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Beginning July 7, there will be three weekly worship services on Sundays at 8 a.m., 9:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.
Effective the first week of July, there will be three Sunday worship services each week, with no service held on Saturday evening. The Christian Formation hour with Children & Youth Christian Education (CYCE) and Adult Christian Education (ACE) classes will held between the 9:15 and 11:15 services. This schedule will continue until the end of our Sojourn in June 2020, at which point services will move back into the strengthened and restored Sanctuary. For details on why this change was deemed necessary and how the decision was made, please read the article below from our Rector, Rev. Aimée.
Sojourn Ministry Review Findings
The Good:
The Sojourn Ministry Review Team met recently to evaluate how All Saints’ Sojourn is going. We gathered feedback from parishioners, reviewed statistical data about service attendance, and consulted with Vestry to inform our discernment. Here’s what we learned: overall, people are finding Sojourn Worship warm and winsome; the space is inviting and beautiful; the community is finding the music inspiring and engaging, and is enjoying singing as a community in a good acoustical setting; our overall average attendance has held strong at 240; people are enjoying the variety of preaching voices; and All Saints’ new Adult Christian Education (ACE) has been very successful and interesting.
The Challenging:
However, we also learned of some challenges: 4 services can make the community feel disintegrated; the smallest service sometimes feels too small (35 people, 12 of whom are scheduled ministers); some liturgical ministries are having difficulty maintaining schedules for 4 separate services; and Children and Youth formation attendance is down. The question was asked by many if we needed to eliminate one service. As the Vestry considered the question, they unanimously recommended to the Sojourn Ministry Review Team to determine a sustainable 3-service Sojourn Worship schedule that would begin in July and could carry us through the remainder of the Sojourn (to be concluded in June 2020, with God’s help).
The Outcome:
Based on this review, we determined that we would establish a 3 service Sunday schedule that could accommodate our worship attendance, thus eliminating the Saturday 5 p.m. service. Our hope is that by consolidating services we will be able to mitigate some of the experience of community disintegration and the difficulties of scheduling lay ministries. This 3-service schedule also allows us to maintain our growing Adult Christian Education Ministry between the 9:15 and 11:15 services, as we seek to strengthen our Children and Youth Formation ministries during the Sojourn. Christian Formation for all ages will return in the Fall.
While we know that the Saturday worship service is popular among those who attend, the resources of time, talent and treasure ($16,000 annually) were determined unsustainable for this least attended service. We encourage those who have been attending Saturday worship to try one of the Sunday services at 8, 9:15 or 11:15 to find one that fits you best!
We are grateful for your faithfulness to God and the church during this time of transition. We know change can be hard, and we give thanks to the eternal changelessness of our ever-faithful God for sustaining us through these days.
The Sojourn Ministry Review Team consists of Gerry Doran (Vestry, Adult Formation), Allison Grisham (Vestry, Parent), Leslie Huber (Christian Formation), Andy Lentz (choir member), Joe Rawls (Verger), Simon Walter (Vestry, Parent), Benjamin Hanson (Interim Music Director), Fr. Paul, Rev. Vicki, and Rev. Aimée.
