Ever-increasing circles • Messy musings on music • Advent one-a-day

Sessions in this issue:The ten lepersSalt and lightTrusting God

Special message

THE MESSY CHURCH MAGAZINE

Session material, news, stories and

inspiration for Messy Churches

SEP–DEC 2016

inspiration for the

teGys sMe !

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AcknowledgementsUnless otherwise stated, scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version (Anglicised edition), copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica (formerly International Bible Society), and are used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Publishers, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica (formerly International Bible Society). UK trademark number 1448790.

Scripture quotations marked (GNT) are taken from the Good News Translation copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society.

Scripture quotations marked (MSG) are taken from The Message copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson.

Scripture quotations marked (NCV) are taken from The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked (NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor: Olivia Warburton

Subeditor: Jenni Dutton

Proofreader: Kathryn Glendenning

Designer: Rebecca J Hall

Cover photos: Angela Morley, Messy Church at St Mary’s, Bures

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Note for subscribers Print copies are dispatched to arrive six weeks

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The January–April 2017 issue should be with

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PDF version of the magazine is also available for

purchase and immediate download.

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Meet our session and Bible study writers for this issue

Themes in this edition

We’re going to have fun with these four sessions!

September is a time for saying thank you. In some parts of the world it’s harvest season, which might tie in nicely. And for everyone the story of Jesus and the ten people with leprosy is a reminder that a sense of gratitude not only makes God happy but also blesses us and makes us happy.

October follows the theme of Jesus describing his followers as salt and light, a theme which many churches pick up around the Halloween festivities—a challenge to be different and distinctive.

We often have a more reflective session in November, following on from Remembrance Sunday, and this year we are enjoying Psalm 23, with its wonderful journey from the sheepfold through the dark valley to safe arrival home to the feast at the King’s table.

December… um… no idea which key Christian festival to celebrate then. But seriously, partly as many Messy Churches happen well before 25 December, we’ve chosen to concentrate on the angel coming to Mary—so a good Advent-themed, preparation-focused sort of session—as well as thinking about the message of Christmas itself. Have a great Messy time.

Alison Thurlow is married to Paul and together they lead a Messy Church at St Nicholas Church in Yate, Bristol. Alongside monthly meetings, they also hold an annual Messy Church weekend away which is proving to be the highlight of the Messy year! Their three grown-up children all share their enthusiasm for Messy Church.

Having retired from her post as a lay worker in the Methodist Church, Anne Offler is still keeping busy supporting children’s projects in the district and circuit where she lives. She enjoys all things messy and is one of Durham’s Regional Coordinators, as well as being part of her local church’s Messy team.

Barry Brand is a part-time families’ worker at Holy Saviour Church in the parish of Bitterne, Southampton, where he runs a large Messy Church. His first book, Extreme Crafts for Messy Churches, was published in 2015. He also works as a freelance graphic designer. Barry is married to Adele and has two boys, George and Freddie.

Sian Ashford is part of the kids’ leadership team at Ivy Church in Manchester. Her Messy Church adventure started three years ago, and she and the team have loved welcoming families from all walks of life through the doors. With a husband, three children and a dog at home, it is rare that the mess stays at church!

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1. Ask God to bless and guide you as you

consider what’s most helpful to bring

families in your community closer to him

in the coming months.

2. Glance through the four sessions so that

you have an overview of the months

ahead, noting down resources that will

take time to source.

3. Use the downloadable planning sheets

to share this month’s session with your

core team in plenty of time to shape the

ideas together to suit your own situation.

4. If you’re meeting face to face with the

team, talk about this month’s theme,

using the Messy team theme provided.

5. Tell God your worries.

6. Ensure that the whole extended team has

copies of your final version of activities,

together with the Bible reflection

provided to give them the background

they need. You could give them the link

to the passage on www.biblegateway.

com if you’re not certain they have their

own Bibles.

7. Include take-home ideas on handouts,

texts or a Facebook page.

8. Print copies of the mealtime question

cards for the meal tables.

9. Encourage review and reflection from

everyone after the session has taken

place and respond to suggestions for

change ready for next time.

10. Thank God for wherever you saw him

at work.

Planning suggestions

ContentsLucy Moore writes… ................................................ 5

Messy Church International Conference in pictures .... 6

Stories from Messy Churches far and wide ................ 8

Messy discipleship: the story goes on ...................... 10

Advent one-a-day .................................................. 12

Youth column ......................................................... 13

Messy musings on music ........................................ 14

Parts of the BRF whole ............................................ 16

Extract from Messy Togetherness ............................. 17

SESSION MATERIAL

September: The ten lepers ........................... 18

October: Salt and light ............................... 23

November: Trusting God ............................. 28

December: Special message ....................... 33

Dear Jane ............................................................. 38

IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF GET MESSY!

