HOME CHURCH GUIDE
In this season where our Church is unable to gather as a whole family for worship, we’re seeking to equip our Restoration family for God’s work among them – right where they are. That’s what Home Church is all about: giving you tools to gather with community groups or other believers (*safely* in person or online) for a shared experience of worship with the whole Restoration family. Below, you’ll find three movements of worship together: Worship (praise and prayer), Word (opening the Scriptures), and Witness (talking it out and living it out. So whether with a community group or a friend or two, let’s worship together! (Kids Resources Here!)
WORSHIP: PRAISE AND PRAYER
Worship is the continual process of orienting our hearts around that which we value most. Each Sunday, we worship in song and prayer to offer our hearts and allegience to Jesus, who alone is worthy of our praise. In your Home Churches, we encourage worship through the use of the video below or by worship in person. If you cannot participate through song in your group, spend time answering this question:
What do I have to praise God for this week?
Prayer for the week:
Lord God, our delight is in you.
Solely in you we find our life.
Yielding the good fruit
Of your generous Spirit,
We prosper because of your love.
 The story of your continual
Creation, renewal, and reconciliation
Shapes us into a people of the presence.
May our ears ring daily with stories
Of the way, the truth, and the life.
May our lips resonate the words
Of a good creator, revealed in flesh.Â
We build our lives on the foundation
Of your sacred story. The story of
Our hope, our salvation, our strength
Is the story of you — Love itself.
Thank you for inviting us in. Amen.
WITNESS: TALK AND LIVE IT OUT
This Week’s Scripture: Psalm 1
 Whether among your community group or a few friends over Zoom, we want to challenge you to move beyond just knowledge and information and into practicing the way of Jesus in your everyday life! But we do this together. Below you’ll find some questions to discuss, as well as next steps for living it out!
- We are all the product of the stories we immerse ourselves in – for better or for worse. What are some of the competing narratives in American culture that stand in contrast to the story of Jesus? What impact do they have on the world around us?Â
- Verse 2 speaks of meditating (Hebrew: Hagah!)on the Word day and night, continuously “chewing on it,” allowing it to soak into our mind over time. What would this look like lived out in the ordinary stuff of lives?
- In verse 3, those who immersed themselves in the story of God are like “a tree planted by streams of water.” How has the word of God been a consistent source of life through changing seasons and struggles?
Practice: Chew on it! Don’t just read the Bible this week – chew on it! Take a passage like Psalm 1 and read it multiple times through the week. Print it out, write it out, and put it in places where you’ll see it regularly. As you do, ask the Spirit to highlight new insights as you continually soak in the word of God for your life!
Reminder: If you’re in a Home Church, talk through your plan. (HomeGroupPlanningGuide)