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Dear NACCC Leaders and Friends,
 Never before has there been such widespread sharing of the riches of various worship
traditions. The value of a time of silence is being treasured by others than Quakers; ritual is
being blended with informality by others than Anglicans; hymnody has become all but universal;
spontaneity is cherished and sometimes even organized by other than Pentecostals;
strong sacramental life has become part of more than Catholic congregants' experience; effective
lay participation in worship leadership is greater than any mainline tradition could have planned.
The more traveling I do to our NACCC Churches, the more I am richly blessed by the diversity of worship
forms and traditions. What might seem unnatural to some of our congregations, seems essential to others, as they, like
all of us, share the need to glorify God together.
James White in his book, "Protestant Worship," writes that "the richness of Protestant Worship consists in
its diversity and its consequent ability to serve a wide variety of people." How true it is.
Who would have thought that African, Asian, and South American cultures would help shape a new
worship experience for the 21st century Protestant Church? But it is happening.
There is a cautionary note to this, however. If we are about enabling people to worship God with a deeper sense
of commitment and participation - we may want to encourage the diversity which is already part of the
Congregational Christian worship experience. Identical forms of worship is certainly not any goal to which we should subscribe.
Rather, the pioneer spirit which has marked the 20th and beginning of the 21st century experience of worship in
our Churches is to be honored. Most of us cannot praise too highly the worship practices and values of the past.
We love the old hymns, the traditional prayers, the simple ritual. But our ability to adapt the worship of God to
the changing people of God is part of our distinctive role of God's free people.
Grace and Peace.
CHURCH VISITS
Colonial Church of Heritage Sq.,
Colonial Church, Edina; Lakewood Village Community; FCC,
Burlington; Peoples' CC, Bayport; Colonial Church, Edina; FCC, Hanson;
FCC, Yarmouthport; Pilgrim CC, Hanson; Community Congregational
Church, Marco Island; Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis.
WE REMEMBER WALTER DAVIS
We received a phone call on January
7th that Walter Davis had died. "Walt" Davis has been the
legal counsel for the National Association since 1967, before that he was
one of the creators of our original bylaws. We have called upon him and
the expertise of his firm countless times over the years, receiving excellent
professional service. But Walt was more than a
legal counsel. He was an upstanding Christian leader in his Church and
in the greater Milwaukee community. We shall miss him greatly.
Our prayers go out to Betty and the family.
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