House Church Talk - public meetings

[jim pierceall]

> Have you guys had many meetings in restaurants?
> On the subject of dialog -- I wonder if we could have some more dialog on
my
> question concerning HC visibility?
>
> Dan Beaty
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In the early "daze" - 30 yrs ago O;>) we separated the housegathering from
outreach work ...  <please bear in mind - no hard fast boundaries need be
applied>

Outreach were teaching sessions.  Making available the Gospel in
non-traditional, non-church formats.  While it started out w/ a facility
made available in the basement of a church, once people started coming, and
they didn't grow in church service numbers from the types that found this
Thursday Night teaching session attractive, and as our "doctrines" didn't
line-up in exactness w/ the church holdings - we were asked to close shop...
We didn't close - we simply MOVED...

A city public library was made available - until the PC people grew in
political strength and after maybe 7 yrs - we were forced to moved again...
We could see by numbers alone the library was pr'bly gonna experience some
trouble...  Take 15 people singing - not much volume - right?  Take 70
singing and it was becoming disruptive to readers/meditations up-stairs -
right?  O;>)

This time to Howard-Johnson Restaurant...  Every week - same time - same
channel - A banquet room was made available, and eating together prior to
teaching sessions remained optional - but always enough eaters to satisfy
the Owners nightly receipts...

Oh for the rich stories of people that would hear and see us gathering
publicly and then venture over to ask questions...
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Since we never ever considered building a "edifice" - numbers would expand
and then shrink and expand again - but a public meeting, of time and place
was known to be always a place to go...  A place that many would
"springboard" off into diverse and various locations - and there is NO way
of knowing how many home-fellowships were spun from these humble roots of
public effort

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I do not want to mislead - I relocated and wasn't always there physically,
but always maintaining contact and would go back to be w/ the brethren
whenever time permitted...
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Typical Meeting:  Opening w/ songs - and if ANY had something to share this
time was understood to be available...  Testimony - open prayers -
prophecy - new song - introduction of visitor's, etc....  Then teaching
session - confined to simple understanding but springboarding to the deeper
issues.  A lot of the parables were strung together for enlightenment - and
would often become "sword drills" - racing through OT as well as NT...  As
session would end - any wanting prayer or wanted to stay and discuss
additional thoughts and considerations - this was that time allocation...
and many nights that was the "better meeting".. ha!

-----------

Never, from day one, our intention to build a bldg...  We never took up
collection, though a poor box was added by demand of the generous... O;>)...
No salaries or business expenses...  no songbooks other than what King James
provided.. O;>)    No robes...  We baptized exteriors in rivers, creeks,
swimming pools...  Jesus baptized hearts...

Any questions?

JimP - kentucky

I think I might enjoy writing more about these "potentials" concerning HC
visibility IF we can get some flow in Spirit ...   Are there others that
might join in?