The Gathering

The gathering allows the people to take their seats and ready themselves for worship.

Gathering is used to signal the congregation that their attention should begin moving from each other to the worship leaders. Establish a normative pattern of gathering that can become a familiar signal to the congregation. In some churches where no processional is held, the pastors enter the sanctuary and kneel to pray, indicating that worship has begun. In other places, the worship team begins by playing and singing some "pre-worship" music that helps the congregation focus toward worship. The gathering may include such things as greetings to friends and acquaintances, announcements, practice of portions of worship, the act of being seated in quiet reverence, prayerful preparation before the service begins, and an organ prelude or community song. While there are no resources as such to deal with the gathering, there are several principles that may be helpful. "¢ Regard the entire act of gathering as part of worship. Place the word gathering in the bulletin. Encourage the people to see the time of coming together as a vital element of the worship experience. "¢ Establish a tradition that signals the end of the gathering. In some churches the gathering is followed by a brief explanation of the service and/or a time to practice an antiphon or some other unfamiliar aspect of the service. "¢ Observe a brief time of silence before the Entrance song. This is an appropriate time to use the traditional introit, prelude, or sung or instrumental music to bring the congregation to quietness and a state of preparedness.