Oftentimes, modern Christians will read these main passages in the Bible which describe the fellowship of the early church:

And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.   And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people.  And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.  –Acts 2:44-47 (KJV)

And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.  –Acts 4:32, 34-35 (KJV)

           Usually, having read them, a modern believer will think something like, “How nice for the Christians back then to have such a good attitude!”  But if it is suggested that believers today adopt a similar strategy for koinonia living, these same people will think, “That’s not practical in today’s culture--if we give it all away, how can our family live?” or “that’s a great in theory, but we can never really hope to attain such a high level,” or perhaps, “we just simply have a different interpretation that’s done OK so far." 

           So for those who can’t stir up the imagination to see how these Biblical statements can be worked out as a normal part of Christian life in today’s America, I offer the following story of several fictitious families in a well-known neighborhood in Everytown, USA.

Family A 

           The first family we will visit is a wealthy couple with two children.  Their home is a very large, old-style house with an attached porch/veranda.  The house is large enough that several of their extended family members live with them, namely an uncle, a cousin, and a grandmother.  They also employ a butler and a “hired hand.”  The yard is large and well-groomed with several well-kept plants and a wooded back area, so the couple has become rather adept at gardening.  Therefore, their contribution to the common welfare of the neighborhood is to help the other Christians on the block with their grass cutting and hedge trimming needs.  In fact, several of the other families don’t even own lawn equipment, having been told by the head of this household that they don’t need any—because the Addams family will take care of it for them.

           People from outside the neighborhood seem to have trouble accepting the testimonies of the Addamses; but once they get to know this enthusiastic and big-hearted family, they begin to realize that “Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.”  When the idea was brought up to pool the neighborhood church’s resources to buy an old warehouse building around the corner and convert it into a shelter for the disadvantaged, Gomez and his family happily led the way for this vision of community outreach to become reality.  With the full support of the other families on the block, the Addams’ have been able to witness the gospel to many poor, homeless, or troubled individuals and families. 

           The Addams’ large porch is a natural place for the occasional summer picnic that all the members of the neighborhood house church enjoy; Gomez has become quite an expert with the barbecue grill, and of course, Morticia sets quite an elegant table.  When it comes their turn to lead the weekly neighborhood Bible studies, Uncle Fester has no problem finding interesting illustrations for scriptural truth, and few can bring a Bible story to life for the children the way that Grandmama can.  Pugsley likes to help his dad with the neighbors’ yard work, but little Wednesday still occasionally throws a tantrum if it is suggested that she help with that kind of thing.  In fact, the neighborhood jokesters have said that if the Addamses are so good at trimming grass and hedges and such, perhaps he ought to do something about cousin Itt’s hair.

Family B

           Just up the street is a newly blended family with six children.  The father is a successful architect and active in a few civic organizations.  Having become a widower only a few years ago, his recent re-marriage has given him a renewed vigor, despite the stresses of incorporating three new children into the family (not to mention into one bathroom).  The live-in housekeeper has also become an indispensable member of not only the family, but of the entire neighborhood. 

           The entire Brady family makes its contributions to the neighborhood house church.  Mike insisted on helping the Addams family work on the shelter by offering his skills in working up the plans for the renovation, and the three boys spent most of their weekends helping with the interior work while it was underway.  In addition, Carol often takes a turn providing teaching for the neighborhood Bible studies, and has learned to encourage everyone on the block to much prayer and involvement.  The kids (at Peter’s urging) have set up a music team for neighborhood worship, and even little Cindy contributes.

           The Brady’s have an exceptionally large washer and dryer, and their part of the communal set-up is to allow the other families to wash clothes at their home.  This arrangement allowed in turn the Addamses to give theirs to the shelter for the use of the residents.  Most of the believers in the neighborhood now bring their laundry over to the Brady house, where Alice the housekeeper is always standing by to pray with them.  Intercession and the folding of shirts go hand in hand now, and are only occasionally interrupted by a young voice in the next room protesting, “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!” 

