As we have mentioned in worship and in the Tuesday Announcements, we will be experimenting with Joys and Sorrows in the new year, beginning January 8. The Worship Associates have been discussing this part of the service since August and have decided to replace the open mic Joys and Sorrows with an opportunity for folks to fill out a “Candles Card” and have that read during the service.

There are a few reasons for this experiment:

1. It is more welcoming for visitors. Spoken Joys and Sorrows can be a very “in-group/out-group” experience for newcomers.
2. It is more inclusive. With spoken Joys and Sorrows, there are always some people who will speak often and some people who will never speak. Asking for written Joys and Sorrows both makes it easier for those who do not like public speaking to share, and asks people to be more intentional about their sharing.
3. It is more worshipful. With our current format, we end up spending a lot of time getting the microphone from person to person and checking to see if the microphone is working. All of this takes away from the worship flow and experience.
4. It is easier to predict how much time this part of the service will take. Joys and Sorrows is the most unpredictable part of our service and when it runs long, it can be problematic for our Faith Formation programming.
5. Spoken Joys and Sorrows is tough in a congregation our size. It really only works when worship attendance is 50-70 people. We have 3 times that number on Sunday mornings already, and we are hoping to grow.

Starting January 8, we will invite you to fill out a “Candles Card” if you have something to share. There will be two ways for you to do this:

1. You can fill out a Candles Card online: http://uunashua.org/connection/pastoral-care/fill-candles-card/. Online cards must be filled out by 9am on Sunday to be included in that Sunday’s worship.
2. You can arrive a few minutes before the service and fill out a Candles Card in person. Each week, starting at 9:40am, there will be a Pastoral Care Team member in the front right pew with Candles Cards for you to fill out.

During the time in the service for Joys and Sorrows, all the cards will be read aloud, and we will light a candle for each card. You will be invited to stand if you wish while your card is read aloud.

We hope this new style of Joys and Sorrows will offer the opportunity for sharing the important parts of our lives with one another (which we know people love!) while being welcoming, inclusive and worshipful. Please join us in this experiment with an open mind and heart. We will try this experiment through the end of church year. The Worship Associates will re-evaluate over the summer. Thanks for being willing to try out new ways of worshipping with us!