Keeping Messy Church (Somewhat) Less Messy

Johannah Myers
Messy Church at Aldersgate UMC in Greenville, SC
Messy Church USA Regional Coordinator for North and South Carolina

Getting started with Messy Church can be a daunting task. Keeping up with a monthly Messy Church can be even more overwhelming. Here are some simple tips for keeping supplies and ideas organized.

• Organize your supplies. Most activities for Messy Church use basic supplies like glue, tape, scissors, paper, or crayons. Keeping these supplies organized makes prepping for Messy Church a breeze. We found under-utilized space in our church and added some shelving units. I keep shoe-box sized, clear plastic containers with the basics. A box for staplers, one for scissors, one for pipe-cleaners, one for beads. We have a 3-drawer plastic container that has glue sticks in one drawer, glue bottles in one, tape in one. Paper, likewise, stays organized in plastic drawer units. We use plastic pencil boxes to organize markers and crayons. Label everything! If an activity calls for markers, I can quickly grab 3-4 boxes of markers to put on the tables. As I prepare for a Messy Church, I make a list of supplies I need and then pull those boxes. The boxes come with me to Messy Church so as my volunteers clean up, scissors go back in the scissor box, staplers in their box, etc. We know what supplies we have on-hand so we don’t over buy or run out.

• Stock up on basics (at the right time of year). Stores start stocking school supplies in the summer and prices for things like glue, crayons, markers, etc, go way down. This is the best time of year to refresh and stock up. Don’t just think about your next Messy Church; think about the basic supplies you need for almost every Messy Churches.

• Organize your ideas. I make a plan each spring for the upcoming year, including dates and themes. The themes could be flexible, but it helps to plan ahead. If I know that sometime in the winter I’ve got a Messy Church about Ezekiel, for example, I can start pulling ideas in September. Best way to keep those ideas organized? Honestly, I’m completely addicted to Pinterest. I keep a board for Messy Church, Messy Easter, and Messy Christmas. And I’m not the only one! There are Messy Church boards galore including the ones from MessyChurchBRF. Pinterest now lets you add sections to your boards, making organizing even easier.

What tips do you use to keep your Messy Church organized and simple? Send your ideas to our Facebook page or email them to Johannah at [email protected] or Roberta at roberta@messychurchorg.  Messy Blessings, Johannah. 

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