Sunday, January 19, 2014

How to Explain our Cross-Gen Service?

My brother-in-law is staying with us for a few weeks, while he gets resettled into his new job in Homestead, which is an hour's drive south of us.  Today he said, "So, are you like the assisting minister this morning?"

I tried to describe our 9:45 service, which I'm actually in charge of, until we get to Communion, when our minister who is filling in for our pastor who is on sabbatical takes over.

I said, "It's like a combination of Sunday School and a worship service, but it's a lot more interactive.  We sign the song, for example."  And I continued to struggle to describe it.

How can I be so not good at this?  In a way, it's because we're doing something so different, something that most people haven't ever experienced.  In part, it's because we're using successful bits from other types of services while ditching stuff that seems less essential.  So, no creeds, but we do pray.  Untraditional music, and only one song a week, which we also sing using American Sign Language.  Wait, we do also sing the Lord's Prayer.

And I didn't even try to explain the Faith 5.  For many of us raised in a traditional church, the Faith 5 process would be incomprehensible--and how does it fit into a worship service?

I saw a Facebook post that referred to the Faith 5 as a liturgy.  The Liturgy of the Faith 5--I like that phrasing, but it still doesn't explain it.

Maybe others are better at explaining this service than I am.  But I am a wordsmith!  How can I be such a failure at this basic task?

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