The Pigs and Messy Church

It's been awhile since I've posted anything about Messy Church at AUMC - but not because there hasn't been plenty going on! After our last Messy Church on August 24, we quickly turned our focus to the Church Retreat. Technically, the Retreat isn't part of Messy Church - but really, it's like a day-long Messy Church for all ages (and the adults don't even realize it!) Sneaky, I know.

Some of our kids at the Retreat!

At our Retreat, we focused on the story told in Mark 5:1-20 about Jesus casting out the Legion of demons into a herd of pigs. Our theme: Sometimes the Pigs Must Die. Dramatic, yes. But I once heard a speaker ask the question - after telling the story from Mark 5 - "what pigs in your life or in your church need to die in order that the good news of Jesus might be proclaimed?" 8 years later, that question still haunts me. I ask myself all the time - is this ministry a pig or is it telling others about Jesus? Does it need to die in order that something better might come along?

We had some great discussion about pigs at our church that might need to die. It's important to note that we were clear - pigs can be ministry, programs, and especially attitudes, but not people! :) We weren't calling names! Ha!

But there were quite a few attitudes identified as pigs - attitudes of fear, complaining, gossip...and a good one, apathy.

Now this pig didn't come up at the retreat, but I see it all the time in most churches. We have this idea that the best way to do things is to separate out children go here, adults here, youth here...and every so often we'll get back together - but for the most part we all stay apart. Case in point - Sunday worship. Kids squirm and talk during church so let's put them someplace where they can play - or even learn good things - while the adults worship. Kids are happier, parents are happier - how can this be anything other than good?

Folks, I hate to say it - but this kind of attitude? It's a pig. And you know what needs to happen to pigs, right?

In a few weeks our kids will be leading our worship services for Children's Sunday. They'll lead the congregation in professing our faith with the Apostles' Creed and lead us to pray the Lord's Prayer together (among other things). Anyone remember how you learned the Lord's Prayer? The Creed? Chances are - if you grew up going to church - you learned these things simply by hearing them every Sunday until you couldn't help but know them. We learn by doing. We learn by experiencing. And our kids cannot learn to worship unless they experience worship.

But we don't just see this pig during worship. We're even seeing it during Messy Church! What's our motto for Messy Church - exploring faith TOGETHER. What usually happens during Messy Church? Kids dive in to the activities and parents stand around a chat. On the one hand, it's great to see everyone together and everyone having fun. But as long as our parents are doing one thing and the kids are doing another, it doesn't matter if we're all in the same room - we're not exactly exploring faith together, are we?

Now some parents are helping with Messy Church activities - and that makes it hard to go with your kids. We're excited to have more and more volunteers stepping up who wouldn't have kids participating in Messy Church - so that parents don't always have to be the volunteers. But still, we've got to kill off the pig that's keeping all of us separated by ages!  We're in this faith journey together and we all have so much to learn about God - so that, like Legion in our story from Mark 5, we can go and tell others what amazing things God has done for each of us! And the more we do this together, the better foundation we give to our kids as they grow! Not to mention, we adults still have plenty to learn ourselves!

Our next Messy Church will be October 5 at 9:45am. We're moving back to Parker Hall (our Fellowship Hall) for this one because hopefully they will be working on putting down a new floor in our gym. There will be plenty of greeters to point the way to Messy Church.  October 5 is World Communion Sunday and that will be our theme. Fair warning - there will be several activities that parents and kids will have to do together! (We're going to work on killing that pig...one Messy Church at a time!)

See you at Messy Church! Invite a friend!

"Rules" for a New School Year

Is it really time for school to start?! Wow, where has this summer gone?! But here it is, ready or not - a new school year begins!
With a new school year, kids will all be learning new rules for their new classrooms. Teachers outline expectations - students learn the boundaries for the classroom.
So it's got me thinking about rules for our Messy Life within the Church. Jesus really only laid out one rule for our classroom - Love one another as I have loved you (see John's gospel for this one!). On Sunday in Messy Church, we'll be learning about that LOVE, that unfailing, ever-pursuing love that God has for us. All Jesus set before us is to love one another with that same kind of love. But what does that love look like in action?

Paul set out some pretty good thoughts on love within the Messy Life of the Church, both in 1 Corinthians 13 and in Romans 12. In honor of a new school year, here's a look at what Paul has to say about the "rules of our classroom" in our life together as a church (from Romans 12):

- Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of you minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God - what is good and acceptable and perfect
- Let Love be real.
- Hate what is evil.
- Hold strong to what's good
- Love one another
- Serve God with Gusto!
- Rejoice in hope
- Be patient, even when things don't go your way
- Pray. And pray some more
- Be generous
- Be kind, but not just to your friends - make sure you're kind especially to strangers

I don't know about you, but those are some pretty good classroom rules!

We at AUMC hope that you and your family have a wonderful first week of school. We are praying for a safe and fantastic school year for all our children, teachers, volunteers, and parents!

