House of peace in Chicago

See below for a story from Mark Willis about a house of peace in Chicago. I think we need as many stories like this as possible. Each time we read one it helps us get a little clearer about what to look for and what to pray for.

One of the things that come to my mind as I read this story is "I wonder how many thousands of Tim and Kims there are in traditional churches who could start one of these "vibrant families of Jesus" with just a little help.

In the Comment section, tell us what strikes you about this house of peace. What similarities do you see with Gerardo and Carola? And, see if you have any thoughts about Mark's question at the end.

John


I wanted to spend my 5 minutes talking about a house church in our network we visited yesterday. We've met with them several times before, and it is always encouraging to see how God is using them to display his Family in simple and profound ways.

Tim and Kim are a couple that have followed Christ full-on for over 22 years together. They were a part of several unhealthy church hierarchical structures, and eventually found themselves opening up their home for people to worship and seek the Lord together. They have adopted two children from China, and though they have day jobs, they see their jobs as servant to their true vocation - nurturing healthy families of Jesus.

The children in this church are involved, just like the parents are. One couple in the community is going through some rough times, and they've gracefully found ways to provide sanctuary for the couple to work out their disagreements and find reconciliation....even as they firmly address stubbornness and sin that are obstacles to the relationship. They've called their entire church family to bring their neighbors and the poor and anyone else to join them for meals and worship in their house... In short - they've been released by God as hosts of this house church to spend all their energies on developing disciples and communities that reflect the image of Jesus Christ.

We don't know exactly what it means to "not go around from house to house" with this couple - they are definitely well on their journey and don't seem to need an outside force coming in to tell them about God's Kingdom. However - I found myself wanting to stay around with these folks simply because there was a mutual attraction to God's Kingdom which seemed so near to me that it could have been right across the dinner table. You don't want to leave when the Kingdom is so near its palpable in the air.

MRT Introduction: Chicago

Fellow church planters,

See below for a great description of the harvest field called "Chicago". Mark and Katrina Willis, part of the Abilene/Antioch diaspora, have been assigned by the Lord of the harvest to that huge city. Add your voice to theirs today in beseeching the Lord to thrust out (exballo) an army of harvest workers there.

John

My wife Katrina and I are living and working here in urban Chicago - we moved here in June 2008. It's been a fast-paced lifestyle that has asked a lot of us emotionally, financially, and spiritually. Living in the urban matrix of Chicago, we've seen elements of Babel and whispers of the New Jerusalem -- plenty of "making a name for ourselves" through skyscrapers, gang graffiti, and workaholics; but also plenty of peace-making, reconciliation, and redistribution of God's people throughout the "empire" to serve the poor and lost among us.

We are connected to several other couples in the city who have the goal of planting house churches and participating in mission with God. This has been a great source of encouragement for us, and at the same time, we're still listening to God as to how he is calling us together. Our dream is to see a "vibrant family of Jesus" in close reach of every person in Chicago. We are desperately praying that God show us people from the harvest who can be leaders in their context. We have seen several vibrant families gather in the last year, and are praying for the holistic salvation of Chicago, the "city of neighborhoods."