The Institute of Evangelism

Every Church an Evangelizing Community!

Good Idea is our online magazine where you’ll find inspiration, tips, ideas, and stories of how God is working in other churches. Every month we offer one good idea to help churches grow in sharing the faith.

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How to create a visual arts team at your church

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A growing trend at our congregation – Hope Church in Port Perry – is the Art_in_Worship-1visual presence of artwork in the sanctuary and throughout the church building. In the past, we have had ladies who would stitch up beautiful banners and design lovely arrangements at Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving.

But something new is being forged that goes beyond the typical DF-VisualArts-6decorating committee that we have had in the past.

The artwork is not stand alone pieces of art nor are they the “pull out of the storage closet” banners that follow the church calendar of events. The artwork that is emerging now are pieces that are specifically designed in collaboration with the pastor so that the art ties in with what is being preached from the pulpit.

These pieces are kept up for as short as one week or as long as a season. Their purpose is to offer a visual meditation for the congregation as they hear the word of God spoken from the pulpit.

This of course is not something new in Church history. Before the printing presses could manufacture the Bible, artists created a visual testimony in the early churches through their work. Congregants then, who might not understand the spoken word of God, were still reached in visual form. Today, not least because we want newcomers to understand the faith, the visual form of God’s word attempts to bring the spoken word to life in our realities of daily life. Just as the musical worship team selects songs that tie in with the pastor’s message, a new addition to the worship team is being brought in to do the same … the visual artists!

Here are some ways you can start this kind of team to enrich you worship:

slide0025_image028Identify members of your congregation that have creative, visual art talents and a desire to communicate God’s word to the community.

Host regular meetings with your pastor and the visual artists to discuss the calendar of sermon series and topics. Use this time to brainstorm how those themes can be brought to life in visual forms – think outside of the box and not just traditional banners!

Pray together asking God to show you a visual form that he wants used in the service.

Visual forms could be as simple as draping coloured cloths from the walls or ceiling, or as complex as hanging a flock of paper doves from the ceiling and throughout the church building. Give yourself the freedom to be simple at times, and at other times to do something radical!

Carve out a reasonable working budget for the visual arts in worship.

Take pictures of each representation and develop a visual book of remembrancedayrecords of how God has directed you. You can then use these pictures in a digital power-point review, perhaps at a New Year’s Eve program, to help summarize the teachings of the past year.

 Have fun!

Linda Wielinga is an artist from Port Perry, Ontario. 

The Ministry of a Christian Clown

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One minister finds an unconventional but creative way to connect with the unchurched.

Being a clown and engaging in a ministry as a Christian clown never would have occurred to me a few years Clowning Mar 2013 revago. But as an Anglican priest, I feel compelled to find ways of reaching out to those beyond our church doors.

I’d been aware of Clown Ministry for many years so went looking on the internet for information. I discovered a wealth of how to books on Christian Clowning, many written by clergy, with Anglican priests being very well represented among the authors. The more I read and prayed about this type of ministry, the more I felt it was something I could do. I began to acquire the necessary props and allowed a Clown alter-ego to emerge. My Christian name, Deborah, means bee in Hebrew so my clown persona is “Bizzy Bea”.

I mentioned my thought of this new venture to my Bishop, probably secretly hoping he’d shut me down, but he was encouraging. That was it, I was committed. I can relate to how Peter must have felt when he stepped out of the boat to walk on the water. I too felt doubt and fear, called beyond my comfort zone to new ways of being involved in God’s work in the world. Trust me, Clowning is way beyond my introverted comfort zone!

I began practising putting on the special makeup and made a costume and soon, Bizzy Bea made her debut in the safety of St. Matthew/St. Paul’s Memorial Garden just in time for the Ladies’ Coffee Circle. Bizzy Bea always has a simple routine and message of loving God, accepting people, even the ones who are different, and bringing smiles, joy and laughter. Bizzy Bea tells Bible stories, blows bubbles, sings “bee” songs and children’s action songs, (such as “If you’re Happy and You Know it”) makes balloon bees, and always has stickers, stamps and other items to give to kids of all ages.

I have clowned for children’s groups, seniors, and people of all ages. I have clowned in hospitals, at schools, arenas, street markets, and even at Church. Bizzy Bea attended the Sunday School service and picnic to tell the Bible Story, which was aimed at all ages and replaced the sermon. A member of the lay ministry team led the Service as I don’t officiate at services as Bizzy Bea. Bizzy has brought smiles, hugs, and joy to many people.

