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 spend a whole Lord’s Day together, “praising God & enjoying the favor of all the people” (Acts 2:47). our meals are unhurried & last all day. we eat, worship, & take pauses throughout our gathering to make room for Holy Spirit.
everyone is welcome to a meal, but we ask that only baptized believers who have examined themselves take the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17–34). a house-church potluck, we pray, share testimonies, sing, give words of instruction, revelation, tongue, or interpretations as God breaths. we shepherd our gatherings so everything is done “decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:26–40).
we call this one-anothering—the practice of living out the many “one another” commands of the new testament. loving one another, serving one another, encouraging one another, bearing one another’s burdens, forgiving one another, confessing to one another, praying for one another, & building one another up.
Jesus said "My house will be called a house of prayer" (Matthew 21:13), & that’s what our agape meals are about—on the Lord’s Day, we pray all day like a national day of prayer, devoting our hearts to Holy Spirit in teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, prayer, generosity, & worship (Acts 2:42–47).
52-DAY BIBLE
“They devoted themselves…”
we teach during agape meals, but we don’t do sermons. instead, we do public readings & have open conversations.
our 52-Day Bible is our churchwide challenge to read the whole Bible together as a church in a year when we gather together on sundays.
it’s about 23 chapters on sundays.
teachers guide our reading & the church interprets scriptures together, especially passages or verses that catch our eyes, asking & answering questions, with everyone exercising one another’s giftings as God breaths.
OFFERING
“Each of you should give…”
on sunday, we place events on 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.