Rituals and Routines
Dawn Cooley, Unitarian Universalist Minister
The word “worship” means to “scoop worth.” I love this image, all of us gathered together on Sunday as though we were at a sacred river, scooping worth and meaning from the rushing waters. In “the biz” (that is, ministry) we call our Sunday morning services “corporate worship.” Not corporate as in a business, but instead as in pertaining to a united group. We gather together, as a united group, scooping worth. Putting together meaningful worship is one of my favorite aspects of ministry. You will hear me bang the drum of “religious community” quite a lot, and it seems to me that corporate worship is where we get the best opportunity to practice being a religious community. But as both the term “corporate” and “community” suggest, it is not a one-woman show.
I understand the congregation (there’s another of those “group” words!) to be an important participant in the worship. Some of you serve as greeters, others as ushers, and someone provides refreshments for coffee hour. Thank you! But there are even more opportunities for participation: Chalice Lighters, Welcomers, and Readers. Seeing or hearing one person for an entire hour can get a bit bland; better to see the faces and hear the voices of our friends and neighbors because this is the true face of the congregation. As such, it turns out that putting together corporate worship is a community endeavor.
One of the first “big” things I would like to do at UUFN is to start a Worship Associates program; for my Sundays, but for the other ones as well so that we can begin to craft a common look & feel to Sundays whether I am there or not (please note: this does not mean cookie-cutter services!). Part of the reasoning behind this is hospitality: it would be nice for our guests coming for the second or third time to have an idea of what to expect, even if someone different is in the pulpit.
What does a Worship Associate do? What sort of commitment will it take? Well, if you are already asking those questions, I invite you to come to a Worship Associates Interest Meeting after the service on November 18. It will be a brief meeting, to discuss all these question in more detail and to set a first date for a Worship Associates meeting (so bring your calendar!). I do want to make clear, however, that you don’t have to speak on Sunday morning in order to be a Worship Associate, so please don’t let this stop you if you are interested in other aspects of the program.
This is also a great opportunity for newer members to get involved in the congregation. It’s a new program, so you can carve out your own niche if you are so inclined. And remember, many hands make for light work: the more people we have interested in being a Worship Associate, the easier the task becomes. And finally, the more people we have scheduling & participating in the lay-led services, the more diverse the voices and perspectives to which we will be exposed.