Community Rule of Life
Abba’s House is a mission of welcome, which means we who serve there are “Missionaries of Welcome”. God has called us to join Him as protectors of the oppressed (Isaiah 58, 61; Matthew 25). Therefore we as His Missionaries of Welcome, individually and collectively, commit to protect, love, and serve each refugee woman and child who enters our doors.
“He has told you, O man, what is good, and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice [protect], to love kindness [love], and to walk humbly with your God [serve].” -Micah 6:8
The Missionaries of Welcome will embody Christ’s heart for the oppressed through these three core means of protecting, loving, and serving. In so doing, we seek to live out the core values of Abba’s House–unhurried simplicity, unplugged rhythms, and life-giving hospitality–that we might provide a peaceful place of refuge and restoration for their souls.
As Missionaries of Welcome, we commit to spiritual practices which nurture and foster within our own souls the core values of our mission, so that we may be internally prepared to walk alongside our displaced guests. We seek together to develop unhurried simplicity, unplugged rhythms, and life-giving hospitality for the sake of those we protect, love, and serve.
We commit to being “hidden in Christ” (Colossians 3:1-17), united with Jesus in His sufferings and death, just as in His resurrection and glorification (Philippians 2:3-11), for Jesus Himself taught us:
“A disciple is not above his Teacher, nor a servant above his Master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his Teacher, and the servant like his Master.” -Matthew 10:24-25
“If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.” -Luke 9:23-24
As Missionaries of Welcome, therefore, we commit to protect, love, and serve Jesus Christ our Lord by seeing Him in each and every face, since He has declared,
“For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.” Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?” And the King will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers and sisters, you did it to Me.” -Matthew 25:35-40
As missionaries, we also humbly recognize that as we care for these women and children, we are recipients from them, too, for they are not the least, but the greatest in the Kingdom. “And [Jesus] sat down and called the twelve. And He said to them, ‘If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.’ And He took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, “Whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but him who sent Me.” -Mark 9:35-37
To fulfill this calling, we commit to be fully present, to both our fellow missionaries and to the oppressed whom we serve. We will be present for the sake of Jesus’ work among us–present to one another in prayer, in meetings, in readings, in training, in gatherings, in community, in work, in play, in celebration. We recognize that ours is a ministry of presence. Therefore our presence is the greatest gift and sacrifice we can offer to God. We “present [our] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is [our] spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1)
We agree to this Community Rule of Life as the Missionaries of Welcome at Abba’s House.
-Signed, The Abba’s House Ministry Team
Abba's House 