okay, which is it, Monday or Tuesday?
who are you, and what are you up to?
what kind of format do you follow?
who's invited?
what should I wear?
what do you believe?
will you pressure me to accept your "brand" of religion?
how can I be sure you're not some kind of cult?
other questions? email kyle@tuesdaytogether.us

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okay, which is it, Tuesday or Monday?

We don't mean to confuse anyone...  Gatherings are currently held on TUESDAYS.  We have traditionally met on Tuesdays, but during some seasons we moved our meeting time to Monday, to accommodate schedule conflicts for some of our attendees.  We are back on Tuesday until further notice.

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who are you, and what are you up to?

We are Kyle and Gail Knapp, ordinary people looking to know truth and draw closer to God.  We are inviting you to join us in our home on Tuesday evenings for a time of free worship and fellowship.  This gathering is non-denominational and open to everyone.

Our intention is to offer an alternative to traditional "church services" for truth-seekers, skeptics, and anyone else who has a hunger for spiritual fellowship in a free, intellectually honest, non-judgmental setting.

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what kind of format do you follow?

We want to be casual, conversational, relational, so you can expect our gatherings to be loosely structured, and probably to vary from week to week.  In general we will probably have 

• dinner! (we take turns bringing a main course, and everyone else brings appetizers or dessert), 
• a time of singing & worship (some simple songs, no liturgy or sacraments, free expression is encouraged), 
• some kind of brief Bible lesson or discussion topic, 
• an opportunity to pray for each other,
• some time to just hang out and enjoy each other's company

   

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who's invited?

Everyone is welcome, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, or religious, political, or philosophical persuasion.  We hope to make this as open and unrestrictive as possible, however the following guidelines should be considered:

• we only speak English.  So if we hope to communicate it's probably important that you speak English too...
• we have no child-care available, so if you bring kids you'll have to watch them yourself.  Better yet, leave them with your mother-in-law...  (just kidding, sorry, that was rude... we love kids, and we'll help you watch them, just be aware that we have no formal provision for them, and that the presence of wiggly little ones can sometimes make adult conversation difficult.  if "too many kids" ever becomes a real issue for us, we'll discuss as a group how to address it to everyone's benefit.)
• bring your doubts and questions, but if your intention is to show off your debating skills or be disruptive, or if you're coming to proselytize for your own church or group, please stay home.

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what should I wear?

We're pretty casual - come as you are!

I once visited a church that had as it's slogan "Come as you are."  A man challenged the pastor, "can I even wear my hat in church?"  to which the pastor retorted "you can wear whatever you like, as long as you don't come to church naked!"

Please, wear something...

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what do you believe?

A priest in a movie I saw recently, when asked a difficult question, replied "After 35 years of religious study I only know two things for sure:  1. There is a God, and       2. I'm not Him."

I realize this may seem an overly simplistic answer, but it is absolutely foundational, both to the question of what we believe and to what we hope to accomplish on Tuesdays.  We hope to set aside our religious and philosophical preconceptions and seek God for His truth, rather than iterating and categorizing truth for ourselves.

Of course, that's not really the kind of answer you were looking for.  And yes, in our years of searching for truth Gail & I have come to the conclusion that certain things are true, so for the record, we believe:

• in a genuine, personal God (ie not an impersonal "force", but a "person"), who created the physical universe and gave us life
• the Bible as our authoritative guide
• Jesus Christ, the son of God, who 
      · came as a man to reveal God's truth, and 
      · died on the cross accepting for himself the punishment we deserved, and 
      · rose from the dead giving us the promise of eternal life
• that God loves us and really wants to have an intimate, one-on-one relationship with us

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will you pressure me to accept your "brand" of religion?

Absolutely not!  I believe that for any religion or philosophy to have any value it must be embraced consciously and without coercion.  I did not arrive at my present beliefs because of anybody's pressure, but because I became convinced that they are true.

That being said, however, you can be sure that I will share my own beliefs, and will guide discussions according to my understanding of what is true, but you are TOTALLY FREE to disagree, to question, to draw your own conclusions and follow your conscience.  

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how can I be sure you're not some kind of cult?

Depending on your definition, pretty much any religious group can qualify as a "cult".  And, as you may have already learned, the values a church or group presents on their website are not always an accurate representation of how they really operate.  So, to be honest, no real guarantees can be offered here.  Some of the following may be helpful, however.  And if you have other questions, please feel free to ask.

Although this group has no official connection to any religious organization, I (kyle) was ordained as a minister by the Foursquare Gospel Church, an established and respected protestant denomination.  While no longer affiliated with them, I continue in general agreement with their statements of faith, and maintain strong relationships with many of their ministers, as well as with other ministers in various areas of service.

You might ask, then, "who is your covering?" Most traditional church groups are "covered" by a denominational hierarchy. While such structures can be useful, and do provide a degree of economic accountability, we believe spiritual accountability exists only in the kind of shared trust and mutual submission which is found in the context of personal relationships (see James 5:16 and Eph 5:12). Our "covering", therefore, is provided by Jesus Christ and those he's placed in our circle who've earned our trust and respect, who "cover" us in prayer, and with whom we share permission to speak authoritatively into each other's lives. A few of these "covering relationships" are listed here. Should you ever feel that we are doing or teaching something "weird", or that we're engaging in any kind of immoral, unethical, or otherwise questionable practices, you are welcome to speak with any of the leaders of our fellowship, or contact any of those with whom we share mutually-submitted relattionships..

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other questions? email kyle@tuesdaytogether.us

© July, 2009 - Kyle & Gail Knapp

"The free person in Christ and the rebellious will always look the same to those who labor under religious obligation, because both ignore the conventions that govern men. But there is a major difference between the two. The rebel does it to serve himself and his passions, always harming others in the process and leaving a wake of anarchy behind him. The free person in Christ, however, does so because they no longer have a need to serve themselves. Having embraced God's love at a far deeper level than any method of behavioral conformity will touch, they will guard that freedom even if it means others will misunderstand their pursuits. They reject the conventions of control not to please themselves, but the Father Himself."  ~Wayne Jacobsen (quoted by permission from www.lifestream.org)

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Covering Relationships:

• Martin Conroy - Upper Room Fellowship, Omaha
• Frank Smith - Crushed Grapes Ministry
• Tim Price - KingdomCitizenship.org
• Mike Woelk - Cape Girardeau MO
• Ollie Olson - Living Word Ministries

(for an insightful look at what the New Testament says about "covering", you might take a look at Frank Viola's book "Who is Your Covering?")

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