In This Issue:

November Hearing The Voice of God House Church Gathering (Friday, November 16th)

 

On Saturday, September the 29th we had a follow-up gathering for our time with Neil Gamble earlier this summer. Twenty people gathered in Al West's living room to share how they had heard and acted on God's voice since Neil was with us. There were numerous testimonies of people hearing God's voice and stepping out into ministry situations. Everyone was blessed and encouraged to hear what God has been doing. In fact, the evening was so encouraging that we tentatively agreed to gather again before the end of the year. So Al and Patti have set aside the evening of Friday, November 16 for our next gathering. Our plan is to have a potluck at 6:00 PM followed by a regional house church gathering to hear and be encouraged by what God is doing in our midst around our area. We hope that you will come and bring not only some food to share, but a testimony of what God is doing in your house church. See you on Friday, November 16th!

Jamie's Journey - An On-Going House Church Tale

Three years ago my wife and I were part of a simple church outreach in the poorest and most drug infested neighborhood of our city. That’s where I first met Jamie during the summer of 2004. My wife Gale, along with her friend Kitty Shipley, worked in the kitchen preparing the evening outreach meal. Jamie would come, sit at the counter and tell her story of pain, darkness and despair. Born with genetic deformities of the facial bones (known as "Goldenhar Syndrome"), Jamie had endured some 20 corrective surgeries, and the ridicule of people who didn’t understand her journey. Unfortunately, much of that ridicule had come at the hands of Christians. To cope with the physical and emotional pain, both of which were unrelenting, Jamie turned to the dark side, becoming a goth and a satanist. Our response toward Jamie was simply one of prayer, love, friendship and compassion over the next three years. Recently, when a diabetic seizure sent her into a coma, Jamie had a vision of falling into an utter darkness of searing heat where a voice told her, "Now I have you." Her doctors later noted that Jamie was close to death. At that moment, in the depth of her coma and her despair, Jamie cried out to Jesus to save her. At that moment, a great hand penetrated the darkness, pulled her away and she awoke a believer. It was the turning point in her spiritual life. Jamie’s journey out of spiritual darkness had reached a milestone, and her path had led through the kitchen of a simple house church and into the kingdom of God.

A month ago, Jamie went to Harbor View Medical Center in Seattle for another surgery. Before leaving she attended our house church gathering at Al West's (on the 29th). We took up a collection for her trip and gave her and her mom a gift of $480 to help with their expenses (they were absolutely blown away by this). The surgery, although high risk, went well (imagine making a horizontal cut across the top of you scalp and then peeling your face down to jaw-level so the doctor could break your jaw and free it to function). But two days after returning home Jamie developed a massive life-threatening post-operative infection. Gale and I received two panic messages on our phone on Saturday morning informing us that Jamie was being flown back to Harbor View. At the hospital we prayed with her and her mom before they loaded her onto a MedStar flight for Seattle. On the way home we prayed and came to the conclusion that God wanted us to  go to Seattle and support them. Financially unable to make the trip, I called a local house church leader in our network and explained the situation and what I needed. His response was simple: "Come over and pick up a check." With our expenses paid, we rented a car and drove to Seattle that night and spent the next three days with Jamie and her mom, praying with them, talking with the staff, buying clothes and things they needed and simply seeking to encourage them in a moment of crisis. After three days we felt it was time to return home. We left them with one of our ministry cell phones so they could call whomever they needed to talk with, and so we could get regular updates. As of this writing, Jamie has been at Harbor View for 10 days, and will probably be there until early next week. She is fighting (and winning!) three infections, but is still spiking a temperature. The staff is going to keep her there until they KNOW that all of her issues (diabetes, blood pressure, infection, rash, temperature) are under control and she can safely return home. Jamie is a young believer and a real "trooper" in all she has been through. But the struggle is intense, she's tired & frustrated and discouragement is always crouching at the door. I would like to ask for your prayers for Jamie and her mom. There are many issues yet to be resolved, but love, prayer and encouragement are the best medicine that the house church community can offer them right now. They just need to know that they are loved and covered in prayer. They need to know that this is how a believing community responds to those in need. If we as a house church movement are to become "known" for anything, let it be for our love and good deeds toward "the least of these".

The "Simple Church Minute" Radio & Podcast Project

As those of you who regularly receive this newsletter know, we have been pursuing a podcasting project; accumulating equipment, doing some test recordings, etc. A podcast that is radio quality requires more moving parts than simply sitting down with a handheld mp3 recorder. My goal has been to create a professionally produced podcast which would also be suitable for radio broadcast (a somewhat higher standard with higher production values). I am pleased to announce that we are "getting there". I am currently producing our first 20 two-minute podcasts which are designed to run on a radio station as a two-minute commentary on simple church or house church. We are entitling them "The Simple Church Minute". The idea is to give a daily two-minute simple church commentary that makes people curious and "thirst" for more. They will then be encouraged to visit a website for more information. I have posted the first ten podcasts on a new website we have created: www.simplechurchminute.org Our goal is to get these podcasts carried as daily commentaries on several Christian radio networks. The ultimate goal is to encourage the planting of simple house churches and to provide interested people with the resources to do it.

Here is where you come in. First, I would love to get your  feedback on the podcasts as we create and post them. Second, I am establishing an initial "broadcast budget" of $5,000 to officially launch the broadcast phase of the project and get it aired. The funds will go towards 2 more pieces of equipment, some software we need, printing resource material which will be sent out free of charge to listeners who respond, and paying for the first month's air time. Needless to say, there will be on-going needs as the project grows, but right now we simply want to get it off the ground and airing. If you would like to help out financially, you can send a gift to: The Parousia Network, P.O. Box 18793, Spokane, WA 99228, or use our PayPal account at donations@parousianetwork.org. We're excited about this simple house church planting project, including parts of it I can't share with you yet because they aren't finalized. Please keep us in your prayers as we push forward.

 

"A Gathering Of Angels . . . And A Time To Dance"

 

Potluck this week! Our next gathering is scheduled for this FRIDAY evening the 26th of October at 6:00 PM at the Smith's. It's a potluck, so bring something to share! Check the website before coming!