Worship
by Connie Goodbread

Why do we come together in worship?
Who is worship for?
What is the point of worship?
Does anything in your congregation’s Sunday morning worship service feed you?
Are there any moments of transcendence? Are you ever moved?
Do you feel safe enough in worship to lay your burden down?

Worshiping in community can make us whole. – Rebecca Parker

I have been to several worship services recently that were put together – however unintentionally -as a private event for those of who already knew one another quite well and I am not sure they even liked each other.

Here is a composite picture of these services:
There was no one to greet people. Nametags were available if you could find them or a marker. No one introduced themselves to guests. Orders of service were stuck inside the hymnals, if you didn’t get a hymnal you didn’t get an order of service. The service was disjointed at best and had all of the worst elements in it and left out all the best. No Chalice lighting. No introduction of the guest speaker. The sermon was a lecture. The music was from a CD or there was no expectation that the congregation would actually sing the hymns in the order of service. Joys and concerns (not sorrows) were long. The
concerns were actual sorrows, like the death of a parent. These sorrows were left hanging over the congregation like a black cloud. The joys, while personally joyous, paled standing next to the sorrows and almost trivialized the sorrows. In the middle of one service, from the pulpit the worship leader called out for announcements. People called back stuff, some of which was again, trivial. Guests were invited to stay after the service for coffee and conversation. There were guests at each of these services who stayed for “Coffee Hour.” I did not see one member speak to any of the guests. By the time I left each of these worship services I felt drained and hungry.

What is worship?! Worship is the time we set aside each week to hold up that which we find most valuable. Worship may be our one (especially when we are small) public offering. Worship is not just for those of us in the club. It is also, and maybe more importantly, for those who might still need the good news of Unitarian Universalism.

People come to worship to be fed. Worship should be a safe place where people can lay their burdens down, be transformed in some way, fed and then challenged to pick up those burdens once again and charged with the task of going out to transform the world.
Congregations need to concentrate on this one public offering.

This would mean that the whole community worships together. Therefore, there must be some food for everyone at the table, young and the old alike. We need to ask ourselves who and what is missing? Why? What could we change to make it possible for more people to be fed?

At the UUA Board of Trustees meeting in October we had the opportunity to learn from representatives of the Congregation-Based Community Organizing (CBCO) organization. I was impressed by their purpose, scope, work, and dedication to social justice organizing in congregational communities. In the report to the District following the BOT I indicated I would devote one or two columns to this excellent organization. This is the first of two efforts to let you know the importance of this organization, and how your congregation might benefit from their expertise.

Part of our UU mission is to work beyond the walls of our congregations and be involved in building bridges across the barriers that separate people from each other. CBCO offers a way to be part of the work we are called to do. The heart of being in right relationship is the concept of covenant. CBCO deepens and expands the possibility for us to be in right relationship through covenant with those who are not in our congregations. Covenant is a step in the direction of healing the “us-against-them” polarization of people.

Our UU history is rich in the tradition of pursuing social justice through the work of our UUA programs, affiliate organizations, the UU Women’s Federation, and social justice initiatives of all types. We have worked for civil and human rights in many ways; however we continue to face challenges within our congregations related to reaching our potential to engage in efforts for social justice, and these problems need addressing. Those things that get in the way of more effective justice work include the lack of relationship in necessary venues, falsely assuming the problems of poverty and systemic racism do not affect us, lacking the avenues to pursue social justice, and focusing on short-term solutions instead of long-term change.

Our UUA affirms as one of our principles a faith and belief in democracy. It has become obvious, especially after the mandate of our recent national election, a force for democracy is becoming stronger in our nation. There are many social justice efforts that operate largely outside the media spotlight and these efforts represent a significant force for change and renewal of democratic participation. This force is CBCO. Also referred to as “broad-based, faith-based, or institution-based community organizing” this model of local and statewide activism brings people across race and class, mainly through congregations from diverse religious traditions. Although community organizing has been a part of our society for over 100 years, congregation-based efforts are the focus of CBCO. In the U.S. there are close to 200 local CBCO groups, and currently 100 of these groups are UU congregations.

I will continue this column in January. Stay tuned but if you cannot wait to learn more about CBCO, a telephone call would be welcomed, 813-931-9727 or I can be reached at jlund@uua.org. May each one of you experience a blessed and warm holiday season. Despite the many problems we, as a society or individually, may have there is much for which to be thankful. Think on these things.

Joan Lund