While I do appreciate the article on house churches, I beg to differ on the ability of such a group to provide for each other.

I was part of a house church in San Antonio for almost a year, and we had about 15 people on average in attendance. We had all ages represented, and I’d say most of us were financially stable.

We had members who were at times struggling to provide for themselves or for their family, and it didn’t take long for at least one person to learn of their need. In all my years of being part of a church (which is the entirety of my life), I have never experienced the kind of generosity that this church family had for each other.

We didn’t give just because we could. We gave because we didn’t want someone in our family to be hurting and us not hurting with them. In John 15:13 it says “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

If we claim that we love those in our church, then that love is going to hurt. Giving is going to hurt, and it should.

I believe that house churches can provide for each other because it doesn’t matter how much each family is making per year. What matters is how much they are willing to share.

Vanessa Whitt