Welcome to Worship - September 17, 2021

(Worship planning logo from Planning Centre)

I am excited to be taking another course at Calvin Seminary this fall called “Forming Worshiping Communities”.  Most of our 24 assignments over the next 3 months will be based on how to lead the various parts of a service; this week beginning with “Words of Welcome” that we offer as worship begins.  It was a wonderful learning opportunity to read my classmates’ welcome words, to learn from their contexts and their churches and their particular phrasing.  There are not too many “wrong” ways to welcome folks to worship, but there are a wide variety of “right” ways and it was a joy to experience that!  The differences occur mostly because of the different contexts of worship, the different kinds of churches, and their vision and mission for their communities.  To that end I’d thought I’d share our new “Worship Statement” at Mountainview which is part of the Worship Ministry Team Mandate and thus guides all worship activity: from visuals, to music, to technology, and drama.

Worship at Mountainview will be:

·        Biblical (while the Bible doesn’t “prescribe” worship for the 21st century, there are Biblical themes and descriptions of worship that do guide today’s worship)
·        Theme-based, as much as possible, following the church year calendar
·        Authentic (real): acknowledge brokenness and need for God
·        Celebrative: a response of gratitude for the love of Jesus.
·        Accessible to all, hospitable and engaging
·        Intergenerational
·        The best that we can offer, using the gifts of Mountainview’s community.
·        Transformative, as the Holy Spirit works through the songs, prayers, and sermon to encourage us as Jesus-followers
·        Balanced, not only in musical choices, but in the variety of words and prayers, liturgies and themes as well (old v. new; pastoral v. prophetic; formation v. expression; complex v. simple)

It’s my hope that the words of welcome invite you into God’s presence in a real way: that life-long Jesus-followers can understand, as well as those new to church-life.  It’s my hope that children and older folks feel welcomed; that rich and poor feel welcomed; that those in-person and watching on-line feel embraced and engaged.  It’s my prayer that we can acknowledge those grieving, those struggling, as well as those celebrating life as we begin worship.  It’s my hope that my words can be a good guide, but also that the words of others (poets and great writers) can also help us turn our eyes to Jesus.  Mostly I pray that the Holy Spirit guides all worship preparations: of leaders, musicians, pray-ers, and preachers so that the words that come out of our mouths are the ones that God will use to reach and comfort, as well as bless and challenge, all worshipers.

Thank you again for your support and engagement in the worship ministry at Mountainview.

Peace, Ruth Ann