I am pictured here in front of my home church in Secaucus, New Jersey. I traveled back to my hometown during a recent continuing education event.
This summer, we will be offering "Take Out Church" at St. James. Unlike the high-calorie versions available from local fast food restaurants, our 'Take Out' will be filled with wholesome ingredients. Each week (on Sundays and Wednesdays) there will be a stack of boxes ready to be taken. Inside each box, there is a scripture reading, prayer, short devotion, little notebook, candle, matches, a small vial to bring back water from your trip, a few crayons, and a "Flat Luther."
Individuals/families are invited to pick up a "Take Out Church" box whenever they are going to be away. Whether your travels are near or far, you can use this resource to stay connected with St. James and your faith.
Use "Flat Luther" (you can use the crayons to color him or not) to take a selfie. Send your pictures to me (pastorwalt@stjameslc.com) and I will post them to the website and put them on the screens on Sunday morning. In this summer that leads up to our 500th Commemoration of the Reformation, let's see how many places "Flat Luther" can go!
Use the water vial to gather a sample of water from your trip. When you return to worship, you will be invited at the start of worship to pour your water into the baptismal font. During our weekly Thanksgiving for Baptism, we will be thanking God for the waters of our lives and will be naming those bodies of water where we live and play. Just let me know before worship starts that you have water to share.
Please return the boxes after each trip that you take. We will be replenishing the supplies within. Also, the small notebook will allow greetings to be shared with others in their travels. You are welcome to take as many 'Take Out" boxes for each of your adventures.
I am grateful for Vicar Andrew and his work of bringing this idea into being. Thanks also need to go to Doreen Evans and her office volunteers who put the boxes together (and will be updating them throughout the summer).
Let's have fun and grow in our faith this summer. The "Take Out Church" boxes will help us stay connected when we are gone. Sunday morning and Wednesday night worship will do this when we are in town. As always, I look forward to seeing you in worship (and looking forward to seeing your pictures with "Flat Luther" as well)!
in Christ,
Pastor Walt