+Worshiping with Others

For some, worshiping with others (e.g. family, Connect group, roommates) can be about being in the same physical space, usually someone’s home. Use your personal discretion when deciding whether or not you choose to worship in person in a small group.

For others, and with the decreasing numbers on recommended group size, worshiping with others will include a digital component. We strongly encourage you to worship in community using an online group meeting platform (like Zoom or Google Hangouts). This is a great way to be together when you can’t get together in person.

+Environment

Whether in a home or on a video call, pay attention to the environment you are worshiping in. It might be helpful to remove distractions and “set the stage” for the worship service. Also, snacks are almost never a bad idea.

Consider your options for showing the service on a larger screen. This could be as big as finding a way to connect your computer to your TV or using the internet capability on a smart TV or as simple as using a tablet or laptop.

If you are gathering via a video call or another group meeting option, the screen size matters less, but the capability and connectivity of the hosting device is important in minimizing distractions.

Or, you can totally join us in worship right from your phone or other mobile device. We love worshiping with you however you chose!

+Before the Service

Personalize the service to those you have gathered for worship. Allow time to catch up before beginning the service. It may be that you share breakfast or coffee together, or you share highlights from the preceding week, but do something to set this time apart as space for intentional community, however that looks for you.

Before you hit play, it may be good to have some participatory element with your group to begin the service.

• Have someone read the Scripture for this week’s sermon (found on the sermon page) or a Psalm of your choice.
• Give your own welcome and announcements (if applicable).
• Say an opening prayer.
• Answer the “should we” questions beforehand and then lead by example (i.e. decide if your group is going to pause for prayer or offering, stand for worship, mute video calls while you sing, etc.).

+During the Service

The service recording is meant to be played through as a whole piece so that there are less details for you to manage during the service. However, you may decide to experiment a bit with pausing the video during prayer or the offering in order to engage with your community during these portions of the service.

For example, you could take a little extra time to guide your group in prayer for those impacted most by COVID-19. You could also encourage people to take a moment and consider their own need for prayer and have them fill out and submit a prayer request at the link below the sermon video.

Participation during the service might need a little getting used to if you are accustomed to being in a church building for worship. It might seem odd to stand during songs or sing with the video. Our encouragement is to invite all those worshiping with you to fully participate in the service.

• Tech tip: If you are joining others digitally for a service, you can mute your computer’s microphone during the worship if you are worried about accidentally “gifting” those worshiping with you with an unexpected demonstration of your musical skills.

+After the Service

If you are helping to facilitate service at your home with family, roommates, or online with a group, you’ll want to think ahead about how to end service in that context.

If there was an application point or call to action from the service, it may be good to restate it in your own words with the invitation for your group to apply the teaching throughout the week.

If your group has time, try discussing the service together. Every week, there will be a study guide posted below the video that may help prompt conversation about the service. Another idea would be to take time to share prayer requests and pray together.

+Inviting Others In

It is quite likely that during this season there will be opportunities to invite others to visit church that you wouldn’t have had otherwise. Make the most of them.

• You can of course send out the link to the service all you want, but when appropriate, it may be better to accompany the link with an invitation into community.
• College students: With so many of you being apart from your normal community on or off campus, asking your friends and roommates to join you online for church may be a great way to keep connected if your school’s campus is closed for the time being.
• When hosting a community digitally, use wisdom and show hospitality in how you welcome guests.
• If you are hosting a small group where not everyone knows each other, be sure to take time to personally welcome and include guests.
• You can usually tell pretty quickly if a person is eager to talk or prefers to listen. Be sure to make them feel welcome, and know that not “forcing” engagement could be the most welcoming thing you can do for some.
• If it seems appropriate and helpful, you can invite guests to fill out the “Get Connected” form on the sermon page so that they can be connected not only to your group, but to the larger community of Summit.

+Hosting Church with Children

The great news with kids is that our Children’s Ministry team loves them and has worked hard to have children’s resources available for you to use with your family before or after the service, or during the week. It may be useful for the kids and their grown-ups to watch or discuss one of the children’s resources before service as they do a great job of engaging the message in a very kid-friendly way. (That’s also accessible to adults!)

If young kids are a part of your service, especially if they are in your home, be creative in how you help them engage in the service. While they may be excited to sing or dance during worship, listening to the sermon may be a challenge for them. Here are some tips and ideas to help them engage as well:

• Let the kids be in charge of prayer before and after service.
• Let them read the Scripture before or during service.
• Suggest putting on a play of what they learned when the service is done.
• Have them look for clues during the sermon (i.e. “Count how many times you hear Jesus’ name” or “Listen to the message and see if you can tell me the ‘big idea’ when it is done”).
• And if you need to hear this, it’s OK if they play with a toy or coloring pages during service! The best thing you can do for kids during service is not letting them “being a distraction” be a distraction. We want our kids to love church and if there is a little one with extra wiggles during service, don’t freak out. Let them walk around a bit, play with the dog, graze for snacks, etc. It may be that you set up a play space or a certain area of the house/yard for them to play.