In water, wine and wheat:
A banquet hall on holy ground,
Where peace and justice meet.
All are welcome, all are welcome,
All are welcome in this place."
(From "All Are Welcome" by Marty Haugen)
The sign outside The First Churches of Northampton, Mass., reads, "Worship and food in the radical tradition of Jesus. All are welcome!" But "Cathedral in the Night's" 5 p.m. Sunday service does not meet inside the large stone Gothic cathedral; but rather, outside, on the church's front steps. Indeed, the bustling main thoroughfare of Northampton has become "holy ground" to an ecumenical street ministry that is reaching out beyond the boundaries of bricks and mortar, creed and culture. As Pr. Stephanie Smith puts it, "We were not looking to do outreach TO everyone, but to create community WITH everyone. We are church together." Smith is pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Our Savior in nearby South Hadley, Mass., who is working with the Episcopal Church and the UCC in this ecumenical street ministry.
With an openness and radical hospitality reminiscent of Jesus' own ministry, Cathedral in the Night welcomes the homed and the homeless, students and families, and all who are intimidated or fearful about walking through the doors of a "traditional" church. Each week, those who come to worship are invited to pick a wooden token out of a basket as a symbol of the gifts they have to share with God, and with the rest of the community. "By coming forward and presenting our gifts, we become an offering to God," says Smith. And, of course, a meal is a pivotal part of Cathedral's weekly celebration. Gathered around the table -- as in Jesus' day -- are the rich and the poor, the powerful and the powerless, the young and the old. And Jesus' mission to bring peace and justice to all who gather in his name is also what brightens the night with hope for all who gather in this Northampton "Cathedral."
Read more about "Cathedral in the Night" on the synod website.
View four-minute video shown at 2012 Synod assembly.
