This document was originally written by the founders of The H.U.B. and typically goes out in emails to those who have joined. Due to some transititions, we revisited this document and revised it just a bit to fit who or what we have grown into. Even if you aren't new to The H.U.B., please take a moment to review this article from time to time.
The H.U.B. The H.U.B. is the connecting point for believers in Yeshua pursuing others within the Torah community to gather with consistently. The heart of The H.U.B.’s purpose is that we want to see the entire body of Torah pursuers to grow from Yah’s Word and believe this is best achieved by being in close family-like fellowship with other believers. To attain that, believers need to be able to find one another. We hope to be that connection point. Yeshua taught that the greatest command is to love Yahweh, and the second is to love each other. We believe that love is not some untouchable feel-good noun in the clouds somewhere, but that love is what you do … how you live. We hope to connect believers in a way that is most conducive to applying what they’re learning about living out love – what it looks like to love Yahweh and to love each other. We expect anyone who wants to mix with us to be willing to take the journey on the narrow road, being willing to learn and change, and being willing to be challenged by each other and accountable to each other as we all learn to embrace Yahweh's Word, be Torah pursuant, and make His Kingdom a top priority. We’ll touch more on this under the point “The mishpachah.” But first let’s admit, not everyone is a good fit to be a part of our community… you've got to be serious about learning how to obey Yahweh's commands and be willing to move on to an active involvement in a mishpachah (home fellowship family). You're welcome to hang out with us at The H.U.B. for a while and see what we're all about, and, in the meantime, get some foundational studying accomplished. However, after a while, we'd like to see you permanently move into a mishpachah, or, we’d like to see you move on to find another community that you can truly commit to.
H.U.B. Gatherings. Our gatherings are a priority to us and we hope they are to you as well. We suggest you make it a priority to arrive no less than fifteen minutes early to allow time to mingle, get situated and to eliminate unnecessary distractions. Dress must be modest, but can be informal. (No shorts shorter than 1” above the knee, please, male or female.) There are no facilities available for children; however, they are most welcome and it is our desire children play an attentive and active role in our worship and studies. For younger not participating in the worship / study time, we suggest packing quiet activities such as coloring books, puzzles, etc. to occupy them.
A note about the Sabbath. We’d like to note here we observe Shabbat Friday evening sundown until Saturday evening sundown. Shabbat is a day to assemble with other believers and a day to rest. Resting means abstaining from work – and activities that cause others to work (like shopping or eating out).
“Work is to be done six days, and on the seventh day shall be a Sabbath of rest, a set-apart gathering; you shall do no work; it is a Sabbath to YAHWEH in all your dwellings.” (Leviticus 23:3)
Sabbath is a wonderful time of rest given to us by Yahweh. You will be tempted to come to The H.U.B. (and, in the future, your mishpachah) unprepared – spiritually, physically, emotionally and / or mentally. Throughout the week, keep this in mind: Come to give, not to take. With this in mind throughout the week, you’ll be more likely to show up ready to do just that! It’ll help guide your decisions and commitments throughout the week so that you come prepared to give. This time at The H.U.B. is preparing you for your mishpachah.
Please join other families in preparing for this blessed gift by:
Spend time during the week in prayer for yourself and other families keeping Sabbath
During the week, spend time studying Yah’s Word … the study of His Word as a centerpiece to your home is critical to Shabbat preparation
Plan ahead what dish to bring and do any preliminary preparations
A helpful note: some families use Friday as a preparation day; others begin preparations on Thursday; still others base their entire week’s schedule around Shabbat preparations … find what works for you so you may rest on Shabbat.
“And let us keep paying attention to one another, to spur each other on to love and of good works, not neglecting the assembling together of ourselves, as is the custom of some, but, rather, encouraging each other. And let us do this all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)
The mishpachah. The Hebrew word mishpachah is translated as family in English…at The H.U.B., we use this term to relate to close family-like fellowship with other believers (your most intimate circle of our spiritual family – of Torah believers everywhere). Israelite communities have a responsibility to learn to obey Yahweh’s commands and to challenge one another to grow in their learning. It takes an intention, participation and commitment to do that. We’re all about long-term commitments to a mishpachah because this is where we believe true growth and learning happen best. So, in a nutshell, mishpachah is a family of Torah followers who study together, pray for one another, serve each other, come together for Sabbaths and feast days, hold one another other accountable … and, well, do family stuff. Connecting believers to a mishpachah or helping them establish one or grow one is the most fundamental goal of The H.U.B. Most of the mishpachah gather in houses.
