more group events. We could spend every single evening and weekend together and still not open up to one another or share our lives with each other.

What we need is more quality time together.

As Wendy and I have been talking about this and thinking about it, here are some things we believe we can do to encourage greater community within our house church.
1) Testimonies
2) Outside activities
3)Open your home
4) Smaller groups

Testimonies
Testimonies are a great ways to learn more about the people in our group. How did you come to Christ? What are the most significant spiritual events in your life over the last few years? What lead you to choose house church? What are you currently wrestling with God about right now? What is the spiritual journey you're on today? Hearing where others have come from, understanding where they are now and sharing their hopes for the future are great ways to build emotional connections with those in our group. Who wants to go first?

Outside Activities
Outside activities like Heather's recent art show, or our infamous camping trip, or Megan's play, or the guy’s poker night, etc. all help us to get together outside the usual environment of The Mission and spend time together doing things other than the typical church liturgy. So, to take advantage of these times outside the group we need to invite one another to join us for fun times with our family or weekend trips, etc. We can all learn more about one another by simply being more inclusive and inviting of one another.

Open Your Home
I’d like to ask if you’d pray about the possibility of opening your home to others in the Mission. Invite someone from house church to dinner at your house. Ask another person or family from The Mission to meet you for lunch on Saturday or Sunday after church. If you've got kids, set up a play date with other Mission House Church kids. Rent a funny movie and invite someone from the Mission to watch it with you. The more time we spend together outside of an "official" Mission gathering the better. The more the rest of you open your home and become more inviting and inclusive, the more relationships with others in the house church will strengthen.

Smaller Groups
Smaller groups are more conducive to intimacy. When we have fifteen or twenty people in the living room it's hard to have an intimate conversation or confess a need or share the deepest ache of your heart. To have a smaller group gathering on Thursday or Sunday would require splitting out our existing groups into just two, maybe three, families. I'm not sure if we're ready for this emotionally or not, but perhaps if we desire greater intimacy enough we will soon decide to take this step to get smaller. That leads me to...

Pray
Finally, I'd like to ask that everyone pray for God's blessing. That's what I've been doing lately. Pray and ask God to help you to love others more. Ask Him to soften your heart and open your home in order to make you more "others focused" and willing to share. I have been praying lately that God would help us love one another and knit us together as a real family of God. I want The Mission to be a place where everyone is blessed and accepted and loved and nurtured and encouraged. Isn't that what Church should be all about? Isn't that what it means to be part of the Family of God?

No Limits
What excites me is that we’re limited only by our own willingness to participate in this process. If we want this kind of community and intimacy it is totally within our grasp. If we want to be a Church that loves one another and cares for one another there’s nothing stopping us...but us.

The only question for us is, "Do we really want this?" and if we do, then we need to take the steps to become these sorts of people and this sort of Church. Going back again to the vision God gave me for The Mission at the beginning of this year, the concept of "Concentric Circles of Love" starts with learning how to love those nearest to us first of all. It's not easy. Far from it.

We need to pray for God to teach us how to love those within our own family, and then also how to love those in our Church Family too. I pray that we can take the risk and that we will start really being intentional about showing one another we love them, and that we really want to live out our calling to be known by our love.

"And they will know that you are my disciples if you love one another"–Jesus (from John 13:35)

Never forget - "You are loved" and that truth sets us free to love each other in the same amazing way.

Peace,
Keith

STARTING AND GROWING EXTRAORDINARY SIMPLE CHURCHES

2007-11-02T08:19:00.000-07:00

My friend Bob Sears has a great resource website for people wanting to know how to start their own Simple Church/House Church.

It's chock-full of wisdom and practical application. Go. See. Learn.

http://www.simple-minded.net/

kg

Compassion In Action

2007-10-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

On Saturday our house church teamed with a team from Soul Survivor Church to serve and provide free groceries to the residents of the California Studio Inn.

We got to pray with several people and all were very touched and blessed, (as were we), to share the day together.

The kids enjoyed the bounce house, the popsicles, and the music. The adults enjoyed the free groceries and received prayer.

On Sunday afternoon, at 3pm, several of us from The Mission went to visit some of our friends in the Summer Villas senior home. It was so wonderful to make new friends (like Tony) and to see our old friends (like Hazel, Beulah, Mary Swain, Mary-Anne, and George).

Please pray for Hazel who fell and hit her head on the sink in her bathroom. Although she was up and walking around yesterday, her face looks horrible due to the bruises she suffered and the swelling on her brow. She asked us to pray for her to be healed soon, and we will.

I'm so blessed to have a house church full of people who see the Kingdom, see the poor, and have a desire to serve others and share the love of Jesus with people in need.

I am living the dream.
kg

Motel Ministry

2007-09-24T08:14:00.000-07:00

What an amazing time we had at the California Studio Inn this last Saturday!

Everyone said their favorite thing about the day was that there was no program. No one was compelled to perform a specific task or put on a show. Instead, everyone just felt free to serve, pray for residents, talk to them, play with the kids, sing, bounce, laugh and smile. It was a beautiful picture of the Church in action. We all got to be ourselves, serve and share as the Holy Spirit directed us, and everything was natural, organic and sweet.

As usual, God held back the rain for us. In fact, Wendy and I have been doing this for over five years now and not once has it rained on our motel day service.

Believe it or not, the rain was coming down pretty hard at my house in Orange. But when we got to the motel it was sunny and the skies were blue.

Thank you God!

Thanks also to Josh and Liz Dulaney for bringing a truck-load of groceries that we gave away to some families in need.

I could do this every-other week! It was so effortless.

The food we brought only cost us $35.

The bounce house was $50.

The joy was priceless.

