How to Have “Church”at Home (while traveling)
As active church members, life group leaders, and valuing the importance of church in our lives for spiritual development… I was afraid to tackle finding “church” on the road.
I was worried about losing my community. I was worried about my children not having their weekly biblical teachings. I was worried about how much my heart and soul would miss corporate worship. But we’ve been able to–well enough–find church on the road.
First, what do we believe that church is?
A beautiful metaphor, the body having various “members” and God being the head of the church.
Painting a beautiful picture of marriage.
But also very simply and practically: community.
A chance at accountability from other believers. A chance at conviction from the pastor and other leaders of the church. Weekly encouragement in our faith and guidance to furthering our faith. An opportunity to sign out loud the praises of God, and gather to pray in His presence (where two or three are gathered, I am there in there in their midst).
Why is church important?
God gives us this command: Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy (Exodus 20:8)
One of the biggest struggles while traveling is remembering that Sunday is to be kept separate and holy to God!
Our every Monday looks different, as do our Wednesdays, which means also our Sundays. We work every day to accommodate the daily “play” we do when we travel. We homeschool when we can. Some days we’re in the truck all day, others we’re relaxing by the beach. It’s easy to forget it’s Sunday!
We’ve been trying to be better about it, because Sunday is the time we should set aside to thank God for what he’s done and to dwell in thankfulness for the greatest gift we’ve received – Jesus, giving Him the glory for it. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t ALSO do it on a Monday (and really every day), but in the busyness and hurriedness of life, Sunday is set apart.
So how do we find church while traveling?
First, it is possible to find literal churches to attend while traveling.
While the one night stops and travel days make attending church pretty impossible, the majority of our stationary days made catching church on a Sunday very possible.
Since we centered a lot of our travels around visiting family and friends, we prioritized attending their church when we could. Ever message from their pastors is just what we needed. It felt so good to sing out loud! And our children enjoyed the friendships and activities of children’s church.
Look up a local church, and put yourself out there to attend a service. It will not only be good for your family, but will give you a fresh perspective on what it feels like to be a newcomer at a church.
We tap into online resources.
I follow several churches on YouTube, and listen to their sermons every week. I’ve also found several channels, including one that has compiled videos of Elisabeth Eliot’s teachings, that I’ll listen to as I get ready in the mornings. My favorite channels for kids include LifeKids, and we love a good SuperBook episode. You can also subscribe to something like RightNow Media which we get for free through our church.
We play worship music throughout the house and I play ukelele to lead the family in worship.
Oh wait, no, that second part is my intention that hasn’t come to fruition yet. I have the ukelele, I know how to play You Are My Sunshine and It Is Well With My Soul (which helped me through the loss of my mom). But that’s as skilled as I’ve gotten at it. I miss corporate worship, and I hope to lead my children in worship eventually.
I’ve made bible studies and my community virtual.
I did this before we even started RVing. I love to connect with my friends wherever they are, and it’s easy enough to do over a video call. Right now, me and some friends are going through an advent study for Christmas. Connect with your fellow believers all over the world!
You can BE the church.
This one has yet to take root in our lives, mostly because we don’t stay in a place long enough to really get involved in the community.
But the church is meant to serve, to get their hands dirty. If you’re able to, make an effort to go out and volunteer and be the church. Exemplify to your children what loving your neighbor looks like tangibly.
We can sit and learn and worship and pray all day… but isn’t until we start really digging in and reaching the lost that our faith comes to its fullest potential.
Keeping Christ present in the home daily
Keeping Christ present in your home is (in my opinion) THE most important part of “doing church.” Here are some of my favorite ways and resources for daily focus:
Morning Bible reading (with the kids included). Obviously being in the word is incredibly important. I utilize daily passage ideas from the Bible App (YouVersion), my son loves browsing his Action Bible (and usually chooses a story for me to read to him), and my daughter will usually bounce between The Baby Bible and the The Jesus Storybook Bible. Obviously she can’t read, but it’s a matter of implementing the habit of daily routine in the word.
Scripture memorization. For the kids, we have a bible verse we memorize every week. My two-year-old gets an easier version of the verse, and my five-year-old gets a longer version. Memorization is a challenge for me, but I found this really fun resource. Dwell gives you a bible verse a month to memorize, and helps you with prompts from artwork and the first letters of every word. Really neat idea!
Bible studies that equip. Practical, daily studies that focus on books of the bible as well as various topics with teachings that are biblically sound. My favorite resource for studies is She Reads Truth for me, and He Reads Truth for my husband.
Follow social media accounts that glorify God and challenge you in your faith. Social media is difficult, and can stir up a lot of negative emotions. It can also make us consider a lot of different worldly viewpoints, and our news feeds can fill our minds with contemplations that are primarily of this world. But what if… what if as you scroll, you come across a topic with a godly perspective, a challenge to you as a Christian, or a verse that encourages your spirit? We can cultivate our social media experience to be one that fills our spirit, not drains it. I follow MANY social media accounts on Instagram that fill my cup daily and convict me. But here are just a few of my favorites right now: Amy K,
Wearing things that make you think about God. I am always one for a super cute t-shirt with worship song lyrics or a bible verse. But one of my most recent favorite companies is Dear Mushka, a company with jewelry inspired by scripture. Every piece comes with a verse of encouragement addressing a specific issue or area of your life. It makes for meaningful gifts, and I just love their mission! Win win.
Fellow Christian, the Holy Spirit is IN you.
Jesus has made it possible to have a personal relationship with him day in and day out. The church is beautiful (even though it has a terrible reputation these days). The church should have a strong role in our lives. But don’t let the physical building of the church keep you from living out the mission of the church and finding it wherever you need it to be.
Having church at home and keeping Sunday set apart IS possible, even with an inconsistent travel schedule. Utilize online resources and tools and form healthy habits that work for your family’s situation. Gather with other believers when you can, and be the hands and feet of Christ.