Hands-On Worship. Messy Church opens worship to all ages in an energetic, welcoming environment. By Sue Kalbfleisch Children are everywhere along

Transcription

1 Hands-On Worship Messy Church opens worship to all ages in an energetic, welcoming environment. By Sue Kalbfleisch Children are everywhere along with moms and dads, grandparents, seniors, neighbours, aunts, and uncles. You can hear the laughing and singing, the praying and talking, the clattering of dishes. What is going on? Where have all the people come from? This is Messy Church, a family-oriented, all-ages, and, well messy monthly gathering. This may sound challenging given our preoccupation with order and cleanliness in our traditional churches. But Christ is at the heart of all aspects of Messy Church as community builds around creativity, hos- pitality, worship, a meal, and fun. Messy Church is a way of being church that includes activities and crafts, music, prayer, a story, and supper all around a biblical theme. It is not a children s program but rather all-age worship where everyone explores a theme together. And Messy Church is happening in churches across, including ELCIC churches. For Pastor Sebastian Meadows-Helmer of Christ The King Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Thornhill, ON, the all-ages aspect of Messy Church is particularly important. At our Messy Church, said Meadows- Helmer, we found the intergenerational Photo by Martin Habekost. 10

2 aspect particularly life-giving for older folks who may not have many opportunities to be around children. The excitement and joy of the children is infectious, and you see the smiles spreading around. The older folks enjoy helping the younger ones with the crafts and, surprisingly, have fun doing the crafts themselves. We are living at a time when more than one generation does not know the Bible, has never attended church except perhaps for a baptism, wedding, or funeral, and when families increasingly find it difficult to find time to be together. Sunday morning as the time for worship may not work for many folks any more, particularly for young families as evidenced by the lack of children in Sunday schools (and their parents in Sunday services). Sunday has become a family day for many and attending church with the children going off somewhere else for Sunday school may not be what families are looking for. Under the name Messy Church, this is a comparatively new response to a changing culture. But as a style of worship that engages all the senses, welcomes all generations, and encourages the participation of each person, it is as old as Christianity. Messy Church was launched at St. Wilfrid s Anglican Church near Portsmouth, England, in 2004 when Lucy Moore began looking in her community for a way to be church that would appeal to whole families. Her goal was to listen to the needs of the local community and reach out to those who were not connected to any church. From that humble beginning in one church by a creative and visionary layperson, there are now over 1400 Messy Churches in the United Kingdom and abroad with at least 100 in. The first Canadian Messy Church was launched in Georgetown, ON, in April 2007 with others starting up shortly thereafter across. Today there are Messy Churches in almost every province and most mainline denominations. Pastor Ann Krueger of Westside, Barrie, ON, describes their congregation s Messy Church journey. When we started last February, Krueger said, I didn t know if anyone would show up. The Messy Church team put up flyers around their church s neighbourhood, and told people they thought might be interested. But they really wondered whether this would work. It felt so little. I was praying hard that God would send us people who really needed Messy Church in their lives, Krueger said. To my great delight, God did send us children, parents, and grandparents who needed the grace of God. And as a result of the first contact through Messy Church, a different kind of faith community began to emerge. God s grace took the form of friendly, caring people, Krueger said, who listened attentively to the struggles of that parent, who coaxed a shy child to try a craft, who told stories of Jesus, and who offered a wonderful meal. Sometimes we learned that it was the best meal of the week. And we learned how hungry some mothers were for adult conversation, a chance to make new friends, and to just be cared for. So what does a typical Messy Church look like? Messy Church is typically a monthly gathering that lasts about 2 hours. It includes crafts and activities, a celebration, and a (above) Messy Church at Westside, Barrie, ON, celebrates the life and ministry of St. Patrick with Irish stew. (left) At Christ The King Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Thornhill, ON, people of all ages enjoy the hands-on activities. Messy Church aims to: Provide an opportunity for people of all ages to worship together Help people of all ages feel they belong in church and to each other Help people have fun and be creative together Introduce Jesus through hospitality, friendship, stories, and worship ~ ~ ~ For more about Messy Church, visit their website at messychurch.org.uk or go to facebook.com/ MessyChurch Photo by ann Krueger. elcic.ca/clweb 11

