Westminster Presbyterian Church

Minutes for Worship Committee Meeting: 3-20-06

Location: Room 6

Opening Prayer: Harriet Vander Meer

Those present: John Helt, Joe Chrisman, Harriet Vander Meer, Cynthia Bush, Margo LaPerre, Barb Vogelsand, Walt Pridham. Absent with excuse: Pamela Quin

Approval of Minutes: from Feb. 20, 2006 Meeting

Study and spiritual preparation for those who lead Westminster worship

John Helt began the first discussion of a chapter of the book, “Designing Worship Together,” written by Malefyt and VanderWell. Members read and were prepared to discuss the article entitled, “Appraisals as Christian Practice,” and “The Case for Worship Evaluation.” Things to think about and discuss further are: What is the role of the Worship Committee? What is worship? What are the elements of the worship service? How can we better prepare ourselves for worship? How can we prepare the place of worship? How can we help prepare and assist the congregation to an enhanced worship service? We will continue our discussion of this article at our next meeting.

Westminster worship evaluation and concerns

Adult Education class: Worship at Westminster: April 23 – May 14, 2006

John Helt and Joe Chrisman will lead an Adult Education class in a study of worship and specifically analyze, educate and evaluate our worship services at Westminster. The class will meet in Room 6 or 8 on Sundays at 9:00, April 23 – May 14. The participation of the Worship Committee is requested. The class will examine what is worship, what is the role of the worship committee, what is the role of the congregation, and the Westminster Order of Worship. At our next WC meeting, we should determine evaluation questions for use in our class on worship.           

Mid-Week Lenten and Easter Services: Worship Committee will need to provide

- Maundy Thursday Service – 7:00 pm in Fellowship Hall, communion will be served from tables, tables will be placed in a u-shape with candle-light. Ushers will be needed with one placed upstairs in the narthex directing people downstairs.

- Ecumenical Service – 1:00 pm in sanctuary. 4 ushers needed, Chancel Choir to participate, no offering taken, 10 churches to participate with a number of speakers from the participating churches.

- Good Friday Tenebrae Service – 7:00 pm – Chancel Choir to participate, no offering, no communion, 2 greeters needed

- Advertising needs –

- content update information from last year

- Add an ad for the ecumenical service

- Budget: ad is due to the WSJ on Friday. Run the ad for Westminster three times during Holy Week: Palm Sunday, Wednesday special Holy Week section, Easter Sunday. The ad will cost $396. The ecumenical ad will go in the Wednesday special section and will be larger than the Westminster ad. It will cost around $200 which will be paid by all of the participating churches.

- There is no specific line item in the Westminster budget to pay for this ad; the money will come out of special funds.

- Office staff will write the copy and circulate for editing. Design to be

   determined.

-  Easter 8:15 service: communion by intinction          

Calendar items for the remainder of the year:

- Determined special dates for the remainder of the year.

- Continue the discussion and determine the 2006 Advent and Christmas events

Sanctuary reports and concerns

                Music: variety of instruments offered recently: string quartet, brass and harp

Flowers: Write a policy on who plans, provides, and places the flowers in the sanctuary. Add a notice that all elements in the sanctuary need to be notified and approved by the WC.

Ushers and Greeters: Margo working on it

                Liturgists: Jean has many prepared

                Communion:   1. Two elder communion servers for April: Thatcher Root and Lee

                                           DeSpain.

                                                2. Still needed: an alternate, who will step in if needed and help clean

                                           up.

3. Sign up sheet for Session meeting for elders to sign up to serve communion and/or be an alternate.

4. Offer those who are unable to serve communion the opportunity to be an assistant who will help in the preparation and clean up process.

4. With the help of an alternate, there should be enough helpers to clean up. We can evaluate this after another month of communion.

5. Glass or plastic communion cups? The consensus seems to be glass, with the following concerns: write instructions to heat water in the large coffee pot during the church to have hot water available to clean the glass cups.

Liturgical elements:

-          A request has been made to have other liturgical banners such as the one Westminster has for the season of Advent.

-          Since there has been a favorable reception to the inclusion of a cloth on the communion table during Lent, it was decided to use other elements for communion and other liturgical seasons.

-          Discussed whether the purchase of or the making of liturgical elements be a project connected with the 90^th anniversary of Westminster. Some of these might be located in other parts of the church, not necessarily in the sanctuary. However, any banners that would be placed in the sanctuary would need to have involvement and approval of the Worship Committee.

                Furniture: Walt Pridham reported on the alterations of the pulpit and lectern.

                                 See description in the Action Items listed below.

Other:    For your information: Fellowship Hall will be used by a group called the Queen of Peace Community for a Seder meal. They have used our building (not the sanctuary) in the past. The Property and Finance has been involved in the arrangements.

 Actions items:

·         Hudson Johnson Sweitzer to be baptized on Sunday, April 23 or May 7 – to be determined

·         Notice of recommendation by the Worship Committee to the Property, Finance and Stewardship Committee to go forward with the alterations of the lectern and pulpit. These alterations are needed safety features presently lacking. Brunsell Lumber Company will complete the job with 30” panels on sides of the lecturn and pulpit. They will look like the wood in front of the choir loft. The cost will be approximately $3,000.

Date of next meeting:  Thursday, April 20, 2006 7:00 pm, Room 8

Closing Prayer: Joe Chrisman

The Committee concluded the meeting by looking at a Lenten banner prepared by the children and determined the narthex to be the appropriate place to hang. WC recommended a card hanging near it to explain to the congregation who made the banner and their statement of purpose.