Beginnings, Endings and Waypoints

Waypoints are times in the life of a community that benefit from special attention – beginnings, significant changes, endings. Ritual and mutual practices can assist in grief and healing and create shared stories of beauty and wonder.  At all our waypoints, God is present, and the love of Christ can be shared in community through shared words, actions and thoughtful silence.

We recommend that you draw ideas, words, images, actions from these resources to suit your context. All of these are intended to be used in a gathered community at an event where all can participate in actions and words.

Pay attention to place, setup, people and leadership. Consider venues other than church buildings, and that people other than church attendees may want to take part or lead. We recommend that you use a planning guide for events alongside the worship and ritual resources below.

So bring people together to celebrate the beautiful and good, grieve and mourn loss and endings, lament and seek forgiveness for wrongs, and forgive and be kind with one another.

Beginnings

• Milestones and Transitions is a set of liturgies for times of transition and change, from The United Church of Canada.
• Services Related to Congregations and Buildings from the United Methodist Church Book of Worship (scroll down)

Significant events

• Resources for times of disaster and Trauma A UCA VicTas resource for community ritual after a significant disaster. Contains ideas for actions, words, use of colour and a range of media (water, fire, flags, etc). Ideas can be adapted for many different events.
• Milestones and Transitions is a set of liturgies for times of transition and change, from The United Church of Canada.
• Services Related to Congregations and Buildings from the United Methodist Church Book of Worship (scroll down)
• The Funeral Resources of various churches offer prayers and music ideas for times of grief and loss (UCA; Methodist Church of New Zealand; Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand)

Endings (Closing or uniting congregations)

• Service for the closure of a congregation (UCA Assembly)
• Service for the closure of a congregation
• Milestones and Transitions is a set of liturgies for times of transition and change, from The United Church of Canada.
• Services Related to Congregations and Buildings from the United Methodist Church Book of Worship (scroll down)
• The Funeral Resources of various churches offer prayers and music ideas for times of grief and loss (UCA; Methodist Church of New Zealand; Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand)

Further resources will be added to this page shortly.

Recommended Books:

• Terry Falla Be Our Freedom Lord Open Book Publishers. Adelaide. 1994
• Dorothy McRae McMahon Rituals for Life, Love, and Loss Hunter House. 2014
• Shelly Rambo Spirit and Trauma WJK Press. Louisville. 2010
• Common Prayer: A liturgy for ordinary radicals Grand Rapids. 2010

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