North Knox Community Groups

I need to preface this by saying, I am not proofreading this post. Please excuse any spelling errors!

I have been wanting to write more about what is going on in North Knoxville.  As I have written before, our family is partnering with the Thomas family to start another church campus of Fellowship Church.  The campus will eventually, Lord willing, be in North Knoxville somewheres.

This doesn't mean we are putting up a box and having everyone come on in. It also doesn't mean we are just watching a screen of the current pastors teaching at the other location out in West Knox.

What it does mean is that we are starting to form missional community groups. I know, buzz word--I hate it! However, that is what they are being called.

What is a missional community group?

Well, this could mean different things for different people or different churches around the nation or world.
For us and our purposes what it means is that we are trying to build little pockets of people throughout the North Knox area who are living INTENTIONALLY to spread the GOSPEL!

We are trying to encourage and equip the saints to go out and be salt and light day in and day out.
In the good.
In the hard.
In the mundane.
In the hurting.
In the rejoicing.
In the pain.
In the sickness.
In the scary unknown.
In every moment of our lives....being the hands and feet of Jesus to a dying, sad, lonely and complacent people.

We are trying to teach others and retrain our own minds and hearts that church is not this place we go to once a week (or for some three times) and do this certain thing there and then we go on about our life.

No, we ARE THE CHURCH!  Worship is happening while I am giving my kids a bath, while we are having dinner with strangers in our home, while I am cooking dinner, while I am doing laundry, while I am at work, while I am teaching my children memory verses and so on and so on.

What about at the grocery store? Do I interact with the cashier? Well, as a matter of fact I do. Every time I go to the store I have been checking out with the same lady. I always look for her and we have started talking lately. She has some health problems. Well, now I have a conversation starter and I am slowly getting to know her.  We're just acquaintances, but I can't help but believe that God has plans for her life and He may want to use me to encourage her and be a light to her.

Worship.

We go for walks a lot in our neighborhood. As a result, we get to know our neighbors and build friendships with them.

Noah just started playing soccer for a non-Christian related soccer organization. Steve is the coach and we have just met several other families in our community who are not in the Christian realm.

We are trying to live intentionally. Building relationships with the lost around us and encouraging those in the faith around us.

This isn't anything knew...it's all over the Bible, but today this kind of living is SO counter-culture.
And it can be hard and challenging for me too. But, I just can't help but live this way. This is meaningful living. It's intentional. It's our way of worship to the Father, who first loved us, and this is the only way we can somehow love others.

So, when people ask us, "where is the North campus?" We say, well, there is a pocket of people in Powell and another in Fountain city and those PEOPLE are the CHURCH out in North Knox.

Michael Thomas has been saying, "we are asking people not to do something, but to be something."

Who are you?

What are you living for?

Are you living intentionally?

What is your family's mission?


Eventually, we hope to have a place where all of the missional community groups out here are "congregating" for a time of fellowship, music, teaching, etc. It's a slow process and we are in the early phases of this process.

If you live in North Knoxville and want to be a part of a community group please get in touch with us. We have met with some already existing small groups who are wanting to do something a little different and this has been a great fit for them.

More to come later....