If balloons are part of any potential program, I always inquire ahead of time about latex allergies and if that is a problem, I leave the balloons at home and plan to tell some jokes, along with the Bible stories and do a couple of simple magic tricks. I have also discovered that face painting is usually a hit with people of all ages, as long as it’s just a small design on a check. Being a bee clown, I generally paint a multi-coloured bumble bee for everyone. Face painting allows for a bit of one on one time with a child and allows them an opportunity to chat or ask Bizzy questions—which are often “God questions.” I sometimes use a bee or a small black dog puppet to help me tell the stories. And on occasion my little black shih tzu, Midnight, dressed in a bee costume, goes along as Baby Bee. She is a licenced St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog, so particularly enjoys going to the hospitals and seniors’ residences.

A couple of years ago, I took the Mission Shaped Ministry course offered online by Wycliffe College and Fresh Expressions Canada.[1] There I learned that we have to adapt and find fresh ways of bringing the Gospel to people beyond the church door; and that helped boost my confidence.

Bizzy Bea is another way in which I can share God’s love. The character gets me into places and interacting with people I would normally not reach. She is well received and gives and receives lots of hugs. Bizzy Bea spreads God’s love one smile at a time.

Deborah Lonergan-Freake is an Anglican priest in the Anglican Diocese of Moosonee.

 

[1] This course will be offered again shortly, led by Nick Brotherwood, Team Leader for Fresh Expressions Canada. For more information, see here, or contact Nick at nbrotherwood@montreal.anglican.ca.

Spring is Coming

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good idea! interviews John Bowen about his book, Green Shoots out of Dry Ground

good idea: In a single sentence, what is this book about?

John Bowen: It’s a book of essays about the future of the church andGreen shootsCover front only its mission in Canada in the 21st century. The title is Green Shoots out of Dry Ground: Growing a New Future for the Church in Canada, and I am the editor.

gi: What gave you the idea for the book?

JB: It was inspired in part by the Church of England’s Mission Shaped Church report, which came out in 2004. Church reports are not usually best sellers, but this was an exception. In fact, it has so far sold over 25,000 copies and become one of the major catalysts for the Fresh Expressions movement around the world.

However, I found that, as people in Canada were reading Mission Shaped Church, their reaction was often, “There’s great stuff in here, but it’s so English! Isn’t there something like this for Canada?” And the whole point of the Fresh Expressions movement is to think like missionaries, and to start new Christian communities which are culturally appropriate. So that seemed a very valid concern.

Then, in the first half of 2012, I had a sabbatical. In the previous year, when I was thinking about a suitable sabbatical project, I began to wonder about the possibility of writing a similar book for Canada. But Mission Shaped Church was written by a committee, not by an individual, and that seemed to be a sensible approach. The book would reach a wider audience if all (or many) of those audiences were represented in the book.

So, with lots of help, I came up with a list of chapters and authors, and got to work. By the end of September 2012, the complete manuscript was in the hands of the publisher, and by some magic I do not understand they got it out in exactly four months, just in time for the Vital Church Planting conference in Toronto at the end of January.

gi: So what makes this book uniquely Canadian, eh?

JB: Here are three things that I think make it distinctively Canadian:

First, I thought it was important that the book should represent the length and breadth of the country. So you will find that the authors and the stories come from Vancouver and St John’s, and many points in between, such as Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal, Fredericton, and Toronto. The North is represented by Mark McDonald, Canada’s National Indigenous Bishop.

Secondly, different chapters discuss issues that are uniquely Canadian, or at least ones that take on a distinctive shape in Canada: our cities and our vast rural areas; what we can learn from new Canadian church planters (one Nigerian, one Philippino); what aboriginal Christians have to teach us about mission; where Canada’s young people are in relation to faith and church; and even what mission and ecology might mean for Canada.

It also seemed important that the book represent different denominations in Canada. As a result, the authors are (in alphabetical order) Anglican, Baptist, independent, Lutheran and United; some of the stories in the book also represent the Christian Reformed and Mennonite traditions. The scope would have been wider, but a dozen potential authors had to turn down my invitation for one reason or another.

gi: And what’s the significance of the title?

