Scape Service on November 27 at St. Mary Magdalene and St. Martin Episcopal Church

By Agrippina Fadel

A multi-sensory worship service at St. Mary Magdalene and St. Martin Episcopal Church in Coral Springs invites people into a unique spiritual experience – an exploration into the landscape of the soul through ancient prayers, live music, projected images, and a walking meditation in the candlelight.

The service is called SCAPE and is offered on Sundays night at 7 p.m.

SCAPE is a collaboration between the church and Mishkhah, a retreat and worship experience created by Kate Eaton. Founded to “reveal the mystery of Christ by stirring the senses and opening the heart,” Mishkhah creates multi-sensory services that integrate music, images, textures, light and movement, and prayer across the US and abroad.

Since founding Mishkhah in 2010, Eaton has partnered with churches, conventions, conferences, and seminaries to share her experience in creating worship environments.

Eaton said Father Lee Davis, Rector at St. Mary Magdalene and St. Martin Episcopal Church, invited her to partner with them to create SCAPE as an offering to the community for people seeking places of beauty, peace, and transformation.

“SCAPE fosters worship and prayer environments that enable us to fall into the embrace of our Creator. New rhythms in our breathing open us to ancient truths. We sense the possibility of healing and move out into the world again, restored and hopeful,” she explained.

Eaton added that Mishkhah’s mission is to reveal the mystery of Christ through the arts, music, movement, and interaction.

She said that with the first night of Advent this past Sunday, the congregation starts the four-week season before Christmas, marked by waiting, pondering, and allowing the Christ child to form in Mary’s womb.

“It is a time for all to consider what they are waiting for in life. When God speaks, sometimes it’s hard for us to listen because of all the push-pull we experience in our everyday lives,” she said, adding that the service changes to honor the occasion.

“The church is bathed in candlelight and live music that crosses centuries and continents, weaving instruments from all over the world into the unfolding of the prayers,” said Eaton, adding that residents are welcome to attend the worship service, regardless of affiliation.

“All are invited to explore the landscape of their souls every week through a walking meditation where stations around the church are created with questions, found objects, and icons where people can stop, ponder and pray,” she said.

A recent visitor of the service, Katelyn, said that while it had been many years since she stepped inside a church, which can often be intimidating, her experience with SCAPE was quite the opposite.

“I felt incredibly welcomed, and the atmosphere created invites your spirit to open and connect with God with such ease. The ambient candlelight, ancient sounds, and experiential stations touched all senses and united the mind, body, and spirit. It was almost as though I stepped into another space and time and felt true peace,” she added.

The Episcopal Church of St. Mary Magdalene and St. Martin is a member of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida and a descendant of the Church of England and the Scottish Episcopal Church.

St. Mary Magdalene and St. Martin Episcopal Church is located at 1400 Riverside Drive in Coral Springs.

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Agrippina Fadel

Agrippina Fadel grew up in Siberia and received her master's in journalism from Tyumen State University. Agrippina is also a writer and editor at Draftsy.net. She has been a US resident for over ten years and speaks English and Russian.