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Pearls of Wisdom from the GWUC Survey

As selected by DavidFraser and categorised by GlynHowells. Not about worship, specifically. But I would like to join classes that discuss what our faith says about the great questions of life and death, and spiritual struggle.

Evaluation of worship

• I think we have the best worship team of any church I have been part of and we have a fantastic congregation. Our messages of peace reconciliation, understanding and compassion are needed even more so today and represent a common sense loving contrast to some of the hard line rhetoric coming out from some other Christian communities across the world.
• I think everyone did a great job last year under difficult circumstances.

• I am very pleased and blessed that I am part of this church. Enjoy children's talk, songs & Neil's & Alanee's & Gemma's talk / sermons. A big thank you to Technical Department Pastoral team - all together. Thank you to all.

• I do think that it is going to be a challenge to maintain music and congregation participation as it appears that COVID-19 has significantly reduced the number of people actively participating.
• At least one intergenerational worship time rather than a separation of adult and children.
• A one worship service that fits all needs is not meaningful for anyone.
• I am very thankful for all we have.....our Ministers, our tech team, and Jo and her family have been wonderful....as have Glyn and David, helping people keep COVID requirements.

Content of worship, preferences

• This is an opportunity to discern how to nourish people spiritually. Time to bravely discern what actually worked and what didn’t and move forward in faith.
• Mix of online and face-to-face. Less of the formal platform/audience approach. Extended guided sharing time.
• Online participation does have advantages in some ways. To have at least one service doing this would be worthwhile.
• The chance to share ideas and thoughts with others, on the Lectionary reading as part of the service. (a short segment. ) This could include people who have joined us as broadcast partners and covid partners.
• As mentioned above i have found live streaming meaningful and there will be some who stay with us although remote from us. I think live streaming should continue.
• That we continue to include pre-recorded contributions from the widest possible membership of our congregation each week. Just because we are back in the building does not mean we cannot have prayers, readings and reflections from people unable to attend.
• More bible readings and/or prayers pre-recorded so our broadcast ministry churches can participate.
• I’d like to see some content from our partner churches, etc Prayers or Reading from Beeac if the tech isn’t too challenging.
• The lockdown periods enabled us to tap the talents of many members of the congregation from young children to older adults - e.g., bible readings, prayers for others, leading the singing. I hope we can continue this.
• If we are only having one service, I would like to have more traditional hymns in it.
• Less conformity to traditional liturgical language, and the use of language with which the 'common man' can relate.
• Less slavish observance of the lectionary (which is not a complete coverage anyway).
• A definite introduction of silence for a few minutes before start of services.
• Times of silence, …
• More fellowship activities
• Include a short regular segment which "showcases" an inspirational person, activity or group from within our own congregation of any age. This can be very unifying and may encourage more participation in spiritual or missional aspects of church life.
• Engagement with younger worshippers and other cultures.
• I would like to explore what makes Christian faith relevant and welcoming to our community in Glen Waverley and what makes people comfortable when they come to see what worship is about.
• Even more engaging worship. Modern worship and liturgy, with lively content enhanced by a variety of videos and additional musical instruments.
• Contemporary studies, draw younger people.
• Search for initiatives that other churches are trying that may work
• I think the sermons are very good! But, perhaps, we could sometimes hear more about issues such as what Christ says about - e.g. - the prospect of immortality for animals (and other issues).
• "Breakout rooms"!
• I look for the opportunity to "share faith" in some way, maybe structured, maybe open, but certainly intentional.
• We can do simple things to enhance our more inclusive intercultural worship e.g.
  • have the Lord’s prayer on screen in English and Chinese (at least once a month?)
  • periodically (perhaps 3 times per year- Indonesian Fellowship anniversary, Indonesian independence day, August 17, first week in December) have Intercultural choir lead the singing (one song only) with verses on screen with alternating English/ Indonesian verses. Needs to be a song familiar to everyone. We could also frame this song with photos from previous Inter-cultural Christmas celebrations. This also helps to consolidate the Intercultural/ Indonesian Fellowship.*
  • Further expand number of people who read Bible in service.

Why have I focussed on Indonesian and Chinese? Glen Waverley has many culturally and linguistically diverse communities, why choose two to the exclusion of others? There are two reasons. Firstly, we currently have an active Indonesian Fellowship and so to recognise and embrace them we should give space for their “language of the heart” in our worship. Secondly, Chinese speakers/ readers make up one of the largest components of our immediate community demographically. We need to recognise this to connect to our community. Furthermore, it is my belief that more recent migrants from China are among the groups with the least English facility; so recognising this is again a way of being welcoming and understanding where they come from socio-linguistically. In time we should aim to move towards becoming a more intercultural church.

When to worship

• Our whole community and country has, and will continue to change as a result of the pandemic. As always, our task is to be sensitive to what is happening, and to be relevant to the community we serve. As I'm no longer involved in organisations, - church or community, I won't be bolder enough to make any firm suggestion.
• We must return to normal for a period before we think of any change. Retired members of the congregation have been locked up in their homes for so long many have lost their normal skills in face-to-face communication and the social skills that come from dining out, visiting friends/family, etc. Those still in the work force, even though working from home, have not experienced this isolation to the same degree.
• Restructure the 5 services "silo" approach which segregates people and makes the congregation less tolerant of those who worship differently and of elements of worship that don't suit them.
• Acknowledge that we come together to worship God through praise, prayer and reflection, not just to suit individual preferences.
• Having one Service means we are all meeting together. Too many Services means congregations do not know each other.
• 2 morning services, at 8am and 10am.
• Maybe merge some of the worship sessions; eg. instead of three services, maybe two.
• Opportunity to reduce the number of services.
• Over time to reduce the number of Sunday services, e.g. have 2 morning services only (one of which links to children's Kats/Dogs/Mice program), although I would not wish to exclude the youth and young adults, if they prefer an afternoon/evening option. To hold a more traditional weekly service on a week day, perhaps in the evening.
• Some meetings to continue via zoom.
• A monthly combined service, more community outreach through for example messages outside the church and offers of help and assistance to those in the surrounding community and more climate change action.

Music in worship

• If we are only having one service, I would like to have more traditional hymns in it.
• Variation in music groups.
• Enjoy the more modern uplifting hymns but trust decisions made by Church Council and Ministry Team.
• Singing groups to teach us good hymns from Together in Song that we never sing - e.g., psalms with cantor and sung responses.
• Have Families provide worship music from their homes was fresh and new, and Prayers from home in a relaxed natural setting. It also gives opportunity to members who often are not involved in these ministries.
• That we encourage a variety of people to participate with their musical skills. Less of just one choir or the other and more solo's, duets. small music groups, instrumental contributions maybe supported by an expanded band/orchestra.
• I wish we had a drummer.
• Increase participation of different age groups and cultures as well as multi-cultural services; familiarisation with any new hymns/songs through teaching and sharing so that people are confident to join in; trialling different combinations of forms of worship and/or times of services, e.g. midweek.
• Music seems to be a big issue. Personally, I grew up in the old Presbyterian hymn tradition (with the organ) but have appropriated and appreciated many diverse traditions over the years. We need to resist the tendency to seek to prioritise the past for our own sake if it is a stumbling block to those who have not grown up within our traditions. We need to allow for diverse traditions. More generally, it’s only by creating a Christian community of acceptance and mutual respect that we can remain united and faithful. This is a test of our tolerance and our openness.