Winston-Salem, North Carolina
2020
To pilot an interactive worship experience that fosters practices of justice, stewardship, and vocational exploration, and facilitates personal and communal encountering of God.
Provide a brief summary of the purpose and goal of your grant.
Rooted in progressive Baptist thought and continuing the legacy of radical hospitality embodied by our campus-based congregation, we hope to create a new worshiping community that brings together the students and young professionals of Wake Forest University through worship experiences that value holistic spiritual formation, justice-focused worship, community stewardship, vocational exploration, and the person and communal encounter of God.
What are two questions that have generated reflection on worship and helped shape your project?
- How can virtual worship be designed and delivered in a way that offers "zoomed out students and staff" a place to come, be together, and find restoration?
- Despite the challenges of Covid, what foundational elements of worship can we lay now that we will be able to build upon in a post-covid era?
What impact has your project had on the worship life and habits of the congregation?
The greatest impact this project has had so far is the fostering of intergenerational dialogue. Twice a month, we publish a "Project Gen" interview, where we interview a member of our congregation and ask them to reflect "generationally" on issues ranging from justice-centered worship and vocational exploration to stewardship and spiritual formation. These interviews have sparked conversations between different generations everywhere from our virtual Bible Studies to our Sunday worships.
What have been your greatest challenges (or challenging opportunities)?
Unsurprisingly, covid. However, it's not just covid, but the reality that our church, as a campus-based faith community, had to follow the safety protocols laid out by Wake Forest University. As a result, we have not be allowed to gather on campus (in any capacity) since March 2020. This forced us to move our worship online and off campus, which, ultimately, is not something our students wanted and definitely was not the type of worship and intimacy our worship team desired.
What would you like to share with other Project Directors?
My saving grace this year was cultivating a community of pastors and faith leaders who were all struggling with new(ish) ministries in the midst of covid. If it were not for the weekly check-ins with my Pastor as well as monthly check-ins with ministerial friends outside of my church setting, I would have have questioned my ability to lead and our church's calling to this project. However, this group of friends and mentors reminded me that the work my church and I were doing, was indeed good.
