Thanks To Our House Church Members

We have exceptionally dedicated House Church Leaders. I cannot even begin to describe their level of devotion.

But we also have exceptionally cooperative house church members. I realize that I occasionally express my gratitude toward the House Church Leaders and their wives, but rarely thank house church members. So I want to do that in this column.

Our church members are mostly new Christians who became believers through our house church ministry. So when the time comes for house churches to multiply, we are sometimes forced to appoint as leader someone who is not fully equipped for the ministry. I want to thank our house church members in these situations for encouraging and helping their leaders instead of criticizing them, knowing that they accepted the positions not because of a strong desire but because someone had to.

When house church members have marital problems, house church leaders’ ability to help is frequently limited because they are not professional counselors. But house church members have been appreciative of their leaders’ very effort to help, and have tried to solve their problems on their own. I want to thank our house church members for this attitude as well.

I also want to thank house church members for not criticizing their leaders for not helping them enough, understanding that they have their own jobs and families to take care of.

As a rule, house churches take turns meeting at a different member’s house each week, but some house churches always meet at the leader’s house because the members are non-believers or new Christians and the leaders do not want to burden them by asking them to offer their homes for meetings. I want to thank those people who are relatively new to our church but have been willing to host meetings in their homes.

I want to thank all those house church members who brought food when their leaders were sick, took care of their children when they had to travel, managed their businesses when they had accidents, and remembered their birthdays.

I want to thank house church members for complimenting their leaders and their spouses for their honesty and transparency when they openly quarreled during house church meetings. Instead of calling them immature, they knew that their leaders struggled just the same as themselves, working to become like Jesus.

I want to thank house church members for providing room and board to visiting missionaries, entertaining them, and giving generous love offerings instead of leaving all the responsibilities to their leaders.

I want to thank house church members for gladly offering their homes and providing transportation when house church seminars have been held at our church.

I am proud of you all. May God bless you richly.

Pastor Chai