Visitor - June 2011

Assisting Ministers

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Worship & Music Update

Of those people who commented, some preferred to use the hymnal for the worship music and texts over having everything printed in the bulletin. Our new red hymnal, Evangelical Lutheran Worship or ELW, is a wonderful book and has a lot to offer, not just hymns. (Luther’s Small Catechism which explains the main points of what it means to be Lutheran, is in this hymnal. Check it out!) Others pointed out that it takes a lot of paper to print a bulletin with everything in it and question if this type of bulletin is the best use of our resources.

Those who preferred a bulletin with everything in it except the hymns noted that there were people (children, visitors and members) that had difficulty following the service in the hymnal since things like the Apostles’ Creed are not printed in every worship setting. Some struggled while others simply could not follow along and dropped out. It was noted that in Hillyard, many never learned the Lord’s Prayer or the Apostles’ Creed and it would be more difficult for them to worship with us if the bulletin is not user-friendly. Pastor Betty said that she had visited a congregation in Vancouver where the liturgy and hymns were projected on the screens and page numbers were provided for those who wanted to use the hymnal. At this time, that would be a paper-less option but it is not feasible for our congregation.

After hearing the feedback, the Worship & Music Committed decided that we will continue with a “user friendly” bulletin through the summer for the sake of making sure that all people are able to participate in our worship service fully. We recognize that this format may use more paper, but believe the benefit outweighs the cost. When our intern arrives in September, we will work together with St. Luke to plan our worship services and bulletins. Thanks again to everyone who commented.