Inside the Jesus House, A Story by Ryan MilnerRyan Milner - 29 Jan 2008

Jesus House. The name itself resonates. Tells a story. Points to an epicenter and serves as a rallying cry. Turns college conventions on their head. And at the heart of this once-dilapidated 19-bedroom frat house straddling the southern edge of Oklahoma State University's campus, is a counter-culture of community, love, and of course, Jesus.

House and Home

There's something different about the nearly two dozen college-age guys piled into the Jesus House, studying, working, and living life together. So I wasn't too surprised when they preferred not to let one, or even two, representatives speak for them as I sought to understand their story. Instead, four of the house's inhabitants, Scott Goodner, Stephen Griffin, Chase Henninger, and Cale Lopp, took my questions digitally and answered as a group, an unspoken indicator of their democracy and solidarity, their honor for one another.

But that alone is only enough to make them a progressively-democratic frat, and they are so much more. Once you move past their welcoming front porch (the roof of which is also a serviceable seating area), with its classic college furniture ("outdoor sofas, of course," they point out with pride), and step through the Jesus House's bright red front door, you are greeted by a true family. Living for Jesus and each other in the midst of a culture and demographic often recognized for the stark opposite.

"We all desire to be a part of something bigger than ourselves," the collective of guys reflected, as they considered the heart of their lifestyle and its connection to the 24-7 Prayer movement. "It's an essential part of our being. The power of belonging. The Jesus House, our community here, the 24-7 Prayer community at large, offers something to a world that is longing for an eternal family. Something the bars fail at, cheap relationships fail at, the American dream fails at."

And community is the flowing blood of the Jesus House, which the guys say is set up as much as a coffee shop or an art studio as a home. Just beyond the bright red front door that welcomes anyone and everyone into the gray-brick Jesus House, sits a massive main gathering space painted with simple solid colors and decorated with local art and pictures, used for anything and everything from community dinners, worship services, and homework, to art shows, concerts, and even soccer matches. Next to the gathering hall is an equally impressive kitchen with a pantry always stocked full for whoever could use a bite.

The rest of the house is peppered with two more kitchens, nineteen bedrooms, and five bathrooms. A TV and game room (still in progress) is of course a necessity in any college house. But the crown jewel of the Jesus House is one of a kind: a prayer room. It looks out directly over campus, a stirring statement about the heart of the house and its inhabitants. The second floor room has walls covered with glowing ink and spray paint, as black-lit prayers stand out bright against florescent blue light.

While the guys quickly acknowledge the Jesus House "still needs a lot of love and TLC," they are nothing but excited about the ambiance emerging around their unique lifestyle.

"The rhythm and atmosphere of the house is continuing to develop as we live life together," they said. "It revolves around a very real schedule of work and school and study, as well as spontaneous worship and prayer break-outs, community meals, a once a week meeting, and lots of fun."

Longshot to Lifestyle

But less than a year ago, in the spring of 2007, the Jesus House wasn't a hub of community, it was a longshot. It would soon become a testament to the fact that God can dream bigger than we ever could.

"The heart of it began and was birthed in the context of relationship and community," the guys said, recalling that they initially were only seeking a house big enough for four or five inhabitants, and slightly skeptical they could make rent when they found an old 19-bedroom frat house just one block south of campus.

"Well humanly speaking, it was impossible," they said of coming up with rent and tenets. "But with God everything is possible."

And with that reckless faith and total hope, three of the guys (Goodner, Griffin, and Henninger) signed the lease and left the rest in bigger hands than theirs. God rewarded them with gusto.

"By the beginning of the ‘07 fall school semester, we had 23 guys living there full time," they said, "committed to the journey of finding authentic community and becoming a band of brothers."

This active faith impressed a core member of another Jesus-centered upstart community. Adam Cox, a leader in the Kansas City Boiler Room, recently spent some time down at Oklahoma State with the Jesus House guys, and left amazed at their story.

"They had a dream in their heart and didn't really have the means to achieve it," he said. "But they were ready to step out on a limb and follow Jesus and watch him provide. If we're willing to follow Jesus and risk like that, God just loves that."

The Jesus House guys have been equally inspired by the Kansas City Boiler Room community, citing it as a defining way-marker in their journey toward Jesus-centered family.

"During a random-circumstance visit to Kansas City, we visited the Boiler Room," the guys recalled. "Our hearts seemed to be connected at that moment. It was a homecoming of our hearts and the expansion of our horizons and vision. We have been on that journey of community ever since, desiring to invite people into the person of Jesus, rather than to another service. It's about lifestyle."

A Band of Friends

Less than a year old, the Jesus House brims with love and unity, as guys from across denomination, nationality, and walks of life move together as a family and community.

"Because of our overwhelming passion for Jesus, we share a common love and bond," the guys said. "We are brothers in arms. As the movie 300 declares, ‘our strength comes from protecting the man next to us.' ‘As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.' Proverbs 27:17."

During his visit, Cox immediately noticed how real and deep the guys' commitment to each other was.

"They honor one another," he said. "They continually give each other hugs when they see each other on campus. They point to each other's gifts. They're just college students who won't settle for a normal college experience."

And the Jesus House refuses to hide this love under a bushel. Resident or not, the guys long to serve others, and are seeking to grow in rhythms of prayer and service. This includes both formal partnerships with local ministries and the informal act of hanging out on campus.

"We believe the house is itself an outreach," the guys said, "with events like hosting local art shows, secular and Christian concerts, community meals, giving away free food from our lawn during major campus events, as well as just the continual flow of people in and out of the house. We see all kinds of needs met whether sitting on the front porch, or on the living room couch, or prayers being answered from the prayer room."

So the name continues to tell a story. And the Jesus House continues to serve as an epicenter and a rallying cry for a counter-culture committed to community, love, and of course, the hope and salvation of Jesus Christ.

"Here we are. Simple people," the guys said, creating for themselves a mantra as powerful as anything shouted by armor-clad Spartans in 300. "A band of friends who love to worship, pray, and belong to our King."