by Crystal Goetz, Director of Family Ministries at Puyallup United Methodist Church in Puyallup, Washington I love the story of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien; Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield, and company on their adventures in Middle Earth. As is true with any adventure, there are always challenges. It is, in many ways, like our faith […]
God Created Us for Community
by Rev. Chelsea G. Benham, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Elizabethtown, Kentucky They say that us preachers only have a few core sermons, and that all our other sermons are just variations on those themes. If that’s true, one of my core sermons is this: God created us for community. When God made Adam, […]
The Role of Listening in a Messy Church
by Luke Edwards, Associate Director of Church Development for the Western North Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church In my first year of starting a fresh expression of church, I remember one Sunday when my wife gave me a healthy dish of humble pie. I was leading this new, experimental worship service with […]
Hands on Church Where All are Welcome
“Come on everyone and gather in this place and learn about God’s love…”
The first time I heard these words and song I felt I was being called and led into a sacred space that was gentle, inviting, curious and fun. As I watched, I witnessed a gathering happening organically – sheep being led by the shepherd. It was beautiful and I wanted to take part and be part of what was unfolding in front of me. This is Messy Church. This is how Celebration time (worship) at Messy Church begins. We worship communally in prayer, song, scripture and ritual.