Loving Our Neighbors: Intergenerational Worship
Let’s step forward into this journey together.
“Draw your Church together, O God, into one great company of disciples, together following our Lord Jesus Christ into every walk of life, together serving Him in His mission to the world, and together witnessing to His love on every continent and island. Amen”
-A New Zealand Prayer Book p.141
It is really exciting to share that St. Matthew’s is one of the recipients of the “Let the Children Come” grant program being offered by the Diocese of North Carolina! We have been awarded a $7,500 grant to discern and experiment with Intergenerational Worship. Over the summer, Kathy von St. Paul, Taylor Perschau, and I (Stephany Lazo) spent time working with a Diocesan coach, Reverend Liam Barr, who led us through the discernment process. We thought about where we are as a church community in our worship, programs, and relationships in regards to intergenerationality, listened to folks about what their hopes are, and discerned together.
The result of this discernment is an initiative called, “Loving Our Neighbors.” The core of this initiative is that all who enter St. Matthew’s, across the ages, will feel a sense of belonging, belovedness, and empowerment. We hope it will cultivate an energy of participation, instead of observation, energy in which we feel pulled into co-creating our worship together.
So, how are we going to do this?
Process for our journey.
During our coaching time, we learned about the factors of Intergenerational Ministry that truly make the difference and help parishes develop a healthy approach to their actions. Those are:
Positive Interactions
Connectedness
Interdependence
Empowerment
Accommodation
There is so much to learn about here! Keep these in your back pocket, we’ll come back to them, but know that these factors will help shape how we navigate our initiative over the next year.
You might be wondering, so, what do we need the money for? The grant money will go towards making participation more accessible:
Wooden step stools so children can reach the lectern and counters in the sacristy
A beautiful, but lighter cross that can be used by young and old to be a crucifer
A wider variety of robe sizes to serve
A bookshelf in the narthex for tools such as noise cancelling headphones, fidgets, and weighted lap blankets
A retreat to learn how to start a Baker’s Guild for communion bread
We already have such a rich foundation here at St. Matthew’s, one of deep relationships, strong and engaging programs, and dedication to our community. Now, we are going to work on strengthening the next layer- one of interconnectedness, understanding, and a sense of belonging for all. I hope you’ll join in on this journey.
~Stephany Lazo
