Slideshow image

This week, I want to bring you an update about the worship service at Aegis living, north of 145th on 1st Ave. NE. Each Wednesday, I meet with residents and church folks in the 3rd floor ballroom at Aegis for worship at 11:00 am. All are welcome to attend. The format has changed slightly since we started two months ago. The most notable change is that we’ve moved from the Activities Room to the 3rd floor ballroom. The ballroom has a great sound system so it’s easy to hear up there and it’s a larger space with more flexibility for seating. The best part is that there’s no one who uses the space at 10:00 so we can have it set up for worship at 11:00. Another difference from when we started is that the service begins with some gathering time rather than with a song or a prayer right at 11:00 am. This gives us a chance to check in with each other and make sure everyone who wants to be there has a chance to get there, and also to hear how people’s weeks have gone. Rather than sharing exactly the same sermon that I shared on Sunday at Haller Lake, I tend to tailor the message slightly to the residents, which has the added benefit of not boring the church members who attend as much. The message tends to be slightly shorter and I try to select examples and calls to action that are relevant to living communally.

The October series about the Psalms has been well-received. The residents’ responses are heart-felt and genuine. One resident responded to the invitation to write a psalm by writing her morning meditation and setting it to music. She brought it last week and shared it with me. She recorded it in black sharpie so I could read it and offered to share it with the group next week. Another resident had a study of the Psalms and loaned it to me to assist me in preparing the series. Our piano player is a resident who has experience playing for worship in the Lutheran church and has been excited to share with family members that she’s playing for a church service again. The community at Aegis prays for each other and for the broader world, welcomes each other and visitors, and challenges themselves to learn and grow spiritually.

There are a couple of upcoming Wednesdays when visitors are especially encouraged to attend. On Wednesday November 26, we will have a Thanksgiving-Eve service at 10:45, rather than 11:00 to encourage friends and family to attend with their loved ones who are residents. That day, the facility also has a Thanksgiving lunch and an earlier start time for church will mean that those who are staying for lunch gets there on time. Our congregation hasn’t traditionally hosted a Thanksgiving-eve service but I’m excited to start a new tradition with our new friends down the street. Then, on December 24, also a Wednesday this year, we’ll have an 11:00 am Christmas Eve service at Aegis. We are hoping to make it a special celebration for a special day and are exploring what possibilities might present themselves.

I tell you all this so you are aware of this way that our community is connecting in the neighborhood and extending in love. I am hoping that you will decide to be part of the connection and extension. You might be able to pray for the residents at Aegis, their caregivers, their families, and their spiritual lives. You might be able to find a Wednesday that you aren’t already committed at 11:00 am and come and meet the forming community that worships together in the ballroom. You might even decide to share your Christmas Eve with new friends.

If you do come visit, please allow time for parking as it is limited. When you arrive, please sign in at the desk. When asked you can mark that you are visiting someone you know there or the Activities Director, Melissa Yarnall.