Loading...Five parishes came together recently to spend a Saturday serving others in their community.
It's an old story. You've heard it. Jesus taught all day, and they had listened. Now it was evening, and they were hungry and tired. Where would they go? What would they eat? A little boy had brought his lunch – 5 loaves of bread and two small fish. He offered to share them with the others. "What are they among so many?" asked one dubious bystander. Amazingly, they were enough! It is said they fed 5,000 folk, and there were 12 baskets of leftovers. How was that possible? The key was not what the boy had, but what he did with it. The boy put his lunch in the hands of Jesus – along with his trust.
June 4 was a contemporary version of that old story. There are 5 small churches that are situated along the edge of the Lancaster Convocation. While they are actively involved in all the doings of the Convocation, they have come to the realization that they share the unique challenges that are part of the life of "small town" America. They have also learned that they can accomplish much more if they work together, if they put their resource in the hands of Jesus.
On June 4, these 5 churches gathered together at 8:30 a.m. at St. John's, Marietta to join in the first part of the Eucharist. There were over 40 folks present, and they joined in the Liturgy of the Word and the Prayers. In addition to St. John's, there were men, women, and youth from St. Paul's, Columbia, St. Luke's, Mount Joy, St. Paul's, Manheim, and Hope Church, Mount Hope. Then, tools in hand and equipped with lunches provided by all 5 churches, they went to the homes of 6 elderly families in the area where the churches are located. Weeds were weeded, fences were repaired, debris cleaned, gutters and downspouts restored, bushes and trees trimmed, yards raked, mulch spread, culverts cleaned, beds dug, and so on. If one crew finished where they were, they joined others to assist them in their efforts. At 4:00 p.m., the workers returned to St. Luke's in Mount Joy to complete the day with worship and Agape. The Eucharist picked up at the Offertory where the offering was not only the bread and wine but the shared stories. A unique feature was that a symbol of the day was brought from every home – a dish, a cup, a rose, a branch,"fever few", a wall decoration. All the clergy were the celebrants, and for clergy and laity together, the celebration was truly that, one only suitable for a mountaintop.
The evening concluded with an Agape prepared by a crew of chefs from all the churches, who on that night were the hands of Jesus. In good diaconal spirit, the meal was shared with a family who had intended to participate in the "Work Mass" day, but due to illness, could not. Using the words of the feeding of the 5,000 as found in the Gospel according to St. Mark, "they all ate and were satisfied."
