News, Stories and Resources from the MESSY CHURCH CANADA Team. Let us know by email if you have ideas, stories, or activities to share. The newsletter is published near the beginning of the month. Messy Church Canada is a ministry of Wycliffe College Toronto ON
Wow - did we ever get a lot of snow in February! There were 4-6 school closure days in just over three weeks...and that's just in Southern Ontario! Oh dear, I guess I shouldn't have invited the snow. Now that we have entered March, it may be wishful thinking to see flowers sprouting from the snow, but nonetheless, we can look forward to spring and new growth and new life. May our Messy Churches reflect God's love and new life in the Spirit as we grow in faith and discipleship!
Blessings, Sue ~ on behalf of the Messy Church Canada Team
Sue Kalbfleisch, MCC Team Leader Phone: 1-905-648-0302 Email
New Messy Churches
Please welcome and pray for new Messy Churches:
Salvation Army St. Thomas Citadel St. Thomas ON (launched in December 2018)
Kitchener Community Church, Salvation Army, Kitchener ON (Launching April 14)
Please notify us if you have started a Messy Church or if you hear about someone who has started one. Then we can let the appropriate Regional Coordinator know so we can connect with someone nearby for support and networking - and so that we will have an accurate national database too. At this moment of writing, there are over 280 Canadian Messy Churches and almost 4000 Messy Churches registered world-wide on the international site!
Messy Church Regional Coordinators
We are still looking for Regional Coordinators in Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and PEI - please let us know if you are interested or would like information. Find the contact info for all our RCs HERE.
Register Your Messy Church
Don't forget to register your Messy Church - there is no cost and we have lots of folks to help and support you. We are looking forward to connecting with you and growing together!
Events for Training, Networking & just for fun!
Messy Fiesta on Saturday April 6, 2019 at St. John's Anglican Church Truro, Nova Scotia
Messy Fiesta - Saturday April 6, 2019 at St. John's Anglican Church, 23 Church St, Truro, NS B2N 3Z5 from 10m to 3pm. Details and registration here.STILL TIME TO REGISTER!
Please let us know of Messy Meet Ups, Messy Fiestas and workshops so they can be publicized - or if you'd like to host one!
Messy Church Event Descriptions
Messy Church Canada provides and facilitates workshops that are open to all Christian denominations - and so we encourage participation from a wide range of churches. All events are listed with details at www.messychurch.ca
Messy Fiesta - a full day workshop to learn about and experience Messy Church AND for Messy Church Leadership teams just starting their messy journey to connect and share ideas. Usually on a Saturday from 10am-3pm. Includes 'doing' Messy Church in the morning with welcome, 10 activities, celebration and lunch followed by lots of discussion,
Q & A, and networking.
Messy Meet Up - a get together of Messy Church practitioners who meet to share ideas, network, improve their Messy Church and encourage each other. A Messy Meet Up can be held on an evening, Saturday or whenever it works for the group involved, and usually lasts for 2-3 hours.
Messy Thoughts by Andy Kalbfleisch
By the time you read this Daylight Saving Time will be in effect for many of us - time moves forward by an hour and then back again in the fall. This is one time that man has control over time rather than God. But it’s an artificial control, it means nothing in the greater scheme of things. God’s time on the other hand is linear, always pro- gressing... tick tock, tick tock. So much to do and so little time to do it we hear ourselves say far too often.
Jesus said, ‘Make disciples of all nations.’ but where will we find the time, how will we mange it with our busy schedules? Jesus didn’t say ‘If you can find some time in your busy schedule then go and make disciples of all nations’.
If we say we are followers of Jesus, do we in fact take the time to follow and obey His commands or are we just too busy... tick tock, tick tock. Oops too late, time has just run out!
Easter Books for Messy Church
Scripture Union Canada carries lots and lots of Messy Church books and this month we especially want to feature three as we plan and think and pray about our Easter celebrations and activities. Ordering information is found in the blue banner below.
The 'Cecil, the Lost Sheep' Book Series from Australia is wonderful and many of our Messy Church Leaders use the books - but they have been very hard to get - until now! You can order digital downloads complete with activities and visuals as well as free stuff from the Lost Sheep website or your Church/Messy Church can become Membersto receive materials.
Thanks to Barbara Patterson and Dawn Mercer, Toronto ON who worked together to plan for their respective Messy Churches for Easter 2018 - Integrating activities, story telling and video from Narnia (The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe)
Also a FREE 'Palm Sunday' theme from the UK to download.
Check out the January and February Newsletters for more Lent and Easter Ideas and Resources:
"Holy Communion in Messy Church: Some Help for Anglicans" from the UK linked hereand Rev. Richard King from St. Luke's in Edmonton tailored their experience to reflect the way they celebrate Communion in their Diocese. Here are the PowerPointsandPDF files he created. The theme for their Messy Communion was “I am the Bread of Life”. Please find the Biblical References and all the crafts and activities linked here.
There are 14 complete Messy Church Themes created by Canadian Messy Church Leaders on our website.
Cathy Garbutt, our RC in London ON, has a great Pinterest site - Messy Church Board. Cathy keeps adding boards related to various themes, so check her site often.
Please check out the updated booklist for all the Messy Church (and related) books available in Canada along with ordering information HERE
Resources and links from around the world...
From the UK
Parenting For Faith is a great website for parents looking to raise faithful kids. Care for the Family is another site with lots of resources for families, and is also the new home for those looking for 'Who Let the Dads Out' materials (nurturing relationships between fathers and their children). Check out theFaith in HomesFaceBook page - where you'll find lots of ideas for families - for both at Messy Church and for families between MC gatherings.
UK Messy Church Pinterest site has lots of ideas – bookmark it on your computer as more categories have been added! UK Messy Church Pinterest link
Lucy's monthly eNewsletter includes lots of articles and information. Lucy's March Newsletter is here- and Checkthis link for archived newsletters.Lucy's blog includes Maximizing the Mess as well as lots of additional articles and ideas.
The 'Get Messy' magazine published 3X yearly is a great resource. Go to the BRF website and pay for the download for the issue you wish to receive.
The newest Get Messy! magazine May-August 2019is available and includes free downloads to complement the themes. Available on-line to download for £4.50
