Such Great Heights

As my final comment I respectfully remind us all that St. Paul’s is an Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Virginia in the Anglican Communion. As a congregation of the Diocese of Virginia, the expectation is that all our worship will adhere to the forms, rubrics, and instructions in approved versions of our Book of Common Prayer. What occurs at West End Assembly of God or other churches is irrelevant unless it accords with our Book of Common Prayer as approved by the General Convention.

When worship is according to the Prayer Book and its rubrics, visitors from other traditions will not experience any more difficulty than one would expect them to experience at a worship service of any other denomination with which they are unfamiliar. Their comfort can and should be measurably increased by sincerely welcoming and friendly faces who offer assistance. Those familiar with Anglican / Episcopal forms of worship, on the other hand, will feel comfortable as I have for years as I’ve visited other Episcopal or Anglican congregations while on vacation or traveling for business.

St. Paul’s need not adopt the worship forms of West End Assembly of God or any other denominations in order to be welcoming and for worship to be meaningful to all who attend.

Thanks for continuing the conversation.  As I have shared earlier, I feel we need to keep the 7:45/8am service for those who like the early time and the type of worship format that is in place.  I do feel one other morning service needs to be in place which can honor the preferences of those who presently attend the 9am and 11:15am worship services.  I attend both of these services, so I am drawn to the aspect that we are there to worship God as a church family in both of these services.  Yes, the format is different, but we need to recognize WHAT format is going to feel most comfortable to the “newcomer” who attends this service.  After having the experience to worship in various churches over the summer, I have found several common elements ... the youth are involved in acolyting, reading prayers/lessons, and carrying the Gospel book in the procession; and parishioners are encouraged to sign up for any part of the service they feel drawn to ...whether it be reading prayers, lessons, setting up the service, chalicing, or assisting with the reception following the service.  I, also, found these churches using several hymn books during the service, which I assume was meant to meet the needs of all participating.  In all of these experiences, I found these churches to be WELCOMING the Newcomer and ENGAGING the Newcomer in the worship service.

Yes, at St. Paul’s, we have been accustomed to three services; but I am beginning to feel we need to be thinking more “Outside the Box” and become more eclectic in our worship service where we are meeting the needs of our parishioners and assisting the Newcomer to feel WELCOMED and ENGAGED in our worship services.

I have shared earlier, that we could continue with a 7:45/8am worship service ... followed by Breakfast at 9am, and followed by an Educational Hour for Adults/Youth at 10am or 10:15am and followed by a second service at 11:00/11:15am.

I will share, too, that when I joined St. Paul’s 30 years ago, I was drawn to the 9am service because of the circle formation around the Free Standing Altar.  However, within the last 17 years, I have noticed the incereased size has taken us into small circles, close to and far away from the Free Standing Altar.  It appears this style of worship is no longer meeting the needs of all who participate or for the Newcomer.  Just this past Sunday, it was not clear who had received bread or wine; and our Newcomers stayed in their pews not knowing what to do.  I think this is a clear message to all of our parishioners that we are at an important stage of GROWTH and DEVELOPMENT in our worship discussion to make some changes that will BEST meet the needs of our regular parishioners, but to make sure we are meeting the needs of our Newcomers.

Perhaps we need to think of an additional service on a Saturday/Sunday evening that would give us the space to include a Circular type of worship ... Taize/Celtic/Jazz ... in a place where we could attract newcomers ... perhaps Libby Terrace, Rocket’s Landing, or the Shockoe Slip Fountain ... where we could engage in a circular type worship service that would meet the needs of our own parishioners in addition to those Newcomers who are moving into our downtown community.

Take special care; and I look forward to our continued discussion as to how we can develop worship at St. Paul’s that will BEST meet the needs of our parishioners and our potential Newcomers.

Sally Ray

I, too, applaud the ongoing conversation.  Personally, I have felt a real since of knowing my church family this summer with the worship format of having an early service at 8am, continental breakfast, a 10am service, which has embraced both the 9am and 11:15am styles of worship, and a coffee hour.  This has given me the opportunity to be able to connect with our parishioners who attend either the 8am or 10am service.  I feel this same format could continue throughout the year by using a schedule that would include an adult forum and educational hour for our children and youth.  Perhaps, keeping the early service at 8am, followed by breakfast at 9am, followed by an educational hour/forum at 10am, and followed by an 11:15am service, which could continue to alternate the contemporary and traditional styles of worship.  Perhaps this might be a way to embrace the preferences of all of our parishioners.  I definitely feel that God’s loving arms are embracing us throughout this thought process.

While I understand and respect Mr. Ayer’s point of view, especially when one considers that professionally conducted studies have indicated individuals usually engage in a more participatory manner when congregations are larger, St. Paul’s must make a sincere effort to respect, affirm, and meet the legitimate worship needs of as many as possible.

