11. Worship Summary

Time:

10:30am and 6pm Sundays. We attended the 10:30 service. Christus Rex is closed on school holidays, so this was the last worship service before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Setting:

All sanctuary furniture is movable. The organ is not, as far as I could tell. Students told us that they move the furniture around when the seasons of the church year change. On our visit, the chairs were placed in a semi-circle with the altar on a raised platform in the center. The altar is a raised wooden table, with a stole draped through its braces as a parament. The font is a cut glass bowl resting in a stand, placed directly in front of the altar on the floor.

Before:

• We arrived at 10:00 as the flutes, oboe and organ were rehearsing prelude, postlude and worship music in the sanctuary.
• One or two students were wandering around in the building, people were busy in the kitchen preparing the noon meal.
• A table in the narthex had the Sunday paper invitingly scattered on it. Donuts, muffins and juice were placed in a couple locations throughout the space.
• The choir assembled in the sanctuary to practice their anthem about 10:15. Shortly after that the narthex began to fill up with people.
• Students mingled and chatted with other students and a few gray haired folks. Deacons were intentionally greeting and welcoming people.
• As it got closer to 10:30, people began to move into the sanctuary and be seated for worship. Ushers greeted people at the doors of the sanctuary and handed out bulletins. The bulletin contained the order of service, printed copies of all the hymns, and a two-sided sheet with community annoucements and the names of all the deacons.
• The organ played prelude music, followed by another piece with the two flutes, and oboe.

Service:

• During the second prelude, Kathy and Edwin processed in from the left, Tim and Lars processed in from the right, all dipped hands in the font, and proceeded together to the altar, where they stood with heads bowed for a brief period before turning to sit the the front row facing the altar.
• Kathy did the announcements, confession/absolution and presided at communion. Tim read the gospel and preached. Both did deacon installation.
• The liturgy was Marty Haugen's "Now the Feast," which was canted by Lars throughout the service.
• Edwin led the prayers and did the readings. At one point he got up to do the readings when the choir was assembling to sing. He realized his mistake and sat down. After the anthem, he stood up to read and joked about his mistake. The congregation was warmly accepting of the mistake and the joke - a very informal, affirming atmosphere.
• Communion was celebrated in continuous fashion, all were explicitly made welcome.

After:

• After worship, on the occasion of deacon installation there was a turkey dinner offered and served to all who cared to join in fellowship.

Observations:

• Several choir members were also deacons.
• Everyone sang. The liturgy was familiar to the majority of the worshippers, and they sang all the congregational parts with gusto.
• Students led the majority of the service.
• Besides 10-15 parents or faculty members, the worshipping congregation was made up of traditional college students.
• Attendance between 150-180 people.
• Excellent music throughout the service, including the choir and special music. All music was student led, including the liturgical music.
• Worship leaders were identified by wearing albs. Tim, Erich and Luke all wore stoles - Erich and Luke wore them over the shoulder. Kathy wore an alb and pectoral cross; no stole.
• Atmosphere was formal but relaxed.
• Tim and Kathy didn't wear clerics.
• Installation of 6 new deacons at this service. Diaconal ministry is a clear focus at Christus Rex. Installation service was followed almost word for word out the Occasional Services book. Current deacons placed red stoles on the new deacons as part of the installation.
• It was clear that positions of importance and meaning throughout the service were given to student leaders.
• Service moved at a quick pace with little or few pauses for silence.
• The designated worship leaders entered together at the beginning of the service, dipped hands in the font and made the sign of the cross on their own foreheads on their way to the altar. To process out, they gathered again in front of the altar, then dipped a hand in the font and touched forehead, mouth and chest as they processed.
• The turkey dinner was offered and served to all who cared to join in fellowship.
• Despite inclement weather, the sanctuary was full.