Relational Church
We are taking the whole concept of how to be church and going “off road” with it. For a month at a time each home church meets together to intentionally relate to each other (peer-to-peer relationships) and to God (vertical relationship). Then we come together for a day of worship/teaching/sharing once a month on an SGF Saturday.
Home Churches
Each SGF Home Church is a small group that meets independently all throughout the month. These are groups of 4 to 14 people--a blending of families, couples, and singles who take the time to get to know each other and who meet regularly to eat, pray, gather at each other's birthday parties, support one another, etc.
Home Churches are for members and friends, and they love to welcome people. In Home Churches you don't need to believe to belong! Don't know any particular Home Church but want to visit one? For an email invitation from a Home Church leader, stick some information into this FORM and we'll get back to you asap. Looking forward to meeting you! Been "visiting" for several months and you're ready to know more about Membership? |
 |
SGF Saturdays
Each month, on the first Saturday, we gather all the Home Churches together under one roof.
Location
We rent facilities that accommodate all our Home Churches for corporate worship/prayer, concurrent breakout sessions, and dynamic children/youth programs. Check with your Home Church leader for details about upcoming SGF Saturdays.
Narrative of an SGF Saturday
Maria woke up early this Saturday, because SGF serves breakfast and she was on for helping to cook the scrambled eggs! Jake would be coming later with the kids, but for now she needed to get over to the school where the team was setting up.
By 8:50 the people started coming in, and everything was in readiness. Nametags were set out on tables, a fine breakfast bar was stocked with a breakfast worth getting up on a Saturday for, rooms for breakout sessions were ready, and the youth and children's areas were set up and staffed by friendly children's pastors and teachers from other local churches.
Jake and Maria and their kids enjoyed their breakfast, and Jake grabbed a supply of paper plates and cups from the "storehouse" for their Home Church's upcoming Italian Dinner event. Maria saw that one of the intern leaders from her Home Church had already been to the storehouse for communion supplies for the month, so she didn't need to stock up on those. They each greeted friends and newcomers and made chitchat until 9:30, when it was time to check the kids into the WBS.
It wasn't really a "Vacation Bible School," of course, but that's the closest way to describe it. Lots of energy, time, and finances go into each of the monthly kids' programs, and they create something that kids look forward to all month long. Maria took her kids to the check-in station and grinned as she watched them put on space helmets and crawl through the tube to get into this month's KidChurch theme: Bible Space Camp.
People were still talking and enjoying the morning coffee when they were invited into the worship room for welcome/announcements. Jeremy, a teen from another Home Church, gave testimony about when he'd prayed for a friend's knee and the knee was fully restored. Tim made some announcements about upcoming events, then had the room break into groups of three to pray and welcome the Holy Spirit. Soon people were praying powerfully for each other, speaking blessing and proclaiming the Lord's dominion.
The worship team started then. Corporate worship is GOOD! Jesus is GOOD! The worship team had given everyone a new compilation CD (copyrights obtained, no worries) two months ago, and today was their first day to lead some of the new songs. Worship transitioned into prayer and back into worship again until it was time for the first breakout session.
Jake and Maria had signed up to go to different breakouts. Jake was off to "Walk Through the Old Testament--a guided tour" and Maria was to attend "Fruits and Gifts." Session One started at 11:00 and went for an hour, and each of the facilitators was careful to structure the breakout with a mix of discussion, information presentation, and personal reflection/application.
Lunch Break was an hour and a half. Sometimes members bring a side dish to go with the church-provided main dish, but other times, like today, the lunch was entirely provided by SGF. The kids surprised everyone by putting on a short play they'd been practicing in the morning session before they joined their families for lunch. Jake and Maria took the opportunity to eat with a new couple they'd met the month before. By the end of lunch they'd made plans to get together for a game night (Settlers of Catan) later in the week!
The second breakout started at 1:30. Maria had been asked to teach a session on "Fasting and Praying--tools too powerful to ignore," and for the past several weeks she'd met with friends at the coffee shop to help get today's lesson ready. She had a handout for each of the 10 people who had registered for the session, and she planned to start with a relevant video clip she'd downloaded--a suggestion from a coffeeshop conversation. At 2:30 (when the second session ended) children were released to their parents, and people were ready to go three ways: about half the Fellowship stayed on in the worship room for more worship and ministry prayer, others gathered to go out together on a "Treasure Hunt," and some of the families headed back to their busy lives at home.
