Nashville will host the 2011 General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) next summer. We are excited and honored to have this opportunity to show our friends from across North America and around the world some wonderful southern hospitality. 

A Local Arrangements Committee has been established to accommodate the needs of all guests to the Assembly.  We estimate that about 400 volunteers will be needed over the next year to implement the preparation and execution of the event, and we would like for as many people as possible in the Tennessee region to be involved. 

Check out this list of the committees and a brief description of each, along with a contact person for each committee. If you would like to know more details or sign up to serve on one of the committees, please contact the respective leaders via email.

Just a friendly reminder that there will be NO 2ND SUNDAY SERVICE IN JULY! Please pray for all those on missions of service and sabbath... and don't forget a little of all that for yourself too (you know, pray... volunteer... rest...)

AUGUST 2ND SUNDAY will be very special -- A BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS! Get ready to bring your (well-behaved, leashed/caged/bowled) pet(s) or a picture of your pet(s) and we will join with them in giving thanks to God for the gift of life and companionship.

Also remember there will be another HOLY MACARONI cooking & serving day on the 4th Sunday of this month. Stay tuned for details here and in the newsletter.

Most of the proposals in the Worship Task Group's report to the Elders address changes to our 10:45am worship service in the sanctuary.

Most of the feedback, though, we have received so far, are comments and concerns regarding our 8:30am service in the chapel.

If you have questions, concerns, or any other comments about possible changes to our early service, you are invited to come to Thomas's study on Wednesday, July 7, at 1pm. Michael Ligon and Thomas Kleinert will be there to listen, answer questions, and talk about the process that has led to the current proposals.

The Elders and staff always appreciate your comments and suggestions in person, via mail or email, and we encourage conversations and discussions about all aspects of worship. You can also read what others have written and make your comments online as part of an ongoing dialogue. Thank you!

The Temple will be hosting a Flood Support Group on Tuesday, July 13 at 6PM.  Please come and share your flood story with others, and hear about their experiences as well.  In the spirit of community, our friends at the Temple invite members and staff of other congregations in the immediate area to participate.  There is no cost for this group, and no registration is required.

On Wednesday next week, our contractor will come in to remove the remainder of the old floor tiles in the hallway outside the fellowship hall (all the way into the pantry). Then they'll strip the sticky black mastic all the way down to the raw concrete. No later than Friday, the floor will be ready for its new, flood-proof finish!

On Monday night, June 28, we meet in the fellowship hall at 6pm to move all tables, chairs, dividers, a piano, several shelves, etc. out of the way. Is this the kind of work you enjoy? If so, come and join us. When the work is done, some of us are already planning on cooling off with a brewed beverage at a place in the village that starts with a B and ends with Oscos.

Monday, June 28, 6pm

Site prep for new floor at the church

Vine Street’s Worship Task Group finished the first phase of their work and presented their report to the Board of Elders. Congratulations, Kathy Berhow, Pat Cole, Sarah Ligon, Stephen Moseley, Greg Rumburg, and thank you! Thomas Kleinert was the convener of the group.

The Elders heard and discussed the report at their June 14 meeting, and recommended that we implement all proposed changes. What does this mean?

When we began The Journey process, it soon became clear that we wanted to take a close look at our worship services. In the story that draws us into what we have identified as God’s future for  Vine Street (the story we commonly refer to as our future story), we call for worship services that “each have a clear profile. Each has its own unique format, but all of them are also clearly us.”

We will continue to look at our Sunday morning worship services as events that give focus to our community’s Sunday morning gatherings (in addition, of course, to the rest of our week): God’s hospitality to all at the Table implies that we show hospitality to all, and not only after they have crossed the threshold to the chapel or the sanctuary. This, of course, has significant consequences for what we do before and after worship – but more about that soon.

What will change? We will continue to have two services on Sunday morning, a service at 8:30am in the chapel and a service at 10:45am in the sanctuary.

In the chapel service, we will build on the sense of intimacy and informality it has developed over time. We will remove the remaining pews to allow worshipers to see each other face to face, and encourage a more conversational style “in the round.” We will explore new ways of preaching, praying, and sharing the meal around the table. These changes will be introduced in the near future, but not in the summer.

In the sanctuary service, we will follow an order that maintains the current overall structure (gathering, listening, giving thanks, and being sent), while improving flow and disrupting patterns of too much predictability. Many of the recommended changes will be introduced beginning July 4:

We replace the Passing of the Peace with an informal greeting at the very beginning of the service.

We move the Scripture reading that is the basis for the Children’s Conversation, so the children can hear it with the rest of the congregation. Occasionally, we use a very child-friendly translation or story-telling instead of reading from the New Revised Standard Version (which is our standard version).

Service leaders occasionally introduce elements of the service (“this is why we do this, this is what we are doing here”) without becoming overly didactic.

We continue to select music of various styles that support the flow and fit the thematic structure of the service, and we include as much special music (sometimes harp, sometimes trumpet or viola or guitar or…) as we can.

We will begin to introduce these changes on July 4, and we invite your comments in person and at www.vinestreet.org/worship-feedback

Update on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 at 09:08AM by Thomas Kleinert

Printed copies of the Worship Task Group report to the Elders are available in the reception area of the church, and via mail from the church office.