Meadowvale Community Christian Reformed Church, Mississauga, Ontario, rang in 2006 with 24 hours of continuous worship. It was Meadowvale’s fourth round-the-clock service this past year.
To lead worshipers to be open to the many ways God communicates, the 24-hour worship takes a variety of forms. “Silence is part of it. Also there’s exuberant worship, where the flags are going. I often bring my [potting] wheel and throw pots all night,” said member Cynthia Stevens.
Artist Peter Reitsma, who painted through the night, wondered if God perhaps speaks to us differently than we expect. “Do we have a certain deafness where we can’t hear?” he said.
Reitsma said that services were held in a spirit of unity with other Christians in Mississauga who are praying for their city’s well-being and transformation. He said that the congregation, inspired by other Christian groups and biblical examples of sustained worship, hopes to expand the practice of unbroken worship times even further in the future.