*More photos online here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46151765@N00/?saved=1

TWO HOUSE CHURCHES

2007-09-14T11:53:00.001-07:00

Wendy and I are realizing that we already have two house churches, both called "The Mission".

Our original Thursday night group is still going strong, and we've added a Sunday morning group too. The funny thing is, most of those who attend Thursday nights do not attend on Sunday, and vice-versa.

This means we need to host an All-Church Picnic in the Park for everyone who attends "The Mission" to actually meet one another.

Details on this soon.

We also know, in the back of our minds, that both groups are growing larger. This means that our inevitable division into smaller incarnations, hosted in various locations, is inevitable.

So far I've been waiting and praying for God to make this a very natural event in our Church development. As leaders emerge and as God moves people within our house church to step out and host, or pastor their own house church, we'll simply agree with what God is already doing and follow His lead.

What an exciting future awaits us as we prepare for the next season of our house church development.

peas,
kg

Mission Camping Trip Photos

2007-08-25T10:09:00.000-07:00

Great fun, and a lot of crazy weirdness, at the first Mission Camping Trip!

SATURDAY- MOTEL MINISTRY

2007-07-29T13:59:00.001-07:00

This Saturday we returned to the California Studio Inn to bless and serve the families and kids who live in this motel in Santa Ana. We shared ice cream, cold water, played in the bounce house and sang songs and did a puppet show.

Even better, we got to meet new people, pray for the sick, and bless the families who were there.

God continues to open doors for this ministry, as small and as humble as it may be, time after time. I'm learning so much about God's heart and about ministry at the micro-level.

Next month we return for more fun and another chance to share the love of Jesus in tangible ways with these children and their parents.

I can't wait!

kg

ART & WORSHIP- LAST THURSDAY NIGHT

2007-07-29T13:50:00.001-07:00

This last Thursday night at The Mission we all sat down around a single transparent shower curtain and created one single work of art on community and the concept of "Christ In Us" It was SO awesome!! (Thanks Heather for the great idea, inspiration, and the art supplies)

BLAKE & TRUDY'S MISSIONARY BLOG

2007-07-19T21:30:00.001-07:00

Our dear Mission Family members, Blake & Trudy Pannell (and their four kids) will be leaving for Cuenca, Ecuador on Monday, July 23rd for a six week family mission.

Tonight we prayed over them and sent them on their way as they enter the great unknown and follow God's leading to serve as a family in this faraway mission field.

You can follow their adventures at:

Blake and Trudy's Missionary Blog

Watch their blog for photo updates and news from the streets of Ecuador!

You're in our daily prayers.

Love you!
The Mission House Church Family

Update: July 07

2007-07-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

We've been having great times together on Thursday night and Sunday morning lately. The house is usually very full and we've had some really great times with each other and with God.

Wendy and I start our second annual "Kid's Club" in our house this Saturday morning. For the next four weeks we will host the neighborhood kids and lead them in an hour-long journey to discover who Jesus is and what it means to love and follow Him.

Several at The Mission have expressed an interest in visiting a local Senior Home to share the love of Jesus with those who live there. Wendy and I used to do this before at a different senior home in Tustin, but we've missed doing this with our kids. It will be a wonderful blessing to return to this sort of ministry to the lonely and the forgotten here in our city.

The ladies of The Mission had their first night out this week at Chapman Coffee House in Orange. It was (I hear) a great time to talk and hang out and just have fun together. The men are meeting on alternate weeks for coffee too.

We're planning a Mission Camping Trip for August 18th down in Escondido which should be a blast.

I know God has been leading this church, and teaching us about humility and service to others and forgiveness and trust in Him, all these recent weeks. He is speaking to us and He is forming us into the people He wants us to be, here in this place, for such a time as this.

My goal is just to make sure I don't get in His way.

peas,
Keith

OUR COMMUNITY BREAKFAST

2007-07-08T21:47:00.000-07:00

On July 4th we hosted a community "Breakfast on the Lawn" at our house in order to better know our neighbors. We had a great turn-out and everyone thanked us for the chance to meet each other.

We've already planned our next community event: An Ice Cream Social! Date TBA.

JUDY'S NEW APARTMENT

2007-07-08T21:41:00.001-07:00

The Mission House Church Family celebrates Judy's new apartment with gifts, smiles and (right after this picture) a fun pizza dinner at Zito's!

Blessings to you Judy. We love you!

The Mission House Church Family

WE LOVE YOU TOD!

2007-06-21T17:38:00.000-07:00

COME HOME SOON...

Love,

Your Mission Family

THIS IS WHO WE ARE

2007-06-06T13:15:00.001-07:00

A genuine movement of God, not built by man.

Love it!
kg

ALL WE NEED IS LOVE

2007-05-29T16:21:00.000-07:00

ALL WE NEED IS LOVE

I've never been a big Beatles fan, but I think they were on to something when they suggested that "All We Need Is Love". According to Jesus, this is our main calling, to love one another. We are to be a people who are known for our extravagant love. We are commanded to go so far as to love even our enemies.

As you may imagine, love is not an easy thing to do. I've discovered that love is only easy until you start trying to put it into practice and then you suddenly realize that it costs more than you're willing to pay, it asks more than you're willing to give, and it hurts more than you thought possible.

In 1 Corinthians 12 and 13, the Apostle Paul reveals to us that love is actually the greatest of all spiritual gifts. Without it, we are empty and our efforts are useless. Love, the sort of love we are called as followers of Jesus to share with others, is a supernatural force that we must be filled up with by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Human love is conditional. It is based on the principal of mutual exchange. I will love you if you will love me. But the love of God, the love that Jesus commands us to share, is unconditional love. It is sacrificial love. It is love that is given regardless of attitude or position or what can be gained.

This is the sort of love that is kicking my butt right now.

