The Worship, Prayer and Spirituality ministry focuses on the creation and maintenance of a worshipful environment for the family of Hope Church. This is done visually through weekly pulpit flowers, through seasonal banners, through carefully planned music, and through the celebration of communion and other special days such as Pentecost, All Saints’ Day, etc.
The Music ministry of the church is supported by this group which includes the Chancel Choir, the Carillon Choir, and seasonal children’s and youth choirs. This ministry is also responsible for the radio ministry to the community and for making worship service CDs available, upon request.
The ministry acts as a sounding board through which the congregation can convey their desires and wishes concerning the joy or troubles they experience upon coming together in worship. This ministry also works to develop the church as a praying community. This is done through a variety of activities including adult education classes throughout the year that explore different aspects of prayer, visual displays during special time in the church year, such as Lent, to provide a more focused call to prayer and spiritual discipline (Navigate to Peninsula Daily News), the provision of literature to guide daily prayer and devotions, and retreat opportunities.
The Worship Ministry serves to educate and nurture the faith of worshippers, and we also strive to make our worship (and liturgy, “the work of the people”) congruent with who we are, so that our expressions of worship align with who we are in this time and place. Having integrity with respect to worship means knowing those who come to worship, as well as knowing the liturgy, art, music, scriptures, and language that help to articulate our speech and singing, praying and silence.
Over a year ago, we introduced two new hymnals for congregational singing. During one of the church school classes about the hymnals, participants were asked to write down their 2 favorite hymns, and I said I’d let people know the results.
The participants at the particular education time last year listed 40 different hymns. This reflects a lovely diversity and richness of hymnody, as the list includes some ancient hymns and some very new hymns.
The top selection in this nonscientific survey was: Great is Thy Faithfulness. The next most frequently noted hymns were these: Amazing Grace; A Mighty Fortress; O God, Our Help in Ages Past; and Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee.
Perhaps another survey would be helpful after more experience with our
hymnals. More importantly, though, is the dynamic of learning what hymns and other expressions of faith help us in the worship of our faithful, amazing, and loving God.
Please help us continue the dialogue about what aspects of worship are helpful and meaningful to you.
~Cindi Veldheer DeYoung, Worship, Prayer and Spirituality Ministry