Ideas for Hands-on Worship Interaction
I’ve been trying something unusual: three stations every worship service, for interactive, hands-on theology, as in physical participation in the weekly worship meditation time. I’m getting stale on creativity. Several weeks of journaling about the topic seems boring. Any ideas or potential sources for ways we might tap into new ideas out there?
I have done things like choosing fabric, creating things out of magazine pictures, lighting candles as we pray for certain things, illustrating areas of need or concern and writing thoughts in a journal, fitting together puzzle pieces cut out of spongy material, dropping pebbles in a bowl of water … all with different reflective significance, but the well is running dry.
This week’s topic is “believing in the unseen,” and I only have one or two ideas for our usual stations. Those involved don’t seem to be able to help me think of new ideas. Any books or resources you know about? Suggestions for how to stir creativity in my own folks to help with this? Ongoing offers to brainstorm with me online? 
Comment by Josh Frank on 25 March 2007:
Try checking out Jonny Baker’s blog - he’s an alt.worship guru of sorts. He has 2 collections of free, online “Worship Tricks” that he has cultivated over the last several years. You’ll find stuff you can pick up and use w/ little adaptation and other ideas that will help spur your creativity. Here’s the direct link to the Worship Tricks:
http://jonnybaker.blogs.com/jonnybaker/worship_tricks/wtindex.html
Comment by Jan Edmiston on 25 March 2007:
Two cool things to do for (two different) Maundy Thursday worship experiences —
- we invite worshippers to give 30 pieces of silver (30 quarters) on their way to communion. It’s dropped into the (empty) baptismal font (which is a metal bowl so you get a good “clang”) and the sound is quite moving as, one by one, people come forward. The $ is given to a group who has been betrayed (abused children for example).
- you can purchase disintegrating paper at some medical supply stores. People write what they want to disintegrate (sins to confess, etc.) on their way up to communion. They drop the slips of paper into the baptismal font which is filled with water, and the papers disappear. Cool.
Also - Jonny Baker is indeed the way to go.