3 Take a peek inside a Messy Church evening Here is what might happen at a typical Messy Church where the theme is based on John 10:7 11, in which Jesus says, I am the good shepherd. The essence of the theme has been adapted from Messy Church: Fresh Ideas for Building a Christ-centred Community (Bible Reading fellowship [BRF], 2006) by Lucy Moore, pp Doors open at 5 p.m. Greeters welcome folks, tell them about the theme, give 5 6 out nametags, and direct them to refreshments and to the activities and crafts. Messy Church starts whenever folks arrive so no one is ever late a great way to welcome busy young families. Craft and activity time lasts till about 6 p.m. There are usually four to six activities or crafts to choose from. Tonight might include sheep paper-bag puppets, stand-up clothespin sheep, and picture-making with sheep stamps. Activities are designed to appeal to a wide range of age groups and preferences. Host table leaders help with the crafts as they facilitate discussion on the theme. They might encourage talk about how a shepherd cares for all the sheep just as Jesus cares for each of us. Celebration time runs from about 6 to 6:20 p.m. and includes songs, prayer, and a talk, story, or video clip. Tonight s celebration is a skit about a lost sheep, and everyone plays the part of the other worried sheep. 6:20 Supper is served at about 6:20 p.m. and naturally we re having shepherd s pie 7and salad, with sheep cookies for dessert. As folks depart at 7 p.m. they take home a short Messy News leaflet and something to reflect on together as a family through the month until the next Messy Church. Today, we send along a small knitted lamb for each family with a note that says, Display your sheep and every time you see it, remember that, as the good shepherd, Jesus cares for each one of us. This encourages the knitters in the church community to get involved. The leaflet reminds everyone of next month s Messy Church date and theme. meal. It welcomes the whole family, not just children. Each Messy Church reflects the culture of the community in which it is held and the gifts, talents, and interests of the host church. Because of this, every Messy Church is unique. At its heart, Messy Church is missional, a way to reach people who don t know Jesus. Messy Church is church but not churchy, so it becomes easier to invite friends and neighours who would otherwise not be likely to come to a traditional Sunday service with unfamiliar language and rituals. Messy Church also meets the needs of those families who just can t make it to worship on Sunday mornings. At Trinity, New Hamburg, ON, Pastor Anne Anderson found that her congregation s Messy Church has been a great way to connect the church with the community as members and newcomers explore worship together, enjoy time and a meal together, and build relationships. We re connecting with folks, said Anderson, and they are connecting with the church so it s really a good experience for us all. Having a regularly scheduled evening, such as the third Thursday of the month, makes it easier for families to coordinate their schedules and for newcomers to locate a Messy Church event. It also makes it easier for the host congregation to make the time and space available with the same commitment that honours Sunday morning in the sanctuary as worship time. Anderson s congregation, like many who begin exploring Messy Church, didn t begin with a large organizing team. A small core group (often as few as three to five enthusiastic members) coordinate the various parts of Messy Church with others adding their gifts from time to time as they are available through planning and preparing crafts, organizing food, developing the celebration, and keeping a roster of hosts for each gathering (greeters, table leaders, set-up and clean-up crews, etc.). Messy Churches are often lay-led with the clergy offering a supporting role. Meadows-Helmer usually leads the celebration 12