See you Sunday at Messy Church (Aug 24, 9:45 a.m., in the gym)!!

Messy Church: It's Not Just For Kids!

We all probably remember the commercials for Trix cereal with the white rabbit who is always trying to get some Trix? The rabbit comes oh so close, only to have a child say, "Silly rabbit! Trix are for kids!"

Poor rabbit. I'm not sure he ever did get any Trix.

One thing that's NOT just for kids - Messy Church! It's easy to walk into the gym during Messy Church and see activities that are simply "for the kids." Sure, there are parents to help, especially the little ones with the crafts. We have dads hanging out, holding on to all the finished projects (much like my dad holding all my mom's packages while she shops). But at it's heart, Messy Church is supposed to be as much for the adults as for the children! It's about growing TOGETHER, experiencing faith TOGETHER.Too often - especially it seems in churches! - we find ourselves separated by age groups. Youth go here. Children go here. Adults go someplace else. Even in worship, some churches divide up by age groups. The downside of all this age segregation? So much of faith development in children comes from them watching parents and other adults model faith. Kids learn from watching, from observing. And they learn from working alongside parents and other adults.

Messy Church is deliberately for families - for all ages.

Even more, the messages we try to get across to the kids with Messy Church? Messages like "God is bigger than any giant you face," "God is more powerful than anything you fear" - adults need to hear those words, too! Maybe even more than their kids!

Our next Messy Church is August 24. The theme this time is "God's Unfailing Love" and the main Scripture verse is Psalm 23:6. "Surely your mercy and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life!" While I was getting ready for Messy Church, I came across this quote from C.S. Lewis about God's unfailing love. It's more "adult language" but the point Lewis is trying to get across here is exactly what we hope to show our families at Messy Church:

God's love for us is not wearied and it is relentless in pursuit of each of us!

We hope to see you all at Messy Church on August 24, 9:45 am in the gym, as we explore this theme of God's Unfailing Love!

What happens when Messy Church and VBS get together?!

It's the day after Messy Church, and I'm writing in the middle of the eye of the storm that's also known as Vacation Bible School. All the kids are settled in to their first full day of VBS. I just heard one of the K3 kids declare that it's snack time! Whoo hoo!

Yesterday's Messy Church was fabulous! We focused on the story of Queen Esther. She was the first story of our VBS this year (Workshop of Wonders by Cokesbury, in case you're wondering!) Queen Esther is one of my most favorite stories! She's a pretty unlikely hero until she is called on to make a big decision - to play it safe or to step up to save her people. Esther chooses to take a bold step. She goes before the king unannounced and asks for the salvation of her people. 

We had some pretty fun activities to go along with Esther's story.

We did face painting, tattoos, stickers and all kinds of fun stuff for "beauty treatments." As you can see, even the adults got into the fun. I had my face painted with a heart (with lots of glitter) - just in time to preach at the 11:00 service. I wonder how many times our congregation has seen a preacher with their face painted??

 Since the theme for VBS this year has to do with imagining and building with God - we had some boxes (lots of boxes) out for the families to build a palace. We built lots of palaces! Every time one was finished, it came

I'm not sure how many kids fit into this palace!

tumbling down only to be rebuilt. It was a blast!

Here are puppets for Haman, the King, and Esther

We had two crafts this time. One involved making puppets to help the kids tell the story of Esther. Kids could make puppets for Mordecai, Haman, the King, and Esther. The idea had been to use wooden spoons for the puppets but in reality paint sticks (FREE paint sticks) worked just as well. We told the story of Esther both in Messy Church story time but also during our worship service. I invited the kids to hold up their puppets while I was telling the story during my sermon. We had a front row full of kids and I loved watching them hold up their puppets! They really did pay attention to when I was talking about a particular character. And the puppets were great!

Kids also had a chance to draw a self portrait. The frames included the theme verse, "Perhaps you were chosen for such a time as this." A good reminder that we are all called by God. The self portrait picture I have posted is from one of our rising 4th graders, Alex. I didn't even need to see the name - I knew it was Alex as soon as I saw it! He did a great self portrait!

Our snacks were are royal themed - a kings scepter (lollipop), jewels (candy), etc. Nothing like sending the kids into worship with plenty of sugar! :) Always fun!

The story of Queen Esther really is a great story - for kids and for adults. I know some of the older kids think they are too cool for Veggie Tales, but the Veggie Tale version of Esther really is the best around. It doesn't romanticize the story too much and stays very true to the Bible.

I'm starting to hear the kids running around to another class for VBS - I probably should go get ready for our closing assembly! I need to practice the music again!

Esther and Good Choices

After taking a couple of months off, we gearing up for Messy Church again at AUMC. We're kicking off VBS on July 20 with Messy Church. Queen Esther's story is the first story for VBS this year - so I guess this means that Messy Church is headed to the king's court in Persia!

