Last night at Echo we came together and decided to make some changes. First of all, we will no longer be gathering at Resonate Artistic Studios. Instead, we will be returning to the format similar to a "house church" style. Most often, we will be gathering at Caroline's and my home in Keller (611 Monterey Dr., near Keller High School).Also, our format will be changing a bit. Instead of doing the same thing every week, we are going to experiment with multiple styles and formats. They will mostly fit into four categories:
1) Teaching/Worship
This is what we have been doing every week already; these will be gatherings that revolve around the act of studying the Scriptures and understanding our place in the story that God is in the midst of telling. We will typically have music, communion, scripture readings, and other stuff that you wouldn't be too surprised to see in a churchy kind of setting.
2) Prayer
These will be gatherings that revolve around the act of prayer and encourage us to pursue empathy for one another and seek God's will for each other and for our church.
3) Discussion
These will be gatherings that revolve around the act of listening and contributing to the conversation. Rather than simply hearing a message or a sermon, each of us will be a voice that adds to the conversation. These nights will give us the opportunity to learn from each other.
4) "Family Dinner"
These will be gatherings that could be described as "intentionally informal." These nights will give us an opportunity to simply enjoy the company of one another and interact with each other as the body of Christ. Sometimes these nights will be held at a home while at other times they may take place at a local restaurant.
Here is the current schedule for our gathering formats: (each gathering begins at 5:30pm and will occur at 611 Monterey Dr. in Keller unless otherwise noted)
May 24 (this Sunday): Discussion. Topic: "She" (NOOMA). "Is there a feminine side to God?"
May 31: Family Dinner. Location: Chapps Hamburgers in Keller (1004 Keller Parkway in the Tom Thumb parking lot)
June 7: NO GATHERING.
June 14: Teaching/Worship: Acts 9:1-31 - "Bright Lights, Loud Noises, and Other Common Occurrences on the Road to Damascus." Music by Chad Carpenter.
June 21: Prayer. John 13:34-35.
July 28: Discussion. Topic: "Team Spirit In The Sky." A fly on the wall for a not-so-successful evangelical conversation.
July 5: NO GATHERING.
July 12: Family Dinner. Location: Babe's Chicken in Roanoke (104 North Oak)
July 19: Teaching/Worship: Acts 9:32-41 - "The Fabulous Life and Death and Life of a Woman Named Dorcas."
July 26: Prayer. 1 Thessalonians 5:5-11.
August 2: NO GATHERING.
August 9: NO GATHERING.
August 16: Discussion. Topic: TBA
August 23: Family Dinner. Location: TBA.
August 30: Teaching/Worship: Acts 10 - "Do Not Call Anything Impure That God Has Made Clean."
September 6: Prayer. Ephesians 4:1-2.
