Sunday worship

The best part of every General Assembly is the Sunday morning worship.

My wife and I arrived at worship 30 minutes early, and by that time most of the seats were already filled. Thousands were arriving to join in the 2 hour-plus service.

We were greeted by bagpippers. The ten-minute processional included over 100 liturgical dancers, giant puppets, banners aand kites and children dressed as animals. "All creatures of our God and King," was sung with incredible enthusiasm.

The music reflected the great diversity of the church: Hispanic, African American spirituals, modern praise, and traditional hymns. Drums, violins, trumpets, flutes, guitars, and ukulele-line instruments added to the beauty of the worship. The choir of over 250 singers wore a variety of robes, as they came from various churches throughout the local area.

In keeping with tradition, the out-going moderator preached the sermon, and the newly-elected moderator pronounced the Benediction at the service's end.

Another tradition is the serving of the Sacrament of Holy Communion, using chalices and patens that have been made specifically for this service. This year, a craftsman from Wisconsin produced the pottery, making 450 chalices and 225 plates, or patens. These were placed on sale later in the day as a way of paying for the cost of the worship service.

For the first time in history, a baptism was celebrated as part of this General Assembly worship. Alexis Renee Sanders was presented by the Session of her home church for baptism. Only the members of her church, the Kwanzaa Church, here in Minneapolis, stood and answered the question, "Do you promise to do everything in your power to uphold this family in the Christian nurture of this child?"

Many in the congregation were moved to tears during the worship service.

Worship will continue to be a daily experience of General Assembly -- but when the work has been completed and everyone returns home, it will be this worship service that many will remember as a highlight of their experience in Minneapolis.