CHURCH REACHES FOR GENERATION XERS METHODIST PASTOR TRIES TO BRING IN NEW BLOOD.Byline: Bettie Rencoret Special to the Daily News LANCASTER - Lancaster United Methodist Church United Methodist Church, in the United States, religious body formed by the union in 1968 of the Evangelical United Brethren Church and the Methodist Church (see Methodism). is extending itself for young Generation X adults - particularly those who have never graced the inside of a church before - with a multimedia, multisensory worship Multisensory worship or multi-sensory worship is a form of alternative worship, which has been associated with the Emerging Church, though one could consider the Early Church and worship in the Old Testament as quite "multisensory". service. ``The ConneXion,'' scheduled as a third service every Sunday, aims at reeling reel·ing n. Maine Sustained noise, as from hammering: "Hark that reeling, now, you'll wake the baby!" Anonymous. in prospective church worshippers. ``We need to stimulate people in their 20s and early 30s to come and actively participate, just as the older members did in their day,'' Pastor James Ledgerwood said. ``This is a way we think we can draw them into the fold.'' The new Sunday evening service - which draws about 150 people, about 50 of whom have no connection to Lancaster United Methodist - is different from traditional Sunday services, to the dismay of some older members. There is no sermon, and music comes from guitars and drums on the dais. Stories promoting moral values are recounted on videotape videotape Magnetic tape used to record visual images and sound, or the recording itself. There are two types of videotape recorders, the transverse (or quad) and the helical. , in drama and in some conversational testimony, and Ledgerwood and youth minister Kirk Hurd are not above sitting in a raft on the dais and getting sprayed with water to make a point. To discuss the program, the church will host a meeting from 6 to 7 p.m. May 13 at 918 W. Ave. J. ``By speaking to this 'now generation' in jargon and music they can identify with, we hope to help reinforce good life decisions - ones that will work well for them in the real world out there,'' Hurd said. Even the time frame for the service is different. A light supper will be served, for an optional donation, at 5 p.m. in the church fellowship hall A fellowship hall is a large room in a church building where certain activities in the church building are done, such as certain dinners ,breakfasts, meetings,or workshops etc. It gets its name from the fact that the people there at the church building are giving fellowship. , then worshippers will gather in the sanctuary at precisely 5:43 p.m. The service is expected to end anywhere from 6:40 to 7 p.m. Worshippers can sing, clap in rhythm, and shout their approval if they feel like it and, in the end, answer an altar call altar call n. A specified time at the end of a Protestant service when worshipers may come forward to make or renew a profession of faith. Also called invitation. from Hurd. Older church members will provide coffee and snacks, which can be consumed in the sanctuary, and also take part in the service. Worshippers could arrive wearing baggy bag·gy adj. bag·gi·er, bag·gi·est Bulging or hanging loosely: baggy trousers. bag pants, bare midriffs and caps turned backward, the youth minister said. ``The Lord knows where they're coming from and we just want them to feel at home here,'' Hurd said. ``The important thing,'' said the church pastor, ``is to get the right message across and we think we're doing that. Of the approximately 150 who show up every Sunday night Sunday Night, later named Michelob Presents Night Music, was an NBC late-night television show which aired for two seasons between 1988 and 1990 as a showcase for jazz and eclectic musical artists. , about 50 are from out in the community. I'm sure some of them have never had a church experience before.'' The service is another way the church can fulfill its mission in the community, Ledgerwood said. Lancaster United Methodist hosts a soup and sandwich kitchen serving about 250 homeless and needy people every Monday and Thursday. The church also hosts Red Cross blood drives and regularly provides meeting space for other organizations. ``We've always had our youth projects which have been sanctioned by the church body as a whole, but this is different,'' said Ledgerwood. ``We're trying to speak to an entirely different age group.'' For information on The ConneXion service, call (661) 942-0419. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: From left, Cera Ridgway, Kirk Hurd, Doug Lee Doug Lee may refer to:
Bettie Rencoret, Special to the Daily News |
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