Late Night Candle Light Senior High Worship

I'm looking for some churches to test a once-a-month “Late Night Candle Light Communion Worship” by youth for youth after the first of the year. Here's the format:

Gather in the sanctuary with soft music playing and lights low. Maybe a decent guitar is picking a theme song for the night this month A single flute next month A single violin the next. Etc.

Sit on the floor inside the chancel if you can get away with it - rather than in pews. Sing some simple tunes that don’t require hymnals or hand out sheets. The soloist and song leaders are youth - not adults.

One or more youth lead opening prayers and/or litanies with simple responses. A team of youth pick the topic for the night and lead the reading of scriptures. Leave plenty of quiet space in between the readings for the Holy Spirit to let the message to soak in. Kids give the talk for the night - maybe one short reflection after each scripture. Then silence or the single  instrument playing the theme song.

Break into small groups to apply the theme to the kids lives. First do the standard FINK one-on-one “highs and lows” for a couple minutes. Don't leave the room for this. Then turn back to the small groups and have kids share their partner’s highs and lows with the group. Join hands and pray for your partners out loud. Next have a youth designated in each group to ask three questions:

1. What is one new thing we heard tonight?

2. What is one thing we already knew that is worth repeating?

3. What is one thing we want to know more about?

Choose someone to report to the whole group, as well as someone to write three short prayers praising and thanking God for the highs of the group and asking the Holy Spirit to be with kids going through specific lows.

Turn small groups back toward the large group and sing another quiet song. Invite each group to share their 1, 2, 3 thoughts (above) and pray their prayers. Keep the soft music playing during prayer. If Holy Communion is desired, break out the bread and wine and consecrate it. (In most traditions, a pastor will do this part. If you can consecrate the bread and wine in worship and train youth to distribute it like you'd commission a lay minister to deliver it to the nursing home, all the better.) Other than communion, no adults should be leading any other part of this. Let the kids own it! If adults are used, use them to help coach and encourage kids prior to the event.

Close with another soft song, the Lord’s Prayer, and a blessing. Let each youth bless at least five others before they depart. Keep the soft music going until the last kid leaves.

That’s a simple design. Test it and tweak it in any way you want, then let me know how it went. I'm hoping for at least 30 test churches to commit to try it between January and May.

 

Comments

[Trogdor]

Good plan. I've noticed that when leading stuff if you want people to sow into something give them something to be responsible for.

Also noteworthy, making them talk about the message, it reinforces the message really well.