How To Spread Holiday Cheer in Your Church Community
The holiday season is a time for family, friends and the community. It’s a moment to come together and celebrate as we give thanks. If you’re part of a house church community, here are five wonderful ways to spread some holiday cheer with your fellow members.
1. Get to know them even better
The holiday season is the perfect time to get together socially. Plan a potluck dinner or game night and take the opportunity to meet everyone on a more personal level. Chances are, you’ll find that you have more in common than you even already knew.
2. Give back together
The holidays are also a great time to give back to those less fortunate. Seek an opportunity to volunteer together as a group at a local soup kitchen or food bank. Not only will you make a difference in someone else’s life, but you’ll also build stronger bonds with your fellow church members.
3. Celebrate together
One of the best parts of the holiday season is the chance to come together and celebrate! Whether it’s throwing a holiday party or simply attending a festive event together, celebrating as a group is a great way to spread some holiday cheer.
4. Pray together
Another wonderful way to show your support for your fellow house church members is to pray with them (and for them). This holiday season, take time out of your busy schedule to pray together as a group. You might be surprised at how much closer you feel to each other after spending time in prayer together.
5. Reach out and check-in
Finally, don’t forget to reach out and check-in with other house church members during the holidays! A simple phone call or card can mean so much, especially if someone’s going through a tough time this season. Touching base shows that you care and that you’re thinking of them, which is sure to spread the holiday cheer!
Celebrate the Joy of the Season at Our House Church in Frederick, Maryland
The holidays are a special time of year when we come together to celebrate and give thanks. From getting to know each other better to giving back and celebrating together, there are plenty of ways to show your support this season. So, go out and spread the holiday good cheer!
At Household of Faith in Christ, we begin our weekly services with singing, prayer, and Scripture reading. Then the gospel-exalting teaching is followed by a group discussion on the day’s message, and before everyone begins to head to their own homes, we sing, share, and partake of the Lord’s Supper on select gatherings.
If you want to establish a house church or already lead one, contact us so that we can exchange ideas and encourage one another while working together.
POSTSCRIPT
The blog above was first published on the original version of this website. Since then the site has been completely reformatted and upgraded. With this change, the blogs needed to be re-uploaded to correct corruptions that occurred with the transition in 2023. While doing this, some additional information was added at the conclusion of many of the older blogs in a “postscript” section that might not have appeared in the first draft that was published on the first website. Think of this new content as “bonus material”.
One of the Most Liberal Men I Know Wrote the Following:
I don’t know how many die-hard Trump supporters you have in your family, among your friends (on and off social media) and in other parts of your life, but I have enough to be constantly amazed at the level of aggressive, total denial many of them still have about Trump — his lies, his behavior, broken campaign promises and other policy initiatives that are contrary to what he’s said and who he claimed to be “fighting for,” and, of course, any and everything about the many-layered Russian/Putin connections. Clearly, there are more moderate Trump voters and elected Republicans who are exceptions to this, and who are, mostly, just being silent. But the ideological and media bubble around the true-believers seems to be very thick. One can only be thankful that they’re a smaller fraction (even if still disturbing in number) than they seem to think they are.
Spotting his pure projection, I couldn’t help but point out:
What’s so sad is that the pro-Trump folks say the exact same thing in the reverse.
Guns, Guns, and More Guns
A former workmate of mine wrote this:
To those who wrongly believe more gun laws will curtail mass shootings – The Vegas gunman had 28 weapons in total, all legally purchased. He had thousands of rounds of ammo, all legally purchased. Every day in America there are dozens of gun auctions online. If you have the money, you can buy almost any kind of weapon. And semi-automatic long guns aren’t that hard to turn into automatic weapons. It’s too late. There are tens of millions of guns out there, and enough ammo out there to kill every American 10 times over. My point? IT’S TOO LATE.
I added these thoughts to his:
The United States should follow the example of Israel which has very restrictive guns laws, and as a result Israel has almost no violence or mass killings. Oh, wait. Bad example.
How about Belgium? It has very strict guns laws. Yet, in that country in 2011 Amrani Nordine murdered 6 and injured 125 using a rifle and grenades. In these two countries strict gun laws didn’t help.
However, let’s assume, at least for the sake of argument, that strict gun laws do actually work. What would happen if all guns disappeared? Well, there’ve been at least twenty-four reported instances in just the past nine months (meaning two-dozen in 2017 alone) of individuals using vehicles as weapons to create mass casualties. The vehicles of choice have included cars, trucks, SUVs, a bulldozer, and even a stolen tank.
