Messy Church:

A real church for busy families

By Patricia Drummond

In 1871 the first bishop of the Diocese of Fredericton said: “If the Church is to make progress and to show such signs of life as to make it worthwhile for any person to join her, she must meet the want of the present generation.”

Bishop John Medley did not mean we must change the Gospel to meet modern ideas for the Gospel cannot be changed. I believe he meant that we must present it in ways that engage the minds and hearts of those who have not yet heard it, or have not fully received it.

What does this mean for a generation that, for the most part, is Biblically illiterate? What does this mean for the young family struggling to find time to be together in increasingly busy and frenetic lives? What does this mean for those of us who are already a part of the church who find it very difficult to understand why attendance is dwindling and younger generations think church is archaic, irrelevant and boring?

In many parts of England, and increasingly in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa as well as areas of Canada, the United States and some European countries, Messy Church is proving to be a way to engage young families and bring the good news of Jesus Christ into their lives. It is not a stepping-stone into Sunday morning worship in the parent church. It IS church but just not churchy. There is no liturgy as we know it. It looks and feels very different from what most of us know as worship, but worship it is. It is fun, interactive, reflective, musical, creative, delicious and prayerful — families come and wanting to keep coming.

In May the Rev. Amanda Longmoore and I attended a one-day Messy Church Fiesta in Burlington, Ontario — that’s what Messy Church how-to workshops are called. The presenters were Sue Kalbfleisch, a Messy Church regional coordinator and member of the Fresh Expressions Canada team, and the Rev. Nancy Rowe, who has led Messy Church in her parish in Georgetown, Ontario for four years.

Hospitality is a core value of Messy Church and we were certainly greeted very warmly when we arrived at St. Luke’s Anglican Church. We were given nametags and directed to choose one of several craft/activity tables around which were gathered other enthusiastic workshop participants. Although there is an advertised start time for a Messy Church gathering, people are encouraged to come as they are able. For that reason the gathering begins with an open-ended activity that can be joined when participants arrive.

Amanda and I chose a table because we liked the look of the materials set out on it, but we later discovered that there were activities available to suit younger or older children as well as adults, and that a table or two offered a skill challenge suitable for preteens and teens — think Win it in a Minute!

Because the fiesta we attended was held just before Pentecost, the theme was Here Comes the Spirit. A banner to this effect was prominently displayed and was part of the welcome. The crafts reflected the theme — making a windsock or a windmill, printing the fruits of the Spirit on another craft. A leader at each table was available for assistance when necessary as well as to encourage conversation at the table around the theme so that learning went along with the creativity. Even detailed instruction sheets were supplied for the “craftily challenged.”

Once everyone had arrived and spent some time at one of the tables we were asked to sit around a small table with a screen behind it for worship/message/prayer time. Nancy asked what we had learned about the Spirit in our craft activity to initiate a group discussion and we sang a song about the Trinity to the tune “London Bridge.” Then she showed us a red bag. “Inside this bag I have a sower, some seeds, a place awaiting, a gift and some people who are waiting,” she said. She brought out simple knitted people figures one at a time and told a story that led to the gift of the spirit. Later we were showed books and materials to assist in storytelling. The idea she used for the one she told us came from the book Bible Storybags by Margaret Cooling.

After the story, we prayed. We were asked to think about a gift we had received and thank God for it; to remember something we regretted from the past few weeks and say we were sorry; and to ask for help with something we were passionate about.

More singing of piggy-back songs (familiar tunes with new Christian words) concluded the gathering.

We were served a delicious lunch followed by a time for discussion of the mechanics of starting and running a Messy Church.

Messy Churches usually meet monthly because, quite frankly, most parishes don’t have the personnel or energy to have them more frequently. They require several teams of people each with a leader for set-up, craft activities, table discussions, music, kitchen duties and possibly other aspects of the meeting time. Some particularly enthusiastic people serve on more than one team the teams must be coordinated around the chosen theme.

Messy Church meetings are usually held a weekdays after school/work — from around 5 until 7. A parent picks up the children, everyone meets at Messy Church, has a great family time together exploring faith and enjoying a good meal none of them has had to prepare.
We were told that this is definitely not baby church from which people graduate to the big church — this IS church for this group of people. Also Messy Churches cost money for food and craft supplies, and possibly for the use of a central, kid-friendly venue. By the year-two mark Messy Churches begin to contribute to their own costs and some may even exceed it. In Messy Churches that continue to meet, adults and children have requested baptism. They have also asked to have the Eucharist.

Why start a Messy Church?

Because as a church we are about “proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the making of disciples.” Messy Churches do this in a way that meets the needs of un-churched families who would otherwise never hear the gospel. It introduces them to Jesus and gives them an opportunity to meet with him and grow close to him. It is not, nor is it intended to be, for everyone. It is for those we previously thought we would never be able to reach. It works because those running a Messy Church begin where the participants are and expect no previous church involvement.

Messy Church does not replace traditional forms of worship in a parish, although adjustments may be necessary. It is part of a mixed economy church that endeavours to meet the needs of both traditional worshippers and the un-churched.

In another article I quoted Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury. His words bear repeating: “If Church is what happens when people encounter the Risen Jesus and commit themselves to sustaining and deepening that encounter in their encounter with each other, there is plenty of theological room for diversity of rhythm and style, so long as we have ways of identifying the same living Christ at the heart of every expression of Christian life in common.”

Amanda and I are willing to talk to anyone interested in Messy Church and will conduct a workshop should there be interest. In the meantime, here is a list of useful books available through Anglican House in Saint John or that may be borrowed from the Diocesan Resource Centre:
Messy Church: Fresh Ideas for building a Christ-centered Community by Lucy Moore, 2006
Messy Church 2: Ideas for Discipling a Christ-centered community by Lucy Moore, 2008
Bible Storybags by Margaret Cooling
Encyclopedia of Bible Crafts by Laurie Castanedo
The Welcome Mat by Beth Barnett

Websites:
www.FreshExpressions.ca
www.Facebook.com/MessyChurchCanada
www.messychurch.org.uk

The Ven. Patricia Drummond is Archdeacon of Fredericton.

24 August 2011
Diocesan Communications