As an example of creative gatherings, I wanted to share information about a service my family and I attended yesterday. It was called “Church at the Beach” and is a ministry of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fairfield, CT.
It is a simple Episcopal service (drawn from Enriching Our Worship) held at 8:30 AM on the beach. People brought folding chairs, ushers distributed bulletins from sand buckets, the sermon was short yet powerful, being scripturally based with a practical emphasis and multi-layered in its message, and we stood in a circle for communion and offered bread and wine to each other. Music was a singer and a guitarist.
The service is summer only, and has grown to about 80 people on any given Sunday. It's a great example of thinking outside the walls and bringing Christ’s message to the people.
It might be something for your congregation to consider. Is there a lake near by? An ocean? A river? Are one of these places a popular weekend tourist destination? If so, maybe a satellite summer service is a way for you to reach out and meet people's spiritual needs in a new way...
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