Planning our Regathering
Oh yeah! On Pentecost Sunday many church communities were able to gather back in some way and it was exciting, scary, lovely and strange. That’s a lot of words to describe one thing, but it’s really the world we will be living in for quite sometime as churches, businesses, schools and families navigate returning to community. So for the next few weeks, the blog will be focusing on how to do that well. Of course, I will be looking through the lens of hospitality and listening and people.
I offered a workshop this past week for a parish wanting to do their best as they are planning on reengaging fully in the fall. They want to do it well and not miss anything or any one and ask all the right questions so they are pastoral, informed and doing what will truly bring the people together. They are on the right path.
Before we begin to plan there are just a few things to acknowledge.
We lived and are continue to live through a pandemic. Each person has experienced things that are there’s alone. Trauma, fear, worry, anxiety, depression, loss, grief, illness and maybe some good things -time at home, learning to cook, tend to our homes and wear sweats. This list is not exhaustive!
We in ministry need to listen to our people. All the people. Those who have stayed connected, those who have stayed at home but followed on zoom, live stream, mail and telephone and those who have drifted away and always those in our mission field who aren’t connected at all.
We can begin to plan once we know who we are again as a community, share our collective story and do some assessing of what we want to hold on to and what we can let go of in the life of the church.
Communication is going to be the most important piece of regathering. People will need to know how, where, why, who and when - over and over and over.
There can’t be just one plan - one size fits all. There has to be room for accommodation and inclusion.
It’s a really good idea to commit to prayer during this time for this in particular. There is a window here - a gift given to us to really take a long good look at our parish community. Now is the time for innovating, creating and designing a church that will carry us forward - help us go deeper in our faith and learn to evangelize because we want to and just can’t help it! It’s Pentecost - the perfect time to ask for guidance from the “ Spirit of Promise!” Acts 1:1-5
These six things are just the truth. We can plan and invite, schedule and train, worship and study all without reflecting on the past year - but it would be a grave mistake. Our people have changed, so our parish communities have changed. We have to find out how and acknowledge it. We have to find out what matters to people now and let the Holy Spirit teach us how to be a new church - one that has survived - and will thrive in this new time.
Stay tuned for the next few weeks to find a way to find your way. Ministry Blueprints has spent lots of hours and lots of days with parishes, staff, ministry leaders and volunteers talking about hospitality at this time. We know it is the way back - abundantly loving, listening, serving, sharing and gathering. We’d love to work with you too - so be in touch.
So, until next week - let’s be in prayer for our church and for the Holy Spirit to move with might.
Blessings,
Jane
