This fall we will see a redesign of the monthly New Eu(charist) For All Ages worship. The “New Eu”, as it was known, provided the congregation with the opportunity to worship all together and encouraged the young people to serve as ushers, greeters, and lectors. There was also a “carpet time” children’s message for the youngest members. At its inception about 7 years ago, this worship format was well received, though lately it seems that the NewEu has needed an upgrade.
This summer, I’ve been working with members of the the Mission Outreach Committee about ways to highlight the various ministries that our parish supports. Together we have re-imagined the “New Eu” to be a Multi-generational Mission Sunday. The 1st Sunday of the month will feature a different mission of the parish in the sermon and/or with invited speakers from one of the organizations supported by CGS. Young people will continue to have opportunities to serve during the worship and where possible will be paired with an older member of the parish in that task.
We are very excited to announce that the Sunday school will also be connected to the Mission Sundays through age appropriate projects featuring the local food pantry, the CROP Hunger Walk, the Lowell Transitional Living Center, Esperanza Academy, and our companion community in El Ocotillo, El Salvador. In addition to Bible lessons, the children will study issues connected with each mission - from hunger on a local and global scale to homelessness, from building relationships to understanding the concept of accompaniment with versus charity for others.
Chuba Udokwu will be our first presenter on Sunday, September 15 at both the 8am and 10am services. He will share his personal experience with the CROP Hunger Walk organization. The Sunday School will also participate by making a banner that they will present at worship and carry in the CROP Hunger Walk on Sunday, October 20 in Concord.
Our first Multi-Gen Mission Sunday will be October 6 and will include a Blessing of the Animals in recognition of St. Francis of Assisi. Also as part of that Mission Service, we will welcome back Jeanne Rikkers, Cristosal’s Director of the Center for Research and Learning to share with us some of the collaborative work she is doing with communities in El Salvador.
I hope you will plan to join us as we celebrate the work of many in our congregation who give of their time and talent to a variety of organizations.
We are grateful for these ministries, and we look forward to hearing about some of them in this exciting new program year.
Melissa