Collaborative Worship

Last Saturday we had about eight people attend the Worship Arts Workshop, designed to explore the typical elements of a Sunday morning worship service in the Unitarian Universalist tradition. Offered once every year or two, the workshop invites participants to reflect on what makes for great worship. And we all pretty much agreed that great worship is emotionally moving and inspiring. We agreed that great worship invites contemplation and connection; and that it has a flow and a cohesiveness to it—a clear theme and message. Finally, we all agree that consistently good quality Sunday worship is a key factor in the overall success of the Fellowship.

And my feeling about our UUFCM worship is this: that it takes all of us. Just as our Hospitality Coordinator currently schedules a Greeter, Second Greeter, Set Up, Clean Up, and Refreshments person for every Sunday; the Worship Coordinator could schedule a Welcomer, Chalice Lighter, Reader, Altar Keeper and Chalice Extinguisher every Sunday. Like the different hospitality roles, each worship role has some guidelines and training associated with it. The second half of Saturday’s Worship Arts Workshop was about providing this training: the behind-the-scenes details of scripts and microphones, ritual elements and energetic intentions.

For me as a minister it is a joy to serve a congregation with such a robust, talented, and dedicated Worship Team (Mary Alsager, Norma Bailey, Laura McBride, Guy Newland, and Stacey Pattison); and such a strong tradition of lay-led worship. My vision of more collaborative worship, involving more voices from the congregation every Sunday, would in my opinion take us to the next level of high quality worship—which after all is never a performance, but is an interactive communal ritual. If you are interested in being part of this journey but couldn’t attend the Worship Arts Workshop last weekend, please talk to me or to one of the Worship Team members. Everyone who wants to is able to participate in some way in Unitarian Universalist worship. I look forward to continuing our commitment to high quality worship with greater collaborative participation.

PRAYER:

Spirit of Life and Love, look on us with grace as we build and maintain this community of connection, compassion, and commitment to our highest ideals.

Bless the worship associates, lay leaders, readers and greeters. Bless the ones who come to Sunday morning worship seeking and yearning, lost and lonely.

May we all use our gifts for the thriving of this religious community and of every person who touches it.

In the name and faith of all of us,

Blessed be.

Rev. Drew Frantz / October 6, 2026