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I see a number of churches struggling to maintain their
evening services because of falling attendances and
concerns over the cost of heating a large building for
the sake of a handful of people. It seems to me that
the preservation of an evening act of worship is vitally
important but perhaps some churches will benefit from
a rethink on how this tradition is maintained and developed
into the future.
Evangelism
Bulletin 81 gives 10 suggestions to help your thinking.
These are:-
- Change the venue.
- Change the Time.
- Themes.
- Ecumenical.
- Films.
- Hymns, Psalms and Songs.
- Alternative Spirituality.
- Prayer Evenings.
- In the News.
- Rotate the Leadership.
Here is a sample schedule for reshaping evening worship
based on a 4 / 5 week month.
4pm Tea Time
Start the evening at 4pm with a light tea. Invite people
from the community to join you for this but keep this
time 'non-religious' as simply a time for meeting people
and getting to know one another. This part of the evening
would typically continue until 5:30. Invite new people
to help with the washing up as it's a good way of getting
to know each other and people are always keen to help.
6pm Newly-styled Evening Event
This could follow a different style each week as described
below. Not everyone will be attracted to each evening
but with a regular cycle, some may come regularly to
specific evenings. This part of the evening would typically
last an hour. Some activities like films may take longer.
| |
Style |
Suggested Themes |
| Week 1 |
Themed Evenings |
What is God like?
The secret of happiness
Faith - what do we mean by this?
Guidance - how does it happen?
Doubt - don't fear it
Being human - what is sin?
Temptation - how to cope
Success and failure
Relationships
Freedom - what is true freedom?
Peace-makers or peace-lovers? |
| Week 2 |
In the News |
Bring newspapers along and discuss
prayerfully some of the key issues in the world.
Perhaps someone may have recorded a TV programme
which could be shown and discussed. There have been
a number of programmes on Christianity recently. |
| Week 3 |
Hymns, Psalms, Songs and Spirituality |
Wesley's Hymns
Fred Pratt Green's Hymns
Matt Redman and Tim Hughes
Graham Kendrick
Paul Field
Celtic Spirituality
Taizé Worship
Orthodox Christianity
The Desert Fathers & Mothers
Ancient Prayers and Meditations |
| Week 4 |
Prayer |
Pray for the church, its people and
the community at large. Vary the leadership and
styles of prayer used. Make a list of all the community
groups like the Police, disabled, schools etc. to
give people a wide choice of prayer topics. |
| Week 5 |
Activity Evening |
Use this occasional week to do something
different like watching a film or the recording
of a TV programme like Planet Earth or Simon Schama.
You could also have an evening devoted to arts and
craft or card making in the lead up to Christmas
and Easter. |
Once you have sorted your schedule for the season (Spring,
Summer, Autumn or Winter), deliver a flyer to the community
and invite them to tea with a welcome to the evening
activity if they would like to come. Invite them to
offer suggestions for other themes or activities.
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