Christ Congregation Newsletter March 10, 2017

Beloved Community,

You've probably noticed there have been some changes in the bulletin (like larger font and text for all of our prayers and readings) and that we have experimented with different rituals (like individual blessings on Communion Sunday and writing our concerns on dissolving paper on Ash Wednesday.) These changes aren't arbitrary; they are a way to make worship come alive for people with different learning styles. In 1983 Howard Gardner developed his theory of multiple intelligences, asserting that there are 7 different ways people might learn, remember, perform, and understand about the world. His categories of intelligence include visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical-rhythmic, inter-personal, intra-personal, verbal-linguistic, and logical-mathematic. I've learned over the years that the way we receive information deeply informs what we value in worship.

Visual-spatial people are very sensitive to the worship environment and yearn for visual storytelling. This could include visually stimulating altar spaces, liturgical drama or dance. These are the folks that really valued the transformed altar space during our last Ash Wednesday service.

Bodily-kinesthetic learners need to do ritual: light a candle, touch the baptismal waters, tear a piece of communion bread. For these folks, worship comes alive when it is participatory.

For our friends who posses musical-rhythmic intelligence, music is paramount in the worship service. Different people gravitate towards different genres, but you can tell who these people are by who comes early to listen to the choir practice and who gets excited when we integrate different forms of music.

Those with inter-personal intelligence thrive in community and need interaction. The Passing of the Peace may be the most important part of the service for inter-personal learners. They also crave spoken prayers of the people and will often jump at the opportunity to speak in worship.

In contrast, the intra-personal learners crave extended periods of quiet, reflective time. Rather than focusing on the outward, they crave a chance to go inward. Perhaps the most important parts of the service for them are the moments of silence after the sermon. Opportunities for contemplative worship are critical to their spiritual nourishment.

Our verbal-linguistic folks are our “word people.” For them, the sermon is often the meat of the service. They also also gravitate towards the written parts of the liturgy because words are their invitation into something deeper.

Finally, our logical-mathematical folks look for all the parts of the service to connect. They value a through-line in any service. Are the prayers, music, and sermon logical continuations of a unified theme? Does the arc of the service move in a clear direction? The more discernable the pattern of a service, the richer their experience will be.

We may find ourselves reflected in many of these categories, but for most of us, one or two will emerge as our dominant way of experiencing worship. And here’s the corollary: If something in worship doesn’t feed you, it’s almost certainly stimulating some of your neighbors.

So what feeds you in worship? What makes the service come alive? What do you hate? Is there someone you know who gets most excited about the very thing you would get rid of? It's important to pay attention to the different ways people find meaning in worship, because making room for all people to be fed is just one of the many ways we show hospitality.

See you Sunday,

Alexis

Could you host a coffee hour? There is a sign-up sheet in the fireplace room.

Saturday, April 1, 2017, Christ Congregation Book Discussion will be held at the McCollough’s. Light refreshments will be served as we discuss J. D. Vance’s bestselling book “Hillbilly Elegy”