St. Stephens UCC, 903 E. Second Street in Merrill, invites Merrill and the surrounding community to participate in the launch of a new way of worship and fellowship that has been sweeping the world: Messy Church!
Messy Church enables people of all ages to belong to Christ together through their local church. It is a way of being church that is particularly suited to families, is intergenerational, and is particularly welcoming to people who have never belonged to a church before, those who have been spiritually wounded at another church, or individuals who have not found traditional forms of worship to be particularly helpful.
This month’s Messy Church is Sunday, Nov. 14, from 4:00-6:00 p.m. Going forward, it will be the second Sunday of each month at this same time.
“Messy Church is designed to be immersive and experiential,” Rev. Michael Southcombe at St. Stephens said. “No sermons. We read a scripture passage, find a theme within it, and then explore that theme through physical activities, games, crafts, foods, and other experiences together. We might sing a song. We will have conversations, and we will eat dinner together! A meal concludes our Messy Church every month.”
Pastor Southcombe said he is not a newcomer to Messy Church. “I began bringing the Messy Church program to churches I was serving as an Interim Minister five years ago. It rejuvenated one of those churches, bringing in people and families who found traditional church irrelevant to their lives. Many of those people were children and grandchildren of some of the members who had been trying for years to find a way to get them back into church.”
“It is not just for revitalization, however,” Southcombe said. “The second church [I introduced it to] was doing very well, but Messy Church expanded their outreach, adding five or six dozen families to the people connecting with that church every month. It was such a natural extension of their existing programs. Their Director of Faith Formation is now one of Messy Church USA’s ambassadors and trainers.”
“Messy Church is not just an activity a church hosts,” he said. “It is a philosophy of what the church should be. Members adhere to five core values:
• Christ-Centered. Everything we do comes out of a desire to experience, proclaim, and grow in Christ.
• All ages are welcome.
• Creativity that recognizes and nurtures the God-given creativity of every individual.
• Hospitality that reflects a God of unconditional love.
• Celebration which reflects a God who wants to dance with us in joy.”
St. Stephens began their Messy Church events over the summer, and they are now ready to invite the wider public to join. “We’ve got the bugs worked out, folks here have a better understanding of the purpose and flow of the event, and we are ready to bring others into a relationship with Christ and the church through a fun, engaging afternoon of activities and fellowship and a free dinner for the whole family to enjoy together,” Southcombe said.
St. Stephens church member, Leanne Schnabl, jumped at the chance to be the Messy Church Coordinator for St. Stephens. “It brings it all together,” said Schnabl. “You get to explore the Bible with all your senses and all the different kinds of intelligences we have rather than just listen to a sermon.”
“Pastor Mike’s sermons are wonderful,” she added quickly. “But people learn in different ways.”
Southcombe agreed: “A lot of people get much more out of the hymns than the sermon on any given Sunday, or the prayers or the Mission Moment. People need to experience the love of God and the fellowship of the church more than they need to hear about it. Messy Church is one way we do that.”
The Nov. 14 Messy Church at St. Stephens will be a celebration on the theme of thanksgiving to God, exploring Psalm 107 which begins “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”
This month’s Messy Church will include a scavenger hunt; pumpkin spice play dough; dancing popcorn; sculptures made from toothpicks, cranberries, and marshmallows; a couple of turkey-related crafts; a turkey on a zipline; and a turkey dinner with all the trimmings to finish,” said Southcombe. “At every activity station, the host talks about how the activity relates to the theme. Messy Church activates the right brain and the left brain, and we have fun in the process.”
Registration is requested for advance planning; however, walk-ins will also be welcome if attendees don’t get a chance to register in advance. To register for Messy Church, go to the church website: www.ststephensucc.net or call 715.536.7322.
According to www.messychurch.org.uk, Messy Church has spread to over 4,000 registered Messy Churches in 30 different countries. Over 500,000 throughout the world worship monthly at Messy Church. The movement began in the church of England in 2006 but is now in over a dozen denominations and fellowships across the globe. Working with the international founders, Messy Church USA, was founded about five years ago and members share ideas, successes, ask for help and suggestions, and arrange regional training and workshops. For further background, watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSc8fo7vraI or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXeEup9tTMc.