CHURCH ANNIVERSARY

MUSIC & WORSHIP RESOURCES

Courtney-Savali L. Andrews, Lectionary Young Adult Liturgist

Worship Planning Notes

A Church Anniversary provides the opportunity for a church to celebrate another year of faithful work to the causes of Christ. More than this, it offers a time of assessment to determine whether its members are maturing and becoming more Christlike, and whether all areas of the church are working properly as they advance the causes of Christ.

The New Testament reminds us that all members of Christ are given gifts for the building up of the body, the diversity and specific nature of which serve the Church’s own life and its vocation as servant, for the furthering of God’s Kingdom in the world (Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-30). Therefore, we have all been called to a specific purpose as the Holy Spirit equips us with spiritual gifts and empowers our natural talents to fulfill the work of the Kingdom through the Church.

The worship service should reflect the actual history of your church. Like the journey leading to the Promised Land, the liturgy takes the congregation through a similar journey—from Egypt, the wilderness to the fulfillment of promise. Begin with songs that resonated with those in the early years of your church, and end with the music of today. Suggestions are provided that reflect the contributions of prominent songwriters for a variety of eras.

As you plan your Church Anniversary services and activities for this year, consider the focus of your programming to include identifying the gifts and talents of your members by recognizing individuals, families, or even entire ministries for their impact within the church and community. This moment of recognition should serve as an example of the body: functioning as many different and separate parts that function in a healthy, unified, way to promote a healthy, growing church. Highlighting these examples in your church may be done by:

• Having the media ministry work on a video or slideshow presentation. A presentation of current highlights by these members for recent service can be included among other video content that traces the work and service of the founders of your church and past members who have positively influenced the accomplishments and milestones of the church today.
  
  
• Helping the youth and children’s ministries prepare remarks of introduction for the highlighted members or ministries. They will read these remarks at the appointed time in the service.
  
  
• Inviting the highlighted ministries to make a presentation to share the details of their service with the congregation if their work is not widely known.

Along with the above focus, the Church Anniversary also serves as a time to assess the body to be sure that it is working properly and that your members are maturing in becoming more Christlike. Consider activities and events that give room for a proper assessment over the anniversary week. Plan activities that include:

• Workshops on discovering and functioning in your proper gifting and calling;
  
  
• A mini-conference to identify strengths and struggles while promoting growth in ministries that need adjusting and need more workers; and
  
  
• An Agape fellowship meal or outreach event bringing the church and local community together. This will be helpful in assessing your church’s efforts on being externally focused and helpful to the surrounding communities.

There are plenty of ways that the Church Anniversary can be celebrated. To ensure that the services and events cover the scope of your theme effectively, consider the following suggestions:

• Start planning early and appoint the appropriate committees to realize the vision for the week.
  
  
• Invite former pastors and ministerial staff to be a part of your services and events.
  
  
• Be sure to think of and include the entire body of your congregation, including children, elders, people with disabilities, the deaf and sign language ministries, sick and shut-in members, etc.
  
  
• Incorporate the music, arts, and dance and drama ministries carefully in the week’s schedule of services. Be sure to plan the items and tasks so that no one ministry is over-scheduled, especially when the arts ministries are involved in collaborative work with each other.

1. Call to Worship and Responsive Reading

(a) Call to Worship
by Thom Shuman. Inspired by Ephesians 4:1-16, John 6.

Lead a life worthy of the calling
to which you are called.

We cannot do this alone,
we dare not try this alone,
so we gather as God’s people.

Lead a life worthy of your calling,
a life filled with service and meekness.

We come to build up Christ’s Body,
in humility and gentleness,
with patience and love.

Lead a life which reflects your calling,
that life of peace grounded in the Spirit.

We rejoice in our oneness in Christ;
we would share the grace offered to us.

Live a life worthy of the calling
to which you have been called.

We gather as God’s family
at the Table prepared for us,
waiting to be fed by the Bread of life.

(b) Call to Worship
by Carl W. Kenney II. Based on the words of James Weldon Johnson and Hebrews 11:1.

You are young gifted, and Black
We must begin to tell our young
Faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen
There’s a world waiting for you
Yours is the quest that’s just begun
Faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen
Young man, young woman,
your arms are too short to box with God
Faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world,
We forget Thee.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen

All: May we forever stand.
True to our God
True to our native land

(c) Responsive Reading

The Church

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all of the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.