January: Listening to God

February: Hidden treasure

March: The unforgiving servant

April: Mary anoints Jesus

Go to messychurch.org.uk/getmessysep16 to download all templates at A4 size, including a session planning sheet

messychurch.org.uk 3

MESSY MUSINGS ON MUSICMartyn Payne

Whether it’s Sunday church or Messy Church, nothing is more calculated to cause division in the ranks than starting a conversation about ‘the music’!

Music has the power to move us, so it’s no wonder that it plays an important role when we want to draw near to God. From the glory of Thomas Tallis’s Spem in alium to the simplest one-verse chorus learnt in Sunday school, music with or without lyrics can speak to our souls. Ever since the psalmists created praises and laments for worship in the temple, musicians, singers and their congregations have used hymns, choruses and spiritual songs to encourage their love for God and each other.

From such a rich and diverse musical heritage, is it possible to choose the sort of music that best suits a new shape of church? How should Messy Church sing God’s praises? Is Messy Church such a different kind of church that it calls for a different sort of music? Or maybe no music at all!

On my travels I have come across many answers to these questions. Perhaps the most common is to use ‘the music we’ve always used’, whether this refers to worship songs that have become popular in recent years or traditional children’s choruses with their easy-to-learn rhythms and language. In both cases, however, it strikes me that choice can easily be governed more by the preferences of the Messy Church team than consideration for those who are coming. The heartbeat of Messy Church is that it is for those who do not do ‘church’. It is unashamedly missional in its conception and execution—or at least it should be. For this reason it happens at a time and on a day that best suits the community it seeks to serve. So shouldn’t this same principle apply to the music? Is it right, for example, to ask those who are not yet Christians to sing words of deep emotional commitment on the one extreme or songs with childish language on the other? What music is going to work in Messy Church?

Some Messy Churches have concluded that singing is not appropriate at all. They may use instrumental pieces but they have decided that communal singing just isn’t going to work in their context. Others stick to children’s songs. Children of course are usually more relaxed about singing than adults, and for this reason it’s easy to include songs they will enjoy and

perhaps even know from school. However, as these songs may be unfamiliar to the adults, it can be uncomfortable for them and certainly doesn’t build the truly intergenerational sense of belonging that is at the heart of Messy Church.

Perhaps at this point it may be helpful to look back at church history. During the revivals that broke out in the time of John Wesley and George Whitefield, there was a great renaissance of singing. But the songs weren’t those already used in churches. Instead, they were new songs, often set to well-known tunes from the secular world—from the drinking taverns of the day! Perhaps we need to create new all-age songs for Messy Church, which make use of popular tunes (bearing in mind potential copyright issues) and say something clear, memorable and true about God, Jesus and God’s world. I have been to Messy Churches that have done just this, taking, for example, nursery rhymes or pop songs and simply putting new words to familiar tunes. Some songwriters are busy doing this too. Christian puppet teams often perform rewritten secular hits, and some artists (such as Stephen Fischbacher, who works in schools in Scotland) have adapted well-known tunes and put Christian lyrics to them (visit www.fischymusic.com). Any of you who have ever been involved with holiday clubs down the years will know how new songs are very often written to express the theme and tell the story for each day’s session.

MAYBE WE NEED TO BE CREATING

NEW ALL-AGE SONGS FOR

MESSY CHURCH

MAYBE WE NEED TO BE CREATING

NEW ALL-AGE SONGS FOR

MESSY CHURCH

MESSY MUSINGS ON MUSICMESSY MUSINGS ON MUSIC

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Messy reflectionSian AshfordWhile Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, he was going through the area between Samaria and Galilee. As he came into a small town, ten men who had skin diseases met him. They did not come close to Jesus but called to him, ‘Jesus! Master! Have mercy on us!’

When Jesus saw the men, he said, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’

As the ten men were going, they were healed. When one of them saw that he was healed, he went back to Jesus, praising God in a loud voice. Then he bowed down at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. (And this man was a Samaritan.) Jesus said, ‘Weren’t ten men healed? Where are the other nine? Is this Samaritan the only one who came back to thank God?’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Stand up and go on your way. You were healed because you believed.’

Luke 17:11–19 (NCV)

On first glance you may think this is a story about healing—and it is—but more importantly it is a story about being thankful. There are ten lepers in this story: ten lepers who cry out to Jesus for healing, and who through Christ’s power and mercy receive healing. Yet, out of the ten, only one thinks to return to Jesus to say thank you. What happens when the man returns to thank Jesus demonstrates two important things we can learn about being thankful. Firstly, it shows us how gratitude pleases God. Jesus did not ask the men to thank him for healing them. He did not demand that they bow at his feet before going to the priest. Nor did he revoke the healing for the nine who did not thank him. Yet the fact that Jesus asked, ‘Where are the other nine?’ shows that it pleases God when we give thanks for what he has done for us. Secondly, it shows us the kind of gratitude we should display. The Samaritan man turned to thank Jesus as soon as he saw he was healed. He didn’t delay by showing himself to the priest first, telling his family what had happened or patting himself on the back that he was at last free of his disease. No, he went straight to the one who had healed him and made it all possible. His thanks was immediate. We also read that his thanks was loud! He wanted everyone to know what had happened to him, and he wanted all the glory to go to God. How quickly and how loudly do we offer thanks when Jesus answers our prayers? Do we make sure that everyone around us knows what God has done? As you start to consider this story with your Messy Church, stop for a moment and think if there is anything you need to say thank you for today.

