Local congregations gather together for annual service in park

On Sunday morning, almost 300 people, young and old, showed up for the 35th annual Corvallis Community Labor Day Worship Service at 10 a.m. in Bruce Starker Arts Park.

The casual service, which is sponsored by five local churches, is typically held in Central Park. However because of a scheduling conflict with a wedding, this year's event broke with tradition and moved from downtown to southwest Corvallis.

Rev. John Evans, senior minister at the First Christian Church, opened the service with words of welcome and satisfaction at the turnout.

"When we moved from Central Park, some thought that no one would come," he said before gesturing meaningfully to the crowd spread out in front of him at the Bruce Starker Arts Amphitheater.

While most of the attendees sat in metal folding chairs near the stage provided by the churches, some opted for lawn-chairs or blankets farther out on the grass.

The annual gathering brings a much larger attendance than any one of the churches could typically pull in over the Labor Day holiday weekend.

The churches that sponsored this year's event were First United Methodist Church, First Presbyterian Church, First Congregational United Church of Christ, First Christian Church and Grace Lutheran Church.

During the offering portion of the service, people were able to write checks to whichever congregation they wanted, creating an organizational feat to be worked out after the service

"We have some Methodists in charge and we know we can trust them," joked Evans, in what was not the last of the good natured ribbing during the day between the leaders of the denominations, which differ slightly in beliefs and history, but still share much in common.

Loose offerings of cash went to the Pastoral Counseling Center of the Mid-Willamette Valley, which was represented by usher Anthony Terndrup at the service.

Don Caughay, of First Presbyterian Church, took the example of the counseling center as an opportunity to talk about the importance of faith-based ministries.

"The Pastoral Counseling Center is a prime example of our long tradition on this side of the church," Caughay said. "It's human service that we are providing … and that's what we provide in ministries of higher education, in soup kitchens, in shelters and every other thing that our churches do in these faith-based ministries in this world."

"Let's be proud of them," he said.

Caughay encouraged those attending to consider becoming involved in volunteering and for the gathered churches to include such programs in their annual budgets.

Rev. Courtney McHill, assistant pastor at First Methodist Church, gave the sermon at the joint service. She took the opportunity to emphasize the need for churches to build community and provide and outlet for people to express their faith.

"We must reach out to relate and connect," said McHill, who despite being stung in the hand by a wasp during her sermon, continued unruffled.

"It is right now that God is calling us to build community on an intergenerational level," said McHill.

In that spirit, Rev. Ryan Lambert, the associate minister at the First Congregational Church, gave a special message for the children who attended.

"Lets all gather in a circle, or some kind of shape," said Lambert as he gathered with a group of youngsters at the front of the crowd.

Lambert handed each of the children piece of a length of yarn, until they were all connected by the red strand.

"You know what's really cool about this?," he said. "I'm connected to you all, so I can't just go off on my own."

"If you look out there, there is a whole lot of people we're connected to … and at some point it isn't about us, it's about each other and about God which connects us."

A sense of community wasn't the only thing that attendees were able to take with them from Sunday's event.

In fact, volunteers from the respective churches prepared so many treats for the social time after the service that the cookie-to-person ratio was about 10-to-one.

"I love that we get to have communion together and that we are doing really important work," said McHill during her sermon.

"But I really love that we know how to bring cookies … have you guys seen this up here, good Lord."