‘We were more like a rainbow’

I was privileged to meet the inspirational Nina Leinum Norgaard, a church lay worker, on my most recent visit to Denmark (where we did Messy Church in a slaughterhouse, but that’s another story). Nina emailed me shortly afterwards with her story. I only wish my Danish were half as good:
We have had “friday meetings” in our church for 20 years. Where families are together, praying, singing, eating. When I got the job 5 year ago it was a “show” and it was called show. People sad down in to hours and where intertained by the kids and some leaders and then we eat together and that was it.
Rigth from the beginig I wantet to chance that, but I did’nt know what to do. In 5 years we have moved a lot. I wantet to do something together insted of just sitting (I am a kid inside) and for me, church has to be something where everybody is involed, not only the staf and the helpers.
Yesterday was the best friday in 5 years. We did messy church.
For a year we have been doing crafts together, a short celebration and eating. But this friday we changed a few things: – we did the program as you decribed and in that order. – we has aware of the meening whit the crafts, that they are inspiring us to talk about the theme and our one lifes. To new christians maked a big difference for us, because they just do it. They cant stop. everything for them is about Jesus. And I invited them to have this role at the table: to start the talking about the theme. – we were in the same room all the time and we sad in a cirkel when we had celebration.
We where more like a rainbow where all the colours together are much more beutifull. Everybody was giving and reciving and it was all about Jesus! Somebody laft, others crying, others praying, others incouraging, others making us feel together, others taking care of the small ones, we where just all together like a body and it just felt so rigth. I was messy! Water on the floor me beeing “mommy” who did’nt want that… and then saying sorry, for it was my on idea whit painting and water…. But we are all messy and that is the thing! We are all in need of Gods mercy and kingdom.
And 3 men (yes, men!) hugged me and said that thees fridays are something that they are looking forward to (to of them not belivers, yet). That is Gods kingdom!
Thank you Lucy, for coming to us. You are bringing a orportunity of beeing church in another way, a way where we can be all together as a body and where every one is needed.