At the beginning of this year I shared with our House Church a vision for us to walk through "Concentric Circles of Love" where we would begin with our own families, and then radiate outward to our church family, and then our neighbors, our co-workers, and then to the community around us.

I still believe this is God's heart for us, but now I think I realize that, without a sincere miracle from God, none of us will ever get beyond the first circle. I know that I'm quickly realizing my capacity for love is not as deep as I first imagined.

I'm encouraged, however, that Paul's assertion regarding love is that we cannot do it on our own. We are not expected to have within us a love that is equal to God's love. But, if we will humble ourselves and seek His face, and ask God to fill us with His kind of love, He will.

God's desire for us is to be known as people who love like He loves. He has commanded us to live this way. He knows we can't accomplish this by ourselves, so He is faithful to fill us with His perfect love when we admit that we don't have it.

I'm learning now that, every day, I need to ask God for His Holy Spirit to fill me with His Love for others. It's part of the daily surrender, the daily dieing to self, the daily conversion to Christ, that all of us must seek if we are ever to be the people He is calling us to be.

You are loved!

Peace,

Keith

http://www.MissionHouseChurch.com

HOUSE CHURCH 101

2007-05-07T09:49:00.001-07:00

What is House Church?

Most people who have never attended a House Church make certain assumptions about what it's all about, and many of them are incorrect. Until I started a House Church I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but now that I've had about a year of experience under my belt I thought I'd take some time to spell out a few specifics of what makes the House Church distinctive.

To begin, let's talk about what a House Church is NOT.

It's not taking what happens in your traditional church on Sunday morning and duplicating it on a smaller scale in your living room. Some friends of mine have house churches that ARE bit like that, but as a general rule this is not what House Church is meant to be.
This means you won't see a single leader giving a lecture for 45 minutes while everyone nods their heads and looks at their watch.

It's also not a home group. Again, I know a few house churches that are like this, but by definition this is also not what House Church is supposed to be. This means that you won't experience ice breakers that take an hour for everyone to explain who their favorite Looney Toon character is and why.

So, what IS House Church?

Essentially, the House Church is modelled after the Biblical model we find in the New Testament. Specifically we see a format described by Paul the Apostle where everyone comes together and shares a common meal, partakes in communion, gathers an offering for the poor, and takes the time to hear from each person in the group who has something that edifies the rest as they each follow Jesus.

"What shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church." 1 Corinthians 14:26

So, in our Mission gatherings we start with a common meal. On Thursdays everyone brings something to share for dinner, and on Sunday mornings everyone brings something for breakfast and we begin by joining hands in the kitchen together and inviting the Holy Spirit to be our guest of honor for the time we have to share.

After the meal we eventually make our way into the den and everyone pulls up a cushion on a sofa, or sits on the floor, and we enjoy a time of singing worship songs together. There are several of us who are just barely decent enough to play chords on the guitar and between us all we modestly work our way through a few songs.

After the singing we usually share communion together and move into our "Share Time". This is where we allow each person, whether an elementary-age child or a single Mom, or even a former pastor, to share something that God has done or taught them about during the week.

Essentially, if you are feeling like you'd like to start leading a house church, don't picture yourself preparing a Bible lesson each week. Instead, get ready to facilitate as others speak and teach and share. Sometimes the powerful things we are taught come from the lips of one of our nine year olds.

In fact, in my case, I've learned that the more I shut up the better things go! I've even started to limit myself to no more than two "soap-box moments" for each meeting. This means I have to choose my issues carefully and it allows me to wait, listen, and sometimes even allow others to answer questions and explain scripture verses that I've had pat-answers in my head for the last twelve years.

The amazing thing I've seen is that, when we pray and ask the Holy Spirit to come and lead our group, HE DOES! (Especially when we actually let Him lead us and do our best to get out of His way).

As we've been taught by the Holy Spirit this way over the last year, I've been in awe of the fruit displayed in people's lives. In fact, in less than a year I was starting to see true repentance, maturity, and gifting blossom in our members. The best thing is that I know it has nothing to do with me!

The House Church is not a leader-based group. It is a peer-based group with a leader who prayerfully shepherds the people one at a time and mostly outside the meeting itself.

What fascinates me most about the House Church is how the designer, Jesus, inspired a family-based model where everyone was loved and honored equally. He inspired His disciples to create a system of Church that was totally unlike the Jewish Temple system or the Pagan Worship of the day. This humble, Spirit-lead group of mostly poor and simple people guarded our creeds and doctrines for three hundred years, turned the world upside down, and demonstrated the transformational power of the Gospel of the Kingdom.

To me, the design is genius, and the fruit of it is cleary evident in the Scripture and throughout the History of the early Church.

The Church that Jesus inspired and that the Apostles promoted was one where bigger wasn't better. Everyone person counted. Everyone's gifting was equally honored, not just those who had the outward gifts.

I'll admit, I am biased. But the fruit I've seen in my own life, and in the lives of the people who have been coming to our group each week, is enough to convince me that I never want to go back to church done any other way.

What I've learned is that Church is not a place you go, it's who you are. Our goal at the Mission is to "be the Church" not attend one.

I've also learned that Church is simply "God" plus "The People of God" and nothing more. The Church is not a building, it is about PEOPLE who love God and who love others.

Does this mean that traditional churches are "wrong"? Does this mean that only those in the house church really "get it"? No, it doesn't. There are just as many screwed up people in one as in the other.

However, whenever a church exploits people for its own gain, it is wrong. Whenever a church empowers people for the Glory of God, it is good. Whenever a church over-emphasizes one set of gifts over the others and devalues people, it is wrong. Whenever a church allows everyone a chance to be loved and heard and valued, it is right.

