Sundays at UPC Conversation
On January 8, George invited us all to participate in the mission of UPC: to Share Hope in Jesus Christ. Our Session has been wrestling with these words, this call, and what it means for UPC for the last year. One of our top priorities has been taking a fresh look at Sundays—our worship, our adult education opportunities, the ways we gather as community—and how we could better support this mission. The vital question guiding us came from Darrell Guder when he visited UPC last April: "How does the congregation’s gathered worship intentionally draw together all of UPC's diverse forms of mission and ministry into a joint witness to one Lord, one gospel, and one calling?"
Since last fall, the elders have been asking for input and doing a lot of listening and praying. We have held a series of congregational meetings in which we have been asking questions and doing more listening. Many of you have had individual conversations with elders or sent feedback to
worshipconversation@upc.org. We are still listening and still asking questions. Each and every voice in this conversation has value, and we are thankful for those of you who have taken the time to engage.
Opportunities to Engage
- Attend a conversation gathering. Stay tuned for details on the next meeting time.
- Take a survey or two. Click here to take a survey and read others' responses.
- Email the team at worshipconversation@upc.org with questions, concerns, suggestions, and other input.
- Join a focus group. Email Elder Jim Garras if you would like to participate: jbgarras@msn.com
We want to hear from you!
The Conversation So Far
January 15 and February 8 Gatherings
At this set of meetings, the Sundays at UPC team presented a new set of questions to discuss:
- What do you value most about worship at UPC? Why?
- How can Sundays be a welcoming experience for those new to UPC in which the Good News is shared and Jesus Christ is glorified?
- We continue to get lots of feedback from folks who believe that we must continue to have only "traditional" worship in the morning in the sanctuary with choir and organ, as well as lots of feedback from folks of all ages who want to worship in the morning at a service with a more contemporary style. How can we work together to honor different parts of the Body? What are the ways with the space and time that we have available to make changes?
- How does what we do on Sundays at UPC fulfill our value of sharing hope with the congregation and community?
Click here to read written feedback from these gatherings and offer your own thoughts on these subjects.
November 20 Gathering
On November 20, we invited the congregation to discuss these five questions to help guide the process of discerning how to shape the content and format of Sundays at UPC:
- How could we provide more opportunities for adults to deepen their faith?
- How would re-energizing our traditional morning services, or even adding a contemporary morning service, help us welcome new friends into worship?
- How could providing common experiences of fellowship and mission help create a greater sense of unity and identity?
- How might we enjoy more intergenerational worship by identifying a service that truly invites children and families to participate?
- What additional questions do you have that you believe we should be considering in this process?
Click here to read the responses from that meeting and offer your own thoughts on them as well.