Introduction to the new services at St. Paul

1. Introduction to the new services at St. Paul

2. The Every Member Visit conducted in May of 2007 was the genesis for the creation of the Worship Task Force (WTF). • During these visits some members of the congregation identified the 11:00 service as an opportunity to add to our worship attendance, both through increasing the attendance of our current membership plus also drawing the unchurched to St. Paul.

3. Worship Attendance • Weekly attendance is approximately 325 worshipers for all three services. • 50% attend the 9:45 • 40% attend the 8:15 • 10% attend the 11:00 service. • Said another way, one-half of all people worshiping attend the Contemporary Service, which accounts for 1/3 of the service time.

4. WTF Methodology • Examined a variety of demographic reports • Studied material on forms of worship. • Visited a number of churches with growing attendance to see what made those churches successful.

5. Where the demographics and research led us … • Taking into account all the information available, the framework of a new service has been conceived.

6. The new service will • include music that has an edgier sound than the current Contemporary service – more pop-rock • have an overall atmosphere that is genuinely warm and welcoming • be fully participatory; expand the use of visual stimuli with more moving images • be genuinely experiential – a mind/body/spirit experience • include challenging sermons that connect the Gospels with every-day life

7. THE NEW SERVICE RESONATE

8. Its Purpose • To offer a true alternative to our younger demographic. • The goal is to provide a service that attracts and keeps not only the thirty-something adults, but also their children. • Many families want to worship with their children. • The existing 9:45 contemporary service appeals to the older range of the 25 – 49 year old group • Accordingly, much of the focus of the new service will be weighted toward the younger segment of this demographic.

9. Pop-rock, edgier sound (Tomlin/Crowder vs. Hillsongs). Meditative, older hymns that teach or draw to contemplation, accompanied by a variety of instruments. Genuinely warm and welcoming atmosphere. Fully participatory. Experiential, holistic emphasis. Increased awareness of people gathered as body of Christ. Increased use of the visual arts. Challenging sermons offering a life of depth, substance, and meaning. Expanded use of visual stimuli; more moving images. Guiding principles of the new service pursuant to demographics

10. Elements of RESONATE • Pre-service • The Gathering • The Word • Sending

11. Pre-Service • Music for 15-20 minutes. • Atmosphere of family gathering should prevail both in the lobby and church. • This is planned as a time for people to greet, reconnect, and mingle. Times for silence will come later in the service. • Family reunion! Share with each other and connect.

12. The Gathering • Many Elements similar to the current 9:45 • New elements • One strong worshipleader who narrates transitions. • Innovative, varying use of Scripture readings, singing, speaking, drama, etc. • Visual arts (e.g. our most recent Good Friday service) • Creative use of visual stimuli, lighting and moving images.

13. Children’s Worship • At end of Gathering, children 4 years old through 4th grade, are welcomed to attend the Children’s Worship which will include singing, teaching, games, crafts, and snacks, preferably all based upon theme of the day. • Families are free to keep their children with them in church.

14. The Word • Use of brief introductions to help connect the relevance of the readings to every day life in the 21st century. • A creative presentation of scripture. • Participatory prayers of the church.

15. Sending • To send people back to their Monday to Friday world with the sense of Lord accompanying them. • In addition, a final blessing with a fully participatory sending.

16. Food works! • To further foster the opportunity for connection, we hope to serve a simple lunch after RESONATE. • The lunch will be open to anyone who wants to attend.

17. Launch of the new 11:15 RESONATE • Seek 30 or more people to “plant” RESONATE by committing to it for 6 months. • This group will participate in a summer orientation. • Introduce RESONATE at the Saturday night services during the month of August. • Launch on Rally Day in September 2008

18. Bread of Life Holy Communion service offered twice a month at 10:50 AM

19. Bread of LifeFood for the Journey • Quiet, intimate, contemplative. • Fully participatory format for the whole family. • Components drawn from the traditional communion service include: • An Invocation • Words of Institution • Fully participatory distribution

20. The proposed new worship schedule • 8:00 Traditional • 9:30 Contemporary • 10:50 Bread of Life (twice monthly) • 11:15 RESONATE This schedule offers families new options for worship and religious education for their children.

21. No change in substance to the existing services or Sunday school The format and Communion schedule for the current Traditional and Contemporary services will remain the same.

22. Please consider helping the implementation teams • Plants to commit to the service for at least 6 months • Worship and Music Team – Pastor Bob (bob@stpaulnj.com) or Claire Partlow (ggpartlow@yahoo.com) • Video/Technology Team– Bob Sabattis (sabattislaw@att.net) • Kid’s Worship Team– Pastor Brian (brian@stpaulnj.com) or Liz Merriken (liz.merriken@comcast.net) • Marketing Team– Larry MacCleod (lmacleod@comcast.net) or Audrey Marcis (marcis@att.com) • Lunch Team – someone is needed to coordinate this