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SEP–DEC
2016
Session material,
news, stories and
inspiration for
Messy Churches
THE MESSY CHURCH MAGAZINE
Sessions in
this issue:
The ten lepers
Salt and light
Trusting God
Special message
Ever-increasing circles • Messy musings on music • Advent one-a-day
Messy Church® is a registered word mark and the logo is
a registered device mark of The Bible Reading Fellowship
Get Messy! © BRF 2016
ISBN 978 0 85746 406 4
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Tel: +44 (0)1865 319700
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BRF is a Registered Charity
Acknowledgements
Unless 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
Meet our session and Bible
study writers for this issue
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!
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.
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.
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.
Designer: Rebecca J Hall
Cover photos: Angela Morley, Messy Church at
St Mary’s, Bures
Printed in the UK by Stephens & George Print
Group
Note for subscribers
Print copies are dispatched to arrive six weeks
prior to the date on the cover of the magazine.
The January–April 2017 issue should be with
you around the middle of November 2016. The
PDF version of the magazine is also available for
purchase and immediate download.
messychurch.org.uk/resources/get-messy
Photocopying
You’re welcome to photocopy the Bible reflections
and session outlines for use only within your
team. Copying other parts of the magazine is not
permitted.
To order back issues of Get Messy! and Messy
Church resources, email BRF at
enquiries@brf.org.uk or telephone 01865 319700
Send in news, stories, photos and general enquiries
to our Messy Church administrator on 01235
858246 or messychurch@brf.org.uk
2
@MessyChurchBRF
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.
1. Ask God to bless and guide you as you
4. If you’re meeting face to face with the
consider what’s most helpful to bring
team, talk about this month’s theme,
families in your community closer to him
using the Messy team theme provided.
in the coming months.
5. Tell God your worries.
2. Glance through the four sessions so that
7. Include take-home ideas on handouts,
texts or a Facebook page.
8. Print copies of the mealtime question
cards for the meal tables.
6. Ensure that the whole extended team has
9. Encourage review and reflection from
you have an overview of the months
copies of your final version of activities,
everyone after the session has taken
ahead, noting down resources that will
together with the Bible reflection
place and respond to suggestions for
take time to source.
provided to give them the background
change ready for next time.
3. Use the downloadable planning sheets
they need. You could give them the link
to share this month’s session with your
to the passage on www.biblegateway.
core team in plenty of time to shape the
com if you’re not certain they have their
ideas together to suit your own situation.
own Bibles.
10. Thank God for wherever you saw him
at work.
Planning suggestions
Contents
Lucy 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
Go to messychurch.
org.uk/
getmessysep16
to download all
templates at A4 size,
including a session
planning sheet
IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF GET MESSY!
January: Listening to God
February: Hidden treasure
March: The unforgiving servant
April: Mary anoints Jesus
messychurch.org.uk
3
MESSY MUSINGS ON MUSIC
Martyn 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
14
@MessyChurchBRF
MAYBE WE NEED
TO BE CREATING
NEW ALL-AGE
SONGS FOR
MESSY CHURCH
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.
Reprinted with permission from Get Messy! Sep–Dec 2016, published by Messy Church, a part of BRF
Session material: September
Messy reflection
Sian Ashford
While 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.
18
@MessyChurchBRF
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
Thank
Thank
Thank
Thank
Thank
Thank
Thank
you, God, for all that grows,
you for the sky’s rainbows,
you for the stars that shine,
you for these friends of mine,
you for all that we eat,
you for the people we meet,
you for the moon and sun,
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?
Go to messychurch.
org.uk/
getmessysep16
to download all
templates at A4 size,
including a session
planning sheet
Reprinted with permission from Get Messy! Sep–Dec 2016, published by Messy Church, a part of BRF
Session material: October
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 session
So… how do we make a difference?
1
Activities
1. 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.
2
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
3
(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.
24
@MessyChurchBRF
Reprinted with permission from Get Messy! Sep–Dec 2016, published by Messy Church, a part of BRF
Special message by Alison Thurlow
servant,’ said Mary; ‘may it happen to me as you have
said’ (Luke 1:38, GNT).
5
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.
6
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
7
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
9
Pigs in blankets with mash, onion gravy and baked
beans; mince pies or Angel Delight
messychurch.org.uk
37
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