I can only speak for myself here when I say that, for me, the House Church is where I've actually experienced this level playing field. This is where I've seen disciples being made. This is where I am personally being challenged every week to get outside of my comfort zone and really live out my faith.

If you're experiencing this sort of vibrant spiritual life and you're part of a traditional church...Praise God! I know that God is at work in all forms and expressions of His Body and His Bride. The House Church has no corner on His power or presence.

For me, House Church is the best thing I've ever done with the word "Church" on it!

Peace,
Keith Giles
*To contact me about house church, or anything else, please do so at "elysiansky" (at) "Hotmail" (dot) "com" ...but remove the quotes and the parenthesis, etc....you get the idea.

EASTER IN THE PARK

2007-04-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is kinda late but I've been busy, ok?

The Mission House church (some pictured here) met in El Camino Real Park in Orange on Easter Sunday morning. We sat on the grass under a large tree and sang songs together with the guitar. We shared scriptures together about the resurrection and talked about how we, The Body of Christ, represent the living, resurrected Christ by our actions. Are we still in the dark of the tomb, hiding away? Or are we out in the world, loving, touching, healing, sharing with people as Jesus did?

Are we, His Body, alive? Or in the dark of the tomb?

Afterwards we sang some more, and then after a time of prayer we dismissed and ran over to our house to share breakfast together and yummy Resurrection Rolls (If you're nice I'll email you the recipe. It's an awesome object lesson for the kids and an incredible delicious treat!)

I had to run to the California Studio Inn (the motel in Santa Ana we've been serving at for 4 years now) to preach an Easter message in support of the Saddleback service there, but our Mission Family stayed in our home (with my wife and kids too) and continued to share together and fellowship.

It was an amazing day to celebrate the life of Christ with His living Body of Believers!

peas,
kg

*Want that recipe? Send me an email at "elysiansky" (at) "hotmail" (dot) "com"

VISION 2007

2007-02-27T12:49:00.000-08:00

Lately I've felt the need to cast vision for The Mission. We've founded this house church on being the church, not attending a church. We've called ourselves "The Mission" because we want to always be reminded that we are missionaries, and that we have a mission.

But, how are we, in practical ways, living out this calling to be in the world but not of it? How are we actually carrying out Jesus' commands to love our neighbor as ourselves or to go as far as to love our enemies?

I've realized that we need to start in the center of our lives and live out our faith in concentric circles of compassion and love for others.

First, we need to spend time purposefully learning to love and to serve and to bless our own family members. We need to show them love in very real and sincere ways. Not in any programmatic fashion, mind you, but slowly, intentionally building a habit of ongoing service and demonstrated compassion to those closest to us.

Next, we need to add to this the practice of loving our brothers and sisters in Christ. Here in the Mission, as well as other Christians in our area. We need to actively, pursposefully, develop an ongoing habit of loving our brothers and sisters in Christ.

After this, we can begin to love our actual neighbors. Those people who live next door, and across the street from us. We need to learn to listen to others. To value them as human beings. It's like learning to relate to other humans as another human being, not as a Christian.

Once we've begun this process, maybe then we can work together to demonstrate the love of Jesus to the poor among us and in our community. The homeless. The elderly. The forgotten. The children with cancer in the hospitals around us.

In the past, I've centered much of my focus on starting with the poor and the broken and the forgotten. This is good, but if we do not first learn to become people who know how to love others, we're wasting our time.

It's like when Jesus says we need to become good trees so that we can bear good fruit. Sometimes we think it's the other way around, that if we bear good fruit we'll become good trees. Jesus is clear that we must first be transformed from within, by His Spirit and His Love before we can have that fruit in our lives.

He is vine, we are the branches. We need to start at our own roots and learn to love our family, our co-workers, our neighbors, our poor.

This is my vision for The Mission in 2007.

Please Lord Jesus, help us to follow You in this process of becoming more loving. Transform us into Your image by the power of Your Holy Spirit.

Amen.
Keith
http://www.keithgiles.com

Articles on House Church by Keith Giles

2007-01-12T13:07:00.001-08:00

*FROM THE [SUBVERSIVE UNDERGROUND] ARCHIVES:

JOY (A report of what happens in our house church meetings)

BBQ WAFFLES? (If we want what they had, we have to do what they did)

WHAT IF? (What would happen if Church took place every single day?)

SUCCESS AND FAILURE (What dos "success" look like in the house church?)

STEP ONE (A look at what happened our first night at "The Mission")

HOUSE (Someone actually suggested that house church wasn't Biblical....?)

MODELS (How important are models of doing/being church?)

FAILURE (God shows me my own hypocrisy in the middle of our house church meeting)

**
(FROM THE MAIN WEBSITE ARCHIVES)

DOWN RIVER (Leaving "The River" to enter "The Mission)

TERTULLIAN'S WINDOW (A quote from Tertullian about early church life)

THE MISSION: OUR VISION AND VALUES (Our Vision and Values Statement at The Mission)

STATUS REPORT: THE MISSION

A WEDDING A WEEK? (The difference between a Wedding and Thanksgiving in terms of Community-Building)

WHY THE HOUSE CHURCH? (A list of reasons why House Church makes sense)

2 MORE REASONS WHY THE HOUSE CHURCH (nuff said)

IN PRAISE OF THE LOCAL CHURCH (Keith eats crow!)

APPLES AND ORANGES (The Goal of an Apple Tree is not to produce apples...)

