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Worship Changes

Why Are Worship Times Changing?

Highland is working together to make our Sunday morning worship experience its very best.  We are also looking at how we can better welcome our community into our Highland family.  In that spirit, over the summer, we did a nine-week trial with a different worship schedule.  We then held two evenings of Holy Conversations to receive feedback, which was added to personal reflections that were shared with the staff.  An oversight team gathered the feedback along with data about our attendance at all three services over the past few years.  They brought a slate of recommendations to Church Council on August 20th, which voted to implement a second trial period through the Fall.

What Are the Changes?

There's only one change to the morning schedule, at the early service:

8:30 to 9:20 - Eucharistic Worship
9:20 - Children &Youth Sunday School Classes
10:30 to 11:30 - Connection Worship
11:00 to Noon - Traditional Worship

Want the quick version of other changes?  Watch this video.

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Want the More Detailed Report?  Here it is:

  1. These changes will take effect August 27, 2017.
  2. The Early Worship Service will return to starting at 8:30 AM. There will be some tweaks made to the service so it will fit in a 50 minute time-frame.  The Choir will sing the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month.  Weekly Holy Communion will continue.
  3. Sunday School will continue to run from 9:20 to 10:20 AM.
  4. The Connection will remain at 10:30 AM, but provide more time to allow people to feel centered and prepared before the sermon begins. Communion Sundays, for Connection, will be the second Sunday of each month.
  5. Amy Takahashi will resume providing a children’s time during the Connection worship service.
  6. One of our clergy will serve as a worship leader each week at the Connection. This person will intentionally greet people at the end of the service, especially to make contact with those who may be visiting that day.
  7. The Coffee Fellowship will move to the Narthex, which is a more natural place to connect with those who are visiting the 11:00 AM worship service. There will not be food served during this time.
  8. The 11:00 AM service will continue as it has during the summer months. The presiding clergyperson (or designee) will be responsible for a children’s time during this service.
  9. The Children’s Ministry Team will be tasked with providing an activity for children from 10:20 to 10:45 AM. The exact format and location of this activity will be determined by the Children’s Ministry Team.
  10. We will have an open evaluation of the Fall Worship Schedule in early November. The date and time will be determined by the Task Force Oversight Committee.