the liturgical arts can be integrated into an imaginative worship service enhancing the worship experience, and to involve as many people as possible in the process. The more experiential it becomes, the stronger the impact. We do recognize, with a sense of humor and ease, that the daily product is sometimes rough because it is always a work-in- progress. Throughout the years we have evolved a collaborative way of working. Everyone becomes part of one huge worship committee. “This is one of the joys of being part of the Jubilate! week,” agree several members.

The chaplain gives direction to the service; the choir director prepares accessible anthems from various traditions to enhance the theme; and workshop classes direct the congregational singing, movement, drama, visual and sound environments. Overall, individuals and classes are involved in preparing sections of the service during the day and guided by a worship coordinator it all comes together in a 60-minute service – ready or not. A newcomer to the 2009 festival commented, “It’s a service of surprises – theology physicalized; I paid more atten- tion.”

While remaining small, manageable and regional, summer workshops are our base and have expanded to international tours, week- end institutes and one-time convivial events. Always evolving, this past fall we offered our first Jubilate! Worship Arts Institute weekend workshop to assist with lectionary-based planning. Openness, hospitality, informality and sharing are characteristics we strive to emulate in Jubilate! activities. Above all – in whatever we do – laughter abounds. Jubilate!’s role expanded as people in the Conference learned to apply the community’s skills. Leadership produced an expanded Jubilate! Summer Workshop for the Western Jurisdiction in 1990, Shalom Pieces in 1995, plus programs for the national Conference on Evangelism in 1987 and 1995, the Bishop’s Council, and the Northwest Global Gathering in 1998. Jubilate! leader- ship also helped the Yellowstone Conference begin Jubilate! II in 1994.

Looking back on the 30 years, Tom Richardson comments, “We have created and experienced beautiful, artful worship over the years, yet community is what we do best –

WORSHIP ARTS • JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2010

even on a global scale.” Tours began in 1984 when the choir was accepted to perform at General Conference in Baltimore. A successive tour took the singing community to the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries in 1986, thus beginning 20 years of international touring. Since then Jubilate! has led eight more, taking us to every continent except Antarctica.1 A unique

characteristic of the Jubilate! choir is that it’s a virtual concept until each tour or summer festival

convenes. The group is fluid and reforms for every tour or event. We are linked by shared values, our geography, and past experiences together; participants join as they are able.

The

emphasis has always been on “community” with music as a common

How we do worship –

guiding principles

We use an exceedingly flexible order of worship in creating a commu- nity-driven daily worship service. When persons leave our worship service they should be able to say: “I feel ... God’s presence, inspired, blessed, satisfied, happy, complete, uplifted, moved further along in my journey, wanting more ...”

We believe people will feel this way

if we: 1 actively involve the congregation,

2 include an element of surprise,

3 make the service three-dimensional, using people rather than technology wherever possible,

4 plan the service so well it appears to be

spontaneous,

5 are so effective, they leave saying, “I

can do that!”

language to share globally. We communicate through song, gesture and dance with a repertory of global church music in various languages – yes, we can sing Amazing Grace in Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese and Shona! Our choreographed and sung version of One Bread, One Body has become our ubiquitous signature piece. First performed on our Iron Curtain trip, it has spread all over the world. Congregations of many languages have joined in the gestures and connected wordlessly with the choir and with each other. The tours were primarily in developing countries and tour members were willing to forgo luxuries. We’ve left our bus and walked a half-mile on a sandy road to get to a country church in Zimbabwe, we’ve walked

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