We had our inaugural "Bread and Wine" worship experience last night. My colleague, Courtney McHill has been working on this project for months, and it was great to finally see it come together. What is "Bread and Wine?" As a congregation we have been searching for a way to reach out in love to those people around us who for one reason or another do not feel comfortable in a church setting. If you don't go to church that probably makes a lot of sense. If you go regularly it may not. My friend, Jeff Peterson, is a professor of sociology and in one of his classes he tells his students to go and visit a place that makes them extremely uncomfortable. The vast majority of them visit a church. So, our goal was to create a holy space outside of our church building.
Courtney searched out a number of locations, but none of them seemed to be the right fit. Finally she visited Remy Drabkin who owns Remy Wines. Remy is an amazingly talented, young wine maker and she has just opened a new tasting room. Courtney ran the idea past Remy and received an enthusiastic response.
The setting is perfect for a laid back pot luck supper with a few songs, some reflections and sharing around a Bible verse, and ending with breaking bread and sharing wine.
Sacred space is so important in life. To me, vineyards are sacred spaces, they are a place where I experience beauty, which brings me closer to God. Remy's winery is not in a vineyard. It is in the middle of an industrial area right next to a set of railroad tracks. But the space is holy because Remy is beautiful, and she is a gifted winemaker. She also has the gift of hospitality. I always feel welcomed and well met when I walk into her space.
The worship service was last night, but today is the Feast of Saint Francis. What a fitting feast day to begin this venture. Francis was a holy person who found God everywhere. He saw God expressed in animals, and in nature, and in every human being he met. He dedicated his life to serving and helping the poor and oppressed. I feel these are qualities the Christian Church needs to rediscover. We need to figure out how to imitate Francis in lives of service. We also need to start creating holy spaces outside of the church, begin to see all of the places where God is present, and all the wonderful people who provide us with blessings, friendship, and compassion. It was a great start last Wednesday. We'd love to have you join us sometime, but not if you are already a part of a worshiping community. This service is not for you (sorry about that). If, however, you have been looking for a non-judgmental, welcoming, laid back, holy place, this may be just the worship service for you. Thanks you Courtney for putting it all together.