AGAPE MEALS
"They broke bread… and ate together...”
agape meals (“love feasts”) follow early church practice of sharing meals, resting, reconciling, & giving thanks (“eucharist”) at the Lord’s Supper.
we gather like family, “praising God & enjoying the favor of all the people” (Acts 2:47). our meals are unhurried & may last all day. we eat, worship, & make room at the table for the Holy Spirit. we want church to feel like home—even for people who never thought it could.
everyone is welcome at the meal, but we ask that only baptized believers who have examined themselves take the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17–34). like a house-church potluck, christians may pray, share testimonies, sing, give a word of instruction, revelation, tongue, or an interpretation as the Spirit leads. we shepherd our gatherings so everything is done “decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:26–40).
families worship together whenever possible. we also make room for nursing mothers & young children so moms & dads can enjoy the meal.
with soft lighting & worship music, we settle our hearts and devote ourselves to the simple rhythms of the early church: teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, prayer, generosity, & worship (Acts 2:42–47).
52-DAY BIBLE
“They devoted themselves…”
we don’t do traditional sermons. we do public readings & have conversations. we try & read all the Bible together each year.
here’s our reading list during our agape meals.
Torah (4)
History (5)
Wisdom (5)
Prophets (5)
Gospels (2)
Letters (3)
it’s about 23 passages read every sunday. if able, we stand to read & sit to teach. our teachers explain our readings through careful observations.
teachers lead while the church talks & interprets scriptures together. when you got questions, you can ask them right then & there.
stay as long as you'd like. if your goal is to read through the Bible with our church in one year, plan on being here for about 3 hours.
OFFERING
“Each of you should give…”
we call a church council every sunday to place events on our calendars, take up money, & figure out how to help the widow, orphan, sick, prisoner, stranger, & those in need among us.
shepherds make the decisions, but the church is there to hear & give feedback in accordance with the command to be led by her shepherds.
we help from within, supporting the businesses of our brothers & sisters, connecting believers with jobs, services, & everyday needs, when we can.
our gatherings close when we lay hands on one another, giving our church time to pray over us. elders, prophets, & those with such gifts pray for healing, impartation of gifts, & one another's needs. we declare a church benediction from a psalm, sending the church into the week blessed.
HOUSE CHURCH
“Every day, they met together…”
believers meet in house churches of their own choosing throughout the week—to be friends, walk in faith together, care for one another, & find ministers from among themselves for youth ministries, care ministries, hospice ministries, etc.
after reading 23 chapters sunday, you’ll have a lot to munch on for your own house church.
elders should be appointed in every church (Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5), so sundays are our time for the church to find & train shepherds for house church.
we encourage believers to open their homes and gather together as often as they can. on sundays, we all come back again for our big agape meals.