Unique Worship Services of 2009

File: January 4th, 2009 service on stage

The English congregation has definitely had its share of unique worship styles and services in 2009, ushering the year with one where the whole congregation as symbolically an offering on the altar by having the whole service on the stage (Story). Back by popular demand, this 'sacrificial' offering of worship was reenacted with Nathan being the worship leader in the late spring.

And with Nathan being the worship leader, there always seems to be a sense of spontaneity and freshness. His musical roots inspired him to lead us over the summer to march around the Queen Mary community and throughout the church singing praises to God everywhere with the African-spiritual Siyahamba.

Besides live sermon notes, we also did a live request worship this year to reflect worship in changing times. Requests were open during the whole week on Twitter, but no requests were sent. However, that did not stop text requests of peoples favourite worship hymns to sing when Pat Milne was the guest speaker that week. It certainly livened up some old standards and was a good time to return to the old days when there was a single worship leader leading off a hymnbook from the pulpit. Another request worship will be scheduled hopefully each quarter in 2010, so think of which songs you would like to dedicate or offer to God.

With all the fast moving changes in some of the worship services this year, some people may have felt uncomfortable with that, and so a few other services which were unique, returned to more traditional routes. In the early half of the year, Dennis led an entire worship dedicated to prayer, where we had prayed for various things, as well as gathered with other members to pray for each other as well. We prayed the entire service, and still there is so much more to pray for!

Of all of the unique services by the English service this year, one certainly leaves an indelible character as it was a remembrance ceremony of the Lord's Supper using all five senses. The smell of sweet incense, with the bitter taste of the wine, the harsh sound of nails being struck, the thorny image of Christ on the cross, and the physical touch of the bread all left us with something to remember Christ's sacrifice with.

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