Family C

           Another family on the block is a middle-aged couple with two boys.  This all-American family is considered a pillar of the community by those from outside the neighborhood; therefore most of the families in the church see this home as a clearing house for information and communication with other churches in other neighborhoods.  Strong and stable leadership is an obvious gifting for both Ward and June Cleaver. 

           Ward is a wise overseer of the neighborhood house church, showing sensitivity and fairness over all the other families’ ministries which he co-ordinates.  June is a competent typist, so she has been in charge of keeping the website for the shelter up to date.  When other moms and dads need a “parents’ night out,” the kids always come over to the Cleaver house.  After all, they have the best entertainment center, the best computer setup, two Xboxes, and plenty of other ways to keep all the neighborhood church kids occupied.  Family movie night is Sundays, but Beaver sometimes complains that he never gets to pick out what they’ll watch.

           Ward and June give a large share of their time and finances to the shelter.  Many of the residents have been able to leave the shelter as they find jobs and get their lives together by the power of the Gospel as modeled by this family.  The Cleavers’ unity as a family is also a strong witness, even though Wally still seems to spend a lot of time trying to get through to Eddie Haskell. 

Family D

           We’ve seen so far how the neighborhood house church system of fellowship has been at work in a suburban setting; perhaps this would be a good time to take it out to a rural area.  There’s a retired lawyer who, along with his wife, live on a small farm just down the road from our imaginary neighborhood.  To him, the farm isn’t really a business venture, but more of a retirement project and an excuse to get away from the rat race.  So despite the fact that the farm is in some disrepair (and that his wife Lisa longs to return to New York), Oliver Wendell Douglas joyfully tends his farm and does his part in the communal life of the church. 

           The farmhouse is in constant need of repair, and is an ongoing project for the handymen of the neighborhood church.  Yet Oliver gladly does without certain creature comforts while the men of the neighborhood put their time into the shelter instead.  When his land produces a harvest, he gladly shares of its produce with the other families.  Although he has retired from formal legal practice, he maintains his bar membership so that he can help the other families with an occasional need such as a will, property matter, or etc.  Recently he helped Mr. Haney get his official business license, and has secured a nice benefits package for his farmhand Eb.

           Mr. Douglas is an elder of the neighborhood house church, and the other families have come to rely on his expert scholarship with the Scriptures; no one is more adept at preparing “meaty” Bible studies for the group.  Lisa is also quite well-educated, and greatly enjoys tutoring the children and helping them with homework and other projects.  Most folks, however, have learned to look elsewhere for a good hotcake recipe. 

Family E

           If we have seen the communal setting at work in a suburb and on a farm, we should also take a look at its effect on an urban setting.  Our next family is a couple with three teenage children who live in a high-rise apartment building on the corner adjacent to the entrance to the suburban subdivision.  They are always struggling to make ends meet, as are many families in this more urban junction to the neighborhood.  But the gospel’s influence is strong with them, and it shows in their interaction with the other families—it’s hard to deny the contributions of the Evans family. 

           James and Florida may not be wealthy in material goods, but they are rich in love and good works.  James’ involvement at the shelter has proven to be an indispensable source of encouragement for the residents there, because he can so readily identify with their situation.  Florida has taken on the role of supplies coordinator at the shelter, diligently seeing to it that there is always a sizable cache of food, clothing, and first aid materials.  She also oversees emergency aid to the other members of the neighborhood house church, so that if anyone is ill or has a death in the family, meals and visits are constantly flowing to the affected families.  Prophetic-style exhortations are the standard of the day for this couple and their daughter Thelma, while the younger son Michael has shown great academic prowess and can ask some quite challenging theological questions.  Michael is also aspiring to law school, so naturally Mr. Douglas has taken him under his wing as a mentor, and has promised to help find scholarship money for Michael’s higher education.

