In April of 2020 when the covid scare struck the world churches around the country closed their doors. When our church did the same, our founding families decided worshiping together was worth the risk, so we started meeting in our own front yards.
We thought it felt a lot like what the early church must've been like. Meeting in small groups in defiance of the authorities while humbly finding ways to serve each other and our neighbors in the midst of political upheaval. So we decided to go all in a do things they way they did them in the early church.
What does that mean? Well our church service is a bit different than what you might find at most churches. The most obvious difference is that we don't have a sermon. Instead, we implemented our best imitation of what we see in 1 Corinthians 14– everyone has a chance to participate and exercise their gifts for the edification of the body. One of our elders leads the time off with a five to ten minute homily and then we open it up to the body to share what God has spoken to them.
Our service is dominated by the word of God, we engage in the public reading of scripture, we sing the Psalms, and we practice a scripture infused liturgy. We dance and celebrate the Eucharist every week. And we do this all in homes throughout the city of Englewood.
Everyone is welcome at Christ the Anchor Church. Each week we meet in a different home, location and details for the upcoming Sunday are listed on the home page typically by Thursday before the service.