LIVING STONES (A short note on how we, the people of God, are the Church)

TWO OR MORE (God teaches me another lesson in the house church)

THE MISSION UPDATE- MARCH

CONSTANTINIAN FALL-OUT (this one has some negative and frustrating emotion in it, but it is valid to the discussion)

CLOSED DOORS, OPEN WINDOWS (My experience leaving the traditional church and entering full-time house church)

THE EARLY CHURCH AND US (Excerpts from an excellent article by Ray Mayhew that helped formulate my calling into house church)

LIGHT VS HEAT (Reformation, not Revolution)

TOMMY (A surprising story of compassion and mission on house church night)

The Mission: 2007

2007-01-12T13:07:00.000-08:00

This is the year that The Mission launches a second group. We've grown so large on our Thursday night gatherings that a second group is inevitable, and necessary.

It's not something I look forward to since it means saying goodbye to many of our dear family in Christ.

Still, this is one of the three phases of growth that we anticipated early on as The Mission was forming.

Phase 1 was the mid-week Thursday group.

Phase 2 was the Sunday morning gathering.

Phase 3 is when we split one of those groups into a second group.

More as the Lord leads us...

peas,
Keith

Mission Update: 10/31/06

2006-10-31T08:02:00.000-08:00

We've had four Sunday Morning gatherings to date and each of them has been precious.

I am still amazed at how God has truly built His church (just like He promised in Scripture), without me having to do much more than show up, open my front door and invite the Holy Spirit to lead us.

We meet for breakfast at 9:30am and share food together and fellowship. Then we move into a time of worship (a few of us take turns each week playing guitar, sometimes we have two at once), and we share communion together.

After the worship we open things up for everyone to share together what God has been speaking to them about, or showing them througout the week.

Usually one of our littlest ones, Molly, will read a scripture verse that sets the theme for our meeting. It's seriously awesome to me that God speaks to us through the children as much as the adults in the room.

This last week we had a wonderful time of confession and admission of weakness to one another that was spontaneous and Spirit-led. We spent time encouraging one another, taking off our masks, and lifting each other up in prayer.

Around 1pm we took a break to order pizzas and had lunch together. We sat out on the back patio and shared together more.

This is my dream. About a year ago I had a picture of a Sunday Morning House Church meeting in our home with people meeting for breakfast and staying through until lunch, sharing their lives and "being the Church" rather than simply attending one.

I've seen each of us grow in Christ over the last year. I've seen several emerge as teachers or encouragers. I've seen children and adults share together and minister to each other.

This is my dream, and God gave it to me, then He made it come true.

Thank you, Father!

-kg

HOW TO EMPOWER OTHERS...

2006-08-15T09:02:00.000-07:00

Last night at "The Mission" (our weekly house church gathering) we were blessed with first-time visitors Brent and Clara from Fullerton. (Brent discovered our house church listing over at "House2House.com").

During our meal we had a wonderful discussion about something that I've been meaning to write about for a while now and this is a good time to do so.

What we began discussing was the tendency in our traditional churches to centralize certain people as leaders and, in turn, we disqualify everyone else from participating.

For example, most pastors and on-staff ministers can relate to the fact that only a handful of people do all the work and ministry in the Body while 80% to 90% sit back and do nothing. This creates frustration, burn-out and, honestly, a large group of underdeveloped disciples.

Brent's comment was that he realized in his church that it was like a classroom of people from various levels of maturity who would never graduate. So, the First Graders and the Twelfth Graders (and everyone in between) must sit through the same lecture each week and there is no homework (so the pastor/professor cannot ever really tell who is listening or putting things into practice or not) and the fact is that no one ever graduates from this "Class" and becomes an instructor themselves.

Here's a great solution: Teach your people to become teachers. If you are in the habit of training others to become trainers of others (this is a very basic principle of discipleship), you will eventually end up with a church full of teachers and trainers who are training others to also be teachers and trainers. Over time your church will become so full of mature ("Graduated") leaders and disciple-makers that your small staff will act mostly as facilitators and not the one's who must always be "hands-on" for every single event/class/lesson/bible study, etc.

I have personally been shocked to see a lack of basic trust among most lead pastors to "give away the ministry" in this way. Many pastors are too afraid to actually empower and release others to do their job. Why? Well, it's pretty obvious that this threatens their authority and job security. But, it doesn't have to. I believe any pastor who actually put this into practice would quickly become the envy of other pastors in their community. They'd get phone calls from other pastors asking, "How do you do it?" and "Can you show me how to do this?"

Here's a quick reference of how to empower others contrasted with how to expoit others. See where your church fits in this matrix:

HOW TO EMPOWER OTHERS / HOW TO EXPLOIT OTHERS
*Give them something to do / *Give them something to attend
*Believe in them / *Make them believe in you
*Delegate authority / *Require submission to your authority
*Further God's plan for their life / *Make them part of your plans
*Invest in them / * Use them
*Love them and show it / *Love the task more than the people
*Give them what you have / *Take what they have
*Provide resources for growth / *Harvest their resources for your own use
*Discuss with them / * Preach at them
*Spend time freely with them / *Require appointments that suit your schedule
*Give them the keys now / *Hold back until you retire
*Serve them / *Get them to serve you
*Praise them / *Accept their praise graciously
*Transfer masterhood to them / *Demonstrate your masterhood to them

**Modified from Wolfgang Simson

Brent and I also discussed a bit about Barna's book "Revolution" and how, in the next 20 years, he predicts that the traditional church will decline and "organic" or "house" churches will flourish. I agree with Barna, however, I think as this begins to gather momentum many "smart" pastors will begin to look around and say, "Hold the phone! Why are all these people leaving the church? What is it they are hungry for? How can we modify what we do to provide the same opportunity?"

Most of those "smart" pastors will shift from an "Exploit Others" methodology to an "Empower Others" methodology. Many of the smart ones already have...

