Worship Coordinator

(Revised October 11, 2011) 

A Summary Checklist
 
_____ 1. Choose a date for a service for which you would like to be worship coordinator.
 
_____  2. If this is a lay-led service, choose a topic for the service.

 _____ 3. Begin to put together the order of service.
 
_____  4. If there is a guest speaker, contact the guest speaker about the service at least two  months before the service.

_____  5. If this is a lay-led service, invite other people to participate in the service.

_____  6. Consult with Paula Mayfield and/or Tom Burt about music for the service.

_____  7. Make sure the online “Newsletter Submission Form” gets filled out before the appropriate newsletter deadline.

_____  8. Make sure the online “Order of Service Form” gets filled out the week before the service.

______9. Make sure necessary information about the order of service gets forwarded to all service participants, especially worship assistants.  

 More Detailed List
 
1. Choose a date for a service for which you would like to be the worship coordinator.
 
Reverend James keeps an online worship schedule using Google Docs listing every Sunday of the year. Check the schedule to see which Sundays are open. It is best to start planning a worship service at least three months in advance.
 
2. If this is a lay-led service, choose a topic for the service.

Remember that a topic or theme for a service should be religious! See Appendix A for “Seven Points on a Theology of Worship.”

3. Begin to put together the order of service.
 
At Saltwater Church, we have a standard order of service which we use most Sundays. See Appendix B for “A Standard Order of Service for Saltwater Church.”
 
When organizing a worship service for the first time, there is often a temptation to be creative and innovative and change the order of service or at least the seating arrangement. While minor variations are fine, major variations are discouraged. Most but not all people enjoy having a familiar order of service. The true challenge is to be creative within the structure of our standard order of service.
 
For most services, words for “Lighting the Chalice” and “Extinguishing the Chalice” are the same every Sunday. For most services, the music director is responsible for choosing the prelude, offertory, and the special music, though the worship coordinator is always free to make suggestions about these.
 
Thus the worship coordinator is only responsible for coordinating the following elements for the order of service:
 
            Opening Words
            Readings
            The Message of the Morning
            Closing Words.
            Three hymns
 
See Appendix C for “Resources for Worship Materials.”
 
A Special Note on Choosing Hymns:
 
Be careful choosing hymns. Many of the hymns in Singing the Living Tradition and Singing the Journey are not easy to sing. Many are not familiar to the congregation. See Appendix D for “A List of Familiar, Sing-able Hymns.” 
 
A Special Note on the “Message of the Morning”:
 
There are several options for the message of the morning for a lay-led service. One option is to have one person give the message. See Appendix E for “Reverend James’s Top 20 Ideas about Writing and Delivering a Sermon.”
 
A second option is to have several speakers speak for a few minutes each about a topic. For example, have four speakers speak for five minutes each. Have them respond to a question, a reading, or just a topic.
 
A third, related option is to have participants alternate between short readings, spoken reflections, and music. In this case, these alterations replace the readings, special music, and the message of the morning in the standard order of service.

A fourth option is to have some kind of reader’s theater or drama.

4. If there is a guest speaker, contact the guest speaker about the service.

About one or two months before the scheduled service, contact the guest speaker about the service.

Tell the speaker there is useful information about being a guest speaker as well as forms to fill out at the church at http://www.saltwaterchurch.org/guestspeakerinformation .

5. If this is a lay-led service, invite other people to participate in the worship service.
 
Worship services that have many people participating are usually more appealing.
 
It’s often easier to recruit an existing group within the church to help with a worship service than it is to recruit a bunch of individuals.
 
If there is time, publicize the need for participants in the newsletter or in announcements (e-mailed, on-screen, printed, and spoken.)
 
When inviting individuals to participate in a worship service, be as specific as possible as what you would like them to do. It is useful to give participants a time limit for any part of the service in which to invite them to participate. It is also a good idea to encourage them to have a written text.

