A blended congregation of the
ELCA and the United Method- ist Church, Sanctuary is aimed at people who are unplugged from church. “A majority of our members
Simple chalkboards advertise special events, such as working in Sanctuary’s community gar- den that produces food for the local food pantry.
haven’t been active in a church as adults,” said Huber, and many were raised Roman Catholic. T e congregation’s website (www.
sanctuarymarshfi
eld.org) feels vibrant, hip and welcoming with these headlines: Children aren’t just welcome, they’re embraced. Come as you are, even in T-shirts and jeans. We read from the Bible. Peo- ple will probably say, “Hi.” We have communion every Sunday .... T ere are a variety of ways to worship God and all of them are amazing. Huber, whose wife, Sarah, is an
Malachi Martin (left) and Andy Solari work in the church’s community garden.
At this Massachusetts church, even the worship times are offbeat
S
associate in ministry and Sanctu- ary’s creative director, said the church’s style is about seeing God at work in the world in new ways. Music is upliſt ing and fun, he said, and oſt en includes bands.
By Wendy Healy
anctuary of Marshfi eld, Mass., likes to think outside the church. From the style of its building, which resembles
an A-frame ski lodge in the woods, to an altar made of old pallets and rocks, much about Sanctuary is out-of- the-box thinking. Its signs outside are simple chalk-
boards, with the message of “Create. Connect. Respond.” Sanctuary, a 4-year-old congregation, has a new way of doing church.
Even its 10:10 a.m. and 4:04 p.m. worship times are of eat but appealing to a new crowd of churchgoers. Worship doesn’t necessarily follow the lectionary but takes an educa-
tional approach, said its pastor, Mark Huber, who will oſt en explain one parable over multiple weeks. “Our one constant is change, so we’re always trying to look for a new way to connect and be creative,” he said.
A church being made new “God has always been faithful to the church and the church is always being made new. We strive to be faithful to a God who is calling us to do this. We help people see how the gospel is playing out in their lives,” Huber said. Members plant a community
garden on the church grounds to stock a food pantry and oſt en gather around the grill for a meal. T e church also runs a popular preschool for about 120 children, which was started by the Methodist church. As a fi rst-call pastor, Huber spent
time getting to know the commu- nity when he arrived in Marshfi eld to start a mission church, holding worship on the deck of a house. He met the pastor of the Methodist
February 2015 37
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