A pastor who is retiring from ministry created this closing litany to celebrate the many years of ministry in his congregation.

Ideas on how to plan and execute celebrations of significant congregational anniversaries with worship, music and community activities.

Presider: Dear friends in Christ, we have begun our solemn vigil. Let us now listen attentively to the Word of God, recalling how our God saved Israel throughout history and, in the fullness of time, sent the only Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Redeemer. Through this Easter celebration, may God bring to completion the saving work already begun in us by the divine mercy. Let us attend to the Word of God.

On this Friday, which is “good” because Jesus died so that we might live, begin worship in silence, and ponder the mystery and the wonder of God's grace as displayed on a cross.

Rural Prayer Petitions for each month of the year.

We've said a great "Amen" to conclude the Eucharistic prayer. We're moving toward the table. But first we begin with the Lord's Prayer, the prayer all Christians share, the prayer that marks all kinds of moments.

In this age of liturgical renewal on the one hand, and support for entertainment evangelism and church growth "gimmicks" on the other, being labeled "liturgical" can be either an honor or an accusation. However, few people really understand what it means to be liturgical, in the best sense of the word.

We sometimes say it so quickly that there is hardly time to think: "I believe in.. . the resurrection of the body." What a remarkable statement that is! What a confession to make! Unlike some religions, even unlike some Christian interpretations, we think that bodies are important enough to be raised from the dead.

This is an invite image that was used and can be used to invite members of the congregation to contemporary worship. Use this to create your own Church's invitations.

As we come now to Holy Week and the Great Three Days I remind you that human beings turn to song at the high points and low points of their lives. Song makes both joy and sorrow bearable. All human cultures (except maybe our own) have thus had traditional songs to sing on the happiest occasions and the saddest.