4 time during Messy Church at Christ The King Dietrich Bonhoeffer, but he can also be found as a greeter or a table leader. With a small group of excited, creative and gifted people, led by the Holy Spirit, Meadows-Helmer said, our Messy Church has grown beyond our wildest expectations. Since starting in September 2012 their numbers have grown from 27 to 48. The timing was right, he said. We had the physical and human resources, and were looking for a way to engage young families as Sundays just weren t working. Messy Church sparked the imagination of our folks who love to work with children and families. The team s attitude was, This is cool and we can do it! Pastor Richard Brown, dean of the London Conference in Eastern Synod, hosted a Messy Fiesta workshop in November. His reason? There had been positive feedback from other clergy and other denominations clergy who had attended Messy Church sessions, Brown said. I knew also of the work of Pastor Anne Anderson at Trinity New Hamburg. Hearing positive reviews from colleagues with first-hand experience persuaded Brown that Messy Church might have something to offer other ELCIC churches in his region who were struggling with similar challenges around connecting with their communities and meeting the faith needs of families. Probably the biggest reason to hold a Messy Church session, he added, was due to a number of London clergy and laity who were unable to attend [Messy Church training] sessions outside the conference. The autumn 2012 conference gather- Each Messy Church reflects the culture of the community in which it is held and the gifts, talents, and interests of the host church. 1 and 2: Families@5 meet monthly for worship and fun at Trinity, New Hamburg, ON. 3: Entering into the nativity story, Messy Church-style, at Westside, Barrie, ON. 4: Everyone helps unpack the Bible story at Christ The King Deitrich Bonhoeffer, Thornhill, ON. 1 2 Photo by Ann Krueger. Photo by Angie Scheid. 3 4 Photo by Angie Scheid. Photo by Doris Lottermoser. elcic.ca/clweb 13

5 Photo by Ann Krueger. An outdoor invitation to Messy Church at Westside, Barrie, ON. To help decide if Messy Church is right for you and your church: Read Messy Church: Fresh Ideas for Building a Christ-centred Community by Lucy Moore (BRF, 2006). Visit messychurch.org.uk and watch the video clip posted on the home page. Contact Sue Kalbfleisch to chat about Messy Church, get Canadian resources, and find out if there is a Messy Church nearby that you can visit. Sue at messy@freshexpressions.ca or phone Begin a dialogue with the decision-makers/pastor in your church. To help decide if Messy Church is right for your community: Discern together. Talk to your church s neighbours; listen to your community; pray. Do you feel this might be what God is calling you to do? Begin to plan. What gifts does your church have in space, talents, resources, time? When is the best time for your Messy Church? Where is the best place for it? Build a team. Can you find people willing to help? You ll need a core team (3 4 people), welcomers, craft leaders, cooks, celebration leaders, and prayers. Get the word out. How many do you think will come? How will you publicize your Messy Church? Who will take calls about your Messy Church? ing seemed like an ideal time to bring clergy and laity with congregational needs together with expertise that might help. The fall conference meeting is often an event gathering that explores new growth opportunities for both clergy and laity, Brown said. Messy Church has come up in discussions at the Eastern Synod deans & directors retreats, and at local area ministerial meetings. From Brown s perspective, this new model of church brings opportunities for families to spend quality time together in an environment that nurtures their family and community relationships in a spiritual community context. Instead of competing with family time, Messy Church can deepen family time. And in a culture where many members do not live in their church s immediate neighbourhood, Brown notes that Messy Church can reconnect the church with the children and families who live nearby the church. Messy Church can serve as a community outreach program, said Brown, an opportunity for both churched and unchurched people, and an opportunity for moms and dads to network and support other moms and dads. Messy Church is about family, about community, about hospitality, about Jesus, and about fun. It s a model of church that definitely has people talking. On a visit to my chiropractor, said Kreuger in Barrie, ON, I was chatting away about Messy Church and I learned that one of our Messy Church families went to him. The little boy had told him excitedly, It s only four more sleeps until Messy Church! With children, parents, neighbourhood friends, and church people all excited about Messy Church, this seems to be an idea whose time has come. Sue Kalbfleisch is Messy Church coordinator, Fresh Expressions, for The Anglican Church of. She lives in Hamilton, ON. 14