Worship Team Plans Fall Worship Series

Members of Brighton First Worship Team

The Worship Team met on June 7 to evaluate our most recent worship services, finalize plans for summer worship and plan worship themes for the fall. The ideal for worship planning is that basic worship themes and "big" worship events be planned 12 months in advance. This would give the Worship Team and worship leaders that opportunity to gather resources and have preparation time for quality worship. Our Worship Team has worship themes in place 3 - 4 months in advance and we are working to stretch that.

For September, I suggested that the book, The Five Marks of a Methodist, be the basis for Brighton First's worship theme. The team heard my idea and proposed going in a slightly different direction. Our discussion produced great fruit.

This is how worship is shaping up over the next few months.

Summer: In June, July and August we are "Going to the Deep End". Each week in worship we will focus on a controversial topic, an issue that people have a hard time discussing deeply with grace. We will use the Wesleyan discernment tools of Bible, Reason, Church Tradition and Experience of the Holy Spirit to examine each issue.

September: The worship theme for the month is "Why United Methodist?" On the Sundays in September we will be talking about what makes our congregation uniquely Methodist and how being Methodist can influence our daily lives.

Worship Series preparation begins with Bible study

October: We'll be having some fun with "The Rest of the Story" in October. We'll strip away the assumptions that we have about classic Bible stores that come to us from our Sunday School days. We'll take a fresh look at well-know biblical stories, considering what the Bible really says and asking about relevance for today.

November: As we brace for the cold of winter and anticipate the warmth of family and friends gathered at the harvest table, we'll celebrate the mercy, comfort and grace of God. We'll experience the reassurance of God in our grief, the renewal of our baptism vows and the warm of gathering at Christ's table. The worship series "Comfort, Comfort My People".

December: Our Advent Worship theme and our All-Church Advent Study is based on the book Sent: Delivering the Gift of Hope at Christmas by Jorge Acevedo. In worship we will sing with joy about Jesus who comes to reconcile us to God, set us free, be with us and bring us new life.