The Open Door

The Visitors' Church for over a century: Obedient in faith we intend to work together to touch the lives of others and be disciples of the Lord.

August 29, 2024

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Worshiping Together in 2025

I recently described our church to an interested friend.  “We have two services on Sunday morning, I said, one jazz and one traditional.”  “Wow,” the friend said, “how many people come to worship?” 
“Around fifty or sixty, on a good day”, I said. 
“At each service?” she asked? 
“No, total,” I said. 
My friend looked confused.  “Why…” she began. I knew where this was going.  Why do we have two services when we sometimes have less than 20 people at either one?   
 
While we love having two different kinds of music and two somewhat different vibes in our worship, there are definitely some things we have not loved about this worship schedule.  In the winter especially, both services often have so few people that the sanctuary feels empty—disheartening for musicians and worshippers, and—maybe more importantly--unappealing to visitors. Furthermore, people could attend the early service for years without ever meeting those who attend the later service, and vice versa.  Session noted a couple of years ago that we seemed to be leading two different congregations.  We took some steps to bridge that gap, including occasional one-service Sundays, brunches between services, and potlucks.  Then last winter, in part as we adjusted after Carol Obligado’s retirement, we went for the eight weeks of January and February with only one 11 am service every Sunday.  There were certainly hiccups in planning the music, including times when we missed the organ.  But the additional warmth of having the whole congregation gathered for one service was something pretty much all of us noticed. 
 
And that was the deciding factor for session’s decision, which I am writing this article to announce, that beginning in 2025, we should have one 10 am service, with music that varies from week to week, from Jan – May and again from October-December.  In other words, we will have two services only while Beach Church is one of them.  Our musicians and our Worship and Music Committee are aware of this change, and they are planning accordingly.  Greg, Mila, and I will need to coordinate more closely in the future than we have, since there will not only be regular combined services, but also a schedule of who plays which Sunday to maintain.  All the musicians will have probably one or two Sundays off each month, leaving them more time to plan, brainstorm, and coordinate.  While some choir fans worry that not singing every Sunday will diminish the choir’s spirit, my hope is that lowering the necessary level of commitment might draw in new folks and make it possible for some singers to hop in and out, perhaps for a month or two at a time. 
 
In addition to bringing all of us together for more warmth and life in each Sunday’s service, the one service schedule will also simplify the planning of things like potlucks, coffee hours, brunches, and even annual meetings.  
 
It is true that next year you may come to church and not hear your favorite kind of music.  But if that happens this week, you can assure yourself that next week will definitely be different, and will likely include the kind of music you love best. Your session and I are convinced, and have heard from a surprising variety of members, that occasional discomfort with one week’s music is a small price to pay for a more cohesive congregation, more opportunities for growth and fellowship, and a warmer, livelier worship experience for everyone. 
 
Wishing you all kinds of peace and looking forward to all that 2025 will bring,

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