Summer’s here (or, as I write this, it will officially arrive tomorrow), and St. Timothy’s worship schedule has made its seasonal change. As you’re probably aware, I’m a big fan of the summer liturgical setting, “Bread of Life” from With One Voice, and its piano accompaniment, as well as the earlier hour and the more casual aura of summer worship. I inherited the summer time change. When I arrived at St. Timothy in 1996, there was just one service per weekend – 10:30 ten months per year, and 9:30 in the summer. As I recall, there was little difference between the 9:30 and 10:30 services, other than its start time. In recent years we’ve made a conscious effort to distinguish summer worship from our “regular” liturgy. We’ve gone for an airier, less formal feel than the typical 10:30 “high mass.”

With the addition of our 9:00 am service during the school year, our summer schedule constitutes a combining of services, as well as a time change. While our summer Sunday service may seem less formal to 10:30 worshipers, there’s a bit more ritual for our 9:00 crowd. Just yesterday one of our 9:00 regulars who had worshiped at last Sunday’s 9:30 service opined that the summer service is more 10:30 than it is 9:00; that is, it’s not really a blending of the two worship styles. He assured me that this wasn’t a criticism, merely an observation.

I’m not sure that our Worship Committee sought to blend the worship styles when we mapped out the summer liturgy, but I’ve certainly tried to market the service as such. Our Saturday service is more akin to the 9:00 liturgy than it is to 10:30: both are spoken; both are about 30 minutes in length, unless I’m long-winded; both are more casual than our traditional Sunday fare. The trend at St. Timothy has been that as our 10:30 service becomes less well-attended, the alternative services become more popular. I suspect that there are a variety of reasons for this, only one of which is the shorter duration of the service. While the summer service may seem more free and easy to those of us who are 10:30 regulars, those who worship at 9:00 during the school year may feel otherwise.

As I indicated with this article’s title, we listen. I’m always open to new ideas, as are the members of the Worship Committee (as are the members of all other parish committees and councils). How do you feel about the summer schedule? What liturgical changes would you like to see? Naturally, any changes must be consistent with our theological and liturgical heritage, but within the vast tradition, there are always options.

I’d also welcome your feedback regarding Christian education opportunities over the summer. Although St. Timothy has offered Vacation Bible School over the years, it’s never been a particularly popular ministry here. More popular were Snappy Saturday Suppers and Sensational Summer Sundays – intergenerational events that combined food, fellowship, and fun with learning.

Our congregation has changed considerably since any of these programs were offered, and perhaps it’s time to revisit the question of summer learning. Do the parents of our Sunday School students prefer that their children take a break from Christian education over the summer, just as they take a break from school, of are there programs and events they’d like to see implemented? Some congregations adapt the traditional VBS program to take place over a month, i.e., on four consecutive Wednesday evenings or Sunday mornings. Another possibility would be to offer a single class for all ages several Sundays in the summer, perhaps one each in June, July, and August. As is the case with the 9:00 am service during the school year, children accompany their parents to the worship service, and I offer a children’s sermon, after which the children leave the sanctuary and go to their classrooms (or the Rainbow Trail, or the Fellowship Hall, or any other place their teacher wants to teach).

These are just a couple of possibilities. We do listen, and we do want to know what you’re thinking. As always, we welcome your input and are always looking for people to assisting us in our shared ministries. Have a blessed summer!

In Jesus’ name,

Pastor Robert M. Mountenay