I love Esther's story! She's a strong and courageous woman - who didn't really set out to be strong or courageous. I think that's why I like her so much. We don't really set out to be strong, courageous, or bold - but sometimes following God demands strength, courage, and boldness whether we planned on it or not!

This past Sunday during the children's moment, I spoke with the kids about making choices. They absolutely cracked me up. I asked them to make a choice between pizza and Brussels sprouts - that got an obvious response. Vacation at the beach or the mountains - I got a few of each. But then I asked them to chose between spending another hour playing or helping their parents with a project around the house. Bless their hearts, they all said "Help my parents!" I managed to catch a couple of their parents eyes and we all had to laugh. That's an easy choice to make on Sunday morning - those kids knew the "right" answer. Reality? Yeah, they probably will chose the play a bit more... I wonder how many parents tried that out Sunday afternoon? Hmm...

Esther had to make a hard choice between standing up for her people (God's people) or staying safe in the palace. She stood up for God's people even though it meant facing death. We don't always make life or death decisions for God - but as I told the kids on Sunday, we face a decision every day about whether or not we will follow God. Each day we get to make a choice, "Will I glorify God today? Will I follow Jesus today?" Esther made her choice.

Join us on July 20 at 9:45 am as we spend some more time with Queen Esther!

Looking Back and Moving On

As we move past Holy Week and into the Easter season, I've been doing a little reflecting about just how far we've come in a year with Messy Church at Aldersgate. Last year during Holy Week, my dear friend Pam Attaway and I decided to do a 24 hour fast together as we prepared for Easter. We'd been doing a study on spiritual disciplines and it seemed like this was something we both wanted and needed to do. As we were preparing to fast, Pam asked if I would pray for her and her family as they worked and prepared to go and serve as missionaries in Thailand. They were still raising money and everything was up in the air. And I asked her to pray for children's ministry at Aldersgate. I remember telling her that I knew we needed something, but I just couldn't grasp what that might be.

Within one month, plans for Messy Church fell into place. Within two months, we held our first Messy Church information meeting and by August we were off and running. By December, the Attaways were settling in to life as missionaries in Thailand. And now, here we are a year later - it's so amazing to be able to look back and see all that God has done (and is doing!).

It's great to be able to look back and give thanks for God's work. But it's also a time to look forward. Summer is our big planning time. While everyone is off on vacation, swim team, sports, etc, I get to spend time planning and pondering the future. Summer can be one of the best times of the year - and also one of the hardest.

One of the questions we'll need to address is what does the future of Messy Church at Aldersgate look like. What will we need to move forward? What's the next step for us and this ministry?

Ultimately I think it will come down to three things:
- Outreach - helping to move Messy Church outside the walls of Aldersgate and to spread the word about this opportunity for families to grow in faith together.
- Support - Messy Church costs money. Each event costs something - though most of the time it doesn't cost much (between $50-$100 for one event, 30+ kids). Still, communication, signs, outreach, supplies - all of this adds up. We have money budgeted. But still, wouldn't it be nice to know that money would not be an issue?
- Planning - The planning aspect of Messy Church can be the most fun, and also the biggest stress. Wouldn't it be great to have a small team coordinating an event? Teams could rotate even so that they aren't having to do every event...maybe just every other one. A small group working to plan activities, sources supplies, and gather volunteers would go a long way to make Messy Church even better.

Prayerfully consider if you would like to be a part of Messy Church moving forward! And look for more details about how you can be a part of this ministry! Look how far God has already taken us - and imagine what next year will bring!

And if you'd like to know more about Pam and her awesome family as they serve in Thailand, check out their blog: http://www.loveshareserve.blogspot.com/

The Greatest Story We Get to Tell

Sunday wrapped up our last Messy Church of the school year - and we couldn't have ended the year with a better story! We're a little ahead of Holy Week this year, but Holy Week and spring break always seem to interfere with one another. As much as I wish that spring break travels didn't interfere with Holy Week worship services, they do. So part of our job is to make sure that our families experience the drama of Holy Week - even if it is a week early!
Messy Church this time was all about Holy Week - from Palm Sunday through Good Friday. We had fewer activities - only four - so we could spend more time on the story. The kids were able to craft palm branches which will be incorporated into our Palm Sunday worship service this coming Sunday. For the Last Supper, we focused on Jesus washing his disciples feet. (In October for World Communion Sunday our whole Messy Church will be about Communion - so we saved that part of the story for later!) We also had an activity related to prayer and Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. The kids made pretzels out of modeling clay with a card that explained how pretzels came about and how they remind us

all to pray. This was our messiest craft for sure. I would have loved to have been able to actually make pretzels the kids could eat, but time didn't allow for that. They did get to eat some pretzels for their snack!

And finally, the kids made "stained glass" crosses using contact paper and tissue paper. An easy craft - but they turned into very beautiful crosses. We'll be displaying these crosses in either the Commons or the Sanctuary during Holy Week.

For our story time, we had some great youth who helped tell the story of Jesus' last week. Hopefully the story will stay with our kids as they celebrate Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter.