We are less than one week away from Messy Christmas!! Even as I'm running around trying to gather up gold pens and paper plates (for angel wings of course), trying out new ideas (I totally had a Pinterest "fail" moment with the shepherds costumes), and organizing the chaos that turns into Messy Christmas, I still love this service as much as any worship service we do each year.
There is such truth in the messiness!! The first Christmas story was NOT as clean and beautiful as we make it out to be. It was a mess! And that's the best news of all!
Here's a wonderful blog about the messiness of Christmas - I couldn't have written it any better!
http://sojo.net/blogs/2014/12/15/why-are-manger-scenes-so-weird
I hope you'll join us for Messy Christmas 2014 - Sunday December 21 - activities for all ages begin at 4pm. Worship is at 5pm with dinner to follow.
Monday, December 15, 2014
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Messy Advent Reflection
We live in a world of "already" AND "not yet" - and there is no time like the season of Advent to remember this reality! During this season, we prepare to celebrate the coming of Christ as a baby in a manger - a baby that will grow up, teach, heal, invite, challenge, die and rise again. The arrival of this baby brought the Kingdom of God here and so even today we can say with confidence that because God took on flesh and blood, because God came and lived with us - the Kingdom of God is already.
Of course, it only takes one quick glance at the headlines to see the "not yet" part of the equation. The Kingdom of God may be already - but it is not yet complete. The beginning of the Advent season showers us with reminders to "prepare the way" not just to remember the baby in a manger but prepare the way for the KING of Kings to return, that there is more work to be done.
We begin our church year in Advent with this clear remind of the "already" AND the "not yet."
Life in the church - in any church - is full of "not yet" moments! Because we are human, it cannot be helped. There will always be moments when we shake our heads at something someone said or did, at a news headline, during a church meeting and say, "nope...I just don't see the Kingdom of God in THIS."
In a way, that makes Messy Church truthful advertising. We are a Messy Church - but we are also a messy church. We cannot help ourselves any more than any other church, any other community, any other family. Life together in the "not yet" will always be a bit messy. And so at least with Messy Church, we claim that title for what it is - truth.
However, even when the "not yet" seems to completely overwhelm us - the "ALREADY" is truly present with us. We just have to look for it! For every reminder of the "not yet," we have plenty of reminders of the "already," reminders of the Emmanuel, God With Us. We see it in the leadership of our youth. We hear it in the honest responses of our children (One dad asked his kids "what is a disciple?" Leave it to the kids to nail it = a friend of Jesus.) We feel the "already" in the excitement of the season.
Don't get so caught up in the "not yet" moments that you cannot see the "already" moments! That is the challenge of Advent, and the challenge of any disciple of Jesus the Christ. The world is messy, the church is messy - but we can live with the mess as long as we can see the beauty in the "already."
Take time this Advent season to prepare - for yourself and your family. Watch for those "already" moments - look, and you WILL see, God With Us.
We invite all of our families to participate in our Sheep Trail in Downtown Greenville during December. Check us out online at www.aumcsc.org/sheep-trail for more information. And follow along at www.facebook.com/messychurch.aumcsc - Feel free to post pictures of your Sheep Trail fun!
Also, we hope you will join us for a Messy Christmas on Sunday, December 21 at 4pm. Activities begin at 4pm; worship is at 5pm and please join us for dinner following the service.
Happy Advent!!
Of course, it only takes one quick glance at the headlines to see the "not yet" part of the equation. The Kingdom of God may be already - but it is not yet complete. The beginning of the Advent season showers us with reminders to "prepare the way" not just to remember the baby in a manger but prepare the way for the KING of Kings to return, that there is more work to be done.
We begin our church year in Advent with this clear remind of the "already" AND the "not yet."
Life in the church - in any church - is full of "not yet" moments! Because we are human, it cannot be helped. There will always be moments when we shake our heads at something someone said or did, at a news headline, during a church meeting and say, "nope...I just don't see the Kingdom of God in THIS."
In a way, that makes Messy Church truthful advertising. We are a Messy Church - but we are also a messy church. We cannot help ourselves any more than any other church, any other community, any other family. Life together in the "not yet" will always be a bit messy. And so at least with Messy Church, we claim that title for what it is - truth.