 JB: I am struck by how often Jesus uses imagery of natural growth. As I look across the country, in many ways, this does feel like a “dry” time for many churches—a time when nourishment is hard to come by and there is little growth as a result. But at the same time, there are many “green shoots” springing up in the most surprising ways and places.

Once I had decided to use that imagery, it was easy enough to make use of it in different ways throughout the book. There are three sections. The first one, “The Lay of the Land,” sets the stage for what follows by offering a theology of mission, an overview of Canadian cultures today, and a personal reminiscence of church planting in Toronto in the 1950’s.

The largest section, “Nursery Gardens,” contains chapters on what is growing in the various “fields” of Canadian mission. This is where the chapters occur on our cities, our rural areas, new Canadian churches, First Nations, youth, and the environment.

The final section, “A Garden that will Last,” suggests what is needed for mission to bring about sustained and lasting change. The writers discuss what kind of spirituality is needed and what kind of leadership we should look for; how we exercise missional discernment in our communities; how denominations might be transformed for mission; and what resources are available to maintain healthy growth.

gi: So is this just a book of theory?

JB: No. First of all, most of the authors are practitioners of mission, who write out of their own experience. But then, sprinkled throughout the book are ten stories—examples of “Green Shoots”—of innovative ministries, creative church plants, and fresh expressions of church from across the country and across the spread of denominations, written by Canadian journalists Diana Swift and Kirstin Jenkins. I suspect that, for some readers, these will be the highlight of the book!

gi: How do you expect readers to respond to this book?

My prayer is that readers will find hope in the book: God has not given up on the church in Canada. There is a future, even if we do not know much about what it will look like. Secondly, I hope readers will find their own vision rekindled, that they will feel empowered to “dream dreams” about how the mission of God might be freshly expressed in this country. And, thirdly, I hope that it might help to create a network of mission-minded people who will find common cause to serve God in their local communities.

I was touched and encouraged by the response of one of the first readers of the book, Colin Johnson, the Anglican Archbishop of Ontario. In the Afterword, he writes:

Some chapters will offer immense and surprising hope, while others will introduce the troubling voice that suggests we need to rethink some of our longstanding opinions. I find myself stretched and chastened, encouraged and shaken, affirmed and challenged, intrigued, and slightly unnerved by what I have read here.

I have to confess, that’s how I felt myself as I saw the book coming together. And I suspect others will feel the same.

gi: One final question—and I hope it’s not too personal. Doesn’t it feel a little strange to be interviewing yourself?

JB: Not at all. Most people talk to themselves from time to time.

gi: Thank you.

“Green Shoots out of Dry Ground” is available from the publisher, Wipf and Stock, at wipfandstock.com, and through Amazon.ca

A Nation with more than Mountains

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Nepal’s tourist brochures feature mountains and temples. But peer behind that façade and another reality shows up.

Ghandrung Village and Annapurna South, Nepal, Himalaya

In 1960, there were 30 known Christians. Today there are over a million and a half. How did it come about? Quite simply, the Nepal story of Christian growth beautifully describes the power of indigenous (local) leadership and witness.

As Nepal, once a closed country began to gradually open, missionaries built a hospital and eventually joined forces under the United Mission to Nepal in 1954. Restricted in their operation, they worked as Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in fields such as education and health, but weren’t permitted to evangelize or build churches.

Conversions, post 1960, began without strategy or fore thought. India and Britain recruited Nepalese to fight (including the famous Sherpas from eastern Nepal) in their respective armies. Enlisted, many heard of the Gospel and came to faith. Returning to their families and villages they told about the Jesus they had met. Soon churches flourished.

With little available university training in the country, many students went elsewhere. Again, as with the soldiers, students contacted Christians in their countries of study. After graduating they returned home, and as did returning soldiers, told their families and friends about Christ and churches were built.

Nepal, a country of 28 million not only learned of Christ by returning soldiers and graduates, but a New Testament phenomenon was at work.

Here was what I didn’t expect. When I asked if there was one issue that triggered so many conversions the answer was immediate and without dispute: healings and miracles.Tucked away in valleys, trapped behind mountain peaks, people are often cut off from medical help and intervention. The logic is simple: when you are sick and your only choices are a witch doctor or Jesus, the former adds cost and brings no solution while Jesus heals and brings transformation to life and community. The explosive witness made visible by healings, reverberates through families, villages and tribes leading many to confess Christ.

