Messy baptism a celebration
One question that Messy Church leaders the world over get asked regularly by members of traditional worshipping communities is whether we actually make disciples in Messy Church.
People ask: is Messy Church REALLY Church?
I’ve had many experiences in the more than a decade that I’ve been a Messy Church leader that make it very clear to me that Messy Churches grow disciples right across the age spectrum. Last Saturday night I had yet another experience that leaves me in no doubt that this is so.
A few months ago, the leaders at the Messy Church at the congregation where I am now a member asked me if I would be able to preside at a baptism for a member of their Messy Church. The child, a 10-year-old, had asked her parents if she could be baptised: and she’d like it to happen at Messy Church because this was the faith community where the child experienced her own coming to faith.
In the lead up to the baptism, I had the opportunity to spend time with the family and we used my adaptation of the “Godly Play Baptism” story as a way into exploring what we were planning to do. As the family asked ‘wondering questions’ we explored how we understood the Trinity, what baptism was really about, what happened when we die, and the nature of prayer. All big important questions of the faith. Asked by both children, including a five-year-old little brother, the 10-year-old baptismal candidate, and her parents. It was a fruitful and encouraging discussion.
The baptism took place during the “celebration time” at Messy Church, after the community had engaged in a wonderful set of activities that explored the way water and wind, two signs of baptism, are shared in the Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament. After singing and praying, I again shared the Godly play baptism story and then we joyfully baptised the child. Liturgically, I followed the Order of Service from UiW2 almost to the letter: the only change being that I asked the child herself the question about what she was seeking, rather than the parents; it was her choice to be baptised after all. I also explained that I was asking the parental questions of her parents, because she was still learning about following Jesus, and we looked forward to celebrating her making those promises herself when she is confirmed in the future.
The other change I make is that when the child is introduced to the congregation and we listen the Aaronic Blessing[1], we hand out bubbles to participants and they blow bubbles as a sign that the Holy Spirit was present and active in the baptism. I confess that I had a little tear in my eye as I watched the girl being led around the community being covered in bubbles.
Are Messy Churches growing disciples? If my experience this weekend was anything to go by, yes indeed … we certainly are.
[1] Because we were using our mouths for blowing we listened to a version of The Blessing instead of singing, as shown here