For the Theology course I take here at MCPC, I am required to visit a number of different urban churches. So far there are three that I have discovered of particular interest: the Epiphany Fellowship, the Circle of Hope, and the Free Quaker Meeting House. Each of these places offered a new idea to consider and presented me with an opportunity to comparatively evaluate my own religious practices.

1. Epiphany Fellowship combines post-modernism and hip hop culture to battle the traditional western/American Christian “religious” practice. Their Urban Outreach is real and alive, and the church body is immersed in the local community. The congregation is comprised of North West Philly residents, including a large number of students. I was engaged by the Pastor’s a message which was biblical, conversational, and applicable. The Fellowship is aimed at making believers and re-shaping the North Philly community.
-http://www.epiphanyfellowship.org/pages.asp?pageid=44184

2. The Circle of Hope church has a different aim audience (largely hipster 20s-30s) however the message was comparable. They strive to break down the traditions and rules of religion and make faith a personal relationship with our Creator. The church community has an interesting system, consisting of: required small group study, a large time for fellowship and service on Sunday evenings, and organization of a small thrift shop out of their church building.
-http://circleofhope.net/blog/about/

3. The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) believe that each person can be in unmediated communion with the Holy Spirit. Ideally this principal greatly shapes how the believer acts, and specifically, treats other people. Also stressed is God gives every individual their own beliefs. They are one of three Pacifist Christian Sects (along with Brethren in Christ and Mennonite)! -http://philadelphia.about.com/od/travel/ss/independence_2.htm

I found the emphasis on personal relationship, in all three of these churches, to be undeniably sanctifying…
Thank you, Urban church, for the reminder of how much our Lord longs to know, guide, and speak to me. May you continue to grow, touch lives, and bring people into His mighty presence.

Beach? Ski resort? Road trip? No… this year my spring break consists of going back to visit my old pals at main campus. As I get ready to embark on my Grantham vacation, I remember how it has felt, since freshman year, to return to Messiah College. It always feels like going home.

There is a proverb that says- home is where the heart is. Does it follow then that since we each have one heart, we must only have one home?

When my family life was turned upside down over a year ago, I realized that the house where you grow up is not the only place that can be your home. From that day forward, when I longed to go home, it was not my house that I was drawn to but one of my other homes. My church is my home; there I have a second family. It is the people, the familiarity of place, and the solidarity of the community there that has made it my home. Another place that I find home is with my best friends from high school. Sharing our lives, our time, and our love that has withstood many trials over the years has earned their friendship the title. A last place that I call home is, as mentioned, Messiah College. The Messiah community guides and challenges me in my faith walk, inspires me academically in unexpected ways, and, most importantly, loves me for who I am as an individual. Messiah is probably the place I have felt most free to be true to myself- in community and in close relationships.

This year, I wonder if coming back to Philly campus will prompt those same emotions of comfort, joy, and overall warmth that I get on the ride up Grantham Avenue. I feel like Philly wants to become a home for me. The city extends its arms of culture, people, and opportunity out to me. Whether I will let those arms embrace me, and enter the door to a new home, is a decision that my heart must make. I find and receive love in Philly, but is this place more than just a temporary residency? Can it be a new home?