Steeping in an Anchor Image

02Dec

I love reading the editorial messages in the front of magazines. In a recent one, the editor was exclaiming the fact that even though it was early fall, the magazine was focused on spring already. Of course they are! A good magazine must be looking ahead and preparing […]

Make A Gesture

25Nov

When I was twelve years old, I put my little cassette tape player in the front pew, played some soaring music, had someone read the Isaiah passage about “wings as eagles” and I danced my first dance in church. The folks in this little rural church loved children […]

“Let Yourself Be Moved!”

18Nov

The two previous blogs this month talked about our worship bodily “behavior”–namely clapping. One aspect of this discussion didn’t crop up yet–I think some of our discomfort with the conversation is the fact that many of us are ambivalent about whether or […]

FAQ: To Clap or Not To Clap?

11Nov

Last week’s blog featured a cartoon of an usher asking a couple before showing them to seats in the sanctuary, “Clapping or nonclapping?” This cartoon always gets a big laugh in my workshops because it strikes a chord with so many congregations who struggle with […]

“E-Valu-ating” Worship

04Nov

Evaluating worship ought not be like the evaluating we do in our politics. But too often it is. I’m in Minnesota right now teaching a faithful group of Unitarian Universalist leaders from the Prairie Star District that stretches from the northern border of the U.S. […]

Visionary Planning Retreat!

28Oct

(above: one of the participating worship teams jumps for joy at the Tahoe retreat center pier) Where can you experience all seasons in just a few days? Lake Tahoe! And that’s just what happened… in more than one way! Almost 90 people from around the country […]

Playing With Fire

21Oct

With All Saints on the horizon, I’ve been ruminating here on beautiful, symbolic ritual actions. But an incredible moment can “tank” when we don’t think about details… especially when it involves FIRE! Hi, I’m Marcia. I am a candle-holic. Seriously, at one […]

Making Memorials Memorable and Rituals Rich

14Oct

As I write this I know many of you are planning All Saints/All Souls Sunday. But I also know that so many of you have the task of creating memorials frequently as you pastor and usher folks through rites of life, death and life beyond death. These times can be some […]

FAQ Blog: What do you do with Announcements??!!

07Oct

Week two of every month in the Worship Design Studio blog will feature a most frequently-asked question in my workshops. And number one, hands down, is the FAQ “What do you do with announcements?” People rightly sense that announcements are both important and […]