Brent and I both shared testimonials of how we've seen requests from church members to start Bible Studies or Prayer Meetings in their homes have been told "No" by their lead pastors because there wasn't a recognized pastoral figure who could oversee such a meeting. So, this means pastors are actually discouraging their members from meeting and praying and studing the Word of God together because they're not qualified to do so.

Wow.

What happened to the Priesthood of the Believer? What happened to opening the Word of God and trusting the Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth?

Sadly, our practice betrays our heritage of The Reformation and the liberty offered to us by God to empower every believer to become a committed and devoted disciple who, then in turn, goes and creates other committed and devoted disciples.

I've mentioned it here before, but the goal of an apple tree is not to produce more apples. It's to produce more apple trees. This is the organic purpose found in nature, and it's the organic purpose of the Body of Christ as well.

Let's go and make disciples. Let's empower every follower of Christ to go and exponentially create as many Bible Studies, Prayer Groups, Spiritual Discussion Groups, etc. as the Holy Spirit desires.

-kg

IN PRAISE OF THE LOCAL CHURCH by Keith Giles

2006-08-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

IN PRAISE OF THE LOCAL CHURCH by Keith Giles

I've had to eat some crow the last few days.

So much of my attitude of late has revolved around feeling that, in general, the contemporary church has it all wrong. The solution, of course, is to go back to the beginning and to re-visit the values and the vision of the early church, before things got so corrupted.

I know that God still loves His Bride as it is today. I know that, by the Grace of God, people are still touched by Him, lives are still transformed and the Gospel is still preached, and often, even actually reflected in the lives of those who call themselves Christian.

But, I have felt frustrated, even angered and deeply disappointed by most of what is called "Christian" today. I do feel that Church has become an event that must be paid for, not a life that must be lived. I am saddened that our churches today focus more on putting butts in the seats than on actually helping people in need, discipling young Christians and putting feet to their faith.

Still, as I said at the top, I have had to eat crow.

What happened was, I was visiting one of the families in the motel this week where our Church has been ministering and I began to see the amazing fruit that has come in their lives. Granted, yes, this compassion ministry into this motel was something I had been working on for over a year, but the recent advances in their spiritual development I can mainly attribute to their involvement in the traditional church I've been part of for 3 years.

Because of the ministry through prayer that these guys received at a recent Sunday morning service, they experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives. They sat and told me about how they had never been to a church like ours before, where people didn't look down on them because of their poverty, where people actually cared for them and shared the love of Jesus in real ways.

"We love our church," they said. "We want to have our kids baptized and we want to come every week now, no more excuses."

I was forced to admit that our church, our contemporary, traditional church, had accomplished something truly amazing in the lives of my friends.

I have to admit that God is able to do whatever He wants with whatever system of worship is available to Him. Whether it's a system that takes its cues from the big business world, or the mega-church model, or the simple, early home church version, God is able to produce fruit and transform lives, no matter what.

Of course, on one level, I 'knew' this already. I haven't ever said or felt that the over-riding methods of "doing church" were evil or bankrupt, although I do feel that changes towards a more relational, community-focused sort of gathering are more likely to impact the culture than the system we've got.

This brings up another subject I want to address. Most of the house churches that I've looked into are characterized by their common hatred of the modern Church system, and most often directly defined by how much they are not like the church they all left to form their gathering in protest.

I really don't want our group to be defined this way. In fact, Wendy and I have promised each other that we will be vigilant to cut anyone off who starts spewing out negative monologs about why we're better or why that "other church" has it all wrong.

What I want is to focus on what we're called to do and to live out the convictions we have, without defining ourselves as an "anti" church.

So, in the future, whenever I write about the failures of the modern church, or critique the methodology of American Christianity, please keep in mind that God is still at work in all of the various forms His Bride might take and that He loves, and redeems, and is completely in love with us all.

-kg

BBQ WAFFLES ANYONE?

2006-08-15T08:57:00.001-07:00

BBQ WAFFLES ANYONE?
By Keith Giles

“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had….There was no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.”- Acts 4:32-35

As I read about the early church in the book of Acts I am amazed at their simple devotion to one another, to the poor, and especially to Jesus.

Reading about how “there was no needy person found among them” I am humbled and inspired. As I see their eagerness to share, not just to give an offering, but to take what is their own and give it away to others who are truly in need, I long to know this kind of “koinonia” or “Agape Community”.

How did they do it?

As someone who has been involved in ministry and on staff at various kinds of churches over the last sixteen years, I know first-hand the frustration of reading the book of Acts and then trying every possible program and gimmick available to duplicate this kind of simple Christian life within the congregation I’m helping to pastor.

Anyone who’s ever tried to lead a group of believers, or to pastor a church knows the pain of this same frustration. We attend seminars taught by high-powered business executives turned church consultant gurus. We buy their books, their tapes, and we try every possible way to produce the fruit we see in the book of Acts within our own church body.

What happens is, we get larger churches, we get happier churches, we get culturally-relevant churches, we get hip and cool and slick, but the one thing we don’t get is more like the people we read about in the book of Acts.

Why is that?

Here’s my oversimplified explanation. Let’s pretend that what the early Christians in Acts were great at was making waffles. They made the best waffles known to man. Their waffles were legendary. We read about those amazing waffles and we determine to make waffles like they did. So, we go to the successful culinary experts in our modern world and we ask them for advice. They tell us to buy the biggest Barbecue Grill we can find, the one with dual propane tanks and the built-in meat thermometer. They tell us to get the complete serving dish set, all the chrome cooking utensils and even a chefs hat and matching apron. We buy it all and we even put a cross on it to make it holy. Next we start trying to grill up some waffles, and of course, those waffles are lousy. No one wants our waffles and we can’t understand why.

Why won’t we accept the fact that, unless we start trying to make waffles the way the early church did, we’ll never ever be any good at making waffles?

