Isaac's Keep | Reformed Canton Church in Downtown Canton, GA

written by Paula Nix

I’ll be honest. When the discussion of Isaac’s Keep becoming a house church originated, my first thought was something along the lines of “Does that mean I would have to mop every week?” I know. Not overly spiritual. But not far after that came the thought, “That might actually be kind of nice.”

Then, several months later God once again ordained that Isaac’s Keep should find a new place to worship. Moving isn’t really anything new for IK, in my estimation we have met in 6 places in our 2 1/2 year existence. This time, like in others, the transition didn’t exactly go as we had planned. And so, on Tuesday when my husband informed me that the following Sunday’s worship would be held in our living room, my first thought was, “Does that mean I have to mop this week??”

I am happy to say that our first week in the Nix living room was absolutely wonderful, even without my mopping : ) In fact, I think that our last four weeks of worshipping together as a house church have been some of my favorite worship services so far. After that first Sunday, we had a time of discussion about the positives and the challenges of becoming a house church. It was wonderfully encouraging, so I thought I’d share some of it here.

First, we all shared things that came into our minds as the positives of meeting in our home each week- such things as the intimacy of meeting in a home, the opportunities to leisurely talk over coffee and hang out after the service is over, the fact that our finances are now free to support ministries and passions of those within the church as well as those in need both locally and globally, and the fact that, for the foreseeable future, we have a permanent home. My favorite positive mentioned was that being a house church just seems to fit who IK is-relational, missional, intimate. As one elder put it, “Part of me wonders why we haven’t been doing this all along.”

Then, of course, we talked about some of the challenges of being a house church in our culture and context. Let’s face it, in the south (and in much of the U.S.) “church” is synonymous with “building”. When we ask folks “Where do you go to church?”, we are usually looking for a location as much as a name and denomination. And replying, “In my house,” sounds a little, well, weird.

But I’m pretty sure that the first time churches started meeting in separate buildings instead of homes there were people who said, “That’s weird! Why would they want to do that?” Throughout church history, and history in general really, there have been a lot of things that seemed weird at the start just because they weren’t the norm. And that’s okay.

I think what we are learning is that meeting in home or meeting in a building or meeting in a park isn’t what really matters. You can do any or all of those and it isn’t what defines you as a church. What defines a church is the people- their passion for spreading the glory of God, their love for others, and the way they live out the words of Scripture in their everyday lives. My prayer is that IK would be defined by all of those things. And if you’re looking for a family like that, our home is always open.

Reformation Brewery(RB) is about gathering in community with those who share an interest in and love of good beer. If you are interested in joining please contact at info@ reformationbrewery.com, brewing schedule and times of gatherings will be posted on the RB  website.

If there is anything in our culture that could use the redeeming influence of the gospel it is beer.  We live in a confused culture when it comes to this issue and  Reformation Brewery seeks the balance of the gospel.  We want to foster community around a biblical understanding and enjoyment of good beer.

When I stop to ponder it, I am amazed by the working of the human body.  Right now, as I type, my brain is sending messages to my fingers about which keys to hit, information stored in my memory many years ago and available instantly at a single thought.  My heart is also pumping blood to every part of my body, with very little awareness on my part that it is even doing so.  Last night while I slept, I continued to inhale and exhale while my conscious self was completely oblivious.  I could go on.  It’s absolutely amazing.

And this working of the human body is used in Scripture to metaphorically describe Christ and the church.  When the church actually works like it is supposed to, it is simply incredible, just like the working of the human body.  Yet, just as our human bodies are often affected by sin and disease, so it is with the church body.  And so it can be rare that we see the body of Christ functioning in the way pictured in the Bible.  But when we do, it is awesome.

I am grateful on a daily basis that this picture of the body is often beautifully displayed at Isaac’s Keep.  It is a precious thing to be a member of a body like this.  In the past few months, we have seen God working in marvelous ways in the individual and family members of IK, and it has been truly refreshing to see how the rest of the body has come alongside and functioned like, well, a body.

Take last Thursday, for instance.  The Geist family has been busily preparing for Hide and Seek Day Camp, a ministry the Lord impressed upon them.  The body of IK has come together in many ways to aid them in this work.  On the day I have in mind, volunteers spent the day helping to build the camp’s climbing wall.  Tractors were loaned, sweat was donated, expertise was even provided by a body member now living in Alabama!  That evening, we came together for dinner (because the body needs to be refueled from time to time) and then the work of the body resumed.  And, to my knowledge, no one worked or donated or helped grudgingly.  Everyone was genuinely delighted to be of use in the body.

I hope that you all see the body of Christ working in these simple ways wherever you are.  If you do, feel free to share them as an encouragement.  If not, pray that the body would become all it is meant to be in Christ and that you would find your place within it.

Last weekend was the start of Canton’s Farmers Market in Historic Downtown Canton.  The market is open every Saturday until October from 9am to 1pm.  You can find fresh lettuce, greens, flowers, hand made soaps, baked goods, wood carving, and perhaps the greatest commodity to be found: community.  Live music is also performed throughout the day. The market is a great place to meet others while supporting the local farmers and economy.

I’m excited that Isaac’s Keep is getting involved and providing shoppers with FREE bags made of recycled material for produce and other goods.   If you would like to help we are collecting material scraps to make bags with, you can contact us at church@isaacskeep.org or just bring the scraps with you to the market and we will be glad to take them from you and make you a bag for next week.  If you’re interested in getting involved with the Farmers Market contact Ginger Garrard at the City of Canton at 770.704.1548.  See you at the market!