I inquired of key areas of impact brought about by the Gospel. I note a few.

One – People stop worshipping idols. (See later its economic impact.)

Two – Love becomes an obvious expression of relationship. In a family structured society, love triggers concrete patterns of caring, making this faith most attractive.

Three – Hard work. Wondering why this was a mark, it was pointed out that many in their religious culture viewed no work as a blessing: one is cursed to work by your “karma” or fate. Learning that work is a gift inclines a person to work better and harder.

Four – The Gospel disregards the cast system which especially degrades untouchables or the Dalit. When converted, they can freely enter a church and eat along side other Christians knowing they are regarded as the beloved.

Five – Patterns of honesty and forgiveness become normative. Following the Maoist decade of destruction (1996-2006 — over 18,000 were killed) the government promised a truth and reconciliation commission. Years later it still hasn’t been implemented. When asked why, an official said, “Forgiveness is not part of our tradition. Without that understanding, such a commission is useless.”

Six –. Conversion brings economic changes. Their many religious festivals require money. The poor feeling obliged, and with little cash borrow from landlords and friends. Once a Christian, they no longer attend which eliminates that outlay of funds. Consulting a witch doctor on issues of sickness or distress, they may be told to do even more at a festival, adding to their cost. As well taught not to gamble or consume alcohol increases savings and returns more money to family for food, education and health.

One leader smiled, and said, “Brian, I tell government leaders – The best way to improve the economic well being of Nepal is to promote Christian faith. Christians work harder. Save more. Women are better treated and our social well-being goes up. Christians make great citizens.”

Headlining today’s news reports and a topic of conversation with Christian leaders is the current attempt to rewrite Nepal’s constitution. In the early ‘90s the king was forced to modify the kingdom and in 2001 the royal family was massacred. In 2007 a Constituent Assembly was formed and an interim constitution written, guaranteeing freedom of religion. The fear today is that if competing parties won’t agree on a new one, there is danger the ruling constitution will revert to a Hindu monarchy and the repression of religious rights.

Even so, on top of the world, I discovered a marvelous example of a people who figured out how to grow up their own forms of evangelism and church life. In bold and unashamed witness, an obvious drive to care for handicapped and marginalized, they also refuse to allow the political system run away with its own brand of religious fundamentalism or anti-religious secularism. It’s a church the Apostle Paul would have had joy in writing to.

Brian C Stiller is the Global Ambassador for World Evangelical Alliance.

This article was written for his Blog dispatchesfrombrian.com on October 12, 2012, and is reproduced with permission.

Vital Church Planting Conference 2013

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Title: Dying to Live. Disciple Making and New Christian Communities

Speaker: Graham Cray, Archbishops’ Missioner and Team Leader of Fresh Expressions in the UK.

When: Thursday January 31st to Saturday, February 2nd, 2013

Where: St Paul’s Bloor Street, 227 Bloor Street East, Toronto

Link to the Vital Church Planting website for up to date information and to

Register

How to Bring the Young People Back

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The huge number of young people raised in a pew who are now exiting out the backdoor of the Church is an alarming trend in the

 profiles this elusive group of formerly or soon-to-be formerly churched young people.

Despite all our best efforts to serve great coffee, create community, and maybe even use clever marketing hooks to catch their attention, young adults are still bailing on the Church.

It is absolutely vital that within the first few years of adulthood, the Church deeply engages in the life of young people. After over a decade working with a lost, curious, and wandering crowd of young people and living in a town full of the formerly churched (in Whistler, BC), here are ten areas of connection I believe will help us call back this generation.

Connect the Scriptures

Actively exploring and connecting Scripture to Jesus, his Kingdom, its values, and life is vital. Taught, understood, and given the opportunity to dialogue with Scripture themselves, the meta-story of Scripture is attractive to young adults.

 Connect in Mission

Connecting faith with real mission promotes a faith outside the church in and among the realities of work, campus, and relational life. Connecting the skeleton of faith with the flesh of the incarnation propels the faith of many twenty-somethings. Short-term projects promote hands on service without scaring off twenty-somethings who might be afraid of commitment. Show young adults a cause and invite them into a “one off” volunteer experience and you’ll help craft memories, relationships, and future commitments.

