by Chris Struble, Worship Team Chair
Have you ever wondered how worship services happen at East Shore? Have you ever had an idea for a theme, a sermon, a topic, or a speaker to address our congregation? Then the worship team needs you!
The Worship Team is one of the core ministry teams of the church. We assist the minister with services, plan services for Sundays when the minister is not available, and take feedback about worship services from the congregation.
Worship services support every part of our mission, but especially the second part, to explore spirituality. Spirituality can be expressed in many different ways. East Shore members walk many spiritual paths on our long journeys from where we came from to where we are going.
If you find it hard to picture yourself leading a worship service, you are not alone. I stopped attending Catholic services when I was ten years old, and didn’t belong to any church for the next thirty years. When I started attending a UU church for the first time, I didn’t “get it” at first. I just knew that many of my friends went there, and I shared the same values. But being a worship leader now, fifteen years later, was the last thing i would have expected to be doing, back then.
My worship journey at East Shore started about ten years ago, when LeAnne, my wife, and I became involved in the solstice and equinox services here, which we both loved. In time our entire family were doing rituals and dances for the Winter Solstice celebration. We realized one family could not sustain an elaborate service like that by ourselves, so LeAnne and I joined the Worship Team.
One of my favorite books on leadership is Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader by Herminia Ibarra. Her premise is that every small act of leadership changes how you see yourself, and increases confidence, taking you beyond “I think I can” to “I know I can”.
With East Shore about to enter a transitional period between ministers, and expanding to two services in the fall, the Worship Team needs worship leaders now more than ever. If being a worship leader sounds outside your comfort zone, we have many different roles both large and small. You will have the support of a core team who have led services before and can guide you through the process. We are also planning Introduction to Worship workshops for members of the congregation, covering how to speak from a microphone, and other basics. Watch for announcements on the workshops coming soon!
We meet every third Wednesday at 7 PM in the South Room. For more information, contact Chris Struble.