Home Games Round-Up (Sum 2024)

By Josh Michael

If you missed the 2nd Annual Home Games, what did you miss out on?  You missed out on some silly games and some serious ones.  You missed out on learning which of your fellow church-members have skills and talents you never would have guessed.  You missed out on some amazing food.  You missed out on a chance to dunk a staff member.  You missed out on the thrill of competition and striving for victory.  You missed out on spending time with one another.  You missed out on living life in community in a slightly different way for a couple days.  And maybe you missed out on joy.

There was a lot of joy at the Home Games.  Sure there was joy in winning corn hole or ax throwing or ice cream making.  But there is also joy in spending time with one another - enjoying not just good things and good experiences (which ultimately point us to the goodness of God), but the goodness of shared community.  This is one of the reasons to hold the Home Games - to enjoy our relationships with one another.  To strengthen our bonds through turning toward one another, in counterpart to the Away Games which turn us toward those beyond our body.

That may seem like a lot to claim for making a really good pie or throwing a bean-bag at a board with a hole in it, but competition has a way of motivating, challenging, focusing, and revealing us.  If you don’t believe me, just note all the times the Apostle Paul turned to athletic metaphors to illustrate spiritual truths.  

And as long as we are focused on competition, we should highlight this year’s winning house churches.  Finishing in third place in the Home Games was We Are Family, second place belonged to Hebrews 10:23, and capturing this year’s Home Games crown was King St. house church.  Congratulations to our winners.

If your House Church didn’t make the podium this year, don’t give up hope - there is always next year.  It is not too early to begin planning the perfect sandwich.  Or working on your 4-legged race technique.  Or trying to discover your un-talent (or would that be un-discovering your un-talent?).  As for me, it’s back to the practice court - our house church has a pickleball medal to defend!