Campfire Sundays

When we first started St Marks, one of our radical differences was the exclusion of singing in all of our gatherings. The reason was fairly simple. It can be a bit weird! Asking a friend to come to church and then asking them to stand awkwardly while we sing some songs they don’t know (and some of which are just plain odd) seemed a massive barrier to us being the kind of church where anyone could come and feel comfortable. 

True and well intentioned as all this is (and there are plenty of great side effects of this decision), it is also true that we have accidentally eliminated an important aspect of the life of a disciple. 

We are meant to engage with our faith, and with our God, through song, story, art, poem, space, silence, rhythm, joy and music. These things connect to our souls, to God and to one another in a special and unique way. To limit the ways in which we approach God inherently limits our experience of God…and that is self-destructive (not to mention a bit silly). 

Starting this term we will have some “campfire sundays” which are gatherings dedicated to ‘worship’. Mornings full of song, story, reflection and creative expression of worship to God. My hope is that these moments together will lead us to connect to God in rich and profound ways. 

Like with anything else these sessions will be better if you are involved! For whatever reason, we have a high percentage of creative people in our little village - story-tellers, artists and poets who have the ability to lead us down all kinds of different paths. 

If you would like to help lead one of these gatherings, fill in the form below and I will get back to you asap to put you in touch with others who are also up for it. 

I am really excited about the richness of these opportunities to gather round the (metaphorical) campfire and tell the story of our faith, celebrating the presence of God together.