Summer Church City

Yes, the title of this post references an ABBA song - that is how exciting Church in the summer can be.

The season of Pentecost is the longest season of the Church year and it can also be the most relaxed. Okay, relaxed is being pretty generous, it can be the most boring. It includes the summer months when many people are away on vacation or on a different schedule and so things tend to slow down. When our Churches seem more empty and the weather is nice we might be less motivated to do things like listen, sing or even show up. I often wonder whether Churches in cottage country experience the opposite phenomenon, filling up only during the summer when people are living in the area. Those are questions for another time though.

Now I am not trying to say that nothing happens at Church in the summer - that is not true at all. Services still happen every week and because Church school and choir and other regular programmes might be on a break, sometimes Churches try different or even new things! Imagine that, experimentation in worship.

Over the course of the next few weeks, we will explore different ways for families to explore their faith during the summer. Whether at home or away on vacation, there are many ways to make faith a part of summer. This week we will begin with a few things you can do on a Sunday if you are staying at home in the summer.

One of my favourite things about Church in the summer is that Church schools are on hiatus or as I like to put it bluntly, the exile of the children is suspended. Don't get me wrong, I think Christian Education is important (if I didn't, I would not be working in the field), but I also happen to believe worshiping together with people of all ages is important. Yes it is challenging to create worship that is accessible to people of all ages - but we can make a sincere effort. Summer is also the perfect time for children to learn about worship by doing it with the whole Church.With fewer people in worship, the atmosphere is often less formal and can be much better suited for learning.

Another bonus during the summer, since Church school is on hiatus, families can take advantage of the opportunity to do something different for Church on a Sunday morning. While the familiarity of routine can be comforting, being open to and prepared for change recognizes that it is an inevitable part of life and one worth celebrating. Children in particular are comforted by routine, but it is also important to assure them that many changes in life are good and help them to appreciate change, not fear it. Here are some ways that you can do Church a little differently on a Sunday morning:

1. Do your own service at home. As my seminary tutor used to say "Sometimes you need to sleep, more than you need to pray." On those days when making the 10:00am service seems like a sentence to sleep deprivation for you and your small children, why not do Church yourself? You and your family get to make all the decisions about what you will include in the service, you can do it in the comfort of your own home or backyard and if you find the sermon boring you have nobody but yourself to blame! I know of a family who had a child with high anxiety who couldn't handle being in Church who did this and they found it a very spiritually enriching experience. They found that they actually spoke more to one another about their faith in their own home Church than if they went to Church. It was also nice to make their familiar surroundings home for their worship. Tip: If you think you might do this one week, you might want to borrow a hymn book from the Church the week before - unless of course you have your own hymnal :)

1. Attend the 8:00 service. Not everyone is a morning person, but for those families that are, going to Church early means that you have more time for other activities later in the day. The 8:00 service is smaller and more intimate and they rarely have the opportunity to worship with families. In a parish, the 8:00 service is often done in a different part of the Church which can be a new way to be in the same space. Also, while it might be at the same parish, there will likely be people you have never had the opportunity to meet.

2. Go to Church with family friends. This can be a great way to support friends in their faith and strengthen a friendship. You can invite them to attend your Church or go with them to theirs. Often sharing our faith with those we know from other contexts can be a challenge, but you will often be surprised by how warmly a genuine invitation will be received by a friend. Offering and receiving hospitality were often a part of Jesus' ministry and our Churches, as well as homes must be places of hospitality.

3. Attend a Church from another denomination. Choose a Church with which you have family ties, one you have always been curious about or just the closest Church to your house. Were you or someone in your family raised in another faith tradition, this can be a great opportunity to learn something about this tradition. Have you always wondered what an Eastern Orthodox service is like? Is there a beautiful Church building in town in which you have always wanted to worship? In the summer when regular Church responsibilities at your home parish might be lighter, we can be more flexible with where we worship. Seeing how others worship can help us notice new things about our own tradition. It is important to remember, however, that it is summer for these other Churches too and so you are likely seeing them do things a little differently from their usual practice. 

Visiting other Churches can surprise us in many ways: we might worship in ways we never have before, we might be confronted with new theological ideas, we might meet new people, we might realize something that is really important to us about our own tradition. Going into this experience with an open heart, open eyes and an open mind, seeking out God in this new place, can help make it a valuable one. Talking about the experience afterwards with others can also help us reflect.

Being a visitor at someone else's Church can also remind us of how first time visitors might experience worship in your home parish. What was helpful for you as a visitor? What wasn't helpful? How did other members of your family feel about it? Visiting other Churches in your own city can also help you make Church connections that will help parishes work together. Is this Church involved in an important local ministry? Do they have ongoing Christian Education programmes that might be of interest to those in your parish? Who knows, you might even be surprised and recognize someone in the congregation who you didn't know was a Churchgoer. 

There is a whole wide world of Church (and other faith traditions) out there. Summer is one of the best times to do a little exploring - even if you are staying close to home.