Each person is part of the ministry of our church. For some, participation in Worship as a reader, musician, and skit participant for our Lesson for all Ages or in another capacity is an important expression of their spirituality. Our minister and the Worship Committee invite your input and participation in our worship services. Please contact Erica or Meret, Chairs of the Worship Committee for more information.
The Worship Committee is responsible for creating or sponsoring one service a month during the regular church year (September-June). This may involve sponsoring another group within the church to put on a service, such as the Social Action Committee or Senior Youth Group.
At other times, the members of the Worship Committee have a great deal of fun designing, planning, and presenting a service, which includes finding or creating readings, choosing hymns, coordinating with the Music Director, and creating an order of service. During the summer, the committee is also responsible for coordinating lay-led services and ensuring that all Sunday slots are filled.
Want to see what we have been up to? Click Worship Services to learn more and link to descriptions of some of the services we have presented. We would love to have you join us! For more information about this committee, click here.
Worship Associates
Would you like to be a reader at a worship service, participate in a lesson for all ages skit, or contribute occasionally in other specific ways with the minister or the worship committee? The worship committee holds periodic trainings in use of the microphone, and public reading practice for those interested in such occasional participation. Contact Erica or Meret of the Worship Committee for more information.
SPECIAL WORSHIP SERVICES
For more than a decade, one evening service has established itself in the church and larger Portland community as a regular and popular event. This is the Winter Solstice Service presented by the Worship Committee on the evening of the solstice with help from many others, including our music director. The event features a large chalice made from ice, performers in masks, much music – some of it from bagpipes and harmonium – chant, and spoken words reflecting both pagan and modern approaches to the turning of the year. This service has become so popular that we have found it necessary to offer it twice during the evening to accommodate the vol
ume of the crowd.
While the solstice celebration is the most recent addition to our traditional holiday season, Christmas Eve services have been held ever since Allen Avenue was built. We enjoy two Christmas Eve Candlelight Services : an early evening version with an emphasis on participation by our children, and a later version that is especially geared toward older children and adults. And for almost as many years, members and friends have enjoyed a "potpourri service” on the Sunday after Christmas. Our music director and worship leaders provide a framework of song and ritual words for the potpourri; congregants fill the rest of the worship hour together with any words or music they have to offer.