Today Jake and Maria had to be in the third group--they gathered up the kids and headed out while other families stayed on to revel in the Lord's goodness. They knew that some of the other folks would stay to pray and worship and help clean up, and often someone would announce a spontaneous "let's go out to dinner!" followed by a game night or movie night--they loved those--but today they had something pressing and needed to get home.
The day had been well spent. Both Jake and Maria had really contributed the way the Bible describes church in 1 Cor 14:26. They had been prayed for and had prayed for others. They had received teaching from the Scriptures and had interacted with them. They had met with God and honored Him with praise and worship, and it was good.
Location
We rent facilities that accommodate all our Home Churches for corporate worship/prayer, concurrent breakout sessions, and dynamic children/youth programs. Check with your Home Church leader for details about upcoming SGF Saturdays.
Narrative of an SGF Saturday
Maria woke up early this Saturday, because SGF serves breakfast and she was on for helping to cook the scrambled eggs! Jake would be coming later with the kids, but for now she needed to get over to the school where the team was setting up.
By 8:50 the people started coming in, and everything was in readiness. Nametags were set out on tables, a fine breakfast bar was stocked with a breakfast worth getting up on a Saturday for, rooms for breakout sessions were ready, and the youth and children's areas were set up and staffed by friendly children's pastors and teachers from other local churches.
Jake and Maria and their kids enjoyed their breakfast, and Jake grabbed a supply of paper plates and cups from the "storehouse" for their Home Church's upcoming Italian Dinner event. Maria saw that one of the intern leaders from her Home Church had already been to the storehouse for communion supplies for the month, so she didn't need to stock up on those. They each greeted friends and newcomers and made chitchat until 9:30, when it was time to check the kids into the WBS.
It wasn't really a "Vacation Bible School," of course, but that's the closest way to describe it. Lots of energy, time, and finances go into each of the monthly kids' programs, and they create something that kids look forward to all month long. Maria took her kids to the check-in station and grinned as she watched them put on space helmets and crawl through the tube to get into this month's KidChurch theme: Bible Space Camp.
People were still talking and enjoying the morning coffee when they were invited into the worship room for welcome/announcements. Jeremy, a teen from another Home Church, gave testimony about when he'd prayed for a friend's knee and the knee was fully restored. Tim made some announcements about upcoming events, then had the room break into groups of three to pray and welcome the Holy Spirit. Soon people were praying powerfully for each other, speaking blessing and proclaiming the Lord's dominion.
The worship team started then. Corporate worship is GOOD! Jesus is GOOD! The worship team had given everyone a new compilation CD (copyrights obtained, no worries) two months ago, and today was their first day to lead some of the new songs. Worship transitioned into prayer and back into worship again until it was time for the first breakout session.
Jake and Maria had signed up to go to different breakouts. Jake was off to "Walk Through the Old Testament--a guided tour" and Maria was to attend "Fruits and Gifts." Session One started at 11:00 and went for an hour, and each of the facilitators was careful to structure the breakout with a mix of discussion, information presentation, and personal reflection/application.
Lunch Break was an hour and a half. Sometimes members bring a side dish to go with the church-provided main dish, but other times, like today, the lunch was entirely provided by SGF. The kids surprised everyone by putting on a short play they'd been practicing in the morning session before they joined their families for lunch. Jake and Maria took the opportunity to eat with a new couple they'd met the month before. By the end of lunch they'd made plans to get together for a game night (Settlers of Catan) later in the week!
The second breakout started at 1:30. Maria had been asked to teach a session on "Fasting and Praying--tools too powerful to ignore," and for the past several weeks she'd met with friends at the coffee shop to help get today's lesson ready. She had a handout for each of the 10 people who had registered for the session, and she planned to start with a relevant video clip she'd downloaded--a suggestion from a coffeeshop conversation. At 2:30 (when the second session ended) children were released to their parents, and people were ready to go three ways: about half the Fellowship stayed on in the worship room for more worship and ministry prayer, others gathered to go out together on a "Treasure Hunt," and some of the families headed back to their busy lives at home.
Today Jake and Maria had to be in the third group--they gathered up the kids and headed out while other families stayed on to revel in the Lord's goodness. They knew that some of the other folks would stay to pray and worship and help clean up, and often someone would announce a spontaneous "let's go out to dinner!" followed by a game night or movie night--they loved those--but today they had something pressing and needed to get home.
The day had been well spent. Both Jake and Maria had really contributed the way the Bible describes church in 1 Cor 14:26. They had been prayed for and had prayed for others. They had received teaching from the Scriptures and had interacted with them. They had met with God and honored Him with praise and worship, and it was good.
