MUSIC & WORSHIP RESOURCES

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Marco K. Merrick, Guest Lectionary Liturgist
Director of the Inspirational Choir, Douglas Memorial Community Church, Baltimore, MD

Worship Planning Notes

• It would be ideal for a church family to promote and market their Bridging Communities Day service by extending invitations to churches, fellowships, and community organizations in communities and traditions unlike their own (i.e. black churches would invite non-black family members and friends and neighbors; Latino churches would invite non-Latino family and friends; etc.). Invite neighborhood schools with student and faculty populations unlike your church’s to worship with you. Because Sunday morning worship services can be difficult to integrate, since many individuals attend their own traditional services, consider holding the service at a non-traditional worship time (i.e. Sunday afternoon, week day evening, or Saturday).

• On a smaller scale (and personal to the parishioners), consider challenging the congregation to invite their personal friends, colleagues, peers, neighbors, etc., who are from other ethnic communities. As an incentive, create an acknowledgment, tribute, or award for the family, member, or church department that brings the most guests for the service, to honor their accomplishment.

• During the service, enable the special guests to introduce themselves or have the minister or lay leaders acknowledge the guest to learn who they are and from what community they come. Involve some of your guests in worship, as with the responsive reading below; they can offer music selections, a poem, a greeting, benediction, or prayer as it would be offered in their community. If needed, have language interpreters present.

2. Hymns or Congregational Songs
(a) In Christ There Is No East or West. By John Oxenham. Tune, (St. Peter) Alexander R.
     Reinagle

(b) Holy, Holy. By Jimmy Owens. Tune, Holy

(c) When Minds and Bodies Meet As One. By Brian Wren. Tune, (Sweet Hour) William B.
Bradbury

(d) Called to Gather As God’s People. By Carl P. Daw, Jr. Tune, Nettleton

3. Spirituals
(a) Every Time I Feel the Spirit. Traditional

(b) Do You Love My Lord? Traditional. Arr. by Roy Belfield, Jr.

(c) He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands. Traditional. Arr. by Hezekiah Brinson, Jr.

4. Gospel Songs for Choirs, Ensembles, or Praise Teams
(a) I Need You to Survive. By David Frazier

(b) Unity. By Glorraine Moone. Based on Psalm 133:1

(c) Hallelujah, Amen. By Nolan Williams, Jr.

5. Liturgical Dance Music
(a) Anthem of Praise. By Richard Smallwood

(b) Oh Happy Day. By Edwin Hawkins

6. Anthems
(a) Ho, Everyone That Thirsteth. By Will C. Macfarlane

(b) Me and My House. By Tim Sheppard. Arr. by David T. Clydesdale

(c) Upon This Rock. By Gloria Gaither and Donny McGuire. Arr. by David T. Clydesdale

7. Modern Songs (Songs Written after 1989)
(a) Bless the Lord. By Richard Smallwood

(b) Umoja (Unity). By Glenn Burleigh

(c) O Magnify. By Glenn Burleigh

8. Song or Instrumental for the Offertory Period
(a) Jesus Is a Rock in a Weary Land. Arr. by Glenn Burleigh

(b) Stop By, Lord. By Doris Wesley Bettis

9. Song or Instrumental for the Period of Prayer
(a) We Have Come Into This House. By Bruce Ballinger. Tune, Worship Him

(b) Hear My Prayer. By Moses Hogan

(c) There’s a Sweet, Sweet Spirit. By Doris Akers

10. Sermonic Selection
(a) I Asked the Lord. By Johnny Lange and Jimmy Duncan

(b) God and God Alone. By Phil McHugh. Arr. by Tom Fettke

11. Invitational Song or Instrumental
(a) The Family of God. By Gloria Gaither and William Gaither

(b) Only Trust Him. By John H. Stockton

(c) Somebody’s Knocking at Your Door. Traditional

12. Benediction Song or Music
(a) Lord, Make Us More Holy. Traditional

(b) God Be with You Till We Meet Again. By Jeremiah E. Rankin

13. Audio Visual Aids
A large map of your city and surrounding suburbs
Thumbnail dots in two colors, with adhesive backing

14. Other Worship Recommendations
Create a mapping exercise, which involves placing a very large map of the church’s region (a map of the city and surrounding suburbs by neighborhood) on a wall in the fellowship hall or community room. The mapping exercise should take place following the service. Each member is given a dot (blue dots represents members), and each guest is given a dot (a yellow dot means that one is a guest). The greeters or ushers can issue the dots to worshippers as they enter (usually as they are given a bulletin, worship guide, etc.).

Following the service, hold a reception or coffee hour that enables everyone to fellowship and share common and new experiences together. Design seating at tables that facilitates individuals to be seated with someone who they do not know. Require each person to find out from the person with whom they are seated where they live. Have each person introduce his or her guest; the guest will then introduce the church member with whom they have been matched. This “ice breaking” exercise enables individuals to commit some detail or fine point of another person to memory—if not for the long term, at least during this church fellowship period. Following the dialogue of introductions and interactivity, each individual will place his or her dot on the map, indicating the community where the new acquaintance resides.

The mapping exercise will help identify for the church and its leadership how broad its community is and its potential to extend outreach within the communities in its region.

If the church has an outreach minister or ministry, the exercise would be a useful tool to inform the church where they have the potential to strengthen the existing bridges they have cultivated in the community or indicate where they may need or want to develop ties to the community. The mapping information can be transformed into a slide or power point presentation to show where the church is represented in its region or making connections in its effort to help bridge communities.

Cites and Additional Information for Music and Material Listed

13. Audio Visual Aids (See above)

14. Other Worship Recommendations (See above)