Worship Arts April May June 2022

R E A C H I N G O U T

Who is my neighbor and who will be my neighbor? W

• Who is the “other” in your community? This will be a pretty easy question to answer if you have done your demographics homework. • Who is not in your worship services now? This is hard to face – it is admitting that we have not been open to all of those God has placed within our community. • Who will be in your community in 2020? Again, demographics will help you here. What are the implications of these changes for your church? In many communities, the question is an impor tant one. Migration will have a major impact on demo graphics by the end of 2020. How will you begin to pave the way so that these new neighbors will come to your worship services and become involved in your vari ous ministries? How will they know that you desire to celebrate their unique cultural traditions? This conversation will take time and sensitivity. Does this mean you need to wait until everything is fig ured out before you begin to explore incorporating the world within your worship? No! Go ahead and begin to move forward with small steps now. First consider what you are currently doing. Evaluate it, do it well, and with integrity. Celebrate the ways you are already in ministry with the “other,” the “stranger” in your neighborhood. Celebrate the many ways you are praying with the world already. Then begin to journey towards more intentional incorporation of the “salad bowl” of your community and the world into your worship. Use resources at your fingertips. C o llect several resources to add to your “possi bilities” when looking for prayers, hymns, and liturgies. This isn’t a matter of “either or” – this is the wealth of “and & and.” Become aware of the heritage of the resources you currently use. The United Methodist Hymnal, The Faith We Sing , and The United Method ist Book of Worship include many resources from the world. Simply note the heritage of the author/compos er in your bulletin when using these resources. Other denominational hymnals include Mil Voces (Hispanic

hen I was a youth, we were taught that the United States of America is a “melting pot.” Really? A “melting pot”? I sometimes have

the image of one of those health food blends of grasses, vegetables, juices, and spices. It may taste OK (although I have always questioned that!) but it is almost impos sible to find the individual colors, textures, and flavors of each ingredient. I am thankful that we are starting to recognize a new image for how we are trying to culturally describe ourselves in the United States – a salad bowl! Just think of a bowl of vegetables and fruit piled high, each retain ing its beautiful color, shape, flavor, and texture. Even when they are sliced and mixed together they retain the crunchiness of the pepper, the softness of a mushroom, and the sweetness of a strawberry. How does that impact who we are and who we are to be as a church? Demographics of your commu nity are available from your county or city government. Start by googling “demographics in [insert zip code.]” Remember to look at many factors: age, heritage or cul ture, education, income, percentage of those living in poverty, size of household, and make-up of household (single parents, families with children, elderly living alone). Dig deeper and search out projections of migra tion into your community based on the 2010 census. 1 What is the expected difference in cultures, ages, eco nomic status, number of children, number of elderly, and percentage of those living in poverty for the year 2020? Look at all of the information with the approach of having discussions in your church. Here are a few starting questions: • What does it mean to be inclusive, diverse, and/or multi-cultural? It helps to have a commonly formed definition as you begin your work together. What is the make up of the “salad bowl” in your community?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ April-May-June 2022 • WorshipArts • umfellowship.org 13