Liberal church service

[McCravey]

Since some of us are so deep in fundy territory and have never been in a liberal church setting, some of you who are so fortunate please describe your favorite part of the service.

We'll close our eyes and picture the scene with you.

 

[Andry]

After our praise and worship we have a coffee break before the sermon.

 

[CaDan]

Here is a collection of written versions of presentations at my church. Here is a couple of audio versions of recent ones.

 

[Bizzlebin Imperatoris]

Picture the 2-3 teachers speaking after one another, correcting each other if necessary. The people are sitting around in somewhat of a circle, and anyone can ask a question if they need to. Before and after, traditional hymns are sung, and intercessory prayer is emphasized. Everyone is in one another's lives, helping then through tough times. No one feels left out. Is that liberal enough?

 

[meebs]

i havnt been to church for a while - my ideal service would be (obviously all for God!):

a couple of hymns/worship song at first
a reading (from gospel)
prayer - for world, others etc
a couple more hymns/worship songs.
then a sermon, where it makes you think, the priest doesnt put his/her own opinion in and babbles for ages - and you work out yourself what it means (gives quiet time/reflection/prayer.)
hymn/worship song
communion, where you dont have to be confimed to have it.
last hymn/worship song

a simple service where a lot of the dogma would be taken out

*i have been to these, where the priet puts own opinion in and everyone nods and agrees. usually slagging of another religion.


unfortunatly ive only been to a good church like this but its not near me!, there is another, but not a varied congregation and the worship music is played on an organ - not really enjoyable that you can really let it out (i know we are not supposed to fully enjoy it, God first etc!)

 

[Im_A]

small groups, sitting around talking about imporant issues in the faith. all of us praying together, then having fellowship.

 

[seebs]

Traditional Quaker meeting. Someone reads the query or quotation from the newsletter, then everyone sits in a circle and waits and prays. No planned speaking or anything, but people are sometimes moved to speak, and do. At the end, the person selected to close the meeting (normally the clerk) shakes someone's hand and says "good evening, friend". Then people shake hands, people introduce themselves, and we talk a bit if anyone has anything to talk about.

 

[WiredSpirit]

My church isn't officially a "liberal church" but its pretty far from a conservative church too. Our services are very similar to the large, conservative, non-denominational churches that I've attended all my life. The sermons are delivered in series and they are dynamic. We focus a lot more on social issues than most churches I've been to, and we don't spend a lot of money to bring in guest speakers, bands, etc. The service may just be slightly more liturgical that the protestant denominations with a formal prayer and citing of the Lord's prayer.

 

[Polycarp1]

I've avoided posting here, as we belong to an Episcopal church -- theologically and socially very liberal, but following the Book of Common Prayer in terms of worship. A great deal can be done with a prescribed liturgy, however, to make it meaningful to a liberal congregation -- which we do. (Ceteris paribus this is pretty close to what WiredSpirit was saying, except that Methodist services are slightly more free-form in content than Episcopalian, even ignoring the centrality of the Eucharist in Episcopalian ones.)

 

[meebs]

A great deal can be done with a prescribed liturgy, however, to make it meaningful to a liberal congregation -- which we do. (Ceteris paribus this is pretty close to what WiredSpirit was saying, except that Methodist services are slightly more free-form in content than Episcopalian, even ignoring the centrality of the Eucharist in Episcopalian ones.)

eh?

 

[McCravey]

I just got back from the last hurricane wanting, the whole time, to get back and read your stories and comments. They were a joy to read.

As many of you may already know, I attend a fundamental church and have never had the opportunity to attend a liberal service, so your stories are very enlightening.

As a contrast our fundamental services seem to focus on sin. The fallen nature of man is constantly reinforced through the preaching. We are made to feel guilty for everything we may have done during the week and during the service. You are asked over and over again if you are "saved"....are you sure?....have you sinned?....do you need to make it right with God?....on and on. What are you hiding from God? Do you need to confess?......

God is so far away we are so far from God.......seems to be the message. You feel like a rotten s*** head by the time you leave there....

 

[McCravey]

A good friend pm'd me this story about a liberal church service which I will now share, I will let you guess who it is.My favorite Liberal Church experience


I can't post in your thread in LC, cause of my heathen status and all, but I've been to liberal churches, and would like to share my favorite experience with you.

It was at the Canterbury house, http://www.canterburyhouse.org

It's technically Episcopalean, and they do receive much of their funding from the diocese, or whatever the equivalent is in the Anglican church.

The service had drums, keys, sax, and some other miscellaneous instruments, which would typically be enough to drive me screaming from the place, but it was pulled off so well, that it was incredibly meditative.

There were some songs with actual words, but the cooles part was the freestyle chanting that went on. People came in and dropped out as they felt like it, the drums and piano did their thing in true jazz improvization, and it all came to a natural conclusion.

