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By Hannah Callaway - July 17, 2001 The experiment in alternative worship going on at St. Paul's Chapel in downtown Manhattan does not simply "jazz up" services-- it also gives parishioners an opportunity to keep their faith focused and relevant. The project, which is now halfway through a six-week pilot stage involving Eucharist on Monday evenings, seeks to remake the traditional church service with modern music, language, and technology. The Rev. Lyndon Harris, the priest in charge of the experiment, says the services are mainly aimed at Generation X and the millennial generation. Music is the major way chosen to appeal to these age groups. Fr. Harris says, "The music has to be contemporary, have a beat. It's got to be creative." A jazz band performs live music at each service and a gospel vocalist leads the hymns. Film clips are used to help get across Christian ideas- Fr. Harris used a clip from The Matrix during a past sermon and plans to continue using film clips in the future. Behind these changes lies a commitment to keeping the church current and to helping younger generations find God. Fr. Harris cites John Henry Newman, saying, "You have to change in order to stay the same" to explain why alternative worship is important for the church. The experiment is not simply about changing the way a church service looks and sounds, but about taking stock of our beliefs and traditions and trying to make them accessible to a new generation of people seeking God. As Fr. Harris puts it, we need to "explore ways to articulate our ancient faith for a postmodern context." The changes to the service reflect this deeper goal. The services use "Rite III," which allows for some freedom of format, including Eucharistic prayers with updated language. Fr. Harris notes, "Theologically speaking, it's important to be precise." Since language is at the heart of the service we need to make sure it's saying what we mean it to. Fr. Harris hopes to start using a Eucharistic prayer with inclusive language that would be accessible to younger generations. Where Eucharistic Prayer C in the prayer book reads, "God of our Fathers, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob", he would like to use, "God of our Fathers and Mothers, God of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Leah." Drawing newcomers is one of the main objectives of the services and it is hoped that in the fall St. Paul's will launch a year-long program building on the current experiment. There are already lots of ideas for the future, like starting a weekly Taizé service in addition to the Monday night services. Listening to the concerns of younger generations and responding to them, in addition to providing guidance, encourages newcomers to the faith and enriches our own experiences. This is how we can change to stay the same-by adapting to younger generations so the church will always maintain its vitality. Read an earlier article for more information.
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