Bringing weekday life into Sunday worship
You’ve likely heard this kind of invitation before – “Leave the worries of your week at the door. Come unburdened into the presence of the Lord.” But is that realistic? Can six days’ worth of concerns be left outside? Shouldn’t these realities be brought into our worship and integrated into our Sunday rhythms?
These are the kinds of questions Michael Waddell, team lead of marketplace engagement with Canadian Baptist Ministries, explores through Vennture, the organization’s faith meets work initiative.
“I regularly hear people say they feel like what happens on Sunday during worship services feels disconnected from their working lives,” he says. “But worship is not meant to be separated from our Monday to Saturday. It’s meant to be an integral part of every day.”
To help churches close this gap, Waddell led the launch of a new songwriting group through Vennture. Supported by a grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, a group of Atlantic Canadian worship leaders, artists and songwriters gathered for writing retreats focused on faith, work, labour and service.
“I had no idea what to expect,” Waddell recalls. “I thought to myself, If we get just part of one song started over the next three days, that will be a success. We ended that weekend with four fully complete – or very close to complete – songs. I was blown away.”
Two retreats and a handful of follow-up sessions later, an eight-song album by Common Place Worship was formed. The heart of this resource is to help churches live a seamless life.
Though the songs, liturgies and prayers originated in Canada, the vision behind them echoes globally. Through Vennture the Baptist organization walks alongside business leaders and churches across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa region. Whether on a job site in New Brunswick or in a co-op in El Salvador, Common Place Worship reminds us work is a form of worship and a way to participate in God’s mission.
Stream the first Common Place Worship album today and find more resources from Vennture at CBMin.org/Vennture/Resources.
Photos: Common Place Worship