Home - The Word of Truth Fellowship

THE PLACE WHERE WE MEET

406 S Sergeant Ave; Joplin, MO 64801; Tel: 417-782-3063; FAX: 417-782-8330

Website: http://wotruth.com/wotfindex.htm

The Word of Truth Fellowship is a House Church with a purpose. Meeting in the home of Given and June Blakely, this fellowship emphasizes edification and participation. Meetings are frequent, and generally lengthy, owing to their nature and content. As of February 2007, more than forty people gather together twice on the Lord's Day, every Wednesday evening, and every Friday evening. Everyone gathers together, participating as given the opportunity to do so. Currently, those who attend range from ages one through ninety-three, with every age group represented.

Our meetings are not brief, ranging from 2-4 hours. This is not because we attach value to length itself. However, we do enjoy hearing and thinking upon the good things of God, and being with others who enjoy the same. Our services begin by the clock, but they do not end by it. We do not want to cut short something that is building us up, or extend something that is tearing us down. Our aim is to arrive safely at the grave, or be ready when Jesus appears -- whatever comes first. We want our meetings to assist us in those objectives. We are persuaded that if we are not ready to die and to meet the Lord, we are also not prepared to live.

Our meetings are not compartmentalized. We all meet and learn together -- children included. We have families with from two to five children each, and yet we do not have tumult and disorder in our assemblies. There are children as young as a few months, and adults as old as 93, as well as representatives from the teens, twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, and eighties -- and we all meet together, joyfully and profitably.

An average attendance of our meetings is as follows: Lord's Day AM = 40+; Lord's Day PM = 45; Wednesday evening = 40; Friday evening = 40.

Since we are a "house church," there is a temptation to be casual, and more aware of our surroundings than the fact that we are in the presence of the Lord. We encourage one another to resist such temptations, and to be acutely aware that it really is not possible to be casual in the presence of the One who is Lord over all. We discourage sloppy appearance, thoughtless speech, and a fun-like atmosphere. All of this is done while zealously avoided a stilted and lifeless environment.