Friday, July 8, 2022 Newsletter
SUNDAY SERVICE
IN-PERSON AND ONLINE VIA FACEBOOK LIVE:
10:00 a.m. Summer Worship in the Sanctuary
(* also available on our website and via phone)
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A MESSAGE FROM THE REV. J.C. AUSTIN:
A new intergenerational approach
As we continue with our Summer Worship experiment, one of the things we are intentionally exploring is how to do intentionally intergenerational worship well.
One of our core values as a congregation is being “Welcoming to All,” which by definition includes people of all ages. The challenge is that much of the way that worship is typically done in most Christian traditions, whether in the traditional or contemporary style, is for the sensibilities of adults with little to no thought about children.
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Whether we are talking about reading from a bulletin or a hymnal or a screen to join in songs or prayers, sitting quietly and still during a 20-minute sermon, or even the complexity of language or ideas that are used, worship is designed for adults, and a three-minute children’s sermon is not sufficient to counterbalance that fact.
In recent decades, many churches have recognized this challenge and generally taken one of two approaches in terms of engaging children in worship, neither of which has proven effective.
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The first approach is simply to say that children need to learn how to do worship, and so they should simply be compelled to attend worship services and taught what to do until they understand and appreciate it.
This approach, obviously, has met with very mixed results at best, which is what led many churches to try the second approach: offering alternative programming during worship services that was age-appropriate for children, whether that was a separate children’s worship service or moving Sunday School for kids to run parallel to worship.
This second approach was much more effective in engaging children in the short-term; the challenge was that when they became youth or adults and were expected to “graduate” into the regular worship service, they had neither the understanding nor the interest to do so, and frequently dropped out of church participation altogether as a result.
Intergenerational worship, in recent years, has become an important third way of doing worship that is designed to both avoid those problems and help churches authentically worship together regardless of age. While it can mean a variety of different things in actual practice, the common thread is designing worship services where people of all ages are able to engage fully in active worship throughout the service.
One example of how to do that is using more hymns and songs that are simpler in structure and lyrics so they can be learned and sung without requiring someone to be able to read lyrics, much less music. Another would be offering prayers that have short responsive refrains rather than long sentences prayed in unison, so that again, we do not marginalize children who are not proficient at reading at essentially an adult level.
A third example is using “multiple intelligences” to worship, meaning not simply aural engagement (like the sermon) but also things like visual, physical, and interpersonal engagement.
So, if you’ve been wondering why we have been exploring more embodied prayers, simpler songs, and so on, this is why! We have also made sure to continue offering things like favorite hymns and worship songs and a traditional sermon to ensure balance, but we are already learning some important things about how to do intergenerational worship well that will inform our worship offerings in the future.
So I want to thank you all for your willingness to experiment and explore, and encourage you to fully invest in that as we continue through the summer. If we are truly going to be an intergenerational congregation that is welcoming to all, we will need to find ways on an ongoing basis to reflect that in our worship life, not simply our programmatic life.
And I hope that one of the things that we are all learning is that we don’t have to marginalize adults to include children, and we don’t need to marginalize children to include adults. And if you have feedback or ideas that will help us improve our efforts along these lines, please let the pastors or Rich Hjorth, the chair of the Worship Committee, or anybody serving on Session, know what you think. Thank you!
Grace and Peace,
J.C.
Email us:
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FOR THIS SUNDAY
Click the link to read the verses
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- This week’s sermon: It’s Really That
Simple (?) by The Rev. J.C. Austin
- We post the video of each week’s
services and sermon text and audio
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TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT on 8.5" x 11" paper
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FOR SUNDAY MORNING: UPDATES!
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The Building Reopening Task Force has issued a new guideline: they encourage that people wear masks, especially if they are in a high risk category, as an additional precaution to protect themselves and others.
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Child care will be available from 9:45-11:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings; please ask an usher for directions.
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We offer nametags for folks to wear – these are for everyone! You can pick up as you enter the worship space; please clearly PRINT your first name.
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LOOKING AHEAD TO OUR NEXT ‘TABLE TALK’ ON SUNDAY, JULY 10 |
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Our second Table Talk will take place this Sunday following Summer Worship.
We’ll have a Brunch Potluck, so please make plans to bring your favorite brunch dish to share (and not to worry if you don't bring anything - we'll have plenty).
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This month’s conversation and learning will be around the immigration process for our Afghan family. We’ll let you know Sunday morning where we’ll be gathering. We hope you’ll join us!
Lemonade on the Lawn, the hospitality hour after the worship service, will return next week.
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SHHH… IT’S A SECRET!
If you are so inclined: we are proposing a card shower for Emy Cliff, who will celebrate her 100th birthday on Saturday, July 30.
You can send to her at
Briarholme 207
Kirkland Village
Bethlehem, PA 18017
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CALLING ALL CRAFTERS! NEW TIME |
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Sewers and knitters and quilters and painters and floral arrangers and anyone interested in fun and fellowship:
All are welcome to join the weekly sessions offered on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. This is a new time - no lunch break. No experience necessary! Materials supplied! We'll meet in Room 408.
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UPDATED: IF YOU ARE HOSPITALIZED…
We would like to know when our members are entering the hospital. Please tell the hospital that your church ID is 724. We contact the hospitals on weekdays to get that information. If you enter the hospital on Friday-Sunday, you can contact Phil Fair at prayer@fpc-bethlehem.org to keep us up to date.
PRAYER REQUESTS...
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Send us your news and photos to share:
**Deadline for next week's newsletter is
WEDNESDAY at noon**
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Your likes / comments / shares help us spread the word about First Pres!
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THIS SUNDAY
- 9:45 – 11:30 a.m.: Child Care (ask ushers to direct you)
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10 a.m.: Summer Worship Service, in-person in the Sanctuary AND livestream on Facebook Live and our website; below, to join us online
- 11 a.m.: Table Talk brunch; location TBA
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TO JOIN OUR LIVESTREAM WORSHIP SERVICES
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Visit our Facebook page and look for the post with our live feed
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If you don’t have a Facebook account, go to our website to view the service - click on the "Watch the Service" button
- Please check in with a comment so we know you’ve joined us!
- Captions will now be available on our livestream, for those who would like to use that feature
To watch a video – available after the services have aired: Visit our website archives
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IF YOU DO NOT HAVE INTERNET ACCESS: You can participate on your phone to listen to the Summer Worship Service
To listen on the phone (audio only): Call 929-205-6099; when prompted enter the Meeting ID: 848 4170 9518, followed by the # key. You will be asked for the participant ID – press the # key again.
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TUESDAYS, NEW TIME! 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Crafters, Room 408 (everyone welcome)
WEDNESDAYS: 7 p.m. - Overcomer’s Outreach Christian 12 Step Recovery Group weekly meeting, via Zoom (Meeting # 380 435 9056 / Password: overcomer)
CHURCH OFFICE AND BUILDING INFO:
Regular office hours are Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. The South entrance will be open during these hours, and on Sunday mornings.
Many of the office staff are continuing to work remotely for some of the time, so please make an appointment if you need to see someone specific. The answering service (610-778-7003) can take your urgent pastoral concerns, 24 hours a day.
CARE CONCERNS AND HOSPITAL VISITS: If members of the FPCB congregation are hospitalized and would welcome pastoral and hospital ministrant visitors and/or prayers, please contact: Phil Fair, Prayer Ministrant (prayer@fpc-bethlehem.org).
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FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BETHLEHEM |
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, 2344 Center Street, Bethlehem, PA 18017 610-867-5865 | info@fpc-bethlehem.org
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