Church in the Pub

Most of you are probably like me in that you haven't seen the word "church" in the same sentence as the word "pub" before. Well, this afternoon that changed for me and Hamp as we actually met in one with other believers to lift up the name of Jesus Christ. More about that in a minute.

We spent the day running errands and exploring some. We got Michael to the train station for his return trip to Boston. That was a nice treat getting to spend some time with him as he came for part of his reading week. Then Hamp and I made the necessary runs to places like Target and we lost count of how many times we went up and down the elevator and stairs to our apartment as we came and went. The weather cooperated and we were able to dodge the rain all afternoon.

Later in the afternoon, we headed to Ellis and Ginger's where we joined them and others for the Saturday meeting of the Gallery Church Baltimore. This is held at the pub right up the street from where they live and I'll let their worship guide answer the question of "why do you meet in a pub?" for any who are wondering.

"We get this question a lot. We hope that you and everyone that comes in contact with our little part of the Church body understands that our meeting locations aren't about stirring up controversy, or making any kind of statment. We firmly believe that God is the head of the church and with that we are constantly seeking His direction and desire for everything we do here. These locations are the doors that God has opened and we are going to follow His lead as we step into unfamiliar territory. If you take some time and read through the four Gospels found at the beginning of the New Testament, you will find that Jesus often used unusual settings and locations where people gathered to talk, eat, laugh, and play. He used these places to meet, teach, and engage in conversations with others. It was actually far more frequent that He taught from the side of a hill or someone's home than in the temple or synagogue."

So here you go - a couple of pictures of where our first gathering with some of God's people took place in Baltimore!





And for Jim and Tanya, just to let you know Brooke is doing well and here's proof!



After the meeting, some of us went back to Ellis and Ginger's for yummy brownies and I got a picture of Ellis trying to stay caught up on the neverending work of church needs communication.



As I get ready to leave tomorrow to head back home from....home, I'm finding my brain is unable to process all that has bombarded it the last few days. So for now, there are no real words of wisdom or revelation. But the one thing I can tell you is that God's word promises in Philippians 4:7 that "the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" and in that I can rest.