Very simply put, I feel very strongly that if we don’t do what they did, we’ll never get what they got.

That’s why we’re starting “the mission”, so that we can begin to learn from The Holy Spirit how to actually love, and share, and give, and live out our faith the same way the early church did for over 300 years.

Even the big business executives agree-“The systems you currently have are perfectly designed to give you the results you are now getting” (Peter Senge).

If we want different results than what we’re getting, it means we’re going to have to completely change the system we’re using.

I’ll be mixing up the batter in the kitchen, please don’t forget to bring the syrup.

“All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”- Acts 2:44-47

**

APPLES AND ORANGES by Keith Giles

2006-08-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

APPLES AND ORANGES by Keith Giles

As my wife and I begin to move into this new phase of our calling to start a missional house church in a new neighborhood, we've been reading a lot and studying up on the early church and how they operated.

Our goal is not to copy the early church verbatim, but to glean from them a basic method of operation and to understand the core values they embodied.

In this process, I came across a quote that stirred me to think in a new way.

In discussing the way that the house churches exponentially grow outward via a process similar to organic cell division, one author noted that "The goal of an apple tree is not to produce apples."

This made me stop and re-think what I understood about nature and about church.

If the goal of an apple tree is NOT to produce apples, then what is the goal of an apple tree? And more importantly, what the heck does this have to do with planting a house church in the O.C. today?

Here's what I discovered. If an apple tree only produces apples all of it's life and dies, what has it accomplished? At first glance, a lot. It's provided the world with nutritious food and fulfilled one of the basic design elements inherent in its nature. But is that really all that an apple tree is really designed by the Creator to do?

That's when I realized the mistake we all make when thinking of organic structures, as compared to the living Body of Christ. If the apple tree dies without having produced another apple tree, it has failed miserably. Mainly because future generations will never taste of the fruit.

Unless an apple tree produces more apple trees, it is a total failure.

In a similar way, if the Church only makes converts, or even true disciples, and not more churches, then it has failed.

Look at the early church as an example. They quickly spread throughout the known world and "turned the world upside down" with the Gospel. How did they do this? Not by simply making converts or disciples, although this is an important part of the process, but by making more churches just like itself.

What made this process ingeniously easy and effective was the fact that the church was a family-based, household of faith. To plant a new church just like itself all it had to do was outgrow the largest room in the house it was currently meeting in and send out five or six to start meeting in another house in another part of town.

These churches then grew exponentially as each house church sent out more and more groups who then also sent out more and more groups, they quickly took over a region for Christ.

The beauty of this system is that it inspires community, allows the full use of the gifts for the building up of the body, and it costs nothing. In fact, these house churches not only cost nothing to maintain, they could only create funds through the gifts and offerings of the members who gave on a weekly basis to the poor among them, both inside and outside the community of faith.

The early church was known, even by its enemies, as a radically inclusive group that cared for the poor and even buried the dead of the pagans in their city whose families couldn't afford it.

Of course, the Church must produce disciples. It's our mandate from our Lord Himself, but if all we do is create more and more disciples and never plant new churches, we're not fulfilling our organic, natural, God-designed calling as the Body of Christ.

I could write another article all about how, for the apple tree to produce another apple tree, those apples have to leave the tree and then to die in order fulfill its mission. Much like the follower of Jesus is called to die to himself/herself and take up the cross daily to be a productive disciple.

In John 12:24 Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."

Now, let's go plant some apple trees for the Kingdom.
**

KG

A WEDDING A WEEK?

2006-08-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

A Wedding A Week?”

By keith giles

Has the modern church become a “Wedding-A-Week” event?

Think of what it takes to pull off a wedding. You need an event planner just to make sure everything comes together logistically and that the ceremony is successful. Someone has to take care of the flowers, the food, the cake, the dresses, the tuxedos, the gifts, the parking, the DJ, the lights, the video, etc., etc. It’s a very big deal and no one in their right mind would attempt to put on a wedding every weekend…or would they?

Think of what goes into a typical Sunday morning worship service. Someone has to put together the bulletin, the order of service, the flowers, the coffee, the visitors table, the information booths, and clean the building before and after the service. The band, or the choir, has to be practiced, prepared and ready for the performance. The announcements have to be loaded on the power point slides in advance. Someone has to make sure that the ushers are ready, that visitors are welcomed, and that the Sunday School and child-care workers and rooms are all set up and staffed.

We haven’t even mentioned the pastor and his sermon yet.

Most Sunday morning worship services are a big production.

Is that what the early church went through?

Not even close.

The early church met in homes. They read scripture. They prayed for each other. They sang hymns spontaneously and they shared a common meal among their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Here’s another thing I find interesting about weddings. Do you think that community happens during a wedding? Not really…but why not? Isn’t a wedding a gathering of two families and all their friends into a single place? They’re even in a church building. So, why don’t we have community at weddings?

Before I answer that, let’s take that same family and look at what happens when they get together for Thanksgiving or a family reunion. Do you think community happens during these gatherings? Probably so…but again, why is that? It’s the same family isn’t it? What’s the difference?

The main differences are that, in the home setting of Thanksgiving dinner, no one is acting as an event planner. No one worries if the kids play outside before or after the meal, or if Grandma wants to tell her fond stories about the old days before desert or after they say “Grace”. The gathering is spontaneous. It’s about being the family, not acting out roles.

Something happens when you take that same family and place them in an event or a performance. They loose the environment necessary to facilitate community.

It’s almost funny to me to hear pastors and Christian leaders go on and on about how they wish their churches could develop community. We all wonder why talking about it and reading books about it and having potlucks don’t solve this problem.

We ask ourselves, “Why can’t we have a sense of community the way the early church experienced?”

