If your congregation were given the challenge to do one thing “out of the box” in just 21 days, what would it do?
First Christian Church, Scottsdale, Ariz., accepted that challenge and started “The 5th with First”—a combined worship/outreach project service or, as they call it, “workship.”
On the fifth Sunday of the month, the congregation steps out of its comfort zone and meets in the park down the road for a brief prayer service that includes scripture and communion, and then heads out into the community to do “faithful, faith-filled holy work.”
Partnering with local groups, the workship team has assisted neighborhood homeowners in cleaning up/fixing up their property; assembled back-to-school packs; and done housekeeping chores and meal preparation at the local Ronald McDonald House.
For those who prefer to stay at the church, an abbreviated worship service is held there, followed by a service project in the fellowship hall, which recently involved preparing “healthy packs” for local school children on the free or reduced lunch program who do not have enough to eat on weekends.
“Workship is when we live out our faith by going out into the community to make a difference in the lives of our neighbors,” says First’s Pastor Brian Frederick-Gray.
First Christian Church, Scottsdale heard the call to take the 21-day challenge as part of their participation in Hope Partnership for Missional Transformation’s The Journey—a two-year cycle of services that helps church leaders discover the courage to lead their congregation through missional transformation by guiding them to seek answers to the right questions, unleash creativity and develop teamwork in their congregation. The process includes intensive training experiences, coaching and CARE (peer) group participation.
Visit www.hopepmt.org/transform for more information about Hope Partnership for Missional Transformation’s Journey service and other ministry resources that help raise up leaders and prepare their congregations for transformation.