However, even when the "not yet" seems to completely overwhelm us - the "ALREADY" is truly present with us. We just have to look for it! For every reminder of the "not yet," we have plenty of reminders of the "already," reminders of the Emmanuel, God With Us. We see it in the leadership of our youth. We hear it in the honest responses of our children (One dad asked his kids "what is a disciple?" Leave it to the kids to nail it = a friend of Jesus.) We feel the "already" in the excitement of the season.
Don't get so caught up in the "not yet" moments that you cannot see the "already" moments! That is the challenge of Advent, and the challenge of any disciple of Jesus the Christ. The world is messy, the church is messy - but we can live with the mess as long as we can see the beauty in the "already."
Take time this Advent season to prepare - for yourself and your family. Watch for those "already" moments - look, and you WILL see, God With Us.
We invite all of our families to participate in our Sheep Trail in Downtown Greenville during December. Check us out online at www.aumcsc.org/sheep-trail for more information. And follow along at www.facebook.com/messychurch.aumcsc - Feel free to post pictures of your Sheep Trail fun!
Happy Advent!!
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Attitudes of Gratitude
Messy Church is this Sunday! It's been awhile since our last Messy event so I'm particularly excited for Sunday! Of course Messy Church in late November could really only mean that it's really a Messy Thanksgiving! Sunday is all about thanks-giving and developing attitudes of gratitude that last for more than just one day out of the year.
The theme verse is from 1 Thessalonians "Rejoice always, pray without stopping, and give thanks in all circumstances." We've got all kinds of activities in store for Sunday. No, no grape stomping this time - but we will be making some raisins dance! No kidding.
I ran across this saying the other day. "It's not happy people who are thankful; it is thankful people who are happy." It really is about an ATTITUDE of thanksgiving. And having an attitude of gratitude can completely change your entire perspective on life.
Join us on Sunday at 9:45 for Messy Church! We're back in the gym this time - giving thanks for a beautiful new gym floor! Every child who comes to Messy Church on Sunday gets to vote on the theme for VBS 2015.
And our Messy Church team is hitting the road Sunday afternoon to share the joys of Messy Church at the Anderson District Training Workshop (First UMC in Easley, 3:00-5:30). We'll be back in time for the community Thanksgiving worship service at Aldersgate (7:00pm).
The theme verse is from 1 Thessalonians "Rejoice always, pray without stopping, and give thanks in all circumstances." We've got all kinds of activities in store for Sunday. No, no grape stomping this time - but we will be making some raisins dance! No kidding.
I ran across this saying the other day. "It's not happy people who are thankful; it is thankful people who are happy." It really is about an ATTITUDE of thanksgiving. And having an attitude of gratitude can completely change your entire perspective on life.
And our Messy Church team is hitting the road Sunday afternoon to share the joys of Messy Church at the Anderson District Training Workshop (First UMC in Easley, 3:00-5:30). We'll be back in time for the community Thanksgiving worship service at Aldersgate (7:00pm).
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Fall Festival TODAY!!
Join us this afternoon for our Fall Festival! The weather is beautiful and the candy is bountiful!
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Grapes, I Love Lucy, and World Communion
This past Sunday, we had the pleasure of celebrating World Communion Sunday at Messy Church! What a great opportunity to help families learn about why we celebrate Holy Communion - but also to remember that we are not alone! Christians all over the world celebrated this sacrament together. That's almost mind-boggling if you really think about it.
Our craft project this week had the kids decorating a chalice to remember the Lord's Supper. The craft was simple but the kids had a wonderful time. Word from one grandmother was that her granddaughter carried that chalice around with her the rest of the day on Sunday! The cups are simply plastic wine glasses from the party store. They used permanent markers, gem stickers, and some fun international stickers we found at the Dollar Tree.
For our snack time, we encouraged families to sit down together at one of the tables we had set up. Families received some pita bread and grape juice - enough to share with all of the members of their family. We had a reading for them that helped to tell the story about why Jesus gave us the important meal. Again, a simple activity - but it was absolutely amazing to watch families sit down together for this experience. We had several families with 3 generations present, learning about Holy Communion together! Wow - this is exactly what Messy Church is all about!
For a little silliness, we of course had to have a game! Families competed against the clock to see how fast they could set the table!(Disclaimer, this might have been the parents' favorite activity - we earned serious points for teaching kids how to set the table properly!!).
