On Sunday, August 30, we have a really special day coming together.
St. Gregory’s has a tradition of Mass-on-the-Grass, a Eucharist celebrated outside. Over the years, it also became our “Broadway” Joyful Noise Sunday, a day when we hear God’s grace radiating from the artistry of theater.
Let’s be honest, though: there have been plenty of annoyances about Mass-on-the-Grass in its many incarnations over the years.
Rise & Shine will build on the strengths of Mass-on-the-Grass (especially the music!) while relieving some of those annoyances:
☀️ Clear Purpose:
Why are we outside in the first place? We are outside to experience worship in a new and refreshing way by being aware in our bodies of the abundance of God’s creation. We are also outside to be a witness to our neighborhood of the joyful, innovative, growing, and connected congregation God calls us to be.
😌 Clear Focus:
The service will focus on embodying our prayer. We’ll use our senses, our limbs, our breath. When you show up, you will get a kit of prayer objects to aid you through this journey. All of this will still be held by the tradition of Morning Prayer from The Book of Common Prayer.
☂️ Plenty of Shade:
We will have lots of canopies set up so that no one is baking in the sun.
🪑No Standing Up:
Getting in and out of your camp chairs is annoying. The whole service will be seated.
🏡 Quieter Space:
We’ll worship on the lawn outside the Wilmot Rd. entrance, which is prettier and quieter than Deerfield Rd. — but still public enough for our neighbors to notice that we’re doing something a little wacky and a little holy.
🎵 More Reliable Audio — Onsite Only: Setting up audio for live-streaming outside has made for a poor experience for both online and onsite worshippers. We have no reliable fix for this. This year, we’re going to try not live-streaming this particular service. Instead, we are happy to arrange a ride for anyone who would like to be onsite but otherwise cannot make it. Email Kathryn.
So please make a plan of joining us on Sunday, August 30!