 Connect Authentically

Authenticity promotes depth, trust, and credibility with young people beyond the superficial: this means we must invite them into our lives, and not just for a moment! Rather, we invite young people into the victories and muck of real life—theirs and ours.

 Connect Year-After-Year

Serving the next generation in ministry is a long-haul project. In a culture of constant transition, longevity of relationship promotes consistency, stability, and familiarity in young people’s lives. Long-term relationships help orientate wanderers and is one of the few constants within their shifting worlds.

 Connect on the Issues

Dealing with taboo and morally grey issues promotes much-needed filters for young adults as they traverse these muddied subjects. By connecting a thoughtful Biblical narrative and a grace-based filter through which to dialogue, young adults are eager to discuss sex, wealth, justice, power, alcohol, marijuana, and political movements like the Montreal student protests.

 Connect Multi-Generationally

The treasure of multi-generational ministry is felt most strongly by our next generations. Connecting young people in the lives of those younger and older promotes Biblical mentorship models and encourages a unity found in the diversity of our local churches.

 Money talks

Churches with significant influence in the lives of young people almost always default to youth in their budget, resources, personnel, communication, and ministry practices. Evaluate your budget through the lens of youth ministry: Are young adults a priority? Does your budget reflect this?

 Connect Young Leaders

Where young people lead, young people will follow. Churches that provide young leaders key leadership positions of authority and responsibility promote “church ownership,” and empower and encourage other young people considering their own role and identity within a church.

 Connect Stories

When we tell stories it promotes more stories being told, many of which will surprise and shock you. Three stories I constantly tell young adults: (1) I tell true stories about myself and the Church that they already suspect but never thought I’d admit to; (2) I tell true stories about them they never thought I’d know; and (3) I tell true stories of God.

 Connect Through Simple Living

Churches who promote spiritual practices like Sabbath, hospitality, and generosity are places young adults enjoy interacting with. Simple living encourages a slower more rhythmic pace to life. There is a reason “Zen-marketing” works among young people: they don’t want to live the over-worked and over-cluttered life of their parents. Slow your church calendar down and watch as more young adults connect with you.

 Jeremy Postal has spent over a decade working primarily with a lost and wandering crowd of 20-somethings. He is based out of Whistler, BC and writes regularly at www.jeremypostal.com.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Hemorrhaging Faith: Why and When Canadian Young Adults are Leaving, Staying and Returning to Church visit www.hemorrhagingfaith.com.

What is Messy Church Actually Accomplishing?

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It’s multi-generational. It’s loud. It’s Messy Church. And according to this researcher and writer, it is changing how families experience church, and how — and when — church welcomes families.

Over the past decade a new form of church has arisen and begun to spread across the U.K., Canada, New Zealand and Australia. It is a multi-generational and multi-sensory worship and learning experience called Messy Church, in which grandparents, parents and children participate in crafts, singing, storytelling and games, focused on stories from the Bible and key Christian teachings. Often partnered with a shared meal, Messy Church is highly social and interactive. It’s creative, chaotic, fun, and almost always messy.

But there are hard questions being asked of Messy Church. Is it really worship? Is it reaching people that can’t be reached throughSundayChurch? Will it ‘bleed’ people further away from Sunday worship? Is it actually making disciples of Jesus Christ?

In the spring of 2011, as the focus for my doctoral research, these and other hard questions were explored as they relate to the people attending Messy Church at Christ Church in Oshawa, Ontario.

My goal was to discern if this new form of church could enable an established parish to reach marginally-churched, de-churched and non-churched people. The results of the study have widespread implications for such things as worship, church planting, discipleship and the role of the home in the religious education of children.

While it isn’t possible to discuss the full breadth of this research in one short article, I’d like to present just one area of learning from the study: behavioural changes in four key areas, which occurred in the lives of the families involved in the study.

Knowledge of Scripture

Every family interviewed reported an increase in basic knowledge of the Bible. One mother, who attends Sunday church only marginally (i.e. no more than two or three times a year), indicated that not only was her son learning the stories told at Messy Church but also that these were a topic of conversation afterwards. A second marginally-attending mother highlighted that not only was her child learning the Bible stories, but she too was re-learning them due to their participation. “And you know even just review of the stories for my own self. So even with me, it’s refreshing my memory about a lot of things that I learned.”

