Messy Church at Fayetteville First UMC: 'The Best Church Ever'

By Phyliss Williamson

My church, Fayetteville First UMC, has been offering Messy Church for the last four or five months. When we first began this outreach, we really had no idea what to expect. I imagined something like Saturday Bible School for a few hours, with parents included and lunch served. 

Messy Church is open to the whole community. It's a time for games and planned crafts, and of course a lesson. Families come with children of various ages.

One of my favorite experiences of Messy Church was time spent with a little guy about 6 years old who had come with his mother and younger brother. I sat with him making a butterfly out of a popsicle stick, paper, and some plastic eyes. As he glued too many eyes on his butterfly, I said, “With those extra eyes your butterfly will have superpowers!”  He exclaimed, “This is the best church ever!” This family has been back for subsequent Messy Church gatherings.

One mother, along with her children and their grandmother, stumbled on our Messy Church gathering one day. Arriving late, they asked us what Messy Church was about. The games and crafts were over and the devotion was wrapping up. I explained to them they had missed most of what we had planned for that day, but we would love for them to stay and have lunch with us. She thanked me for the invitation but told me she needed to go home to cook. After visiting with her for a few minutes, she changed her mind. She called her husband and told him they were staying to have lunch with us at the church. She happily returned the next month bringing her children and their grandmother back!

Several parents have asked why we call it Messy Church. I say it's because it is much less formal than a regular church service. One mother told me she was more accustomed to churches that did programs for their own members and she appreciated the fact that ours was specifically open for the community. She liked the fact you did not have to be a member of our church to be welcome at Messy Church and really you were welcome even if you might be a non-believer. She wondered if by welcoming all, we might even bring a non-believer to the Lord.

I think she's on to something. 

Phyliss Williamson is a member of Fayetteville First UMC and a volunteer leader at Messy Church Fayetteville. Learn more about Messy Church and other Fresh Expressions at www.ngumc.org/FreshExpressions.