4 Congregations in the Spotlight T


Experimental Worship By Enrique Serrano, youth minister at Trinity, Escondido


Power in Numbers By Pam Crooks, Diocesan Jubilee Officer


here is power in numbers. Most of us know about the magic of compound interest


when investing money. Granted, there have been more than a few setbacks recently, but if one invested 30 years ago, most likely a substantial increase over what was originally invested can be seen. The same is true of time and talent.


Renewing the Old: Enrique Serrano speaks at a workshop focused on the meaning of worship at Trinity, Escondido, which received a grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Drama, dance, music, art and more enlivened worship as a result.


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hroughout this last year at Trinity in Escondido, we have taken an odyssey


through worship. We sought to make worship more hospitable by opening the liturgy to new experiences of God and new expressions of our faith toward the goal of making room for the new and the young in our midst. Here are some of the questions we asked ourselves:


Where in our worship where we can take greater advantage of silence or artistic expression? How can we best foster the use of more local, organic language, as it comes from our people, in the worship language of our prayers and songs? Who, and how many, should be expected to have a hand in the planning, preparation and carrying out of worship? What’s the best way to get the most people involved?


As is so often the case, we ended the year with more questions than answers, but we found that in doing our many experiments, God directed and inspired us. Here are some things we did:


• held parish-wide worship workshops in which we created art together, wrote prayers and discussed what worship meant to us,


• held experimental worship services following pages 400-401 in the Book


Upcoming Events


StephenSong -- Composer Stephen Sturk marks his 60th birthday and the tenth anniversary of his appointment as Cathedral composer-in-residence with “StephenSong,” an Evensong service followed by a concert and CD release party beginning at 5:00 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 3, at St. Paul’s Cathedral.


Sturk’s canticles (The St. Paul Service) will anchor the Cathedral’s weekly Evensong, performed by the Cathedral Choir under the direction of Canon Martin Green. Sturk will then conduct an hour-long concert of his anthems performed by San Diego’s professional chamber choir, Cappella Gloriana, and a specially assembled birthday chorale. San Diego’s Harmony Ringers, a handbell choir directed by Joe Rodriguez, and organists Gabriel Arregui, music director at St. Andrew’s,


Encinitas, and Martin Green, the Cathedral’s director of music, will accompany.


A reception to follow in the Cathedral’s Great Hall will mark the release of Cappella Gloriana’s new double-CD recording of Sturk’s compositions: Sacred Music of Stephen Sturk: Coast to Coast.


“It has been a great privilege to provide new music for many milestone occasions in the life of the Diocese of San Diego,” said Sturk. “Besides a host of compositions for the Cathedral community, I have contributed music for the installation services of new rectors (St. David’s, San Diego; St. Andrew’s, Encinitas; St. Peter’s, Del Mar), several anniversaries and birthdays, and a piece celebrating the work of Episcopal Community Services.”


Sturk’s compositions include anthems, masses, canticles and service music. X


Calling All Cursillistas! What’s that, you ask? Cursillo is a spiritual renewal movement couched in the context of a long weekend at Camp Stevens. Cursillistas are people who have attended one of these weekends. The next Cursillo weekend will be October 21-24. The leader, or rectora, Susan Miller, asks for your help by:


1. Attending Open Ceremony on Sunday afternoon. Plan to be at Camp Stevens at 4:00 p.m. on October 24 to welcome and support new people. Better yet, take a car- load of people with you!


2. Sponsoring someone from your parish.


of Common Prayer in which we used drama, built-in congregational response time, interactive sermons, dance and prayer stations,


• incorporated elements of our worship experiments into our regular Sunday mornings,


• learned that we did not need as much money or outside help as we had anticipated -- God has provided the people and talents to do worship well already!


All in all, this year was a process of exploration in which worship leadership and facilitation proved just as meaningful as directed leading; where youth found a voice they did not think they had; where the congregation’s appreciation for new elements of expression in worship and prayer grew; and where, above all else, communication and listening took precedence. Ideas and opportunities are beginning to flow more freely, and we pray that God will guide us in sustaining and growing us through the process and in what lies ahead.


Apply for a grant: www.calvin.edu/worship. Contact me (youth@trinityescondido.org) if you have questions about our process. X


Serving with a Smile: As a jubilee center, St. David’s, San Diego houses and feeds many homeless people each year.


I’m thinking of the transformational work of the 11 Jubilee Centers in our diocese, in particular, the work of St. David’s. Have you visited St. David’s? It’s not a large church. It’s in a quiet, residential neighborhood in Clairemont and has an average weekly attendance of 140-150. This little church has helped thousands over the last three decades by pooling their members’ time and talents. You could call it compounded joy


Thirty years ago St. David’s helped found and continues to support the Community Christian Service Agency (CCSA), along with 24 churches of various denominations (including two others from our


“By combining your gifts with those of others, the dividends are guaranteed to pay out richly for years to come.”


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