Mealtime cards• Why should we say thank you?• What things can you think of that God gives us?• Have you ever done something nice for someone

who didn’t then say thank you? How did that make you feel?

Take-home idea

This week, let’s make an effort to say thank you to God for all we receive, and to thank the people who do things for us—such as our parents, teachers, bus drivers, lollipop people, shopkeepers and so on. ‘Thank you’ is only two small words but it can make a big difference.

Thank you, God, for all that grows, Thank you for the sky’s rainbows, Thank you for the stars that shine, Thank you for these friends of mine, Thank you for all that we eat,Thank you for the people we meet,Thank you for the moon and sun, Thank you, God, for all you’ve done!

Author unknown

Messy health check How are your older children and teenagers doing?

How does this session help people grow in Christ?Today we heard about Jesus and the ten lepers. We saw just how loving God is with everything he provides for us. But do we ever take time to thank him? If children receive a gift from someone, their parents normally remind them to say thank you. We probably are grateful, but when we say thanks, do we really mean it, or do we even forget to say it?

Session material: SeptemberReprinted with permission from Get Messy! Sep–Dec 2016, published by Messy Church, a part of BRF

Go to messychurch.org.uk/getmessysep16 to download all templates at A4 size, including a session planning sheet

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Messy Team Theme• Do we allow our light to shine out or would we

prefer it to be shaded under a bucket? • How can we shine more brightly?• How do we add ‘flavour’ to the community?

Question to start and end the sessionSo… how do we make a difference?

Activities1. Salt dough

You will need: salt; flour; water; measuring cups; mixing bowls; handwashing bowl and towel; paper plate; printed-out cooking instructions

Put salt, flour and water into a mixing bowl in the ratio 2:2:1 and mix them together with your hands. Make a firm ball of dough and put it on the table. Make something of your choice with the dough. Put it on a paper plate to take home, along with instructions for oven-drying.

Talk about how the salt changes the flour and water mixture. What are our special characteristics?

2. Crackle and crack

You will need: tray; salt in bowls; food colouring; dropper with a tip narrow enough to fit into the food-colouring bottle

Before the session freeze a balloon filled with water.

Peel the balloon from the block of ice inside it and put the ice on a tray. Watch it start to melt. Rub salt on to the icy surface and see what happens. The resulting ice cracks can be highlighted by dropping a few drops of food colouring on to the ice.

Talk about how the salt makes a difference to how the ice melts. Jesus made a difference in his community. How can we make a difference today?

3. Candle cake

You will need: non-chocolate mini rolls; fondant icing sugar; water; cups; spoons; table knives; yellow food colouring; paper plates

(NB check packaging to ensure no traces of nuts.)

Mix some fondant icing sugar with water in a cup. Keep back a small blob, then roll out the rest of the icing. Use it to cover a whole mini roll. Work yellow food colouring into the reserved blob of icing and shape it into a candle flame. Assemble the candle by attaching the ‘flame’ to the iced mini roll. Stand it up on a paper plate if possible.

Session material: OctoberReprinted with permission from Get Messy! Sep–Dec 2016, published by Messy Church, a part of BRF

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servant,’ said Mary; ‘may it happen to me as you have said’ (Luke 1:38, GNT).

And the rest, as they say, is history—or, as I prefer to think of it, HIS story: Jesus’ story. Mary had her baby in a stable in Bethlehem; she called him Jesus; he was God’s Son. This is what we celebrate at Christmas.

One of the names given to Jesus, which we sometimes see on Christmas cards, was Emmanuel. In a Messy Church all about messages, it seems Emmanuel would be a good name to remember because it has its own message: that ‘God is with us’. This is the very thing we are celebrating in the story of Jesus’ birth. We’re going to use the name Emmanuel and our theme of sending messages in our prayer now.

Prayer

Beforehand, learn how to spell out Emmanuel using semaphore signals. Stand with your back to your congregation and ask them to copy you as you slowly semaphore Emmanuel. Continue by saying the following prayer together:

Lord God, thank you for the special message the angel gave to Mary. Thank you for sending your Son, Jesus, into the world. Thank you that Jesus is Emmanuel—God with us. Please help us to keep Jesus at the heart of all our celebrations this Christmas. Amen

Song suggestions

‘The Angel Gabriel’—Chrissie Pepper (Thankyou Music)

‘A band of angels’—John Hardwick (John Hardwick)

‘Hark the herald angels sing’—Charles Wesley and Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (public domain)

Meal suggestion

Pigs in blankets with mash, onion gravy and baked beans; mince pies or Angel Delight

Special message by Alison ThurlowReprinted with permission from Get Messy! Sep–Dec 2016, published by Messy Church, a part of BRF

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