Maybe the solution would be stricter “vehicular violence laws”. Well, did you hear about the two nineteen-year-olds in Ukraine who killed more than 20 people ten years ago? They used a hammer. A hammer! And of course, bombs, knives, and poisons have also been used in mass killings. Remember the Unabomber? Remember the 2001 anthrax attacks? Remember the attacks of September 11, 2001 during which box cutters, mace, and fake bombs were used to take over four planes so that the planes themselves could then be used as missiles to kill thousands?
Sadly, solving the “human heart problem” isn’t as simple as solving the “gun problem”. If it were simple to solve the human heart problem, then the safest place on the planet for any human would be inside the womb. We know this isn’t the case, as evidenced by the fact that every month an estimated 4-million children are killed before their gestation period has reached its natural end. Yes, four-million worldwide. That’s on average about 5,500 per hour, every hour. Or 90 per minute, every minute. This is more than one abortion per second. Every second of every day. Day after day after day.
According to United Nations statistics, by this time tomorrow nearly as many people will have had their lives snuffed out in utero as will have their lives snuffed out by a gun by this time next year. Here’s another stunning statistic: This past weekend more people died due to abortion than the number who died this past year due to all wars being waged all around the world.
So, again, sadly – solving the human heart problem is not as simple as solving the gun problem.
(In case you’re wondering, there are an estimated 8.5 million deaths per month worldwide. Of these, 4-million are caused by abortions. Doing the math, 47% of all human deaths are caused by abortion. It makes gun violence pale by comparison).
A different former workmate of mine responded:
Excellent point, Troy. It all comes down to good vs. evil. And those of us who have faith will take comfort in the assurance that there’s a better place beyond this battleground called earth.
Some Past Faith Debates Worth Checking Out
Serving the Community: The Church or the Government?
This question is tackled by guests Jonathan Switzer (Crossroads Valley Church), Yolanda Gamble (Sure Fellowship), Jerry Price (Maranatha Community Church of God). The original podcast link for show dates 9/4/16 and 9/11/16 contains a portion of an old “A Time of Challenge” program. This was a webmaster error, but enjoy the mistake!
How Should the Church Aim to be Attractive to Both Outsiders and Insiders?
This question is tackled by guests Jonathan Switzer (Crossroads Valley Church), Timothy Fisher (Walkersville Brethren in Christ), Chris Geeslin (Redeemer International Family Church). These shows were broadcast by New Radio 930 WFMD on 9/18/16 and 9/25/16.
Left Behind: Anticipating the End of the World
This topic is tackled by guests Jonathan Switzer (Crossroads Valley Church) and Bill Wilson (The Daily Jot). The broadcast dates were 10/2/16 and 10/9/16.
End of Life Decisions (Like the Terri Schiavo Case)
This subject is tackled by guests Jonathan Switzer (Crossroads Valley Church), Jim Eaton (Mosaic Church), Bob Leeman (Bethel Lutheran Church). Show dates are 10/16/16 and 10/23/16.
Similarities and Differences Between Christianity and Judaism
This subject is tackled by guests Jonathan Switzer (Crossroads Valley Church), David Weisenberg (Beth Shalom Congregation), Peter Kemeny (Good News Presbyterian). Show dates are 10/30/16 and 11/6/16.
Church Unity and the Divide of Christian Traditions
This subject is tackled by guests Jonathan Switzer (Crossroads Valley Church), Conrad Link (Brook Hill United Methodist), Bob Leeman (Bethel Lutheran Church). Show dates: 11/13/16 and 11/20/16.
Let’s Get Ready to Rumble!
Ever had a moment when you were presented a chance to REALLY share the Gospel, and you did? You know, when the circumstances were just right, and you didn’t need to create an opportunity to proclaim the Good News? It’s happened to me. It was a dramatic opportunity that I didn’t pass up. Some people embraced what I said. Others shunned me because of what I said. In my sermon “Genesis to Revelation: In Simple Terms” you can hear word-for-word what was said. The message spans from Genesis to Revelation (technically it talks specifically about ONLY Genesis and Revelation – Genesis 3 and Revelation 21, to be more specific). It’s a simple story. Perhaps the simplest sermon I’ve ever preached. Maybe the simplest sermon I will ever preach.
Other sermons to look up include: “You May Know That You Have Eternal Life” (1 John 5:13-21), “Truthers, Lovers, and Liars” (2 John 1-11), “Rent or the Option to Own” (2 John 12-13), “The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful Truth” (3 John 1-12).
“There’s a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive.”
“Well, I know what’s right. I got just one life, in a world that keeps on pushin’ me around. But I’ll stand my ground, and I won’t back down.”
Many blessings to you,
Pastor Troy Skinner
