I know of a fellowship - not sure if they stood with TWI still, or were operating independently, or under CFFM - anyway, two of the members of the fellowship were involved in an accident. One was okay but the other lost some teeth. The fellowship kindly paid for dental treatment as the sufferer had no means to pay for replacement teeth/bridge/whatever without help. They saw the need, and were ready and keen to help.
I can see that a local fellowship that is part of a larger organisation ought to help fund the wider group - to a reasonable level. But the local fellowship is in the best place to see what local needs there are, whether for its own members or in the wider community.
And the reciprocal of the wider group receiving any money is that it meets its own reasonable needs (pays a fair salary) and it itself serves and helps (genuinely!!!) local groups or communities. TWI is not alone among church groups to forget that. It's not about acquiring palaces, mansions, big buildings, accumulating paintings, gold furnishings, fancy robes or any of the other organisational stuff that churches tend to get into. It certainly isn't about accumulating a large bank balance "just in case it's needed." Like the manna - it's a day by day thing. Don't accumulate more than is needed for the day. Trust the one with sheep on 1,000 hills. He's the one with the accumulation of wealth.
I belong to a local fellowship that is just as described. We help the members of our spiritual assembly and we help others in other places...and we give money monthly to Wounded Warrior Project, Heifer International, and voice of the Martyrs. We are not tax exempt, and do not even have a name (by our choice). Each six months we get together for a general church meeting (we meet in the home) and decide as a group what we want to do for the next six months. It is a wonderfully intimate group of people with new folks coming in also. We are not affiliated with any Way or former Way group and learn from whomever we can. It's terrifc!
maybe people should consider having home fellowships in homes that are not required to be meticulously neat, and groomed..
so you are going to wait until the kids, the spouse.. the you name it.. is in Perfect Detail. That is not a real home, to begin with..
If you want to come to my home, we will do readings out of Bullinger's Witness of the Stars. That's about all I've got left from my old twi library.. maybe we can do some math or something..
There are many independent organic, simple churches where there are no ordained clergy in several cities/counties that network together and do not interfere or bully others. Theoretically only Jesus Christ is the only ordained person(any Christian believer can perform weddings, administer Communion, no salaries, etc.). Doglover is right about local churches determining demonstrating God's love(agape), whether Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, food pantries/banks, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, Goodwill thrift stores, etc. On another thread I suggested Frank Viola's Finding Organic Church, and Re-imagining Church as 2 books talking about simple church(David Cook Publishing in Colorado). Check them out.
i have a dear friend who has one in another state. i don't know if they belong to an offshooit, but i know they are wonderful folks with hearts of gold. if they are giving money to someone/thing i hope they are not, oh well. i do believe the christians who come to their home are very comforted and loved with the love of christ. he and his father god will have to figure out the rest
people helping the people they know right there is such a good idea
RE: the Perfect Homes - my brother and his wife were put on "Spiritual Probation" because their house wasn't clean enough. He told me they had no time to clean it because they were always at meetings.
(They left during the Spirtual Probation because they realized they were happier not going to meetings).
good for them and i'll send a little note to that bit ch at HQ and see if she can send out a housekeeper and pool cleaner and way builder and anything else they need
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WordWolf
The most dynamic times and places in twi, when lives where changed for the better,
were when people were operating locally and independently,
addressing the needs of the people right there and blessing the people right there.
As of right now, the local groups seem to receive no actual benefits to belonging,
and seem to be repeatedly penalized- both financially and socially.
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skyrider
Yeah.....local and independent.
My grandparents, in the late 1920s, had worship/bible fellowships in their home. My grandfather and
other men would alternate responsibilities to lead in prayer or worship each week. No spiritual honcho.
Every 6-8 weeks, an itinerant preacher would stop by in their rural, mid-west county....but song, worship
and teachings were a staple part of their home. Local neighbors and friends attended faithfully.
During wheat harvest, everyone pitched in to help one another. Same thing with barn-raisings. Men, women
and children came together.....with labor, meals, support, chores, etc.
Twi didn't reinstitute the "church in the home" concept......... :biglaugh:/>
.
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Twinky
I know of a fellowship - not sure if they stood with TWI still, or were operating independently, or under CFFM - anyway, two of the members of the fellowship were involved in an accident. One was okay but the other lost some teeth. The fellowship kindly paid for dental treatment as the sufferer had no means to pay for replacement teeth/bridge/whatever without help. They saw the need, and were ready and keen to help.
I can see that a local fellowship that is part of a larger organisation ought to help fund the wider group - to a reasonable level. But the local fellowship is in the best place to see what local needs there are, whether for its own members or in the wider community.
And the reciprocal of the wider group receiving any money is that it meets its own reasonable needs (pays a fair salary) and it itself serves and helps (genuinely!!!) local groups or communities. TWI is not alone among church groups to forget that. It's not about acquiring palaces, mansions, big buildings, accumulating paintings, gold furnishings, fancy robes or any of the other organisational stuff that churches tend to get into. It certainly isn't about accumulating a large bank balance "just in case it's needed." Like the manna - it's a day by day thing. Don't accumulate more than is needed for the day. Trust the one with sheep on 1,000 hills. He's the one with the accumulation of wealth.
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skyrider
These "teachings" should be more aptly noted as reading the scriptures.
No word studies or greek words.
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DogLover
I belong to a local fellowship that is just as described. We help the members of our spiritual assembly and we help others in other places...and we give money monthly to Wounded Warrior Project, Heifer International, and voice of the Martyrs. We are not tax exempt, and do not even have a name (by our choice). Each six months we get together for a general church meeting (we meet in the home) and decide as a group what we want to do for the next six months. It is a wonderfully intimate group of people with new folks coming in also. We are not affiliated with any Way or former Way group and learn from whomever we can. It's terrifc!
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Ham
maybe people should consider having home fellowships in homes that are not required to be meticulously neat, and groomed..
so you are going to wait until the kids, the spouse.. the you name it.. is in Perfect Detail. That is not a real home, to begin with..
If you want to come to my home, we will do readings out of Bullinger's Witness of the Stars. That's about all I've got left from my old twi library.. maybe we can do some math or something..
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chockfull
And why would the congregating of Pharisees require anything less?
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Ham
Ha! That is the real question: and the Answer: because their home is not *neat* enough..
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Thomas Loy Bumgarner
There are many independent organic, simple churches where there are no ordained clergy in several cities/counties that network together and do not interfere or bully others. Theoretically only Jesus Christ is the only ordained person(any Christian believer can perform weddings, administer Communion, no salaries, etc.). Doglover is right about local churches determining demonstrating God's love(agape), whether Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, food pantries/banks, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, Goodwill thrift stores, etc. On another thread I suggested Frank Viola's Finding Organic Church, and Re-imagining Church as 2 books talking about simple church(David Cook Publishing in Colorado). Check them out.
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excathedra
home bible fellowship sounds nice for people
your posts show that
i have a dear friend who has one in another state. i don't know if they belong to an offshooit, but i know they are wonderful folks with hearts of gold. if they are giving money to someone/thing i hope they are not, oh well. i do believe the christians who come to their home are very comforted and loved with the love of christ. he and his father god will have to figure out the rest
people helping the people they know right there is such a good idea
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outandabout
RE: the Perfect Homes - my brother and his wife were put on "Spiritual Probation" because their house wasn't clean enough. He told me they had no time to clean it because they were always at meetings.
(They left during the Spirtual Probation because they realized they were happier not going to meetings).
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excathedra
good for them and i'll send a little note to that bit ch at HQ and see if she can send out a housekeeper and pool cleaner and way builder and anything else they need
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