Come communion time, the people stood in a circle, and passed the bread and wine around. The previous person offered communion to the next person in the circle, and I think it finally hit me the social meaning behind the ritual (I'd long been acquainted with the symbolic meaning, being raised Catholic and all). All were invited to communion; no one asked if anyone'd accepted Jesus as their lord and savior, or if they'd been properly schooled in the catechism and confirmed. If you wanted to partake, you were allowed to (I didn't, though, for one reason or another).

I'm not sure how common that sort of service is, but I wish everyone would be able to have a chance to check it out.

If it's not a violation of the rules, please post, or excerpt this in your thread.

 

[McCravey]

Here is a collection of written versions of presentations at my church. Here is a couple of audio versions of recent ones.

Great sermons, CaDan. Your church gathers some great speakers. I take it some of them are in your congregation already.

Must be exciting to attend.

 

[AveMaria]

My mother attends a very progressive and liberal Presbyterian church, and I often attend the 7 or 9 am services at my church, then meet her for her 11 am service.

Things I've noticed:

1) Tremendous emphasis in sermons on social justice issues - poverty, labor issues, war, deconstructing racism/classism, etc. Such issues are usually linked to both scripture and local/regional issues.

2) The Peace. I'm used to this occuring shortly before the Eucharist, and haven't seen it used often in Presbyterian churches (not that I've been in many!). They pass the peace weekly, at the very opening of service.

3) Pastor wears a wireless lavalier (sp?) mike and tends to walk around the nave during his sermon, interacting with the congregation, making sure he connects, even if only through eye contact, with the folks seated in the rear of the church. (I've never seen this done before either, perhaps it's done more often than I realize?).

4) Congregation joins hands during the prayers of the people, which tends to last 5- 10 minutes. (Again, perhaps this is done more often than I realize, I attend an Episcopal church that leans towards the more Anglo-Catholic end of the spectrum).

 

[WiredSpirit]

Here is a collection of written versions of presentations at my church. Here is a couple of audio versions of recent ones.

I love your church! Where can I find one?

 

[CaDan]

I love your church! Where can I find one?

Well, in Minneapolis.

You have to ask around. I found St. Joan of Arc through defending its former priest in his trial for protesting at the School of the Americas.

 

[meebs]

My mother attends a very progressive and liberal Presbyterian church, and I often attend the 7 or 9 am services at my church, then meet her for her 11 am service.

Things I've noticed:

1) Tremendous emphasis in sermons on social justice issues - poverty, labor issues, war, deconstructing racism/classism, etc. Such issues are usually linked to both scripture and local/regional issues.

2) The Peace. I'm used to this occuring shortly before the Eucharist, and haven't seen it used often in Presbyterian churches (not that I've been in many!). They pass the peace weekly, at the very opening of service.

3) Pastor wears a wireless lavalier (sp?) mike and tends to walk around the nave during his sermon, interacting with the congregation, making sure he connects, even if only through eye contact, with the folks seated in the rear of the church. (I've never seen this done before either, perhaps it's done more often than I realize?).

4) Congregation joins hands during the prayers of the people, which tends to last 5- 10 minutes. (Again, perhaps this is done more often than I realize, I attend an Episcopal church that leans towards the more Anglo-Catholic end of the spectrum).

most of this sounds good (though id rather pray alone than hold hands) i wish there was something like this near me!

 

[UberLutheran]

Since some of us are so deep in fundy territory and have never been in a liberal church setting, some of you who are so fortunate please describe your favorite part of the service.

We'll close our eyes and picture the scene with you.

What fundies think we do
- Wear saffron robes and distribute flowers
- Rub a mallet around the sacred crystal bowl
- Chant the sacred "om"
- Worship the Shree Bashwam Sacred Sandal
- Take turns speaking using the Sacred Talking Stick
- Occasionally sacrifice a small animal or two (nothing bigger than a cat or a cocker spaniel)
- Get drunk on wine and stoned on marijuana
- Engage in orgies

What we ACTUALLY do
- Sing hymns (frequently out of the blue "With One Voice" book, more and more frequently from the "Renewing Worship" book. (We did turn "radical" in that we've dispensed with the organ and switched over to use of a grand piano, which is just fine with me!)
- Read Scripture (four lessons each Sunday, including one Old Testament lesson, a Psalm, a reading from the Epistles, and a reading from the Gospel -- with explanation and discussion of the readings
- Have Communion each Sunday
- Let people know that all who believe in the actual presence of Christ in the elements of bread and wine are welcome to commune with us

I'm really not sure what my favorite part of the service is. I do know that the Sunday service is the pivotal point and focus of my entire week, and I do try to observe a Sunday Sabbath.

