ELCA Congregations welcome community to worship in the Park
Edgemont, AR,– Peace Lutheran Church of Edgemont will be worshiping in Woodland Mead Park of Fairfeild Bay, on Sunday, October 8, at 9:30 AM. After Worship all gathered will join for a free picnic brunch. The congregation generally gathers at their own building for worship however, this week they are taking extra care to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation and push past wall they have built or that have been built by culture or community.
When the word “church” is tossed around one often thinks of impressive buildings and large spires but the Church is actually much more than that. The Church is in fact the people of God called together to celebrate and share Christ love in the world. By hosting worship in the park, Peace hopes to show the community that past those old walls and striking steeples, even when our world is full of unexplainable tragedy and the news has become exhausting because it is so heartbreaking day in and day out that there is a God worth worshiping, a God bigger than all that and who loves humanity even more unexplainably and with an eternal never tiring love.
Congregation member Gene Christian says, “Worship in the park is a great way for people to see Peace out in the community. Its a great way for Peace to meet the members of the community where they are and invite them to know Jesus without being so intimidating. It takes a lot of courage to walk through doors to a church you have never entered before. “Hopefully just coming to the park will make coming to worship just a little easier.”
“While there are plenty of stories that show Jesus in the temple there are even more stories in the Gospels that show Jesus teaching people by the lake shore or on the side of the mountain just outside of town,” explains Rev Kara Shaw, pastor at Peace, “More than that there are wonderful example of Jesus meeting people by the side of the road, well, or hanging from a tree and inviting them in to his ministry. Worship in the park connects us to those stories and connects our community to Jesus’s life.”
Peace welcomes people of all ages, races, gender, orientations, and walks of life to join them as the work together to make Christ known to the people of the Greers Ferry Lake area and throughout the World. Peace worships weekly at 9:30 AM on Sundays with a fellowship hour following. They have a seasonal Bible Studies that meet weekly, a weekly mission group, a biweekly senior exercise group and a monthly moms group. The people of Peace pray that you will join them for worship and let them know how they can help you live out God’s Work.
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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Kara Shaw at (501) 294-8285 or email at [email protected].