David Bailey on Reconciliation and Worship Response Times
A few years ago, East End Fellowship, a multicultural Presbyterian congregation in Richmond, VA, started an urban songwriting internship and a gospel choir to reflect its congregational values of incarnation and reconciliation.
Musician David M. Bailey is the music director at East End Fellowship (EEF), a multicultural Presbyterian congregation in the Church Hill neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia. A few years ago, EEF started an urban songwriting internship and a gospel choir to reflect its congregational values of incarnation and reconciliation.
EEF continues to work on creating worship that bridges differences. During 2012 and 2013, it received a worship grant to explore best worship practices for reaching people with diverse educational levels and learning styles. Bailey says they discovered that storytelling is a great unifier. EEF spent its grant year preaching from narratives in Scripture, asking people to share testimonies and including more artistic mediums in worship.
These videos are excerpts from a June 2013 conversation with David Bailey about more learning from their grant year. In the clip above, David talks about the best motives for reconciliation.
In this second clip he explains why EEF now makes time and space in worship for people to respond to the sermon.
Also in this Series
David Bailey on How Story Unifies Worshipers
David Bailey on Multicultural Power Dynamics
Gospel Choir as Spiritual Formation
The Reconciling, Sanctifying, Energizing Power of Worship's Urban Beat