Messy Church, a different way of being church

While Messy Church originated in England, over the past decade, this concept has spread around the world. I was introduced to Messy Church by a friend in Australia. After following their blogs and reading some of the foundational documents, recently I was able to attend a training in Massachusetts. There I learned a bit more about the five core values of Messy Church, they include:

• All-ages: Messy Church is designed to include people of all ages, children, teens, adults and seniors.
• Hospitality: Each gathering is created to be accessible to everyone, whether or not they have any previous experience of church.
• Creative: Life is messy. Messy Church engages participants using all their senses. This may include listening to music, baking bread, crushing mint leaves, or creating a mosaic.  Whatever the activity, it is designed to focus on the theme of the day and encourage conversation among the participants.
• Celebration: Each Messy Church includes a time to hear the Biblical story and celebrate the experience of learning together.
• Christ-Centered: Messy church is above all Church. It is a time and place to tell the story of Christ and experience His presence in the community of disciples.

Messy church events are usually held once a month and end with a meal. This enables participants to continue the conversation and learning. Below are a couple of links with further information on Messy Church.

http://messychurch.org.uk/what-messy-church-and-isnt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsH5ddzUsOo