After our chat on Sunday, several people contacted me. They’d like to see, they said, more participation in the service: more people singing refrains; more kids producing artwork; more ways to make the service an expression of the body corporate. — To which all I can say is, ‘YES!’
Since we began meeting via Zoom, I’ve put out regular invitations, both general and personal, and printed, emailed and verbal, to contribute to our Zoom service. But just in case you’ve missed those invitations, here they are again:
- If you would be happy to lead the refrains during the service, let me know and I’ll book you in.
- If you or your family likes to sing, record yourselves singing one of our favourite songs, and we can use it in our service.
- If someone in your house likes to draw, paint, or cartoon, send through any drawings, paintings, or cartoons in relation to the upcoming readings and we can use them in the service.
- If you produce stuff during the service – drawings, Lego, playdough – don’t be shy about sharing it with us afterwards.
- If you want to make a short TikTok style movie of an upcoming Bible reading and share it with us all, do so!
- If you have a faith story you’d like to share, talk to me and we’ll find a good week for you to tell it in the service; alternatively, write it up and it can go out as a Wednesday email.
- If you want to do some interpretive work on a Bible text, through performance, dance, sculpture or otherwise, again, talk to me and we’ll find a good week to incorporate it into the service.
- If there is some other way you or someone in your household wants to share or contribute, let me know and we can work something out.
- You can find the readings for upcoming Sundays at our sister church’s liturgical website here.
One of our loveliest services in 2020 was our church birthday; it was packed with drawings, paintings, poems and recordings from people in the congregation. So be the church you want to be! Create, contribute, share! And parents: if this is a priority, facilitate it for your children!
These comments pertain mostly (but not entirely) to Zoom, since for now we will continue to alternate between Zoom and the carpark. But how we meet keeps changing, so keep thinking and stay posted: maybe there are ways of gathering and contributing we haven’t even thought of yet.
As for all the other excellent feedback from Sunday’s conversation, we will collate, mull and ponder at next week’s leadership meeting, and then get back to you. If anything emerges for you before then, send us an email or text, or call us, and we can add your comments to the list. Remember, we’re seeking glimpses, fragments, hints, which together might point to where the Spirit is calling us now, in answer to these questions:
1. What was good, healing, liberating or life giving in 2020? And what was hard?
2. What has God been saying to us over this time?
3. What might we be called to now? What Biblical stories, verses, or themes inspire or guide this vision? And how might you be part of bringing this about?
Peace,
Alison
Emailed to Sanctuary on 3 March 2021 © Sanctuary, 2021. Image credit: Fallon Michael on Unsplash.
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