In our church planting journey, we've started by meeting in the basement of the Swart's house. Then it got a bit full, so we moved to the living room. Soon we'll be moving out of the house into a gym or school. There have definitely been some mixed responses when talking about our church meeting in the house. Our next blog is from Shelli and Ronnie ...
David and I met at work and found ourselves in a number of meetings together. He was new to the bank and shared that his wife and family would be moving to Columbus. Being C-bus locals, my husband and I wanted to be a part of the Swart family welcome wagon!
During lunch one day, David mentioned that he and Kathy were starting a church- a church led out of their house. My reaction, "You lead a church in your house?!" I won't lie, a few thoughts came to mind - and not all of them were positive! While I was processing this somewhat crazy notion, I was also thinking about the fact that my husband and I weren't going to church and hadn't felt 'at home' in our previous church...so I became intrigued and a little curious.
Curiosity peaked, my next step was to convince my husband that this was a good idea. Oh by the way, this is a guy who doesn't own a Bible and didn't grow up with any spiritual guidance or direction. Getting him to a traditional church had been a challenge. His first thought was the same as mine, "a church at a HOUSE?!" But then he went on...."and it's led by our friend and your co-worker?"..."won't that be awkward?!"..."is David going to try to convince us to drink some kool-aid and lay down together in a circle?!" Nonetheless, I got a reluctant agreement from the hubs to attend.
Fast forward six months and WE have joined 614 church; even attended leader training in June. 614 Church is rooted in the word AUTHENTIC. Authentic in worship, at work, at home, and in the community. Since joining, we have formed new friendships- and not just friendships at church. We have done hockey games, cookouts, and tough-mudder's. Worshiping has introduced us to new music and we love seeing the kids belt out the songs along with the grown-ups. This is participative worship focused on truly connecting with God, not just reading words from a hymnal.
We know we have a lot to learn. I did grow up in a faith- based home, with a grandma that knew every verse of The Bible by heart. 614 is helping me build on my basic knowledge and really think about how to align my actions and beliefs to the word of God. I feel comfortable asking questions and know I'm getting stronger in my faith because of it.
As for my skeptical husband, I've seen him open his mind and his heart to Jesus. He's not all the way there, but he's got a Bible app on his phone and he actually reads it, so that's good progress! He talks about the fellowship he feels at 614, which helps him feel comfortable too.
Hearing stories about the power of prayer, seeing the good work 614 is starting to do in the community, singing along to some really great music about our 'good, good Father'...seems pretty authentic to us. What we appreciate most is the welcome, not just from David and Kathy, but from everyone at 614. We finally feel like we're "home".
Ronnie and Shelli