For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many.

As it is, there are many members, yet one body. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid: the foundation is Jesus Christ.

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.

In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.

2. Hymns and Congregational Songs
(a) We’re Growing. By Evelyn Reynolds. Tune, (WE’RE GROWING).

(b) The Church’s One Foundation. By S.J. Stone. Tune, (AURELIA).

(c) Lead Me, Guide Me. By Doris Akers. Tune, (LEAD ME).

(d) We Are God’s People. By Brian Jeffery Leech. Tune, (SYMPHONY).

(e) Blest Be the Ties That Bind. By John Fawcett. Tune, (DENNIS), by John G. Nageli

(f) Renew Thy Church, Her Ministries Restore. By Kenneth L. Cober

3. Spirituals or Traditional Songs and the Music of Charles A. Tindley
Why Charles A. Tindley? The celebration of the history of a black church would not be complete without a hymn written by Charles A. Tindley. Tindley is known as one of the “found­ing fa­thers of Amer­i­can Gos­pel mu­sic.” The son of slaves, he taught him­self to read and write at age 17. He worked as a jan­i­tor while at­tend­ing night school, and he earn­ed his di­vin­i­ty de­gree through a corre­spond­ence course. In 1902, he be­came pas­tor of the Cal­va­ry Meth­o­dist Epis­co­pal Church in Phil­a­del­phia, Penn­syl­vania, the church where he had ear­li­er been the jan­i­tor. At the time of Tindley’s death, his church had 12,500 mem­bers. The Tind­ley Tem­ple Unit­ed Meth­o­dist Church in Phil­a­del­phia was renamed in his honor. Tindley’s “I’ll Over­come Some Day” was the ba­sis for the Amer­i­can ci­vil rights an­them “We Shall Over­come,” pop­u­lar­ized in the 1960s.

(a) Work Together Children. Arr. by Evelyn Simpson-Curenton

(b) I’ll Overcome Some Day. By Charles A. Tindley

(c) Stand by Me. By Charles A. Tindley

(d) We’ll Understand It Better By and By. By Charles A. Tindley

4. Gospel Songs for Choirs, Ensembles, and Praise Teams
(a) Called to Be. By Jonathon Nelson

(b) God Wants a Yes. By James Hall

(c) The Potter’s House. By Varn Michael McKay

(d) Order My Steps. By Glenn Burleigh

5. Liturgical Dance and Mime Ministry Music
(a) You Can Use Me. By Shea Norman

(b) God Great God. By Kurt Carr

6. Offertory Prayer
by Dr. Carl W. Kenney II. Based on 1 Corinthians 2:9

Leader: Lord, we remember the faith of those from long ago. We honor their courage, their wisdom and determination on this day of celebration. We stand on the shoulders of many clouds of witnesses. We bring to you our time, talents and money to continue the work you began with our ancestors.

We stand in the middle of greater possibilities. You have carried us through many dangers, toils and snares. Eyes have not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered the heart of men and women, things which you have prepared for those who love you. We bring all we have to you. Use it to continue the work you started long ago.

7. Offertory Song or Instrumental
(a) I’ll Praise Him. By Maurette Brown-Clark

(b) Great Things. By DeAndre Patterson

(c) Give to the Lord. By Ron Kenoly

8. Song or Instrumental for the Period of Prayer
(a) Here I Am, Lord. By Dan Schutte

(b) Take My Life. By Micah Stampley

9. Sermonic Selection
Before the sermon, a statement should be made about the connection between the past, present, and future. The selection before the sermon honors the contribution of those who create music for us today. They, like those present, are connected to those mighty clouds of witnesses honored during the anniversary. We can’t separate the past from the present and future.

(a) Use Me. By M. Roger Holland II

(b) Called to Be. By Jonathan Nelson

(c) Use Me. By Dewitt Jones and Kim Jones

10. Invitational Song or Instrumental
(a) Make Us One. By Twila Paris

(b) Lord, I’m Available to You. By Carlis Moody, Jr.

(c) I Need You to Survive. By David Frazier

11. Benediction Song or Instrumental
(a) Let the Church Say Amen. By Andraé Crouch

(b) We Must Work. By Keith C. Laws. Arr. by Nolan Williams, Jr.

Cites and Additional Information for Music and Material Listed