Dear Church Family,
It is so hard to believe that SUMMER is upon us! School is ending, summer vacations have probably already been planned. And I hope that summer will be a time of refreshment and renewal for all of us.
We’ve got a lot planned for this summer at Florence Christian as we continue to focus on our church theme this year: NOURISH. I am so grateful for all of the ministry partners in our congregation who are stepping up to provide leadership and for all who support the service opportunities that God calls us to. Indeed, it is NOURISHING for our spirits to serve God and others lovingly and practically meeting the needs of so many in our community.
Being spiritually nourished also happens as we come together for worship. Several months ago, a group of parents came together to talk about what would be nourishing for them and their children at FCC. The subject came up about getting to know each other better, and a desire for worshipping together as an important step in that direction. We talked about the two services and why we had them. What I heard from that group (which represented both worship services) was a desire to have one worship service for a period of time to give us an opportunity to build relationships and to grow in our connections as one congregation.
The Elders and Pastors have entered into a period of prayerful consideration regarding worship at Florence Christian Church, asking the question, “How is God calling us for this time in our life together in mission, ministry and relationship?”
I made a proposal at the May 5th Elders meeting to have one worship service for the summer months of June through August. This has been precipitated by several things: reduced staffing (both professional staff and lay volunteers), worship attendance that always slows down because of summer, but most importantly, during this time of transition in our church life, worshipping together and building those important relationships serves to make us stronger as a congregation.
I shared an article that I read recently giving several reasons why a blended, or perhaps a better word, convergence service, could benefit us as we go through this time of transition. What are we talking about? We begin by asking, what are the “pillars of convergence worship”?
- A commitment to the historic fourfold order of worship found in Gathering, Word, Table, and Sending.
- A commitment to the celebrative nature of worship based on the saving acts of God (which allows persons to center upon who God is and what God has done).
- A commitment to a broad range of musical content and styles (which forms an expression of the WHOLE church both past and present).
- A commitment to recovering the arts in worship (which encourages the expression of one’s whole being).
The Elders unanimously accepted this proposal. A small group of Elders and lay people met on May 18th to work with the Pastors on developing a new order of worship for the summer that would pay attention to these four pillars of convergence worship.
I also shared that information with our Church Board on May 19th with a draft of the order of worship. Attached in this letter is an outline for you to see how the flow of worship will go. I’m sure that we will make adjustments as we live into this…but I’m pretty excited that we will experience something that will speak to all of us. As we seek to praise and honor God together, we will be nourished from gathering, engaging with the Word, celebrating at the Table, and being sent forth to Serve the Lord more fully!
The schedule beginning on Sunday, June 1st looks like this:
- Faith Discussion class—9 AM in the Large Conference Room
- Fellowship and Coffee—9:30 AM in the Well
- Worship—10:00 AM (in person and online)
- Intergenerational Sunday Huddle—11:15-Noon in the Activity Center
During the last week of July, we will invite you to give feedback regarding what we have learned (pros and cons) about our time together as we continue to discern the question “Who is God calling us to be as a worshipping community?” In August, the Elders will meet to look at this feedback, and then at the Annual Meeting at the end of August, they will report on their findings and recommendations as we go forward.
Would you be interested in serving in worship this summer? We will need acolytes, scripture readers, greeters, ushers, communion servers, musicians, bakers, and so much more! We will provide a signup, but please also feel free to reach out to me if you would like to serve, have questions or suggestions.
Thank you for being a part of this important time together, and for continuing to pray and support the mission and ministry of Florence Christian Church!
In Christ’s Love,
Pastor Susan Diamond
