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Albany, New York (Middleburgh)

It's around 10:30 Sunday morning. People are starting to arrive at our home, hauling food and kids. We all greet and hug and make small talk.

When the piano -- or the guitar -- starts playing, everyone gathers around, choosing songs from our homemade songbooks. The kids love to pick their favorites for us to sing together. As we get going, someone may pray. Others might have a teaching on a Bible passage, or a testimony of how God blessed them or used them during the past week. Some may discuss prayer requests or answered prayers.

You will not find any bulletin that lists the order of service or a liturgy. We let the spirit lead. We then move into the dining room for the Lord's Supper, a full love feast. The meal is pot luck (or pot-providence, as we like to call it), and the dishes from each home are always a blessing.

The bread and cup are the centerpiece and focal point of the meal and the whole day. This it is not the Lord's snack, but it is not a somber time either. It's a time of fellowship, encouragement and edification.

There is no set time limit. The length of our meeting varies as the spirit leads and can often go into the evening.

So what is this that I have just described? It is church, New Testament style. We call it home church. Some call it house church or biblical church. The idea is to be faithful to the traditions that the Apostles established for practicing church. In addition to our gathering, there are at least five other home churches in the Capital Region that we fellowship with often. We thoroughly enjoy this type of churchin' (as we sometimes call it), but we do not do it primarily because of the wonderful fellowship and familylike relationships. We believe the patterns for church life evident in the New Testament are not merely descriptive of an earlier era, but are actually prescriptive for us today.

We are not against other contemporary churches. We recognize all Christians as our brothers and sisters equally. Many who gather with us have different backgrounds and doctrinal beliefs. Our gatherings are not meant to debate opinions but, as Scripture says, "Let all things be done for edification." We aim to promote Godliness and Christian conduct.

The gatherings are like family reunions and actually are intended to be a sort of rehearsal for our wedding feast to Jesus Christ on the last day, as described in the Book of Revelation.

Most Christians would agree that we should follow the Bible's teachings. Where in the New Testament does one person lead all the others in a position above them? Where is there only one doing all the talking, while everyone else sits silently?

Does it foster relationships to line up in rows and look at the back of people's heads? Doesn't this make you feel like you are in a room full of strangers? Are we supposed to be entertained like at a theater? Or is church supposed to be something else, something more?

My wife and I have been home churchin' for about eight years. We feel this is our ministry together, and we are committed to help grow the home church movement in the Capital Region. We live on the Berne-Middleburgh line.

E-mail Tom 

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