This comment about the stories being a good review for parents and an introduction for the children also was echoed by a de-churched grandmother (i.e. who attended as a child but had stopped going to Sunday church). “Well, I think for me it’s a refreshing my memory of the stories … so the lessons we learn we can incorporate into our daily life and it’s not just me and my ideas. . . . It’s what other people are learning too, and it’s in the Bible.

MessyChurch’s format of telling the Bible story via various media followed by reinforcement of the story through songs, games, crafts, and take-home activities are helping these families know key Bible stories. For many of the marginally churched and de-churched parents and grandparents, this reminds them of stories they once knew. For the predominantly non-churched children and grandchildren, this provides their first introduction to the great stories of the Christian faith 

Talking With their Children About God

A second change in behaviour reported among all of the participating families involved parents and grandparents talking more with their children about God. A mother who was baptized as an infant, and then never taken to church again recognized that MessyChurchnow enables her to have conversations with her children that would not occur otherwise. “I would say we are talking more with them about God now… the first part is the children have questions now . . And there are times, where we will engage in a conversation. . . and I attribute that all to the fact that we come here.”

By participating together inMessyChurch, the study families found that this gave them a reason to be discussing God and issues of faith. Sometimes we assume that Christian belief precedes Christian behavior; yet, in the case of these families the interview data suggested that Christian behaviors such as participating in worship together can lead to parents talking with children more about faith, which in turn can lead to deeper belief.

Worshipping together

The third change in behaviour (reported by 82% of the participating families) involved more regular worship of God. One mother, whose husband’s shift work affects their ability to attend Sunday church as a family, sees MessyChurchas an opportunity for her and her daughter to attend a form of church together. Although they have moved to another nearby city and only attend Sunday church a few times a year, she continues to attend MessyChurchalmost every month. “Our schedule is pretty busy and [her husband] works odd hours, so going to church as a family on a regular basis is pretty difficult. For him to get weekends off is like pretty difficult . . . so I find that Messy Church is really convenient, and it’s a good way to have that time at church with [her daughter].” A de-churched mother, who was raised in the Church but hasn’t attended Sunday church regularly since her children were born offered this comment, “Yes, we are worshipping more . . . .we try to come on Sundays, but if it doesn’t work out . . .it just wouldn’t be happening . . . whereas this [Messy Church]. . . . it’s once a month, and they know that we’re going. . . . and so it’s never an issue because they look forward to it and they’re excited to go.”

It’s worth noting that these comments reflect the view that regular worship is something that can now happen just once a month. This understanding parallels that of Sunday church attenders, whose frequency of attendance at worship seems to be decreasing with increased demands on Sundays for such things as employment, child-custody arrangements, and organized sport schedules.

Praying together

A final change in behaviour reported by the families was an increase in praying together. During the study, 47 percent of the families reported this. The following excerpts, from two different de-churched families, describe two of the ways prayer is increasing in the lives of these families: “Since coming, the kids are reminding me more about praying. . . . They will say, ‘Mommy we haven’t prayed in a while’. . Or when mom and I or the whole family is together my son likes us all holding hand and praying together. . . . it’s a big thing.” And another: “Before I started taking her to Messy Church we didn’t say grace [at meals . . . .Now we all hold hands and say, “Thank you God for our food”. . . . the other day her father was over and . . . [she] was like, bouncing all around and saying “Thank you God.” And he said, “What’s she saying?” and he held hands too and joined in. . . . and then he said, “Oh, that’s something I want to start at home too.”

Both of the above comments refer to praying at meals. To many Christians, this may seem to be a small change.

However, all behavior related to faith begins somewhere. If a family can begin to pray at mealtimes or at bedtime with their children, then perhaps they also will be more likely to begin to pray in times of need or celebration.

My research suggests that Messy Church can help develop basic Christian behaviours among marginally-churched, de-churched and non-churched people.

By being willing to meet families where they are, and by recognizing the need for alternatives to traditional Sunday worship, established churches can build missional connections with people they would otherwise find it very hard to connect with.

Watch for a future article, related to this same research study, about why traditional Sunday church doesn’t work for many families, and yet how Messy Church actually brought growth to one congregation’s Sunday worship.  

Judy Paulsen is rector of Christ Church, Oshawa, where church gets messy once a month on Saturday. 

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