What some characterize as “preferences” are, in most cases, very much deeper and personal than that. Regardless of whether one expresses a need for contemporary forms of worship or more traditional ones, those needs are real, deeply personal and extremely deeply rooted. Attempts to “be all things to all people” by blending disparate worship styles into a single service and ignoring deeply rooted needs only produces services that are not especially meaningful, inspirational, or affirming to any. When real and deeply rooted needs are not met, there is a deeply felt sense of loss, and even abandonment. On the other hand, those whose deeply felt and real worship needs are recognized, respected, and affirmed are much more likely to be motivated to put their faith into action by active participating in other programs of the Parish than those whose needs are not met and feel excluded, ignored, or abandoned.

My obsersation is that the “alternating style” instituted during the Interim Period effectively discourages participation by a large segment of the membership each Sunday. This appears to be equally true regardless of whether the service is “traditional” or “contemporary”. 

St. Paul’s leadership will be greatly remiss if it succumbs to the temptation to try to “be all things to all people” and institutes a “blended” Sunday service which, by its stated inclusiveness, effectively excludes significant portions of the congregation whose legitimate worship needs are not met. Neither traditionalists nor those who prefer the more contemporaryneed be excluded if our leaders discipline themselves to recognize, respect, and affirm the respective need of both groups. Today, St. Paul’s has the resources to accomplish that objective, but it will be accomplished only if exercise the objectivity, courage, will, and discipline required.

Next meeting of the Worship Group is August 6 at 5:00.

The questions that the group is trying to answer are:
How can we:
Enrich worship experience for current members of the congregation
Provide a meaningful worship experience that attracts new members.

Post your ideas here

Worship is the single most important aspect of our community life.  While we can’t be all things to all people, I do think we can offer a more traditional and a more contemporary service on Sunday mornings.  In addition, we really must offer an evening service.  Another area for growth, freshness and variety is in our noon-day service.  We can reach out to the downtown community M-F with a meaningful service that would include one day for “healing”, another for “reconciliation”, another for “gratitude”, another for “guidance”, “contemplation”, celebration, etc. (these are just examples).  If the budget allows, begin at 11:45 with contemplative music for quiet and prayer.  The Eucharist would begin at noon.  (Or move the whole thing forward by 30 minutes).  Move the noon day service to the Sanctuary, have the music (recorded if necessary), candles to light (volunteer usher to greet and be prepared with the fire extinguisher!)
Create a welcoming, “open” sanctuary.  Become known as a sanctuary and House of Prayer for all people.

We are most fortunate, at St. Paul’s, to have a strong, vital, music program with outstanding staff, choirs, and organ. The traditional service makes use of these to the edification of all who attend. Grant Helmers has augmented these with exceptional guest artists, concerts, and special events. The children’s choir has grown and sings “real ” music under his leadership.
  It is important for the future of worship in the church at large, and at St Paul’s, that we not sacrifice our legacy of quality.  We can have an active, meaningful worship experience in many forms and go out strengthened for the journey.

I wholeheartedly lend my support to Martin Erb’s comments, and as Frances Reynolds very correctly observed, “we have 3 services for a reaon”.  One would hope that the process does not become one of “either/or” but “both/and”. From the perspective of growth, there is an increasing body of information that suggests a desire among many to return to the “more formal” forms of worship in protestant denominations, surprisingly, even among young people.

With St. Paul’s already having in place the resources necessary to effectively support multiple styles of meaningful worship and music, one would hope that there will be concurrent and parallel efforts to increase attendance at both the 9:00 and 11:15 services without disrupting what is highly meaningful for those who already attend. While I overwhelmingly prefer the more formal style to which Mr. Erb referred, I would not wish to deprive those who prefer more modern and less formal forms of that which is especially meaningful to them. On the other hand, I would hope they would reciprocate by extending the same courtesy to those of us who prefer more formality.

From what I’ve observed among Episcopalians in the area, there are more than enough who do not regularly attend services and prefer more formal services to fill the church at 11:15.  Similarly, I do not believe there is any shortage of prospective members who’d respond more favorably to the less formal 9:00 services so that the nave could be filled at 9:00 as well. 

In summary, I pray that St. Paul’s build will upon what it already has by concentrating on building attendance at all services while maintaining the essential character our “three distinct congregations” find meaningful in each. The best “building” always results from improving what is already in place and successful rather than “destroying what exists” in favor of something new that attempts to be “everything to everyone”.

May God inspire and richly bless our efforts.

Martin Erb has eloquently and forcefully expressed the feelings of SO many of us that have chosen to remain at St Paul’s throughout the years—often when it has been very difficult to do so (remember Shanda anyone?)—yet staying “through sickness and health, for better or worse, for richer or poorer” —hoping against hope not to lose “our church.”
...We have 3 servies for a reason;  if we want a homogeneous church population, then, by all means, make all the services just the same, and that is what you will get as far as congregants go; but mark my words, you will lose a great deal (in human resourses) in the process!