New London, Connecticut
2020
To deeply engage scripture in worship through prayer stations that explore the history, theology, spirituality, and justice elements of the weekly scripture text.
Provide a brief summary of the purpose and goal of your grant.
Because we are a small church with no Sunday School apart from worship, we hope to implement intergenerational prayer stations in weekly worship that further instruct the congregation about four elements of the weekly scripture passage-- history/context, theological background, spirituality and justice/community engagement. The weekly stations will be supplemented by quarterly study groups and guest preachers, with each quarter focusing on one of the four elements listed above.
What are two questions that have generated reflection on worship and helped shape your project?
- What are the elements that make a prayer station effective in worship and education?
- How can we adapt our goal to use prayer stations in a way that they can be utilized during remote/virtual worship?
What impact has your project had on the worship life and habits of the congregation?
One impact we have seen with our at home prayer stations is that people are able to use them to reflect throughout the week, not just on Sunday mornings. This has the effect of carrying the message of the service into people's every day lives. The use of regular guest preachers has brought new ideas and new energy to the congregation, and has allowed for the deepening of our understanding of racial, cultural and ethnic diversity in our community.
What have been your greatest challenges (or challenging opportunities)?
The greatest challenge for us, as is likely for many other congregations, has been the pandemic. It is difficult to build a service around common prayer stations when everyone is worshipping at home in their own space. Not everyone has access to the same materials, so we've had to simplify our use of prayer stations in each service.
What would you like to share with other Project Directors?
If challenges do arise, don't give up on your project. It is possible to adapt and pivot so that your project can still have meaning, even if it doesn't look the way you thought it would. Listen for how the Spirit may be guiding you to make improvements to your original idea, and don't feel like you are a slave to your original proposal if certain elements aren't working.
