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Planning a service of lament with others by Jay Regennitter


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Ecumenical worship i


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recent conversation with a childhood friend brought back an old memory. Both of us remem- bered that the churches in the town where we grew up sponsored some ecumenical worship services, including a T anksgiving service and an Easter sunrise service. Youth were responsible


for the Easter sunrise service. T e service rotated through diff erent facilities and through diff erent leadership, but I always looked forward to my participation in those services. I found a particular joy in being able to worship with my friends because our denominations kept us separate from each other. During those few times, boundaries were crossed and Christians gathered together to praise God.


During college, the min-


isterial alliance in the city oſt en sponsored ecumenical services during Lent. Churches would rotate hosting Sunday evening services each week during Lent. T e host church would provide the music, but the preacher would be from a diff erent congregation. During Holy Week, each congregation would have its own Maundy T urs- day service (due to our varying theologies around the Eucharist), but would gather together for mid- day worship on Good Friday. T ere were half-hour services scheduled throughout mid-day at one loca- tion and each pastor would come to off er a homily during a half-hour service. T ere would be diff erent Scriptures read and diff erent hymns sung during each half- hour service. Each half-hour was self-contained so people could come and go as they wished or they could stay for the entire time. Seminary provided me


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with the best opportunity to worship ecumenically. Trinity United Methodist Church in downtown Durham, NC, was


my ministry setting for three years. During my time there, our neighbor congregation, First Presbyterian Church, approached Trinity’s leaders about utilizing our worship space during an extensive remodel of their sanctuary. For almost a year, First Presbyterian Church worshiped in our sanctu- ary in between our two services. On numerous occasions, we joined together for one combined wor- ship service. T ese services took intentional work (includ- ing Good Friday) on


the part of the worship staff as we sought to bring together elements from each denomination’s worship traditions. T ese services were among the most well-attended and most meaningful services for all who came to participate.


In my current


ministry setting we have a gathering of ecumenical clergy but little ecumenical partic- ipation. However, a long-standing tradition has existed for decades:


UMNS photo courtesy of Caesar Santoyo January-February 2014 • WorshipArts • www.UMFellowship.org


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