Creating a worship space honoring God, tradition
by Nancy Farrington
The Stevensville sanctuary was built in 1963 with fixed pews, pulpits and
communion rails.
“The Church is not a building, the church is not a steeple, the church is not a resting place, the church is a people.”
—Avery and Marsh, ©1972 Hope Publishing Co.
W
hat should a congregation do when their worship space begins to inhibit, rather than enhance the worship of our Almighty God? This question was raised at Stevens- ville (MI) United
Methodist church
three years ago when several leaders began to discuss the possibility of a
renovation project. The
Stevens- ville
sanctuary was built in 1963 with fixed pews, pulpits and commun-
14
ion rails. The chancel area had many steps and levels, including a pit for both organ and piano. There was little in the way of handicap
accessibility and lighting was inadequate. Here is what we realized about worship then and now: In 1963 worship was led by the pastor, chancel choir and organ. In 2006, in addition to the pastor and organ, our worship ministry included four choirs, piano, handbells, drama, instrumental ensembles, two praise bands, and a puppet ministry. Video and audio technology was used on a weekly basis. Because of our space con- straints, having any type of mass choir or band was difficult. Our worship planning had moved beyond allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us. It also needed to consider the practicalities of “what will fit?” on any particular Sunday.
Our dream was to create a worship space that welcomed all, created space for many worship elements, and yet retained the sense of sacred that our current sanctuary held. One asset of a history-laden sanctuary is all the memories gathered there – weddings, funerals, Christmases, Easters. But all those memories create strong emotional ties. We anticipated that the concept of renovation was going to be an initially unwelcome idea to some in our congregation. It was crucial that the entire congregation be involved in the process. How could we successfully plan this renovation in an open forum, and not as a small committee in a closed room? Stevensville United Methodist Church (SUMC) decided to hire the Rev. Bryan Schneider-Thomas, a liturgical consultant who could guide us through this process with grace and intentionality. Bryan’s expertise assisted us in making decisions based on
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2010 • WORSHIP ARTS
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