DWELL Missional Church of Burlington, Vermont - A Vermont Church Seeking to be missional in all areas of life.

I realize there's been a blog shortage of late, so here are excerpts from the writings of two other dwellers, Jim Hoag and Trevor Rushford. Both are bits about community, and both are about what community might mean for us in 2010:

First, Jim Hoag:

Part of true Christian vision, especially in this coming year, is to see Christ-transformed people transformed into a people, and so transform the world. Many evangelicals have missed that middle term. For some reason much of the the church was not seen as a foretaste of a new society; but rather as a club for the new individual. Yet we were made for relationships where, as believers, we could welcome the "whosoever" and become deeply engaged and shaped by a loving, social reality called the church. Here would be the entering wedge of the Kingdom of God into larger society.

I no longer want to see people choosing to go it alone, choosing a worldly, cavalier "freedom" that masquerades as liberty but actually isolates them from the full provision of God's grace. Instead, this year, I see a group of people gathering to encourage each other in the common task of seeing God's kingdom embodied and embedded in their work, in their families, in their towns, in their recreation; in the "midst". This gathering is ekklesia; it is biblical community, a foretaste of the new heaven and new earth. By grace this community accepts people where they are but by that very same grace, encourages them not to remain as they are. (Without getting too complicated, this evolves as people are identified in community and realize who they are in that context). And this is powerful because its power is centered on living out the Gospel. It will be relevant to its world because it lives the life of the kingdom in the world, not apart from it. Let 2010 bear witness to the growth, increase, influence and impact of true, genuine, biblical community.

And Trevor:

2010 and my main focus: A Relational Community - Not just a community.

I want to focus on a relational community where I actually care about my neighbors and not just have them. I want to be more involved with everyone in my life. I want them to see me for me for the first time in my life. Sure, they've seen the broken and messed up me for so long, that the real me maybe a bit of a shock to them. With this new found love for God and Jesus, it scares some people in different ways and it even scares me. I mean, I hated religion and God up to about a year ago and hear I am professing my undying love for him. I'm worlds apart from myself already and it's overwhelming.

So what and how am I going to obtain my goals for 2010? I have set out a clear blue print of what I want to do this year and all the events I have planned out and I left time for the unplanned, the spontaneous events that will most certainly come up. There are no real guidelines per say on what I'm trying to accomplish, I guess I just want relational stories, memorable stories, and a kinship with my fellow brothers and sisters. And why wouldn't I want that? That's what Jesus wanted and achieved on an enormous level, and that's a part of what his legacy has been all along.

I have always had a lot of people in my life and some real strong relationships along the way and they were the real deal. I want to achieve these relationships through Jesus now. With out having to knock down my walls to get through to someone else's walls.

Happy new year, everyone.

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We are not meant to be self-sufficient - life in community is a better life than one of isolation. - @PastorChrisSeay

As Zach has said in the past, Dwell's origins were found in homes - homes filled with people who genuinely loved Jesus and loved each other. We have continually seen that God does not want us to "go it alone"; just as He is a community (the 3-in-1), so are we to simply 'be' community - engaging each other relationally, preferring each other over ourselves and our own needs, carrying each other's burdens, and simply doing life together as He directs our steps.

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. - Acts 2:42-47

As the Dwell community has grown, our desire for this close-knit feeling of community has only intensified. We currently have 3 intentional hangouts each week called Dwell/ings; this particular Dwelling happens every Tuesday night at 7:30pm in Burlington. We talk together, eat together, laugh together, encourage each other, pray with and for each other, and open up our Bible's together in hopes that God will meet us where we are and lead us forward as one, unified community - and that is exactly what He does.

I no longer want to see people choosing to go it alone, choosing a worldly, cavalier “freedom” that masquerades as liberty but actually isolates them from the full provision of God’s grace. - @jimhoagvt

I feel so blessed to have been 'grafted in' to this amazing gospel community and cannot wait to see how God shapes us and uses us for His Kingdom in the future. If you ever want to become a part of what God is doing at Dwell here in Burlington please contact us and we will make sure it happens.

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This is a post from my dad's blog MissionNow, and something he shared in our call to worship this week. It impacts me everytime I read it! So here it is, from Jim Hoag...

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I want to throw out some thoughts on a "worshiping community." Worship is huge. And it includes coming together as community to recalibrate around Jesus. To me it's equivalent to an event- a transforming God encounter. As I said last week, I have an increasingly greater appreciation for community. I also mentioned a kind of early intuition that 2010 was going to be a radical year for Dwell Missional Church. I believe the genuine "ethos" or life force of this community - the timely and necessary distinction this community brings to the mix - will continue to unfold and fill out more of its sphere of influence. And all of it flowing out from relationship with Jesus under the influence of His grace. Here is where Jesus is shaping community. How incredible is it that the church, unleashed as community, is the means of grace by which God chooses to express Himself (Eph.3:10)? I mean, even after you leave a community gathering, there is this profound, unbreakable, and mysterious continuity of it by which Christ is present (Eph.5:32). Dwell then becomes community in the greater community; a community testifying not of itself but as the Message Bible says, "opening up our lives to others, prompting people to open up to God..."

As we approach 2010, I believe greater understanding is coming about the way in which we inhabit community and move out from it; that is, understanding about the way of living in and out of the reality that God is forming - "which is His body." I love the body metaphor because with it you get a picture of this radical, living, anatomical connectedness. Though sometimes messy, there is this relational supply between the parts. It's this uncanny interaction between strengths and weaknesses. It's not the externalized or mandated "love of the brethren" stuff of religion, but the outflow of relationship with God that in some way actually accomplishes the work of grace.

As I said awhile back, we come together as community in worship to "reboot" - getting our "software" in sync with the "hardware" of God's Word and in fellowship with one another. This re-orientation around Jesus changes everything and empowers our witness. Why? Because "in Him are all the treasures of wisdom and all the riches of spiritual knowledge."

Lastly, Paul tells us,"Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it" and that we "are parts of His body-of His flesh and of His bones." I don't want to "time-share" in that, where I retreat now and then when life is getting a bit hectic. No, I want to live in that "body" reality, drenched in the Gospel, under His divine influence. See, in community, the grace Jesus brings to His followers and what they become by it is incredible! Between the Son of God "made flesh" and His Church, there is, again, this profound, unbreakable and mysterious connection by which He is present. This presence of Jesus (not just some vague "presence") is the reason for our joy. What better reason to gather in community and worship Him as community?

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Covenant Season begins in October. I'd love to see you there!

To give you a quick preview, here is an outline for our first night of study:

I. The Structure of Scripture is Covenant (a.k.a., The Story of Scripture is Covenant)

Scripture is a story about God's covenants with man
OT covenants
The "old covenant"
The "new covenant"
Different phases, one covenant
Why dispensationalism sucks (mostly)

II. The Why of Covenant

God is a relational God: Trinity
We are relational beings: Imago Dei
Christ's relational ministry: Incarnation

III. The How of Covenant

Covenant and our faith
Covenant and our baptism
Covenant and our address (the utter importance of place)
Covenant and intention
Conclusion

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