Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

Did everyone have a fun-and-pancake-filled Shrove Tuesday? Southside Abbey participated in the Shrove Tuesday events of a couple of Lutheran churches in our area. We came to a traditional church building to have a traditional pancake supper. That's when it struck me: this is fun! I was reminded just how often church is fun . . . and how often it isn't.

Recently, I had a wonderfully fun opportunity to participate in Play: Praising God in Life and Worship – A Fresh Expressions Worship Conference, hosted by the Diocese of Southern Ohio's Fresh Expressions office and Missioner for Fresh Expressions, Jane Gerdsen. Jane, who invited me to be a presenter, had the insight to bring together some practitioners involved in missional – also called emergent – communities. Don't get me wrong, I am a cradle (at least playpen) Episcopalian and I love and am deeply fed by “traditional” Sunday Morning worship – whatever that means – but, I am also aware that there are buckets of people who are not being reached by “traditional” means. They aren't having that kind of fun yet.

I learned a lot from this conference, but perhaps the most important was twofold: some people are out there trying something, but there are many more people who would like to try something. It is to these folks that I say: you can do it!

You too can start a new expression of worshiping community faithful to the Episcopal tradition. You don't have to be scared. It can look different. It can look new. You don't have to know what it will look like, the Holy Spirit has it covered. You don't have to be worried, either. You are not too young. You are not too old. You are not too broke. It can be a really small group. The Holy Spirit will take care of you. You don't have to be X, Y, or Z. X = clergy. Y = educated. Z = perfect. The Holy Spirit will be your guide. Maybe something is growing out of what you are doing already within your church or without.

If you had fun Shrove Tuesday and want to share the kind of fun that is loving and following Jesus, particularly if you want to share the fun with the people who are not being engaged through traditional means, I invite you to a Holy Lent of discernment. Find a group of like-minded people and enter into Holy Conversation. Where are y'all being called? Don't worry: you can do it.