What to Expect
Dinner church is church, but over dinner. We meet Sundays at 5 p.m. to encourage each other to know and live the teachings of Jesus (Hebrews 3-4), ask questions, grow friendships, and of course – share a meal.
Not sure what to expect? We understand. Visiting might feel like you are crashing someone’s dinner party. But don’t worry – you’re not. We would love to meet you!
Our Sunday evenings are guided by Acts 2:42: “The first believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” We do these four things every week when we gather.
Here’s what to expect when you visit us:
At 4:15, before church starts, Pastor Christina plays the video that will be the center of that week’s discussion. It is optional. You can access the video to watch at home here. Or you can just come at 5! Pastor Christina will spend the first 7-10 minutes summarizing the main points so everyone can participate.
Between 4:30-5 PM a few folks will arrive to get the meal ready and set up our space inside.
CHURCH BEGINS with a mealtime prayer at 5 PM. Our regular attenders plan the meal, so just come! It is not a formal potluck, but you are welcome to bring something if you want to. We value a gathering of simplicity and rest. We want your Sunday morning to be restful and your evening free of dishes!
Between 5:30-5:45 PM someone will lead our group in singing. We are led by whatever instrumental gifts we have. Christians have been singing together since the first century. There are many ways we experience the music, and we welcome them all. Some stand, some sit. Some sing out loud, others listen and think about the words.
“Devotion to the apostles teaching” for us, two thousand years after the first Christians met in their homes, is tricky to understand. Most Christians would say that this means we read the Bible. And New Vision loves the Bible. But the point isn’t to gain “Bible knowledge” but to get to know the God who gave us the Bible. We study Jesus in the Bible first, before trying to understand the rest. We believe Jesus was God in human form and the best picture we have of the heart of God.
So how does New Vision devote themselves to the apostles teaching? Pastor Christina will open this time around 6 PM with a short summary of the main points from the week’s video and a few questions to get a conversation started. We are open to hard conversations and ALL the questions you have about Christianity and the Bible. Those who want to contribute to questions and discussion are welcome, but there will be no one calling on you. It is up to you how much you want to speak up.
Then, most weeks we will have a regular attender share their response to the question “how has your walk with God grown through Christian practices this week”? We are encouraged to share the good and hard stuff and this often leads us to ask ourselves how to put the conversation we just had into practice. That sounds great, but stop there for a second. The church has a reputation for being hypocrites and NOT “practicing what they preach.” Why? That’s a big question, but it may be that our churches spend more time learning about Jesus rather than letting him be in charge.
The logic of our gatherings is that we can learn about Jesus anywhere, but learning to let Jesus be in charge is something we need each other for. So that’s why we watch the video during the week and spend more time practicing what we preach when we gather.
We trust the Holy Spirit to lead our the conversation and often find it easy to know how to pray and encourage each other.
The weekly gathering of Jesus’ people, the church, has always been about growing in our knowledge and practice of the teachings of Jesus, remembering what he did for us, building each other up in Jesus-shaped love, and partnering with each other to share that love with our neighbors (Acts 2:42). That’s really all our gatherings are about.
You may choose to arrive at 5 or 5:30 PM. Our goal is to conclude between 7-7:15 pm, but those who need to leave early are free to do so. Those who can stick around to chat, help clean up, or take leftovers are appreciated!
Still not sure? E-mail Christina at newvisionbic@gmail.com with your questions or text 717-307-1593
