Parish Retreat & "Messy Church"

I want to highlight 2 things that are coming up at St. Michael’s. Next week we are looking forward to hosting Bishop Brian Prior for a parish retreat. Bishop Brian is a gifted conference and retreat leader who will be helping us explore the road maps of our faith journeys. To find out more about him visit: brianprior.com There you can find podcasts that give you a sense of his theology and style. Bishop Brian is the retired bishop of Minnesota, where I had the privilege of serving with him for 9 years. He is a gifted storyteller with a deep faith in God who “(believes) each of us is uniquely created and uniquely gifted, called to use who we are and how we have been gifted in service to others. When we bring our gifts to the world both we and the world around us are transformed.”

The retreat begins on Friday evening, March 25^th at 5:30 pm and includes dinner. We will resume on Saturday morning at 10:00 am and conclude the day by 2:00 pm. Saturday includes lunch. Bp. Brian will be preaching at the services Saturday and Sunday and there will be a wrap up session at 9:30 am on Sunday. It is important to know that while I encourage you to attend both days of the retreat, you can attend just Friday or Saturday if that is what you are able to do. Please sign up on the website or by contacting the parish office.

I am also thrilled that beginning next month we will be offering something called “Messy Church.” Messy Church is an intergenerational program, held on Sunday evenings, that provides an opportunity for people of all ages to worship together in new ways. It begins with a time of welcome followed by activities and crafts for all ages related to the theme, a brief worship service and a meal. The first one will be April 10^th from 4:00 to 6:00 pm with an Easter theme. They will be happening monthly. 

Messy Church “is a form of church for children and adults that involves creativity, celebration and hospitality.” Everyone is welcome: young, old, singles, families, couples. It is for those who are new to the church and those who are long-time members. Find out more at: messychurchusa.org  Many thanks to Sue Van Oss for launching this exciting initiative! If you would like to volunteer to help out at one of the monthly Messy Church events, please talk to Sue. We could use folks to help serve the simple meal, greet people at the door, and sit at an activity table.

Peace,

+Bill