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Home Church:  Our Story

Earl and I were members of a popular, healthy traditional church in Southern California. We loved the people there; we loved the pastor. Earl especially had been involved in the church's leadership. I had taught children's church. He had taught adults. Together, we had led one of their home fellowships.

That church had been but one of many traditional churches we had embraced. Largely due to nine years with the military, we had moved a lot and had tasted a variety of different denominations and kinds of churches. Our favorite was the "Gospel" military chapel where, at first, we were the only Whites. I loved the choir, although I never could get my feet and hands together. No rhythm. They loved us anyway.

Seemingly overnight, though, I became an invalid. It was actually a progressive thing with my back. I had long endured a moderate level of pain until one day my back "locked." I found that I could not sit much more than five minutes without being in agony. And despite prayer and Ibuprofen and, later, prescription medication, I found I could not sit in church. At least, I could not sit and think about much more than the pain. I would get up and down and miss much of the service as I would walk around the foyer.

Eventually, I accepted reality and became housebound. I learned to work on my computer lying down. I became dependent on family for so much that I could not do lying down.

My family, therefore, had to go to church without me. At first, I received a handful of calls from the church's members. Mostly, these came from the pastor. My friends would ask Earl and the kids how I was doing and hear the latest news. They would send back little messages, saying they were praying for me.

I do not fault them for not doing more. These were busy people. These were people active in ministries. New people were coming into their lives that claimed their time.

Even so, I was alone. And as time went along I became more alone. I had not yet discovered the Internet, which opens doors to the world for many who are housebound.

I was restless for fellowship with believers, which is a good thing. But it left me frustrated. So, I began to do research via telephone and learned of a network of home churches in our area. Earl and I decided to go meet with two of its leaders to learn something about them.

To our relief, these particular home churches were committed to the essentials of Biblical Christianity. And though our denominational beliefs differed with theirs, we had Jesus in common.

Earl and I, then, decided to visit one particular home church in this network. The church was made up entirely of young people. We had thought that it might be a good place to bring our young-adult son and daughter. We figured that once they were settled, Earl and I could move to one of the other churches. What we found, though, was that Earl and I belonged. We fell in love with these wonderful young people.

It wasn't easy on my pride to have to lie down on a sofa or the floor, but it did not matter to these people. And soon it no longer mattered to me. Also, what I found is that because I was there and actively involved, I was receiving a whole lot of prayer. And God answered. Today, I can sit for hours with minimal difficulty.

What we found within our particular network of home churches was an extended family. We love the traditional church and know there are things they are capable of doing that we are not. But I do not foresee us ever going back to the traditional church model. We bless those in the traditional churches and are so very thankful that they are there. But God has led us to something else.

  

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