One thing I really appreciate is the emphasis that ALL of us are sinners, and as such we have a completely equal playing field before God. We have been redeemed by Christ and marked as Christ's own -- not by anything we've done or could do on our own behalf, but by God's grace through faith -- so we can set aside the preachy judgments, the "well, thank God at least I'M not the kind of sinner YOU are" hypocrisy, and the sanctified slander because we're all in the same boat together.

 

[Arnold_Philips]

Traditional Quaker meeting. Someone reads the query or quotation from the newsletter, then everyone sits in a circle and waits and prays. No planned speaking or anything, but people are sometimes moved to speak, and do. At the end, the person selected to close the meeting (normally the clerk) shakes someone's hand and says "good evening, friend". Then people shake hands, people introduce themselves, and we talk a bit if anyone has anything to talk about.

The meeting I attend is like this, although we don't have an evening service.

There are maybe a steady group of 50 of us gathering in a club house for a golf course. The meeting begins promptly at 11 Sunday mornings, though some straggle in, and that's okay. We sit in silence and wait for the Lord, some praying and some reading and others just looking around or out the windows. If someone is compelled to speak, then he stands and speaks what he feels God is trying to communicate. For example, this last Sunday, it was revealed to me through a friend that my conflicts in life are purposeful and that I shouldn't be trying to diminish them, but embrace them as instruction from God. This one lady is appointed to end the meeting, and everyone shakes hands, "Good morning."

Then there's like half an hour of announcements, which get tedious near the end. It's usually things like "We're going to protest the execution next Thursday" or "We've been invited to an interfaith council next month" or "We're going camping this weekend" or "We need to vote on so and so."

Real good stuff. There's often cake too.

 

[faith_hope_love]

Hi, everybody! This is my first post. Sorta long.

I am Lutheran--was attracted to the liturgy from my Methodist background in my college years. I love the ancient words of the liturgy: "Lord, have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord, have mercy." or "Holy, holy, holy...." It connects us with scriptural roots, and with historic practice which I find very meaningful. One Sunday we will sing the traditional hymnal tunes, another the modern ones, another a folk service, or one based on hymns, another spoken.

We also follow the pericope, that is, the list of international Christian texts, which we share with the Romans, the Anglicans, the Methodists and others. The Old Testament text is always connected with the Gospel reading which, of course, are the words of Jesus. Then the Epistle lesson gives us words from St. Paul, admonishing the early church (and us.)

The habit in the Lutheran church is to preach on the Gospel lesson. I like the discipline of that--no matter how legalistic some Lutheran churches can get (VERY) this discipline usually elicits a homily based on the Gospel promises of Christ. (The terrible fights inside the LCMS over the last 30 years have been over such "Gospel reductionism," as well as "who communes" et al.)

Then--the ancient creed, and the Prayer of the Church: we pray, either in versicle and response format, or more free form, for all the anguish of the world, and in our own lives. This is where the liberal part can come in, quite profoundly, as well as the homily.

Finally--the offertory (preparation for Communion--bread and wine com forward, money gifts, too, peace exchanged) the liturgy is richest at this part, including both the Sanctus and the Agnus Dei. This has become a real love fest in our working class suburban congregation. The communion time which follows is filled with hymns for those done praying. Dancing up to the altar of Christ to receive a "hug" from the Lord in His body and blood, in, with and under the bread and wine--all the baptized are invited.

We return thanks, receive blessing, sing a joyous hymn to seal it, then the organ bursts forth in heavenly tones. The whole gang troops out into the narthex to get a hug from the pastor, and each other again, and then downstairs to coffee hour to celebrate some more.

It is the passion and power that keeps me going, and has helped build family among black and white, young and old, white collar and blue collar folks. Our little congregation was a stuck up "members only" club in 1973 when my husband and I moved here to Chicago's south side from Madison, WI. Now they all love each other, and any stranger is welcomed quickly, the work of the Holy Spirit.

Most voted Dem this election, though we are not overtly political. We have raised so many kids, trying to give them an alternative to the false values they learn in this country these days. And keeping everyone healthy, trying to change them over from drugs for every ailment and terrifying solutions for disease, to eating a little more healthy, thinking and learning and walking, to fight off all the negative stuff surrounding us in this culture.

Worship is our touchstone. We expect to meet the living Christ in that hour (and a half.) And all the Baroque hymns, which we mix with Fanny Crosby and many wonderful newer ones, including those from Africa, C America, all the hymn singing is praying of a deep sort. (Luther said, "He who sings prays twice!") In the daze of the last couple days, lighting the Christ candle, reading Ps 46 in v/p, and praying the Compline (end of day) liturgy helped me recover from the shock.

Much, much love and recovery to you all, dear hearts.