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| Thomas H. Troeger |
SHARON (10/01/2008) -- Over eighty local church pastors, Christian Educators, musicians, and other authorized ministers of the Connecticut Conference gathered for two days at Silver Lake Conference Center for presentations by leaders in preaching and worship, learning ways to make their sermons and liturgies more engaging and more true to the Gospel. Opening with a chorus of drumming, the music of flute, guitar, piano, saxophone and voice surrounded the lectures and addresses. Attendees also explored the conference center, worshiped in its beauty, and some made new ventures on the high ropes challenge course.
On Monday, Thomas H. Troeger, J. Edward and Ruth Cox Lantz Professor of Christian Communication at Yale Divinity School, led the group through a number of exercises on imagination and creativity in worship and preaching. He built on a foundational theology of incarnation. Human beings, Troeger said, are "wind/breath mud creatures" who are made in the image of God. Understanding ourselves as very much material beings punctures our pomposity and keeps us rooted in reality. Realizing that we are recapitulations of the great "I AM" gives us courage to follow where creativity leads.
"A boring sermon is not Godly," said Troeger, because it fails to take part of the creativity of God.
Troeger's tools for engaging that creativity included:
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| Attendees reflect in small groups |
Troeger also encouraged preachers to keep their sermons, as much as possible, at a concrete operational level. This is a developmental stage in human beings typical of elementary age children, in which they think very directly and concretely about things. Rather than offer analysis, Troeger said, offer a descriptive, engaging story. The advantage this offers is that it allows adults to build upon that foundation with their more abstract thinking.
Tuesday brought three staff members of Old South Church UCC in Boston -- Senior Minister the Rev. Dr. Nancy S. Taylor, Minister of Music Harry Lyn Huff, and Jazz Saxophonist Willie Sordillo -- to speak about their approach to worship. Taylor emphasized the importance of reading the Scripture well, noting that choir members meet regularly to rehearse, and so do the lay Scripture leaders at Old South. Huff and Sordillo led a meditation in the jazz style from a composition by Duke Ellington, emphasizing that the setting of worship introduces new meaning to music that comes from secular sources.
Responding to questions, Taylor said that the team approach to worship used at Old South, which is able to bring talented musicians and worship leaders to its staff, can also be employed in smaller churches by encouraging the involvement of lay leaders. She noted, in fact, that a weakness of a large staff is that lay leadership tends to be reduced. Sordillo, in fact, is a member of a smaller church. Where Old South holds jazz service weekly on Thursday evenings, his own congregation worships with jazz once a year.
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| Davida Foy Crabtree |
The General Association Moderator, the Rev. Kathy Peters of United Church in Chester, delivered a touching address on Monday morning laced with humor and passion for ministry (click here for the full address in PDF format). Next year's moderator will be the Conference Minister, the Rev. Dr. Davida Foy Crabtree, who spoke with attendees about the American financial stresses even as the United States Congress had not yet determined how it would respond. The crisis reminds us, said Crabtree, that our hope is ultimately in God and not in the economy. She urged pastoral attention to those affected by the ongoing troubles, whether they be financial managers or those facing foreclosure on their homes.
The assembly headed home on Tuesday afternoon having been surrounded with creative ideas, music, and processes; having enjoyed the musical spirit of Don Eaton; having explored their own internal resources and challenged themselves; and having shared together the bread and wine of Jesus' holy meal.
The 2009 General Association of the Authorized Ministers, Christian Educators, and Musicians of the Connecticut Conference will be held September 20-22; the speaker will be the Rev. John Thomas, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ.
