Mission Partners Weekend

This summer, St. John’s Woodward and St. Mary’s Edmond became Mission Partners, joining together in a shared ministry effort at the Hope Center in Woodward. An agency that offers a day center and a food bank where neighbors in need can receive groceries in a welcoming, grocery-style setting.

Mission Partner Weekends are designed to create spiritual friendships and bring the good news to the surrounding community through hands-on work. These weekends are grounded in spiritual practices such as Dwelling in the Word, the Daily Office, and the Eucharist. Participants sing hymns, share meals, and experience fellowship as they join in the work of the Holy Spirit.

Canon Betsy Randall, our Canon to the Ordinary, accompanied the two congregations throughout the weekend. Reflecting on the experience, she shared:

“It is interesting to see how God works so powerfully when participants simply step away for daily life for three days and offer themselves in service. Congregations learn to work together for the sake of those outside the church. Lay leaders from both congregations collaborate to discern God’s call to serve, build core teams from each congregation, recruit participants, and engage in community work.  There may be a misconception that it is a larger congregation helping a smaller one. On the contrary, the host congregation (many times a smaller rural church) serves as a wonderful host for growth in vitality. St. John’s fed us every meal. The fellowship was unreal! Both congregations worked side by side to clean, paint, organize, stock groceries, and do general maintenance on the building and grounds. It was fun to see that the St. Mary’s team consisted of many newcomers. The existing ties that St. John’s to the Hope Center were strengthened as well.”

In June, members of St. Mary’s Edmond traveled to Woodward for three days of prayer, service, and community. Alongside members of St. John’s and local residents, they spent Friday and Saturday at the Hope Center, cleaning, stocking shelves, mowing, and tackling various maintenance projects. Through these simple acts, they experienced the spiritual joy that comes from Christian service.

Carolyn Newman, a member of St. Mary’s, reflected:

“There were so many special moments during the mission trip. Participants were blessed by the kindness and generosity shown to us by the beautiful people of St. John’s and the Woodward community. They graciously prepared and served the team delicious meals, accepted us into their community and treated us as family. ”

For St. John’s, this kind of community ministry felt like a natural extension of their existing work. Partnering with another congregation added new energy.

Linda Harrison, a member of St. John’s, shared:

“We have never done a mission trip at St. John’s, and the prospect of hosting the St. Mary’s group was very appealing to us. We have always focused on the needs of our community, and having others come to support us in that endeavor was just such a marvelous opportunity both of us as a church family and for our community. First, we learned that we can do much more than we ever thought we could. What we were able to accomplish at our community’s Hope Center, in just two days, was totally amazing. It was hard work but it was so satisfying and validating. Secondly, we learned that you can make lifelong friends through these kinds of experiences. We all bonded so quickly, and we laughed and shared our stories. We not only worked together, but we worshiped together. It was wonderful.”

Linda also offered advice to other congregations considering this kind of work:

“We are called by Jesus to do this work, but it certainly can be overwhelming, especially for small churches. The need is so great. But we worked together to find where we wanted to focus our efforts, and then we met with the Hope Center leaders to find out what they actually needed, and we figured out how to deliver it. The job seemed too big in the beginning, but everyone brought a skill and elbow grease to the table, and we divided up the tasks, and it no longer seemed so daunting. The feeling of accomplishment at the end of the weekend was evident on everyone’s face. We were tired but we all felt so blessed to have been part of the experience.”