Now that I finally have internet access at my parsonage, I find myself not coming up with things to blog about. So, some questions for you all instead, that aren't ready for stand-alone posts:
- Do you have a projection system at your church? What do you use it for? Do you use it every week? Do you (or does your pastor) use it in preaching? Every week? How?
- Do you have a Christian Education/Sunday School Program at your church? What ages? When does class meet? What curriculum do you use? How is attendance?
- How does your congregation celebrate Laity Sunday?
- Do you usually follow a theme for the whole season of Advent (or Lent)? This is something I've just started doing in the last two years, and it has helped give me more direction and cohesiveness to the whole direction of the season. Yes, it is time for worship planners to be thinking about Advent already!
7 comments:
1. No.
2. Yes. We use the Cokesbury Adult Sunday School system. Attendance is usually about six.
3. No.
4. This is my first Advent at this church, so I don't know yet. But it's time to get ready. One practice, I think, is to have a float in the annual Christmas parade.
1. No.
2. Yep. Two kids' classes: a younger class that uses a curriculum that escapes me, and a class that goes 2nd grade up to junior high that uses One Room Schoolhouse. Then two adult classes: one uses David C. Cook, the other is a book discussion class. Also during the week I teach a Bible study and have used Kerygma most of the time.
3. We don't, but we probably should.
4. I have before, but I don't always. One year during Lent I preached a series on different aspects of the cross's meaning. A lot of times, especially the past year, I've taken to focusing in on different characters of the stories to help give people a better idea of their situation. I've preached on John the Baptist, Joseph, and Judas. One Sunday this Advent I'll focus on Mary. These sermons seem to connect pretty well.
1.) We have a projector we permanently borrow from a church members business and a huge portable 8 foot screen. To use it pretty much upsets the entire worship space so I use it sparingly and only when I think it will really help the sermon or some other aspect of the worship service.
2.) we have preschool and kindergarten, 1-6 grades, 7-12, and then adult ed. We use denominational curriculum for kindergarten, something I've never seen before for 1-6 grade, and Nooma videos this year for 7-12.
3.) what's that, must be a methodist thing?!?
4.) I've done a sermon series through advent as well as lent, if I follow the lectionary then I haven't used a theme.
1. Yes - Our sanctuary has a very high ceiling. A couple years ago we had a screen installed that you push a button to lower (the button and the projector are located in the balcony). It's used for announcements at the beginning of each service. Our pastors might use it if they have pictures or images that they want to use. Some committees use it for power point type presentations when they get up to make a verbal announcement.
We also have a contemporary service that is currently meeting in a very large tent in the parking lot behind the church. The projector is used for 90% of the service. Most of it is for displaying the words to the songs we're singing.
2. We have Sunday School for all ages. Our adult classes have a much larger attendance than our children. The adult classes decide them selves what they're going to do and the kids use "Exploring Faith" and another one I can't remember. Sunday school for all ages meets at 9:30-10:30 (first service is 8:30-9:30) and just the kids (through 5th grade) at 11:00-12:00, during our second service.
3. For laity Sunday generally one of our lay leaders gives the sermons. I think it generally falls on a day that our ministers are at a district conference, but I'm not sure.
4. Yes, it started a couple years ago I think.
1. We just installed a new system this summer. We do use it every week at both services. We also have a contemporary service in our social hall on Thursdays, which is attended mainly by homeless or marginally homeless church neighbors, and we use the projection system for that service, too. We actually have three systems, installed in three different places, plus a portable unit. We use it for lyrics, unison prayers, and for the sermon. Personally, I would like to see it used with much more restraint during the sermon; it can be distracting.
2. Yes. Average attendance each week is about 100+. We have a nursery, young elementary, older elementary (both use Cokesbury curriculum), youth (she doesn't use a specific curriculum), and 5 adult classes (Adult Bible series, or whatever they want).
3. Yes. I'm lay leader, and am currently planning it. About six years ago, the previous lay leader spoke to our pastor, and Laity Sunday as we now observe it was born. Planned by the Lay Leader with all aspects of the day, including the sermon, delivered by the laity. It's wonderful.
4. Some years there is a theme -- others not. One year all of the Lent sermons were done in First person. It just depends.
Projection system - yes - I display the words to my scripture and the words of our songs. I will also at times put some pictures up for something or another. It's also used for Holy Communion liturgy and when I give presentations outside of the worship service.
Laity Sunday - Celebrate it every year. Different lay people will sing, preach, and lead worship. I have a pet peeve about this. Every pastor I know takes this Sunday off. I never do because I see it as a time to celebrate the gifts of my laity. I want to celebrate these gifts with them. I see not being there as a statement of them not being worthy of my time even though I expect them to be there when I'm there.
Church Year - I mostly preach sermon series. But during Advent and Lent, these series will have to do with the two different seasons.
1) We have a projector and have used it in worship with preaching more recently. SermonSpice.com
has videos that can be downloaded (often for a small fee) and that meet people in creative ways. In our recent sermon series we used a video clip each Sunday- some were more moving than others. SermonSpice.com has a top ten list and the videos are usually pretty good.
2) We have Sunday School for all ages offered at both our 9:30 and 11 services. What tends to happen is that people drop off their kids to Sunday School at 9:30, they attend service, and then they all go home-- Kids don't get worship, parents don't go to Sunday School. We're working on developing a Children's Church for 11.
3) I've been here a year and 1/2 and I haven't seen us do a Laity Sunday yet...
4) We do advent studies, we have a "Breakfast at the Manger" mostly kids and families and its a huge outreach. We're doing something new this year called Christmas at Home and doing a sermon series on A Christmas Carol. For Lent we focus on mission and have mission minutes each Sunday.
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