Worship
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A Journey in the Intergenerational Worship Experiment
This is a picture of this past Sunday, our first Sunday switching to an intergenerational worship format. On the floor, you see tubs of play dough, tools, cookie cutters, and mirrors. Since I was preaching on James 1.22-25, I had the kids look at their reflection in the mirror and use play dough to recreate…
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Children in Worship: It’s More than Having Coloring Sheets
In the first issue of PLGRM, Rev. LeAnn Watkins, rector at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in St. Paul, MN, shares how after numerous attempts of increasing attendance of bible studies and other church-related programs, her staff decided to cancel it all – everything during the weekdays except seasonal services. You can hear her tell her…
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A Sunday (35) in Life of a Pastor/Mother: RIP
Today was the last day that children’s sermons take up space in worship. Beginning next Sunday, worship will move to being more intergenerational. These next two months, we will experiment with music, seating layout, preaching styles, and liturgy. We will explore ways that are inviting to all ages, extroverted and introverted, cerebral and tactile, and…
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How to Integrate Worship in Meetings
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40.31) Isaiah 40 is the theme of this year’s 220th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. This week I have been training General Assembly Committee Moderators and…
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Interactive Use of Candles and Meaning of Names
The following interactive activity can be used when exploring different names for God or stories about the meaning of names in the Bible, baptism, or names that we claim as our identity as a child of God. For a recent conference, I made the following candle. I put the logo on a 9″ tall candle…
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Interactive Prayer Stations on Pentecost III
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were…
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Interactive Prayer Stations on Easter & Empty Tomb
20 On Sunday morning while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. (John 20.1) Typically, the Sunday after Easter, my church sets up interactive prayer stations. After the hoopla of Easter service with trumpets and all the festivities, we center this…
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Intergenerational Palm Sunday Worship
36And as he rode along, the people spread clothes on the road in front of him. 37When Jesus was starting down the Mount of Olives, his large crowd of disciples were happy and praised God because of all the miracles they had seen. (Luke 19.36-37) In a previous blog, I wrote about my thoughts on planning…
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No Stress, No Fuss Holy Week Pageant & Worship
A few years ago, this worship was one of my beginning attempts to integrate children in worship. At the time, we were just starting to get a good number of children and the parishioners were slowly getting used to having kids in worship. I usually do not like to put children on “display” in worship.…
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Interactive Prayer Stations for Lent II
1 Jesus returned from the Jordan River full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. (Luke 4.1) Lent is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on one’s spiritual and faith journey. There are many themes you could focus on. This particular one focuses on the word “journey.” Below are ideas for…
Still Waters 