6. Consult with Paula Mayfield and/or Tom Burt about music for the service.

Contact Paula at paula@saltwaterchurch.org and/or Tom at tom@saltwaterchurch.org several weeks before the service to let her know the theme of the service. Also contact Paula after you have chosen the hymns for the service.

 7.  Make sure the online “Newsletter Submission Form” gets filled out before the appropriate newsletter deadline.  
 
This form automatically sends information to the newsletter editor, the church administrator, the music director, the choir director, and the worship team.

 8. Make sure the online “Order of Service Form” gets filled out the week before the service.

This form automatically sends information to the church administrator, the music director, the choir director, and the worship team. If the service deviates from the standard order of service, it will be necessary to type out an order of service for the church administrator and the music director instead. This step must be done by 9 a.m. on the Wednesday the week before the service.

9. Make sure necessary information about the order of service gets forwarded to all service participants, especially worship assistants. 
 
This may mean forwarding information received from the “Order of Service Form” to the appropriate worship assistants.
 
Appendix A:
“Seven Points on a Theology of Worship”
 
1.         Worship is a religious activity.
 
·         “Religion” is all about connection and meaning.
·         Religion literally means to “connect again.”
·         James Luther Adams: religion is about the search for “intimacy and ultimacy.”
·         Through worship we “connect again” to ourselves, to one another, to nature, to God/spirit/holy/divine; to the symbols and stories that give meaning to the events of our lives; to our highest values and ideals
 
2.         What worship is NOT…
 
·         People looking for just intellectual stimulation should stay home and read the New York Times or sign up for a community college class
·         A good worship service should inform, entertain, but most of all INSPIRE.
 
3.         Very broadly, a worship service should help us answer the question, “How should we live our lives?”
 
·         If there is a gospel of liberal religion, it’s not about pie in the sky when you die. It’s the promise that a more abundant life is possible in the here and now.
    
 
4.         Why worship is necessary from a liberal religious perspective
 
·         Not necessary to glorify God
·         Not necessary because we are sinful
·         Necessary because we are FORGETFUL
·         Necessary because we are DISTRACTED by competing cultural narratives telling us how to live our lives
·         Necessary because we get DISCONNECTED
·         Important implication of this: A sermon doesn’t have to tell us anything new. A good sermon reminds us what we already ourselves know.
 
5.         Good worship lifts us up, but good worship doesn’t necessarily, however, always have to be ecstatic…
 
·         Alice Walker: We come to church not to find God, but to share God.
           
·         A paraphrase: We come to church not always to experience that which is inspiring, sustaining, transforming, and redeeming, but to remind us these experiences are possible. We don’t come to church rather than spending time on top of mountains. We come to church to remind us to go back up to the top of mountains.
 
6.         People can even benefit from bad worship
 
·         Mark Twain: “I’ve never heard a sermon in which I could not find some good, though there have been a few near misses.”
           
7.         At its best, however, worship should be transformative.
           
·         Kendyl Gibbons, First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis: No matter what anyone tells you, everybody walks through the door of the sanctuary expecting to be transformed
·         Metaphor of baking a cake
 
                  Chef: Worship leaders
                  Ingredients: Members of the congregation, symbols and stories of  the tradition
                  Pan: The “containing” safe time and space of the church
                 Heat: The joys and sorrows, hopes and fears, existential anxieties and religious yearnings of members of the congregation
 
      The chef provides the expertise knowledge in mixing the ingredients. The pan provides the safe space to mix the ingredients that would “flood” the lives of participants if taken on in every day life. In the best of circumstances, like in baking a cake, what you start with ends up being transformed by the end of the   process.
           
Appendix B:

A Standard Order of Service

Ringing of the Bell

Prelude

Special Music

Introduction of the Guest Speaker (if needed)
 
Opening Words
 
Hymn
 
Lighting the Chalice
 
Welcome and Special Announcements
 
Meet and Greet Your Neighbor
 
Offering and Offertory
 
Candles of Joy and Sorrow
 
Meditation
 
Shared Silence
 
Meditative Hymn (Either #15 “The Lone, Wild Bird,” #95 “There is More Love Somewhere,” #123 “Spirit of Life,” #391 “Voice Still and Small,” or #1009 “Meditation on Breathing.”)
 
