South Elkhorn Christian
Church
Life Together by Mickey Anders
I love to quote Norm Atkins who says that Sunday morning worship is the best hour of his week. It should be that way for all of us. Our faith community revolves around that most important act of communal worship. One time a week we gather together to focus on the divine, to offer our prayers to God, and to listen for a fresh word from on high.
Some churches have consciously chosen a "seeker-friendly worship," and they make the worship service as informal as possible. I think they try to create a coffee house type atmosphere where people may mill about and sit at card tables with their lattes. Other churches offer a high-church atmosphere where one would be afraid to come to church without a tie, and worship is surrounded with hushed tones.
Our church has chosen to offer a blended style of worship. We certainly don't want people to feel that their everyday clothes are not suitable for worship. We don't want to create a stuffy atmosphere where people may be afraid to be friendly to one another. And yet, we also hope for an appropriate atmosphere of worship and reverence. We hope that we can create a blended worship with the best of the old and the best of the new.
We have our informal time of fellowship before the service. We expect people to enjoy the coffee and snacks provided in the foyer before worship. We have even scheduled thirty minutes between Sunday School and worship so that our people can enjoy the refreshments and visit with one another.
It's sometimes a bit like a raucous coffee house out there, but serious business is taking place during that time. Our visitor care team makes sure that newcomers are greeted and have the information they need about our church. Parents are making sure their children have been to the bathroom so that they will not disturb the worship to come. Elders are searching for the "sheep" in their shepherding groups and extending their care to them. Relationships are nurtured, fellowship is built, caring is supreme.
But then we envision a definite change as we enter the worship space. We hope to leave the informal coffee house atmosphere in the foyer and make the move to intentional worship as we enter the ministry center. We leave our refreshments behind, and turn to God. We still find a few newcomers and old friends to welcome, but then the prelude calls us to center down and focus on worship. The prelude marks the beginning of worship and offers a time to pray and meditate before we sing our praises and hear God's Word.
We see our worship service as a time when all our attention is focused on God. I have noticed that several of our members, who have health issues making it difficult for them to sit for the entire worship service, make a point of sitting in the back where they can quietly stretch and move about without disturbing the other worshippers. They recognize the importance of worship. The last thing they want to do is distract someone from the important work taking place in worship.
For just over an hour per week, worship is prime. Nothing else matters. Nothing distracts. We are a people intent on meeting our God. And Norm is right - it's the best hour of the week!
Mickey