Why? Well, here are some of the reasons:
1. The early disciples gathered in homes or in very small “synagogues” (not what we typically think of as a synagogue by today’s terms) that promoted close connections to be formed.
2. Getting together in homes enables the family of Torah believers to go grow infinitely and deeply – it penetrates deeply into the social infrastructure of families, cities … and, ultimately, the world!
3. Gathering in homes cuts overhead expenses and frees up more finances for helping people. It's financially smart. When a mishpachah gets too big to gather in a home, they start a new mishpachah.
We encourage each mishpachah to have at least one family that is actively preparing to be the next mishpachah that branches out. If you'd like to become part of a mishpachah, each has its own expectations that they will communicate to you. Please keep in mind that most of these groups are meeting in one another’s homes and they have a right to protect the sanctity and security of their homes and families by validating who is a good fit for new mishpachah candidates. Some examples of what these expectations might include are an interview with you (and your family, perhaps) to determine if you are a good fit for the mishpachah, one-on-one meetings before participating in the group, and / or your agreement to a pre-defined code of conduct.
A Note on the Feasts. We primarily leave plans for gathering for 'holy convocations' on Yahweh’s appointed times (listed in Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16) up to each mishpachah. We recognize that not everyone keeps the same calendar so if we plan a gathering, we are not supporting one calendar over another. We do not try to “regulate” the calendar. This is something each family must work out for themselves. It should be noted that each is the fact that the festivals are Shabbats just like the weekly Shabbat and are a day for rest and to gather as a community, so each mishpachah will expect you take these days off work if you can.
“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘These set feasts of YAHWEH, which you shall proclaim as setapart gatherings, shall be these: These are My appointed feasts…’” (Leviticus 23:2)
A note on food. Most of us structure our diets according to Yahweh’s instructions given to us in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. We ask that you only bring food that meets those criteria. Basically, that means no shellfish, pork products or meat with a lot of blood in it. Of special note: One thing you'll really want to watch out for is gelatin. Unless it says on the ingredients label that it's vegetable or beef gelatin, it's usually made from pigs. Gelatin shows up in Jell-O (most brands) and marshmallows, and candies for instance. You'll also want to watch out for stuff with lard in it, like pie crusts. If you’re ever in doubt, feel free to email or call ahead of time to be sure. Thanks for your sensitivity in this matter. Shalom.
The H.U.B. The H.U.B. is the connecting point for believers in Yeshua pursuing others within the Torah community to gather with consistently. The heart of The H.U.B.’s purpose is that we want to see the entire body of Torah pursuers to grow from Yah’s Word and believe this is best achieved by being in close family-like fellowship with other believers. To attain that, believers need to be able to find one another. We hope to be that connection point. Yeshua taught that the greatest command is to love Yahweh, and the second is to love each other. We believe that love is not some untouchable feel-good noun in the clouds somewhere, but that love is what you do … how you live. We hope to connect believers in a way that is most conducive to applying what they’re learning about living out love – what it looks like to love Yahweh and to love each other. We expect anyone who wants to mix with us to be willing to take the journey on the narrow road, being willing to learn and change, and being willing to be challenged by each other and accountable to each other as we all learn to embrace Yahweh's Word, be Torah pursuant, and make His Kingdom a top priority. We’ll touch more on this under the point “The mishpachah.” But first let’s admit, not everyone is a good fit to be a part of our community… you've got to be serious about learning how to obey Yahweh's commands and be willing to move on to an active involvement in a mishpachah (home fellowship family). You're welcome to hang out with us at The H.U.B. for a while and see what we're all about, and, in the meantime, get some foundational studying accomplished. However, after a while, we'd like to see you permanently move into a mishpachah, or, we’d like to see you move on to find another community that you can truly commit to.
H.U.B. Gatherings. Our gatherings are a priority to us and we hope they are to you as well. We suggest you make it a priority to arrive no less than fifteen minutes early to allow time to mingle, get situated and to eliminate unnecessary distractions. Dress must be modest, but can be informal. (No shorts shorter than 1” above the knee, please, male or female.) There are no facilities available for children; however, they are most welcome and it is our desire children play an attentive and active role in our worship and studies. For younger not participating in the worship / study time, we suggest packing quiet activities such as coloring books, puzzles, etc. to occupy them.
A note about the Sabbath. We’d like to note here we observe Shabbat Friday evening sundown until Saturday evening sundown. Shabbat is a day to assemble with other believers and a day to rest. Resting means abstaining from work – and activities that cause others to work (like shopping or eating out).