The answer? “Because we’re not living the way those early Christians lived. We’re not meeting in homes they way they did. We’re not sharing all that God has given us with our neighbors and our fellow Believers. That’s why we don’t experience the same sense of community.”

One family gathering is large, and focused on following an event schedule. They other gathering, of the same family, is smaller and less formal, focused on being the family and enjoying a shared meal in a home.

Which of these is most like the early church?

Which is most likely to provide the atmosphere necessary to inspire community?

The early church was a divinely inspired system designed to create community, facilitate discipleship, mentoring and exponential multiplication, and we should be grateful that it was successful or else none of us would be here now.

For 300 years the church that Jesus inspired and that the Apostles crafted withstood persecution, created disciples, evangelized the lost, penetrated the culture and “turned the world upside down”.

I for one feel that it’s time for the people of God to return to this system of being the church and embodying the message of the Gospel, rather than bringing people to a building where they can hear a message.

By Keith Giles

WHY THE HOUSE CHURCH?

2006-08-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

WHY THE HOUSE CHURCH?
Here are just a few of the reasons:

Historical- The house church is the biblical church. All of the churches in the New Testament era were small assemblies that met in homes. The churches that all of Paul’s letters were written to met in this way. His directions for their order of worship, attitudes about the Lord’s Supper, community, giving, etc., were all instructions for how to do house-based church.

For the first three hundred years of its existence the church met primarily in the homes of its members, not in specially designed buildings. Keep in mind that the United States hasn’t even been around for three hundred years. This is a huge statement to the effectiveness and the potential of these sorts of meetings.

Growth- The most explosive growth of Christianity in our own time has taken place in nations where Believers meet in homes (China, Korea, etc.). The studies of Historian Del Birkey , researcher George Barna, and several others, have concluded that the house church is our best hope for renewal in our times.

Resisting the Culture- Our faith is constantly being pulled towards conforming to the culture around us. (See Paul’s warning about this in Romans 12). The house church has always been counter-cultural for this reason, just as Jesus said that his disciples should be in the Sermon on the Mount.

Practical Considerations- It is often argued that a large church is better equipped than a small church (or, in this case, a house-church) to organize and finance the sending of missionaries.

In fact, the argument backfires. One mega-church with one-thousand members could never match the resource potential of a network of house-churches with one-thousand members, for the mega-church must allocate huge amounts of its resources for the building itself.

According to one recent survey, as much as 82% of church revenues in an average Protestant church goes toward buildings, staff, and internal programs, while only 18% goes toward missions!

Strength In Weakness-The church of the first century did not equate "bigness" with ability, (See 1Co 1:27-29). The world system operates from the principle that bigger is better. To those in this system, success is measured by size and might is measured by muscle. In contrast, it was the “weakness and foolishness” of the Gospel and the lifestyle of the early Christians that “turned the world upside down”.

Mission- There are several opportunities in our communities that are especially suited for the house church. An invitation offered to a work-place acquaintance to a home is much less threatening than one to a church, just as one example. Another is the unique value of the house church as a ministry to "the damaged" and the poor and needy and the possibility of learning the joy of giving by elevating that practice to a personal level.

Evangelism- If a mega-church of 1,000 or more people were converted into 56 churches of 51 people each, they would reach 1,670 people for Christ every 5 years, easily doubling their own number.

If that same church of 1,000 plus members stays a mega-church, they’ll only reach 122 people in the same 5 year time span.

Another way of looking at this is that the mega-church is actually preventing 1,548 people from coming to Christ every 5 years.
*(Taken from the book "Natural Church Growth" by Christian Schwarz)

Financial Responsibility-The House Church model literally makes money because they produce more than they consume, by design. The modern, traditional church model costs enormous sums of money to establish and even more to maintain and propagate.

OUR VISION, OUR VALUES, OUR PRACTICE

2006-08-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

the mission

OUR VISION: To be a community that models the life and love of Jesus to our world and to one another.

OUR MISSION: We are a community in love with Jesus. We are the Church. We have a mission to be Jesus to our friends, neighbors and our world.

WHO WE ARE: We are an outward focused Christian community with an inward commitment to love and disciple others to Jesus’ way of life.

OUR PRACTICE AND VALUES: We value the Word of God, therefore we will read it, study it, talk about it, meditate on it and, by the Grace of God, we will put the Word of God into practice every day of our lives.

We value the Gospel of the Kingdom which Jesus came and died to proclaim, therefore we will proclaim the message of God’s Kingdom as “here, and not yet”, and live our lives in obedience to His commands, as citizens of His Kingdom and servants of the King.

We value people, therefore we will gather together to eat, fellowship, sing and pray for each other. We will make people feel welcome. We will listen to others. We will embrace their pain. We will make their burdens our own. We will see their need and share whatever God has given us to share. We will laugh. We will rejoice. We will celebrate together.

We value service, therefore we will make ourselves available to those who are in need. We will invest our time and talent and energy into the work of the Kingdom of God, serving others as Jesus did, expecting nothing in return.

We value giving, therefore we will demonstrate our dependence on God for all things by freely sharing what God has given us with others. All funds given to The Mission will be distributed to people in need, whether in the community or within our own church family.

We value worship, therefore we will worship God with our entire life. In homes, on the street, at work, in the marketplace, wherever we are there is worship. We are Christ’s ambassadors, and we will offer our lives to God as a living sacrifice that is pleasing to Him. (Romans 12)

We Love The Whole Church- God loves His Bride, in all forms and in every mode, denomination and organization. We ourselves have been, and continue to be, massively blessed by what the Holy Spirit and His people have done in our lives through the traditional church expression.

Therefore, our house church will not be established as an entity that is against the traditional church. We do not ever want to spend our time tearing down what God is doing