In response to Bishop Loya’s priority of Faithful Innovation, parishioners around the diocese are listening to God and their neighbors. Faith communities are engaging in small, low-cost experiments to learn more about what the Holy Spirit is up to in the lives of their neighbors, and trying new ways to join up with people Jesus loves who don’t go to church. Read about one such initiative below and consider how you might listen and respond to your neighbors.
by Ebby Watkins, sharing a story from Sally Hockinson at Trinity Excelsior
“Messy Church”? A combination of words to strike fear into the heart of staunch Episcopalians everywhere! Okay, that’s a joke, but it’s true that it probably makes a number of us confused or uncomfortable. We wouldn’t be here at St. John’s if we weren’t drawn to the type of worship offered here—calm, elegant, aesthetically pleasing, and predictable (in a good way!)—all of which are pretty much the opposite of “messy.”
But of course, what also brings us all to St. John’s is our shared commitment to hospitality. Welcoming people into worship matters as much as worship itself. We can learn a lot, and appreciate a lot, every time we read about a new way the Episcopal Church is welcoming people into worship.
Sally Hockinson at Trinity Excelsior shares her story:
The first Messy Church began in 2004 at a church in England that imagined a new way to connect with local families that were not coming to Sunday morning worship. Since their first season of experimenting, Messy Church has evolved into a global movement that is reaching people of all ages with new ways of encountering the Gospel of Jesus through art, discovery, story, song, and fellowship.
What is Messy Church? Like any growing global movement, it’s hard to fully describe it in a short article, but in essence: it’s a monthly experience offered at a church that is based on five values:
“Jesus-Centered” – hearing about Jesus and talking about him as we take part in the different elements of Messy Church. It becomes an opportunity for everyone to encounter the mystery of faith rather than morality teaching.
“All Ages” – It has at its heart the creation of a space where people of all ages come together safely to learn and worship. The church is the body of Christ and that we need each other, in all our differences, to grow as followers of Jesus. Children can learn from adults and adults can learn from children.
“Creativity” – an imaginative, hands-on approach to being church together. Messy Church can include art, crafts, drama, outdoor play, and even science experiments.
“Hospitality” – Messy Church always includes a meal that takes into account the needs of people with particular dietary requirements, cultural or health-wise. Gatherings are planned around the needs of every age group and ability so that the language and level is accessible to everyone.
“Celebration” – Messy Church tries to show how attractive Jesus is, how engaging, how life-changing and awesome he is, through the very way its participants worship God and experience kingdom together as a community. Celebration may appear as simply food and fun on the surface, but these symbols stand for the deeper rhythms of faith that well up from unconditional love, restoration, reconciliation, sacrifice, belonging and homecoming among many others. It’s no mistake that some Christians ‘celebrate’ the Eucharist. That spirit of meaningful celebration is present in Messy Church too.
Sally continues:
I learned about Messy Church while participating in Fresh Expressions training and traveling with a Learning from London cohort in 2023. As a minister for children, youth and families, I was eager to find new ways to meet the needs of people who are moving farther away from including Sunday morning worship in their weekly rhythm. Messy Church offers an innovative approach, but also two decades of established learnings from experiments and implementation, so I didn’t have to start from scratch. I love that Messy Church is rooted in the creativity of Anglicans, but also that it is a Christ-centered community that has become an ecumenical movement around the world.
When I registered Trinity Episcopal Church in Excelsior with Messy Church USA, we became the only Minnesota location in their directory. At our first two gatherings we celebrated the attendance of 10-15 people.
In October we explored the parable of the Mustard Seed, and in the present moment it feels as though our Messy Church has only just been planted in the field. There is reason to have faith that someday its roots will grow just as deep as the ancient pattern of worship I celebrate with my parish on Sunday mornings.
It is exciting to be at the beginning of something so new, and to feel connected to a global community of courageous and imaginative disciples willing to forge a new path to share Jesus with those outside the institutional church, or those who have disengaged. As sure as I am that the future invites us to innovate in order to speak to new generations, the strength of our inherited tradition keeps me grounded and centered in the timeless story of God’s love for our world.d on this role, the more I anticipate it will take root and flourish throughout ECMN.
