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, God said that it was not good for him to be alone. And it is not good for us to be alone, either.
Yet we live in a time when we are plagued by an epidemic of loneliness. The number of adults with no close friends is rising, and though we have more generations living than ever before, we are also more divided than ever.
Church should be a place we can connect in community, but it is all too easy to get into the habits of talking only to people we already know or with whom we know we have things in common. It takes intentionality and purpose to build relationships across differences and generations and to persevere past our comfort zone.
In my time with Messy Church, I have seen how it creates time and space for that very intentionality. Messy Church, as a movement, focuses on relationships, especially between generations. One of the 5 core values of Messy Church is “all ages together.” One of the Messy Church volunteers at my church shared this reflection about her experience with community through Messy Church:
“We are developing relationships which would not occur but for the framework of Messy Church. The fluid relaxed, messy atmosphere creates a safe place for creativity to flow. It’s so special that our members often continue in fellowship even after the time has passed. I think they feel the love of God and relish in it and want to bask in it as long as they can.”
Messy Church is a place where community can happen. What practices have helped your Messy Church to grow as a community? How might God be calling you to grow that community this Spring?