Preview Sunday for PVUMC930 was an extaordinary success this past Sunday! The morning went without a hitch. The details of worship were well taken care of and the new worship service also went smoothly. The people of Pleasant Valley UMC were in a different place as well. There was an energy with the expectation of starting something new in the church that seems to be taking shape and is catching momentum.
Sunday at 9:30, the CORE group for PVUMC930 will put a wrap on Preview Sunday with a discussion about the feedback received. Whenever you start something new you know that there are simply going to be holes in the armour from the very beginning and what you do is take the time to think through how you can improve and what the resources will be that can help with the improvement. The CORE Group has prepared themselves for this process.
A couple of consistent reactions by people were the inability to read the screen in the front of the church and the mode in which hymns were done. For a church that has rarely used video and projection during the whole service, the use of this medium through the whole experience makes a difference in each individual's worship experience.
Another innovation for PV was doing some of our traditional hymns in new ways. When you have done things the same way for decades the smallest change will take time to get used to. Putting some of the oldest and most cherished hymns to a different pace and music will throw anyone off.
What was obvious to me was the movement of the Spirit. I saw more teary eyes than I have seen at a Sunday morning service, ever, while serving PV. Worship is meant to present and show our passionate love to a God who gave us life and freedom to be, through Jesus Christ. As far as I am concerned, Sunday was a grand start to a great way to invite people (not the currrent group of attendees at PV) to life and freedom in Jesus Christ.
We'll discern what is important to reach new people with a new hope in Christ. We'll take the time to sift through what is important to reaching those who are not here yet. We'll also consider whether it is as important to consider issues that may stand as a point of discomfort for those who already attend PV but may not matter to a newcomer or guest. Our priority will be to reach those who are not at PV yet rather than create something folks at PV would feel more comfortable with if they attended.
I believe this is a great step for PVUMC! We'll continue to draw upon all of the resources and all of the wisdom that exists in the church and outside of the church to create new places for new people.
- Pastor Nathan
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