Ekklesia Monticello – a TRUE alternative to TYPICAL Church

EKKLESIA MONTICELLO
Meeting twice a month on Sunday evenings
9875 101st St. NE Monticello

Whether its traditional church or contemporary big box worship, are you tired of typical Church on a Sunday morning and longing for something that is really different and not the same ole same ole?

Me too! That’s why I’ve started an alternative gathering, based on 1 Cor 14:26,  to try to quench that thirst and yearning in my own soul and offer it to others as well.  This alternative seems quite biblical!  And a bit radical – “When you come to the meeting each of you has something to share.”  What?

“So here’s what I want you to do. When you gather for worship, each one of you be prepared with something that will be useful for all: Sing a hymn, teach a lesson, tell a story, lead a prayer, provide an insight…Then each speaker gets a chance to say something special from God, and you all learn from each other…When we worship the right way, God brings us into harmony. This goes for all the churches—no exceptions.”
I Corinthians 14:26-33 (MSG)

Here are 8 questions to help you discover the benefits of Ekklesia and discern if it’s for you.

  1. Do we want God to actually show up in church meetings?
  2. Are we willing for God to interrupt, override, and change our program, agenda, and structure?
  3. What if many people spoke in worship meetings instead of just one?
  4. What if those speakers all shared spontaneously from their heart?
  5. What if the things that they said fit together beautifully?
  6. And what if this happened every Sunday morning?
  7. Wouldn’t that be an indication that something other than a human being was directing those meetings?
  8. Wouldn’t you like to experience a meeting like that?

A couple of quotes to consider…

“I do not believe that such groups as these (AA) are perfect any more than anything is perfect, but I believe that the church has an enormous amount to learn from them. I also believe that what goes on in them is far closer to what Christ meant his church to be, and what it originally was, than much of what goes on in most churches I know. These groups have no buildings or official leadership or money. They have no rummage sales, no altar guilds, no every-member canvases. They have no preachers, no choirs, no liturgy, no real estate. They have no creeds. They have no programs. They make you wonder if the best thing that could happen to many a church might not be to have its buildings burn down and to lose all its money. Then all that the people would have left would be God and each other.”  FREDERICK BUECHNER

“Jesus never asked anyone to form a church, ordain priests, develop elaborate rituals and institutional cultures, and splinter into denominations. His two great requests were that we “love one another as I have loved you” and that we share bread and wine together as an open channel of that interabiding love.”  CYNTHIA BOURGEAULT

3 Part Video Series about Ekklesia

(With readings from the book “Beyond Church” by Steve Simms)

Part 1

Ekklesia – A TRUE alternative to TYPICAL Church. Part 1/3: Intro to Ekklesia & Matthew 16:18. An invitation to experiment and experience the lost word of the Bible.

 

Part 2

Ekklesia – A TRUE alternative to TYPICAL Church. Part 2/3: “What is Ekklesia (1 Cor. 14:26) and the 12 Benefits of it?”

 

Part 3

Ekklesia – A TRUE alternative to TYPICAL Church. Part 3/3 “A New Reformation & How to Hear from God (1 Sam. 3).”

 

What to Expect:

WELCOME TO EKKLESIA MONTICELLO (Handout)

(A TRUE alternative to TYPICAL Church)

Welcome to a worship time of seeking, listening, sharing and soaking.

Relax in God:  “Be still and know that I am God.”  Psalm 46:10

Receive from God:  “For God alone my soul waits in silence.”  Psalm 62:1

Listen to God:  Pray “Here I am… Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.”

“Vital religion cannot be maintained and preserved on the theory that God dealt with our human race only in the far past ages, and that the Bible is the only evidence we have that our God is a living, revealing, communicating God. If God ever spoke, He is still speaking. He is the great I Am, not the great I Was.” Quaker Rufus Jones

Share from God:  “When you come together everyone has something to share…” 1 Cor 14:26

“So here’s what I want you to do. When you gather for worship, each one of you be prepared with something that will be useful for all: Sing a hymn, teach a lesson, tell a story, lead a prayer, provide an insight…Then each speaker gets a chance to say something special from God, and you all learn from each other…  I Corinthians 14:26-33 (MSG)

(Practice listening and not responding right away, providing a sacred space around sharing.)

Rest in God::  “Let the peace of Christ rule your heart.”  Col 3:15

“Silence is God’s first language; everything else is a poor translation. In order to hear that language, we must learn to be still and rest in God.” Thomas Keating

Right now, in this moment I am encircled by God’s presence.  Right now, in this moment, without anything having to change, God’s love radiates to me without limit, without question and without reservation.  Right now in this moment I experience and rest in God’s love, joy and peace within.

Simple format:

  • Centering Song
  • Short Introduction
  • Group Sharing (& listening, soaking)
  • Brief Reading (Gospel of Mark)
  • Ending Prayer/Blessing

Remember this is not a “share or die event” and there is no fixing, saving or advising, but simply sharing from your heart as you feel led and nudged by God.