Going Home to Winfield

This weekend, I am looking forward to returning to the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. The five-day festival features internationally renowned acoustic musicians: bluegrass pickers, Gaelic fiddlers, Western swing bands, and old-time gospel performers. Four stages at the Winfield fairgrounds are packed with music from morning until late into the night.

But the music that draws me in most is found beyond the official stages, in the campgrounds. There, circles of amateur musicians gather beneath colorfully illuminated tents to play the music they love. People stroll through the campsites, joining a jam session, stopping to listen, clapping along, or dancing to the music. There are people of every age and persuasion: old-timers reminiscing over drinks tucked into koozies, families reuniting for their annual gathering, children playing, and older kids searching the campgrounds for festival friends.

It is remarkable to see nearly 20,000 people come together through their shared love of music, fun, and friendship. We have been going to Winfield since long before Rachel and I were married. We raised our children there, and for many years we camped there with my parents. It has become a special place and a sacred time for being together, sharing what we love, unplugging from our routines, and becoming present to one another.

Perhaps that is why some people describe their time at the Walnut Valley Festival as “going to church.” It is not church in the traditional sense, of course, but there is something holy about people gathering in community, sharing their gifts, welcoming strangers into the circle, and rediscovering the joy of belonging. Winfield definitely feels like going home.

This Sunday, our congregation has an opportunity to experience some of that same joy at our all-church picnic. We will gather at Edgemoor Park, 5815 E. 9th Street, beginning at 4:30 p.m., with dinner served at 5:00 p.m. It will be an opportunity to step away from our busy routines and enjoy good food, conversation, fun, and fellowship.

The church is more than a place we enter on Sunday morning. It is the community God creates among us whenever we gather, share our gifts, welcome others into the circle, and make room for joy. I hope you will join us at the picnic this Sunday. Come reconnect with old friends, make some new ones, and celebrate the grace of belonging together.

After all, gathering with the people we love can feel a lot like going home.