Sharing Gifts of Connection- Part III

During this month of gift-giving, we highlight our Messy Church USA connections. Throughout the year, we focus on ten local Messy Churches through our Messy Church of the month.  We choose Messy Churches from different locations and different Christian faith traditions to get a share the breadth of our Messy Church USA network. 

Today we return to the months of September, October and November as we highlight Santa Cruz United Methodist Church from Sahuarita, AZ, Central United Methodist in Spartanburg, SC and St Andrew’s Lutheran church in Vancouver, WA.  

What challenges have you faced in your Messy Church and how did you solve them?

• Our church has a ministry for disabled adults called Friends For Life who meet for their own “club” meeting monthly.  Inviting them to join messy church was a perfect place for them to engage with the larger community. The first few sessions we had more community families than disabled adults.  That changed after a few months and how the majority of our participants are now from Friends for Life.  I am concerned that some families have stopped coming because they are uncomfortable around disabled people.  We will continue to welcome all…will continue to reach out with God’s love.
  • Rev. Sandy Johnsen, Sahuarita, AZ
• Because Messy Church is fun, some people think it is only for kids.  We are teaching our church that Messy Church is for people of all ages.  We are working on the best ways to invite people of all ages to be a part of Messy Church in a few ways.  First of all, we’re intentional when we explain Messy Church to let people know it is for all ages.  We’ve told stories about the beautiful intergenerational friendships that blossomed because of Messy Church.  Some of our faithful adult Messy Church members are also inviting others to be a part of Messy Church.
  • Paige Wolfe, Spartanburg, SC
• The closing of our church building for the pandemic was a big challenge. We’ve kept flexibility during the time we moved on line and beyond.  When online, we kept activities simplified in a way that could be sent home for a zoom model. Over the past year we have adapted with different models of Messy Church. We have including kit bags at entry so each family could participate in the same space but have room and their own supplies, meeting in full capacity but not including a meal, and more. Luckily, we are back to full program but will always keep these options available if we need to move back into a safer model for public health. We remember that this is Messy Church, made to connect with a messy world and things may feel messy as we adapt to meet safely and reach the whole community in a way that’s comfortable for us.
  • Chris Natland, Vancouver, WA

Click on the Link to learn more about these three Messy Churches

• September: Santa Cruz Valley United Methodist, Sahuarita, AZ
• October: Central United Methodist, Spartanburg, SC
• November: St Andrew Lutheran , Vancouver, WA