To focus on the "world" part of "World Communion," we had a prayer station for families to learn about children all over the world and to pray for them. Our church has a family that is currently serving in Thailand as missionaries so the kids made cards of prayers and encouragement for that family. In the picture here, one of our kids is showing on the map where she and her family will be heading to serve as missionaries in the coming months. It really was a special moment, reminding us all how big God's world is!
And finally, we just couldn't resist. We stomped some grapes into grape juice! Lots and lots of grapes! This was the activity that the adult volunteers worried most about. When I sent out the email asking for help for each activity, I had plenty of people offer to help but most emails included "but not with the grape stomping!" One volunteer emailed me to ask how exactly we were going to crush those grapes. I simply asked, "Have you not seen I Love Lucy?" Ha! Still, I had a few volunteers - including someone volunteering with Messy Church for the first time! - willing to help with this messiness. Turns out, it really isn't as messy as people feared as long as you are well stocked with towels and baby wipes. The kids had a blast and our pastor even got in on the fun. She did a great Lucy impersonation! (We did learn a few lessons with this activity. Take the grapes out of the refrigerator the night before. We took them out the morning of, and they were oh so cold! It was like stomping on ice cubes! Also, don't forget that you'll have to take all of the grapes off of the stem so you don't have kids stepping on sharp little stems. This takes some time - but it's a great way to get little ones involved setting up for Messy Church.)
All in all, we had one of our best crowds for Messy Church and we had an absolute blast. Even better, I've heard from several parents and grandparents who came away raving about how much they had learned.
Our next Messy Church is a very Messy Thanksgiving, coming November 23. And then it will be time for Messy Christmas!!
Our craft project this week had the kids decorating a chalice to remember the Lord's Supper. The craft was simple but the kids had a wonderful time. Word from one grandmother was that her granddaughter carried that chalice around with her the rest of the day on Sunday! The cups are simply plastic wine glasses from the party store. They used permanent markers, gem stickers, and some fun international stickers we found at the Dollar Tree.For our snack time, we encouraged families to sit down together at one of the tables we had set up. Families received some pita bread and grape juice - enough to share with all of the members of their family. We had a reading for them that helped to tell the story about why Jesus gave us the important meal. Again, a simple activity - but it was absolutely amazing to watch families sit down together for this experience. We had several families with 3 generations present, learning about Holy Communion together! Wow - this is exactly what Messy Church is all about! For a little silliness, we of course had to have a game! Families competed against the clock to see how fast they could set the table!(Disclaimer, this might have been the parents' favorite activity - we earned serious points for teaching kids how to set the table properly!!).To focus on the "world" part of "World Communion," we had a prayer station for families to learn about children all over the world and to pray for them. Our church has a family that is currently serving in Thailand as missionaries so the kids made cards of prayers and encouragement for that family. In the picture here, one of our kids is showing on the map where she and her family will be heading to serve as missionaries in the coming months. It really was a special moment, reminding us all how big God's world is! And finally, we just couldn't resist. We stomped some grapes into grape juice! Lots and lots of grapes! This was the activity that the adult volunteers worried most about. When I sent out the email asking for help for each activity, I had plenty of people offer to help but most emails included "but not with the grape stomping!" One volunteer emailed me to ask how exactly we were going to crush those grapes. I simply asked, "Have you not seen I Love Lucy?" Ha! Still, I had a few volunteers - including someone volunteering with Messy Church for the first time! - willing to help with this messiness. Turns out, it really isn't as messy as people feared as long as you are well stocked with towels and baby wipes. The kids had a blast and our pastor even got in on the fun. She did a great Lucy impersonation! (We did learn a few lessons with this activity. Take the grapes out of the refrigerator the night before. We took them out the morning of, and they were oh so cold! It was like stomping on ice cubes! Also, don't forget that you'll have to take all of the grapes off of the stem so you don't have kids stepping on sharp little stems. This takes some time - but it's a great way to get little ones involved setting up for Messy Church.)All in all, we had one of our best crowds for Messy Church and we had an absolute blast. Even better, I've heard from several parents and grandparents who came away raving about how much they had learned.
Our next Messy Church is a very Messy Thanksgiving, coming November 23. And then it will be time for Messy Christmas!!
Thursday, September 18, 2014
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.
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!
 |
| 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!
Monday, August 18, 2014
"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)!!
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)!!
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