Johannah Myers, Executive Director Last week, my church tried something new for back-to-school. Instead of hosting “just” our usual Messy Church and cookout, we expanded it into a neighborhood celebration with community partners, activities, food, and plenty of room to gather. Around 400 people came. That number was exciting—and it genuinely was one marker of […]
Messy Easter: Ready to Welcome Everyone
Does anyone else feel like March showed up overnight? Right now, my local Messy Church team’s energy is fully focused on Messy Easter. It’s consistently our biggest Messy Church of the season—which means more activities, more volunteers, and yes… more mess. When we expect a crowd at Easter, hospitality has to be more than an […]
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, […]
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.