Tabernacle-Style-Worship at Corpus Christi
by Morgan Reed
We wanted to share briefly about some of the ways that we are being formed in “tabernacle-style-worship” at Corpus Christi Anglican Church (“CCAC”) and to share about a prayer request for our outreach event on Sunday, July 4. The tabernacle period is such a great encouragement to a church planter when you read about how God’s people set up a beautiful place of worship in the wilderness, only to take it down again and move on to where God leads them next. God has made it possible for us to rent indoor space at Green Spring Gardens (a Fairfax County Park) for weekly Eucharist. There is no place I would rather tabernacle than Green Spring Gardens! We have worshiped in several locations previously, but God has guided us here for this season and we are grateful. Each Saturday the rear of the Reeds’ Honda CRV turns into a sacristy on wheels and carries everything necessary for a worship service along with all the children’s supplies for the nursery. Then every Sunday after the service, it’s loaded up again and everything stays locked away in storage until the next week. In that space of about two hours of setup, worship, and teardown, people are being encouraged and challenged by the Holy Spirit and formed into the likeness of Christ. It has been so encouraging to hear stories from people in the congregation about how God has worked in them through something they heard, or the experience of partaking of Christ in the Eucharist (even those who would not yet consider themselves Anglican!).
Because God has brought together in this community several households with young children, we have prioritized opening a nursery for ages 0-2 and eventually Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (“CGS”) for ages 3 and up. While CGS is still developing, we were able to open our nursery for the first time on June 6! There were 10 people who expressed a desire to serve in children’s ministry, which is an exciting indication of the culture of intergenerational discipleship that God is building at Corpus Christi Anglican Church. This summer we are taking advantage of the opportunity of worshiping at Green Spring Gardens by inviting everyone to bring food and stay for fellowship together after the service. Even though some days are quite hot, the shaded picnic tables surrounded by birdhouses and compost bins have been a perfect lunch spot for this community to grow deeper in our relationships together. It has also given us opportunities to talk with passers-by about the church plant.
One of the blessings of thinking about the “worship-as-tabernacle” paradigm is that you can truly worship just about anywhere. One of the families on the launch team has a beautiful home in Groveton and their backyard has been a gift to the entire church for our Formation Groups and for occasional Eucharist opportunities. On Pentecost Sunday we celebrated the Eucharist in their backyard. It was a very hot day: our altar candles melted all over the place, and Fr. Ryan Bettwy led the way in how to worship despite (or maybe through?) our physical discomfort as he donned the red chasuble outdoors in 90+ degree weather; after the service, the children played on the playground and showed each other cicadas while the adults had space to have conversations with one another. I heard stories of how formative the experience was for people, and it gave people space to talk about how God has been challenging them and encouraging them. Even without a building, God is using this tabernacling period to build a common people in common prayer for uncommon transformation.
On July 4, we are inviting friends and neighbors to an outdoor Eucharist in that same backyard. After our 10 a.m. Eucharist, we’ll pack everything up and have a cookout and cornhole. We are praying for friends and neighbors whom we can invite. Would you join us in prayer for our July 4 Eucharist and Cookout, praying that as we invite people to come, they will be drawn to the love of Christ through conversations and interactions with the launch team at CCAC. If you know of anyone in the area who might like to come, please spread the word. People can find out more and RSVP here or on our Facebook Page.
The Rev. Morgan Reed has been called to plantCorpus Christi Anglican Church (formerly "The Franconia-Springfield Mission), which serves the Franconia, Springfield, and Kingstowne areas of Northern Virginia. Their vision is to become a common people in common prayer for uncommon transformation.
