Roberta J. Egli
“We are made in the image of God, and God is the great Creator of new things and re-creator of people and communities who are broken. As we create and play together, we echo (God’s) creativity and we are renewed and repaired ourselves.”
Lucy Moore, Messy Church: Fresh Ideas for Building a Christ- Centered Community
My husband is the gardener in our family! He patiently plants bulbs and waits for them to spring up out of the ground. He gave up on a few bulbs he planted earlier this spring only to be surprised when a little green shoot came out of the ground much later than he expected. The growth that was occurring underneath the ground was beyond our visual perception.
As I engage in conversations regarding what is next for Messy Church in the USA, as well as the global community, I wonder how God is creating something new, even though we may not perceive it. I wonder if the anxiety that I feel arising from the unknown to the many complex questions regarding how Messy Church adapts to our changed world blocks me from placing my trust in our creator God. Rev. Nicole Reilley, a Messy Church USA board member, shared in her recent sermon on July 12 that “we need to look to God rather than the past or the future…we are to live in the in-between space trusting in God.
Do not remember the former things,
or consider the things of old.
I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43: 18-19
Trusting in our Creator God and grounding ourselves in the messy foundational value of creativity, I am wondering….
- What are the most effective ways our Messy Church USA network to engage with one another to learn from one another and to perceive the movement of the Spirit?
- What kind of resources do local church Messy Leaders and the households they engage with need at this time? How can we most effectively provide those resources without overwhelming overworked people engaged in ministry?
- How can we equip local Messy Churches to engage with their Messy folk through on-line, in-person or hybrid experience?
- How do we stay grounded in our five values of Hospitality, Creativity, Celebration, All-Ages Together and Christ Centered as we experiment with new forms of Messy Church?
- How do we envision new ways of being Messy Church in our changed world?
- What are the spiritual practices that we need so that we can more clearly perceive God’s presence and guidance for our ministry?
On July 23rd at 10 am Pacific time, you are invited to a Messy Church USA Zoom town hall to engage with the above questions as well as questions that you bring to the conversation. Here is a link to the Zoom invitation.
My friends, this is a difficult time. This is the first (and hopefully last) global pandemic that we have had to navigate. Many of us who work in the church, use the summer to plan out the worship and curriculum for the coming school year. However, everything is constantly changing which causes our plans to not be relevant in just a few short days or week. Let us place our trust in our Creator God who is making something new that we cannot even imagine right now. Let us live in a sense of curiosity rather than anxiety as we experiencing the unfolding of the next weeks and month. I look forward to our ongoing conversations as I hold you in prayer this day.
Prayer: As you find yourself in times of uncertainty, may you perceive God creating a new thing within your life and community. In the places that are broken, may you experience the healing power of Christ. In the spaces where community is being re-created, may you place your trust in God’s Spirit to lead and guide you. May your spirit be renewed as you place your trust in the God of Love. AMEN.
Grace and Peace, Roberta
