Worship in City Park this Sunday

Zion Lutheran started the park worship event —which is open to the public — in 2003, and First United Methodist Church joined in the event in 2009.

This year, St. Paul's Episcopal Church has also joined in the celebration.

The idea of worshipping outdoors is appealing to Beane.

“We don’t need to worship in our buildings because the church is the people, not a building,” he explained.

Adam Jenkins, pastor at First United Methodist, said, “Anytime you can get the church out into the world, great things can happen.”

Perhaps someone walking by the park might be drawn to join the service, he said.

Beane said part of the fun is working out how to meld together three different worship styles and traditions.

Beane tries to keep worship interesting not only for the congregation, but for himself. “I try to do worship service so I’m not bored,” he said.

Adam Jenkins, pastor at First United Methodist, is excited about the service, which is “the first ecumenical service that I have ever led.”

The United Methodist church has made a commitment to pursue ecumenical partnership, Jenkins said.

Like Beane, Jenkins said its simply “fun to plan and worship with one another.

“I think the more that we work together the greater our ministries will become and our outreach will ultimately be enhanced,” Jenkins said.

He said working together as churches can create “transforming movements.”

Niki Piacente, lay worship leader at St. Paul’s Episcopal, said an ecumenical service is just a matter of practicality in a small town. “In a community this small it’s important to share resources,” she said.

Plus, “It’s just fun to meet new people,” Beane said. “That’s what worship is all about. It’s supposed to be fun.”

And even if an ecumenical service that blends a variety of traditions might create some discomfort, Beane said, “it’s good to be uncomfortable.”

Even if people have the thought that some aspect of the service is ‘not the way we do it,’ “It doesn’t really matter as long as God is being worshipped and praised and glorified,” Beane said.

“What we’re doing Sunday is pushing the boundaries a little bit,” he said.

“Our particular theologies aren’t so important for us that we can’t get together with people that have slightly different views of it,” Beane said.

“What we’re doing here, no one church gets their way, we’re doing this together and that’s good,” he said.

Jenkins said, “We can compliment one another in ministry while further defining our theological positions.

“It's fun to learn about the different ways we worship while rejoicing in our similarities.”