View source for Worship Planning Guide

==Andrew's Handy-Dandy Worship-Planning Worksheet==

Leading worship may sound daunting but it really doesn't need to be that scary.  More than other things in YAG, however, it is much more “led” than, say, creative activity.  Ultimately you want to steer away from Spiritual Discussion Part 2 and give people a more, well, worshipful experience.

So, let's start planning this worship!

Let's start at the very beginning, it's a very good place to start:


'''Do you want to have songs?'''

If the answer is “yes” then there are other things to consider.  Are you comfortable leading songs?  If not then contact another YAGer and see if they're willing to lead.  Worship collaboration is fun!  Make sure you arrive early enough to get the hymnals out of the meetinghouse if you're using hymnals.  You can also play music off your computer if you want to use a song that most folks won't know or a song that doesn't lend itself to group-singing.  Try to pick songs that at least a few people know to minimize teaching time.


'''Do you want to have readings?'''

There are some readings in the back of our gray hymnal, “Singing the Living Tradition.”  You can also find readings on the UUAs website WorshipWeb: http://www.uua.org/worship/


'''Do you want to have a discussion?'''

I'll admit I'm biased but I don't like having a discussion as part of worship.  Why?  Because worship-mind and discussion/debate-mind are very different things.  As John Wesley said, “Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion?”  Worship is the shared experience of ritual, of doing a “thing” together.  Spiritual discussion is talking about that thing and often becomes a debate.  We already have a Tuesday dedicated to spiritual discussion.  If you feel you absolutely must give people the space to talk about their worship experience leave some time at the end.  Close the worship-time and then open the floor for discussion.


==What do I actually DO for a Tuesday worship?==

Let's start by picking a theme.  This theme could be something inspired by the seasons, the liturgical calendar (look it up!), or a topic like “peace” or “action” or “sorrow.”  You can do a type of worship like “meditative” or “song-focused” but you'll still want to have a theme. Remember – you want all of your elements to be tied together in some way.  

''The theme of my worship is:''


Next let's pick a chalice lighting.  The chalice is the symbol of Unitarian Universalism and we light the chalice and say a few words to begin our time together.  There are a lot of chalice lightings available in our gray hymnal, on worship web, and all over the internet.  You can also write one yourself or use a line of a poem or song you love.  The chalice lighting is a great way to get someone else from the group involved in worship, especially a newer person.  Decide if you or a new person is going to read the chalice lighting.  Make sure it relates to your theme!

''My chalice lighting is:''


''The chalice lighting will be read by:''


Great!  Now let's pick a few opening words.  This should introduce people to the theme of your worship but not as “instructions.”  Somethings like, “Tonight I invite you into this space, away from all other time and space, to center ourselves on the theme of Winter.  In these cold months it is easy to forget that the earth is teeming with life; tonight we will sing songs, hear readings, and reflect on Winter.  I invite you to take a few deeps breaths and center yourself as we (sing this song, read this poem, etc).”  Then open with a reading, a song, or a prayer.

''My opening words are:''


The rest of the worship can be pretty free form but there are some elements you'll may want to work in and things to consider.  Remember, you'll likely have more than one of some of these pieces:

Readings can be either responsive (where one person reads a line and everyone else reads the next line in unison), read completely in unison, read as a group where each person reads one line, or any other configuration that you decide on.  Decide on how things will be read beforehand rather than asking people what they want to do.  Work the instructions into the introduction of the readings.  “This poem by (poet's name) speaks to how they experienced winters of their childhood.  I'll read the first line and we'll continue, line by line, to my left.”  Make sure you have enough printed copies and bring a few in large print to have available if people request them.

The readings I plan to use in this worship are:

''The readings will be read by:''


Prayer can be scary, and not everyone is a fan.  If you want to try throwing a prayer into the mix look at WorshipWeb or Google “Unitarian Universalist Prayers.”  There are a lot online.  Prayers from other traditions can often also be adapted.  Make sure you're aware of God-language and how people feel about that.  You can also try writing your own prayer!  Rev. Naomi King has a great build-a-prayer template http://thewonderment.typepad.com/the_wonderment/2010/05/buildaprayer.html

''The prayers I plan to use in this worship are:''


Activities can be worshipful but be cognizant of whether you're bringing people out of the worship mindset with instructions and settings things up.  Activities that can work well include reflective drawing or writing, meditations, simple activities like candles or stones of joys and sorrow, or other activities that allow people to reflect (either verbally or silently) on the theme.  

Make sure there is a good ratio of talking about to actually doing.  Don't choose activities that require too much instruction or make sure the instructions can be worked in to the actual activity.  It's not necessary to over-explain!  Expect that people will pick up on what is going on.  There's no need to apologize for your activity or your worship (ie: “I'm sorry if this seems silly” or “I don't really know if this is going to work”)  Assume it will work and assume people will like it!  People want you to succeed!

''The activities I plan to use in this worship are:''


Transitions are important.  They tie each section of the worship together so it feels like one cohesive service rather than a series of individual activities.  Transitions also let people know that you're in charge, that you have them, and that you worked hard and planned this out.  The best way to transition between elements is to not announce you are transitioning between elements.  Instead of saying, “Okay, so the next thing we're going to do is sing a hymn so get out your hymnals and open to hymn 123, 'spirit of life'” just say, “let's join together in singing hymn number 123, Spirit of Life.” These things communicate the same thing.  Hymns are really good as transitional elements.  You could also bring a gong/singing bowl to signal when certain times (meditation, reflection, etc) are over instead of announcing them.

Reflections are a way to have a sermon-like element without having a sermon in the worship service.  If you would like to have people offer 3 to 5 minute reflections on the theme make sure you ask them well in advance of the service.  If you let people speak spontaneously the day of you may end up with off topic or long, ramblings responses.  Allow people a moment of silence after someone finishes their reflection.  You can also invite people to share their own poetry or other form of expression (songs, drawings, etc) on the theme.  Ask if they'd be willing to email you a copy of their reflection ahead of time or bring extra copies for anyone who may prefer to read while they listen.

''The following people will offer reflections:''


Closing with another short reading or hymn helps end the service.  It should be something simple; maybe even use a familiar hymn from earlier in the service.

''The closing words I will use are:''


Extinguish the chalice with the words used each week: We extinguish this flame but not the light of truth, the warmth of community, or the fire of commitment.  These we carry in our hearts until we are together again. 


==Bring it all together==

Alrighty!  Now go ahead and put all those different elements you've thrown together into whatever order makes sense for your worship.  Make sure you print out copies of anything people are going to need and try to have a semi-full script printed out.  If your worship has a lot of moving parts it may make sense to throw together a simple order of worship to give to people so you can spend less time explaining and more time doing. 

Things to note!

Sometimes check-in can take a long time and sometimes it goes really quickly.  Pick which elements can be cut if you are running out of time and have a backup reading or activity if your service won't stretch until 9pm.  

Ask people when you send out the email about the service if there are any accommodations they need in order to fully participate in the worship service.

Make sure you work in alternatives to activities that involve touching other people, staying silent/still for long periods of time, lots of movement, or other activities that may be difficult for some people due to disability, illness, or just personal preference. 

Bring as full a copy of the “script” of the service as you can and have a couple extra for anyone helping you lead or who is able to participate better when they can read along while they listen.

Ask someone to help you plan if you're nervous about going it alone.  

Get there early to set up BEFORE 7:15; that way you aren't pulling people out of a worshipful state of mind in order to find crayons or pencils or paper or move chairs around.

Have fun!