Experimenting with Worship Time

We're experimenting with worship time. Some members and friends of the congregation work nights or Sunday mornings and find it really difficult to get to church on Sunday at 10:00 AM the only time church "happens" for us. One mother confessed that she has a tight turnaround with taking her son to a sports practice and almost never makes it to church -- plus, she really, really isn't a morning person! To those of us who have been Unitarian Universalist forever, it seems very unnatural to think of church happening at a different time. I still wish they wouldn't have youth sports practice on Sunday mornings, because we still really can't have Sunday School any other time. But with our experiment, now Mom can come, but only once a month, at 5:00 PM on the second Saturday of the month, January 12, this month. (check our website for other months: www.uumanchester.org)

I can tell you it's very sweet. There's something about the silence outside in the evening -- no doubt this will change when spring comes, but for now, silence -- and the smaller congregation makes it more intimate. We sing together, keep silence together, take our time in sharing joys and concerns, and reflect together on the theme of the week. Sometimes the sermon is cut short to allow for discussion, so it's less formal. The light is different, the stained glass windows look different, and there's just something about the calm energy of that time of day that makes everything flow together nicely. Then, sometimes, we go somewhere to get a bite to eat and socialize afterward.

I'm hoping many more people discover this experiment with worship time. Maybe you if you're nearby? We'd love to have you!