Reading(s)
 
Musical Interlude
 
Message of the Morning
 
Extinguishing the Chalice
 
Hymn
 
Closing Words
 
Appendix C:
Resources for Worship Materials
 
Printed Resources
 
Singing the Living Tradition, our primary hymnal, is an excellent resource for opening words, readings, and hymns. Please note the multiple topical indexes in the back of the book. Singing the Journey, our hymnal supplement, is also a good source of hymns, those many of these are still not familiar to the congregation.
 
Rejoice Together by Helen R. Picket is also a good collection of materials for worship. This is available in Reverend James’s office.
 
The Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association 1997 Worship Materials Collection is a good resource for opening words, meditations, and closing words. These are available in Reverend James’s office.
 
The UUA Meditation Manuals, especially the five volumes of Collected Meditations, are an excellent source for readings. This is available in Reverend James’s office.
 
Online Resources
 
The Worship Web is an online resource for worship materials at http://www.uua.org/spirituallife/worshipweb .

Appendix D:
“Familiar, Sing-able Hymns”
 
From Singing the Living Tradition…
 
206      Amazing grace
124      Be that guide
86        Blessed spirit of my Life
23        Bring many names, beautiful and good
88        Calm soul of all things
188      Come, come, whoever you are
89        Come, my way, my truth, my life
136      Come, thou fount of every blessing
346      Come, sing a song with me
55        Dark of Winter
305      De colores
388      Dona nobis pacem
361      Enter, rejoice and come in
207      Earth was given as a garden
17        Every night and every morn
352      Find a stillness
128      For all that is our life
21        For the beauty of the earth
163      For the earth forever turning
114      Forward through the ages
402      From you I receive, to you I give
347      Gather the spirit
389      Gathered here in the mystery of the hour
390      Gaudeamus hodie
413      Go now in peace
348      Guide my feet
360      Here we have gathered
4          I brought my spirit to the sea
396      I know this rose will open
338      I seek the spirit of a child
116      I’m on my way
100      I’ve got peace like a river
6          Just as long as I have breath
29        Joyful, joyful, we adore thee
51        Lady of the season’s laughter
311      Let it be a dance we do
331      Life is the greatest gift of all
149      Lift every voice and sing
15        lone, wild bird in lofty flight, The
131      Love will guide us
1          May nothing evil cross this door
38        Morning has broken
397      Morning has come
8          Mother Spirit, Father Spirit
108      My life flows on in endless song
368      Now let us sing
47        Now on land and sea descending
12        Oh Life that maketh all things new
74        On the dusty earth drum
168      One more step
134      Our world is one world
199      Precious Lord, take my hand
358      Rank by rank again we stand
395      Sing and rejoice
295      Sing out praises for the journey
146      Soon the day will arrive
123      Spirit of Life, come unto me
19        sun that shines across the sea, The
322      Thanks be for these
95        There is more love somewhere
159      This is my song
118      This little light of mine
34        Though I may speak with bravest fire
301      Touch the Earth, Reach the Sky!
391      Voice still and small
298      Wake, now, my senses
170      We are a gentle, angry people
349      We gather together
354      We laugh, we cry
169      We shall overcome
318      We would be one
121      We’ll build a land
407      We’re gonna sit at the welcome table
18        What wondrous love
113      Where is our holy church?
356      Will you seek in far-off places?
83        Winds be still
 
From Singing The Journey…
 
1000 Morning Has Come
1002 Comfort Me
1008 When Our Heart is In a Holy Place
1009 Meditation on Breathing
1010 We Give Thanks
1014 Standing on the Side of Love
1018 Come and Go With Me
1021 Lean on Me
1024 When the Spirit Says Do
1053 How Could Anyone
1074 Turn the World Around

 
Appendix E:
Reverend James’ Top 20 Ideas about Writing and Delivering a Sermon
 
1. A sermon should be religious. It should address in some way the ultimate of religious question, “How shall we live our lives?”
 
