Worship Weblog

Ancaster Book Group – First Meeting

Posted by cicw

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Book Groups

We invited 34 book groups across the U.S. and Canada to meet and discuss The Church of All Ages and its implications for their worship, and to share their notes here.
Learn more

“Forming”

This past Sunday evening, a small group of people from the Ancaster Christian Reformed Church enjoyed a warm meal before tackling the issue of intergenerational worship as highlighted in the book, The Church of All Ages.

Ancaster CRC is a suburban congregation of 730+ members located on the outskirts of Hamilton, Ontario in the small town of Ancaster. Over 300 members of the 33-year old congregation are under the age of 30. College and university students from the campuses of Redeemer University College, Mohawk College and McMaster University add to the Sunday morning energy of families and singles, young and old. ACRC has two full-time pastors and holds the credentials of two CRC campus chaplains. Since the worship centre can hold 400 people at one seating on any given Sunday morning, two morning services have been scheduled.

With their tummies filled and a hot coffee or tea within arm’s reach, the small group participants began to share their thoughts and feelings concerning the first chapter – “A New Issue for the Day”. As the group struggled to define the word ‘worship’, meaning-filled stories of extra-special songs and events shaped the conversation for over an hour. ‘Worship’ came to be understood as the event of people coming together to give together to God.

“I couldn’t stand worship in the old country – a sermon then a ‘tussenzang’ then another sermon. I didn’t like it at all. As a kid, I was meant to be seen and not heard. I kind of like the way things work now.”

“Marva Dawn spoke this weekend at Redeemer. She said that the little things we do in worship add meaning to our time together”

“It is not as important as it once was for us for us to be together . . . the need is not as great . . . we can speak English now.”

“In Mexico City, we followed a certain liturgy that was familiar. I see that framework here in this place. Oh, by the way, Mariano Avila was my pastor.”

“I like to sit with my grandpa.”

“I don’t want my son to tune out like I did as a kid.”

““I Love to Tell the Story” was one of the first songs I learned as a child.”

““Indescribable” is one of the only songs my son will actively sing in church because he remembers singing with Chris Tomlin at a Youth Unlimited Convention in Colorado.”

“I love it when the children’s choir sings with the adult choir.’
“I know that I am older, but I miss the children’s message now that the children leave for ‘Children’s Worship’ and ‘KidzKonnect’.”

“I have a hard time learning new songs.”

“We need to be more inclusive.”

‘Worship’ came to be understood as the event of people coming together to give together to God.

Our small group decided to come back again in the weeks ahead with a more direct approach to tackling the issues at hand in chapters 2 and 3. We decided on a theme dinner. We decided that a few individuals would be responsible for answering a few questions. We went home – blessed.

Rev. Jeff Klingenberg
Associate Pastor, Ancaster CRC

Tags: bgancaster, Book Groups 2009, intergenerational