We had cafe worship, well, a Presbyterian version this week.
Some of our people loved it. It was the best service ever! They loved talking to each other, and they loved the informal sermon I delivered (from points this week, not written out as I usually do.) I even had a handout!!
Some of our people hated it. For those with a hearing problem, the group discussion was very difficult. They struggle to follow a conversation in a large room, people are too far away to talk to comfortably, and they didn't really know what was going on.
Solutions
a) Advertise more clearly in advance so people can choose.
b) DON't do at a combined service, so there is an alternative service in the parish they can attend if they wish.
c) Work with the hearing impaired to find other solutions. Can we have discussions when people don't even hear the instructions? Although I did write out the questions and put them on the table. So - hmm.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
A funny thing happend in worship today...
So Chris was celebrating communion (note to self, make sure he is wearing the lapel mike next time, doing it with the hand held is just plain awkward!), the servers paused at the back, and then as they came forward, the congregation rose.
Why?
They've never done it before, this is not part of our ritual. I suspect someone was confused about where in the service we were. We do stand as the offering is bought forward.
So - what to do. We have a congregation standing for no good reason. The serving elders continued to serve one another and the minister as they usually do, ignoring the congregation, and eventually, someone took the initiative, sat down, and the rest followed with a sigh of relief.
The funny thing is that we never talk about why we stand or when we should stand. Often there isn't a request to stand, people just seem to.
What to do in response? When something goes differently in a ritual, it can be interesting to think through the response. To correct people without jarring is a delicate operation. On reflection, perhaps the best thing to do would have been for the presiding minister to seat the congregation after receiving the plates back, but before going on to serve them. But he didn't.
We've also noticed people standing and leaving before the scriptures are processed out. In part, there are some rest home residents anxious to leave and get back to lunch. They are anxious because the service is running late! Argh! So, they make a dash to get out before the minister, so they are not held up in a reception line to greet the minister.
Solutions?
a) Offer an alternative exit for those who need to leave quickly (we have plenty of doors!)
b) Make an effort to keep the service to an hour. I'm not sure why, but there is a strong expectation that Sunday worship will take an hour. There is a conflict here with the minister, who wants to be more relaxed, include a decent bracket of contemporary music, and to be fair, often starts late.
Why?
They've never done it before, this is not part of our ritual. I suspect someone was confused about where in the service we were. We do stand as the offering is bought forward.
So - what to do. We have a congregation standing for no good reason. The serving elders continued to serve one another and the minister as they usually do, ignoring the congregation, and eventually, someone took the initiative, sat down, and the rest followed with a sigh of relief.
The funny thing is that we never talk about why we stand or when we should stand. Often there isn't a request to stand, people just seem to.
What to do in response? When something goes differently in a ritual, it can be interesting to think through the response. To correct people without jarring is a delicate operation. On reflection, perhaps the best thing to do would have been for the presiding minister to seat the congregation after receiving the plates back, but before going on to serve them. But he didn't.
We've also noticed people standing and leaving before the scriptures are processed out. In part, there are some rest home residents anxious to leave and get back to lunch. They are anxious because the service is running late! Argh! So, they make a dash to get out before the minister, so they are not held up in a reception line to greet the minister.
Solutions?
a) Offer an alternative exit for those who need to leave quickly (we have plenty of doors!)
b) Make an effort to keep the service to an hour. I'm not sure why, but there is a strong expectation that Sunday worship will take an hour. There is a conflict here with the minister, who wants to be more relaxed, include a decent bracket of contemporary music, and to be fair, often starts late.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
