Home Fellowship Starts

This weekend we started our first in-home fellowship. We had only invited about five people, and out of those we didn't know just how many would respond to our invitation. Well, people in our West African nation are not known for their punctuality, so I doubted that we would see many make it for the desired 9:30 starting time. Only two people had arrived by then. Was this all there would be? We hadn't been able to give that much notice for the meeting, so I did not let this discourage me too much. But slowly they started to show, and by the end of the meeting (at 2:30) we had a total of ten (counting the two of us). What a blessing!

Many people here are fed up with the sins which lie unattended to in the local churches. Yet such still seem to desire true fellowship. And, the few home groups which do exist have either drifted into extreme charismatic/pentacostalism, or have leaders who lord over the others.

One of our African friends had been a part of a fellowship which tended toward the latter course. The fellowship leader was the sole decision-maker as to whether the "door" was open or closed for new members or visitors to attend. He insisted that all new members be re-baptized, and they go through compulsary "Deliverance" sessions with him. This was even the case for members who'd only been out of town for a few months. Needless to say, that fellowship hadn't started out that way!

A little over a week ago an old friend stopped by our house to tell us that he was bothered that we were not attending a local "organized" church. I told him that if the Lord had placed it on his heart that we were in need of fellowship, he should visit us for that purpose on a regular basis. Almost two weeks have now passed and we are yet to hear back from him.

All over the city there are numbers of people who have left the organized churches here because of the open sins (among leaders and members) being practiced, and because of the abuses of power. I have steered clear of them for these reasons and because I don't want to be tied to a denomination. I also personaly don't see the sort of pattern they've set for meetings or leadership outlined in the Bible.

As a missionary I have longed for a place where I could point others to for fellowship, and for people who I might fellowship with as well. I didn't start out to plant a fellowship, but had hoped to find one to join. However, the "door" was closed. We are now just following as Jesus leads, meeting with our African brothers and sisters!