Naomi's Notes - 11/09/08
Two weeks ago I attended the annual gathering of the Ky. Council of Churches which convened this year at Good Shepherd Catholic Church. Subbing for Chuck, I led a litany during their joint worship service. It was quite interesting--the KSU Gospel Choir sang, Nancy Jo Kemper, retiring Executive Director, preached her farewell sermon, and the organist cut loose with Widor's Toccata.
The modern architecture at the church's new location always intrigues me. The spacious, natural light-filled sanctuary is aesthetically beautiful - a wonderful aid to worship, I think.
[However, the structure creates an acoustical nightmare. The beautiful stonework causes echoes; the ceiling is so high at the front (over the rostrum) and so low at the rear of the room, the effect is like using a megaphone backwards. Microphones cannot overcome the problem adequately - much that is sung or spoken by the worship leaders is inaudible.]
Waiting for the service to begin, I noticed one feature that triggered memories for me. On each wall flanking the rostrum were two small, wooden boards with hymn numbers on them. Somehow they seemed a bit out of place in such modern architecture.
You know the Baptist version of these wooden boards: They once were in nearly every church, part of the traditional or gothic decor. Hymn numbers and "contacts" were not always included, but Sunday School enrollment/attendance numbers were, as well as offering amounts from the previous Sunday. Apparently, it was very important (?) that the congregation see these figures during worship each week.
During my college years, my dad became bi-vocational pastor of a small, rural church in South Carolina. Once when I came home for break, I remember him relating the challenges of trying to help the congregation have some order in their worship services - things like getting the ushers to take up the offering simultaneously, row by row. It was slow going.
My first Sunday there I was invited to sing a solo right after the offertory (where else?). The ushers collected the offering, then entered a room adjacent to the choir loft to count and secure the money (important during worship?). I walked to the pulpit and began my solo, singing from memory.
Imagine my surprise when the ushers emerged from the back room, changed the offering numbers on the board, walked in front of me, placed the empty plates on the offertory table, then climbed over family members as they took their seats in the pews - all while I was singing! There is no way those numbers were that important!
Worship leaders walk a fine line each week in planning services that have both order and spontaneity; that are neither boring nor full of distractions. The goal is to help each person focus on God, ignoring other things that are less important, sometimes barriers to worship. Despite our best efforts, distractions often occur. Then it's up to individual worshipers to refocus quickly, getting their own worship priorities in order.
See you in worship this Sunday -
Naomi