“Work is to be done six days, and on the seventh day shall be a Sabbath of rest, a set-apart gathering; you shall do no work; it is a Sabbath to YAHWEH in all your dwellings.” (Leviticus 23:3)
Sabbath is a wonderful time of rest given to us by Yahweh. You will be tempted to come to The H.U.B. (and, in the future, your mishpachah) unprepared – spiritually, physically, emotionally and / or mentally. Throughout the week, keep this in mind: Come to give, not to take. With this in mind throughout the week, you’ll be more likely to show up ready to do just that! It’ll help guide your decisions and commitments throughout the week so that you come prepared to give. This time at The H.U.B. is preparing you for your mishpachah.
Please join other families in preparing for this blessed gift by:
Spend time during the week in prayer for yourself and other families keeping Sabbath
During the week, spend time studying Yah’s Word … the study of His Word as a centerpiece to your home is critical to Shabbat preparation
Plan ahead what dish to bring and do any preliminary preparations
A helpful note: some families use Friday as a preparation day; others begin preparations on Thursday; still others base their entire week’s schedule around Shabbat preparations … find what works for you so you may rest on Shabbat.
“And let us keep paying attention to one another, to spur each other on to love and of good works, not neglecting the assembling together of ourselves, as is the custom of some, but, rather, encouraging each other. And let us do this all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)
The mishpachah. The Hebrew word mishpachah is translated as family in English…at The H.U.B., we use this term to relate to close family-like fellowship with other believers (your most intimate circle of our spiritual family – of Torah believers everywhere). Israelite communities have a responsibility to learn to obey Yahweh’s commands and to challenge one another to grow in their learning. It takes an intention, participation and commitment to do that. We’re all about long-term commitments to a mishpachah because this is where we believe true growth and learning happen best. So, in a nutshell, mishpachah is a family of Torah followers who study together, pray for one another, serve each other, come together for Sabbaths and feast days, hold one another other accountable … and, well, do family stuff. Connecting believers to a mishpachah or helping them establish one or grow one is the most fundamental goal of The H.U.B. Most of the mishpachah gather in houses.
Why? Well, here are some of the reasons:
1. The early disciples gathered in homes or in very small “synagogues” (not what we typically think of as a synagogue by today’s terms) that promoted close connections to be formed.
2. Getting together in homes enables the family of Torah believers to go grow infinitely and deeply – it penetrates deeply into the social infrastructure of families, cities … and, ultimately, the world!
3. Gathering in homes cuts overhead expenses and frees up more finances for helping people. It's financially smart. When a mishpachah gets too big to gather in a home, they start a new mishpachah.
We encourage each mishpachah to have at least one family that is actively preparing to be the next mishpachah that branches out. If you'd like to become part of a mishpachah, each has its own expectations that they will communicate to you. Please keep in mind that most of these groups are meeting in one another’s homes and they have a right to protect the sanctity and security of their homes and families by validating who is a good fit for new mishpachah candidates. Some examples of what these expectations might include are an interview with you (and your family, perhaps) to determine if you are a good fit for the mishpachah, one-on-one meetings before participating in the group, and / or your agreement to a pre-defined code of conduct.
A Note on the Feasts. We primarily leave plans for gathering for 'holy convocations' on Yahweh’s appointed times (listed in Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16) up to each mishpachah. We recognize that not everyone keeps the same calendar so if we plan a gathering, we are not supporting one calendar over another. We do not try to “regulate” the calendar. This is something each family must work out for themselves. It should be noted that each is the fact that the festivals are Shabbats just like the weekly Shabbat and are a day for rest and to gather as a community, so each mishpachah will expect you take these days off work if you can.
“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘These set feasts of YAHWEH, which you shall proclaim as setapart gatherings, shall be these: These are My appointed feasts…’” (Leviticus 23:2)
A note on food. Most of us structure our diets according to Yahweh’s instructions given to us in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. We ask that you only bring food that meets those criteria. Basically, that means no shellfish, pork products or meat with a lot of blood in it. Of special note: One thing you'll really want to watch out for is gelatin. Unless it says on the ingredients label that it's vegetable or beef gelatin, it's usually made from pigs. Gelatin shows up in Jell-O (most brands) and marshmallows, and candies for instance. You'll also want to watch out for stuff with lard in it, like pie crusts. If you’re ever in doubt, feel free to email or call ahead of time to be sure. Thanks for your sensitivity in this matter. Shalom.
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