Many of you that have been following my posts know that we have a home-church.  Today, I thought I'd share with you a little about our origin - how our church started.

Our church was born in a home over 55 years ago.  My Uncle Roger (Maslin) had graduated from theology school and was called of the Lord to start a church in the suburbs of Chicago.  He was commissioned to do this from a church in Michigan.

My Uncle Roger and his wife started meeting in the home of a devout Christian lady named Mrs. Marie Vosnos, and her sister, Edith, began to meet with them, too.  Pretty soon, there was a little nucleus of believers.

Along came my father, Louis Maple, graduated out of Wheaton College, called to be a pastor. He began to work with my Uncle Roger in building this church.  Uncle Roger eventually left, but my dad stayed and continued to grow this little church. 

This (below picture) is the original church building that the church members built. There used to be a steeple on top of the center of the building that had a bell in it.  It would play church bells every Sunday morning.  I always loved that.

The blue house next to the church building was the church parsonage.  It is the home I grew up in.  The Sunday morning church service was held in the church, the adult Sunday School classes in the basement of the church, and the children's Sunday School classes were held all throughout our home.  I remember crying because I couldn't go to my bedroom one Sunday morning because there was a Sunday School class going on in there.  Every room was filled up with classes.

 Eventually, we grew too big and we built another church building in a different location. We kept the little church building and used it over the years for a Christian bookstore; a soul-winning tract printing press; and later, as a home for various families that needed a house.

My father stayed as the pastor of this church for some five decades. It eventually all came full circle again.  The bigger church building was sold to a Korean (Christian) church; and we moved back to the home of my childhood (meeting in the basement), and eventually, restored the church building back to be met in once again. 

My father went to be with the Lord 14 years ago (this very week); but his work goes on.  Some of the same members that he discipled are still active and growing in the Lord.  Although we meet in our own home for the majority of the time, the original church building is still used.

We met here for church on December 28th. 

 This very room that you are looking at used to have pews in it some fifty years ago.  People met here to worship in the same way that we are here.

 Sometimes it is hard for people to separate the church building from the church itself.  I know I did.  Did you know that the original Greek word for the church (for the New Testament was originally written in the Greek language) is Ecclesia?    Ecclesia means the Called Out Ones.  The word 'church' in God's eyes, has nothing to do with our building (or lack of one.)  It is the people that are the church. Whether we have stained glass, pews, and an alter has nothing to do with worshipping God in spirit and in truth.  He tells us that where ever two or more are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them. 

I have found that homechurch is similar to when homeschooling first started.  It was hard for people to imagine a school without a school building.  Seventeen years ago, (when we first started), before homeschool found its way into mainstream, the word homeschool was uncomprehendable to many that I met. 

If you would like to read more about our church, go ~HERE~.

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Don't forget to go visit our host, Mary of Canada Girl and visit other S&T's.