           The Evans family doesn’t ask for charity, nor do they receive any.  They have taken their place as a part of the neighborhood house church and take advantage of its opportunities just like all the rest.  Several other families in their building are now Christians due to their evangelistic efforts, notably their neighbor Willona and her adopted daughter Penny.  No one knows about creative witness better than the older son, J. J., who is an aspiring artist who draws much encouragement from the rest of the church; since all the families do their best to create an environment friendly to the Christian artist.  J. J. also knows a little Greek, so when the power of the Holy Spirit inspires a new idea for a work of art, the neighbors all the way at the end of the cul-de-sac can hear him exclaim “DYN-O-MITE!!” 

Family F

           There is another family in the neighborhood house church whose witness is timeless.  This couple and their infant daughter have turned out to be some of the most outspoken evangelists the town has ever seen.  The husband works for a quarry, and his social involvements include membership in the local Water Buffalo Lodge, a bowling league, and he has auditioned for several locally produced shows.  It all goes to show that Fred and Wilma Flintstone have built their home on a solid foundation. 

           Not only do Fred and Wilma help out at the shelter, they have become the transportation ministry for the neighborhood.  Their car is highly adaptable to whatever the needs of the passenger might be; if a resident at the shelter needs to go somewhere, or if someone’s car in the church breaks down, Fred is always there to fill any transportation need.  Another contribution is their large chest-style freezer, which was purchased so the neighborhood hunters could keep their meat after the local butcher returns their most recent game.

           Wilma’s devotional life is strong, and she has become adept at what she has termed “investigative Bible study” (doubtless a skill she learned while keeping up with Fred’s antics) in which she finds the ways for reconciling supposedly contradictory Scriptures, among other things.  However, the most outstanding characteristic of this family’s love of the Lord is Fred’s zeal for witnessing to his colleagues at work, his lodge brothers, or the guys on his bowling team.  Rumor has it that Barney and Betty Rubble have been asking the “big questions,” and the neighborhood children promise not to get frightened if Bamm-Bamm brings his club to the children’s worship. 

“Family” G

           Of course, the neighborhood house church isn’t just for families; singles are also involved.  Living alone in a small apartment is a retired sailor whose testimony is well-known for the unusual circumstances in which he found the Lord.  It seems that a miscalculation during a routine tour out of Hawaii led to his being marooned on an island with six other people for several years.  His tales of courage and of God’s sustaining power in these adverse circumstances has won him some acclaim in wider circles, and he occasionally travels to large gatherings to give his fascinating testimony.  He has finally outgrown the awkward and clumsy ways of his youth, yet all the church still considers him to be their “little buddy.” 

           While on the island, Gilligan became quite skilled at woodworking, having learned how to build all sorts of interesting things out of rough bamboo and palm fronds.  And since he has been back, he has expanded his abilities to become a modern carpenter second to none.  He has built furniture for the shelter, helped with the old farmhouse down the lane, and at present is teaching some of the older children some practical building skills.  His devotional life is quite rich, having spent so much time in solitude.  He credits a strong conscience of conviction developed during this time for his amazing ability to keep his hands off of Mary Ann.

Family H 

           Finally, we come to another successful family in our neighborhood, a doctor married to a lawyer and their five children.  Despite their affluence and a strong sense of classiness, the Huxtables are as down-to-earth as any other family in the church.  Though Cliff is one of the elders of the fellowship, when the time comes for their family to take the leadership role in the meetings, it is often his wife Clair, or sometimes his son Theo, who comes up with the Bible study.

           Dr. Huxtable offers his medical services free to residents at the shelter, and is in complete agreement with Gomez Addams’ vision for the mission of the shelter.  However, the church members insist that they at least compensate him for supplies used when he treats or examines them.  Vanessa wants to be a worship leader when she grows up, and the Brady kids are happy to include her.  Clair has joined with Mr. Douglas in helping Michael Evans see his dream of law school become reality, and Wally Cleaver admires Mr. Douglas and Mrs. Huxtable to the point that he’s also considering law school as a possible future.  Theo seems to enjoy hanging out with Gilligan, and often accompanies him on speaking engagements.  Likewise, little Rudy and Pebbles Flintstone play together quite often.   

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