You’re Invited!

Have you ever been to Prince Edward County in the summer time? It’s one big party. And our church is going to be part of it, darn it. We have our own traditions and unique gifts to contribute,” said Rev. Lynne Donovan, pastor at St. Andrew’s, Picton, Ont.

An almost – island off the coast of Belleville, Ont., Prince Edward County has built a reputation as an arts hotspot, especially in the summer. It’s no surprise, then, that the church’s party plans were art – themed.

On June 9, the congregation launched an arts and culture series with “Courage to be Colourful,” a visual arts showing. For the event, St. Andrew’s artist – in – residence, Jeanne Campbell, and a team of local artists transformed the church’s foyer and sanctuary into a gallery. The congregation then hosted 17 more events as part of their “Summer at St. Andrew’s” series. Musicians performed Sunday afternoon concerts; poetry, music and storytelling events were presented Wednesday evenings. Donovan said concerts drew between 50 and 120 people, while events like a poetry workshop and history night were more intimate gatherings.

For a church that averages 40 to 50 people on any given Sunday, Donovan said overall she was happy with the turnout.

“Music, art, community—they connect us to the mystery we call God. We want to take these gifts and we want to put them right in the middle of our town. It’s meant to be a conversation starter with the wider community on how we can build healthy community.”

And inviting people to join in the fun, well, according to Donovan, that’s ministry.

“How often do we get invited to parties anymore? How often do we gather around food and music and storytelling? It doesn’t happen as much in our culture, especially when you’re getting older. Well, we do that at St. Andrew’s. The last line of our mission statement says: ‘We will eat and drink and have fun together.’ It’s a reminder of what God intends for us. One of my favourite images for the Kingdom of God is a banquet.”

While other churches long for days when pews were full of young families, Donovan said St. Andrew’s has learned to embrace their age.

“We’ve managed to reinvent ourselves not through youth, but by reaching out to the Boomers,” said Donovan, referring to the growing demographic of early retirees and young seniors settling in the county.
In contrast to their outreach efforts to youth, St. Andrew’s discovered Boomers in Picton respond enthusiastically to the church’s invitations.

“Often they’re more isolated than they’ve ever been. They need community now more than ever.

“Last year we had 12 new members. Eleven were Baby Boomers.”

That said, the congregation isn’t overly focused on expanding their membership. Instead, they focus on nurturing the members they do have and widening their “circle of friends” in the community.

“‘Circle of friends’ is what we call our partners. And it’s how they understand themselves. They’re the musicians who play concerts here then come back to help with worship on a Sunday. It’s the volunteers who help with our community garden or Reaching for Rainbows, our after – school program for girls at risk.

It’s the people who share our values—community, curiosity, and courage,” said Donovan.

“We don’t want to create community just for those who show up for worship. If that was the case, we might as well shut down our church.”