2. The purpose of a sermon is not to inform or to entertain - - though a good sermon often does both of these - - but to inspire. A good sermon transforms how people see the world. A good sermon is like a good joke. It shifts our perspective.
 
3. A good sermon doesn’t necessarily say anything new. Rather, it reminds people of what they already know. 
 
4. Write out a manuscript. Very few people preach well extemporaneously. One of my typical sermons is 4-5 pages single-spaced and last 20-25 minutes. A sermon shouldn’t be shorter that 15 or longer than 30 minutes.
 
5. My secret formula for sermon writing: Tell one story. Explain what’s wrong about it.  Tell a second story. Explain what’s right about it.
 
6. Whatever you say, people will often hear what they need to hear from a sermon. Give them a chance to do this. A good sermon shouldn’t be written so tightly that people can’t drift in and out of it.
 
7. A sermon is always a relational event. It often helps to write a sermon for a particular person or group of people even if that person doesn’t show up to hear it.
 
8. Include YOU in the sermon, but don’t make it all about you. Make room for everybody listening.
 
9. Don’t bleed on your audience. You probably shouldn’t talk about stuff you’re going through now.
 
10. Be sensitive. Remember that it’s possible or even likely that somebody listening to your sermon has just found out his mother is dying, just found out her spouse is cheating, just found out he’s losing his job, or just found out her child isn’t doing well at school.
 
11. Land the plane. It’s okay to talk about the heights or depths of human experience, but don’t do this unless you bring people back to a place of hope where life is affirmed despite its limitations.
 
12. Use statistics sparingly. Avoid extensive quoting. Avoid blanket statements. Avoid making assumptions about your audience. Avoid inappropriate language or humor. When in doubt, leave it out.
 
13. A common mistake among beginning preachers is to try to include everything they believe about everything in one sermon. Don’t.
 
14. When I get stuck, most of the time it’s because I’m trying to fit something in - - a story, a quotation, and idea - - that doesn’t fit.
 
15. If you get stuck writing a sermon, get up and take a walk. Try talking to somebody else about what you’d like to say.
 
16. When you print out your manuscript, print it out double-spaced with a large font. I usually use a 20-point font. It also helps to print only on the top half or two-thirds of the page.
 
17. Practice reading your sermon out loud several times before giving it. Speak slowly. Don’t mumble. Practice using a mic.
 
18. If you’re a little nervous about giving a sermon, that’s a good thing. The sermons I get most nervous about turn out to be my best.
 
19. Never apologize for a sermon, before, during, or after giving it. You may say something that is transformative for somebody. By apologizing, you belittle that experience.
 
20. Remember that sermons are transitory things. For better or worse, people usually don’t remember very good ones or very bad ones for very long, yet they do make a difference in people’s lives.

 
 
 
Appendix F:
Tips for Being a Worship Assistant
 
·        Use a full, loud voice. People’s most common complaint about our services is they sometimes can’t hear.
 
·        When doing the “Welcome,” don’t read the script. Either memorize it or use your own words. Act like you’re happy about seeing people at the service!
 
·        When doing “Announcements,”  if the announcement says, “See John Wilson,” ask John to stand up or raise his hand if he’s there. The same applies for other people.
 
·        When doing “Announcements,” never read a phone number.
 
·        When asking people to “Greet Your Neighbor,” tell people to make sure to say hello to anyone new or anyone they don’t know yet.
 
·        Don’t let “Greet Your Neighbor” go on for too long.
 
·        When doing readings, use a large font (James uses a 20-point font for his sermons) or blow them up on the copy machine.
 
·        Always announce the title and author of the reading, if they are available, before the reading.
 
·        When doing responsive readings, give people time to find the reading.