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Worship Matters at Northwest Hills
February 3, 2007
Friends,
After many months of praying and discussing "Worship Matters" we have come to the time to announce changes in our Sunday morning. Beginning Sunday, April 15, our new schedule will be: 9:00 a.m. Contemporary Service; 10:00 a.m. Sunday School; 11:15 a.m. Traditional Service. It is our hope and prayer that this new schedule and format will allow us to live out our vision of "Offering God's Love...Building Believers" in a better way.
At the Church Council meeting on January 30 (with 124 members present), I reviewed our long history of discussing a contemporary worship service. There were plans discussed more than 12 years ago for our 9:30 service to be held in this style. As I understand it, the lack of an adequate music team hampered this possibility. The launching of Grace Harbor in 2003 was a wonderful means of building the various teams necessary for having such a service. Today we have a stronger interest in such a service and people to make it happen.
Since last April we have had many discussions about moving to such a schedule. The Action Planning Team efforts, "Worship Matters" meetings, Church Council and Church Conference meetings, and many other staff and committee discussions have built up a desire to make changes. Our goals have been to create such a new service, preserve the strength of our Sunday School, create fewer morning services with more people in each, and to enhance the fellowship of our congregation. We also have come to a time when people are more than ready to make the change and get on with our missions and ministries. In our Church Council meeting it was clear that members are ready to quit talking about "possible changes" and just make a change so we can get on with worshipping and serving God.
And so we will. WE will. There is a clear desire that WE come together and support this decision, that we build up a common commitment to unify our congregation in this effort, that we each contribute to the building up of our efforts to create a stronger church.
Yours prayers, your presence, your gifts and your service are needed by your church to make this happen, for the glory of God.
Yours in Christ,
Bill Henderson
Two Pertinent Documents are available as background:
- Pastor's Report on Worship Matters to Church Conference on December 12, 2006.
Rev. Henderson offers a review of the meetings and processes of discussion held beginning in September. He also describes what will occur during January and February as the church members move toward decisions and a possible revised worship schedule and format. Click here to read.
- Dr. Thomas Long, well-known preacher and teacher of preachers, has written a book entitled BEYOND WORSHIP WARS: Building Vital and Faithful Worship. The first chapter, "Worship Wars: A Report from the Front Lines," is linked here to offer a glimpse at his book. Rev. Henderson highly recommends this book for those interested in a broader view of our discussions about worship and the changes we are considering. It is available at Cokesbury Bookstore. Click here to read the chapter.
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