A QUICK FACTOID
Do you know how many Christian churches here in Utah meet all of the following criteria?
- fully open and affirming of the LGBTGQIA+ community, allowing full participation in church life (including marriage, leadership, & ordination)
- progressive, inclusive of all people regardless of gender, orientation, color, race, ethnicity, immigration status, age, disabilities...?
- offer a more contemporary/eclectic/modern service for those of us who just can't do all hymns all the time?
- fully open and affirming of the LGBTGQIA+ community, allowing full participation in church life (including marriage, leadership, & ordination)
- progressive, inclusive of all people regardless of gender, orientation, color, race, ethnicity, immigration status, age, disabilities...?
- offer a more contemporary/eclectic/modern service for those of us who just can't do all hymns all the time?
The answer was: zero.
Until now.
Until now.
"RECOVERY"?
A new, diversely contemporary-ish worship service with some liturgical structure and traditions at its foundation, but stripped of man-made exclusivity and intersecting oppressive influences (kyriarchy) as much as possible, leaving God-given grace and mercy given for all souls.
A space and time for progressive Christian worship where every individual is affirmed as inherently valuable to God, and our call to love God and love one another is kept a focal point.
A worship service for deprogramming; for unfundamentalists; for those pushed aside by historical man-made structures; for women; for people of color; for the LGBTQIA+ community; for people with disabilities; for immigrants; for indigenous peoples / first Americans; for families of one and families of many; for children and youth, the elderly, the young-ish, and the middle-aged; for people who society puts last; for the unchurched, the dechurched, the lifelong Christians, the spiritual; for people with questions; for the oppressed, the recovering oppressor, and those who are both; for the love of all humankind.
Designed to affirm and allow the full participation of all people, regardless of gender identity, gender expression, race, national origin, immigration status, romantic orientation, sexual orientation, age, physical ability, mental ability, intelligence, neurodivergence, relationship choices, substance struggles, or station in life.
A space and time for progressive Christian worship where every individual is affirmed as inherently valuable to God, and our call to love God and love one another is kept a focal point.
A worship service for deprogramming; for unfundamentalists; for those pushed aside by historical man-made structures; for women; for people of color; for the LGBTQIA+ community; for people with disabilities; for immigrants; for indigenous peoples / first Americans; for families of one and families of many; for children and youth, the elderly, the young-ish, and the middle-aged; for people who society puts last; for the unchurched, the dechurched, the lifelong Christians, the spiritual; for people with questions; for the oppressed, the recovering oppressor, and those who are both; for the love of all humankind.
Designed to affirm and allow the full participation of all people, regardless of gender identity, gender expression, race, national origin, immigration status, romantic orientation, sexual orientation, age, physical ability, mental ability, intelligence, neurodivergence, relationship choices, substance struggles, or station in life.
Our recovery.
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SUNDAY EVENING MEAL & WORSHIP
The Recovery Worship service takes a Sunday evening meal-and-worship format.
Generally, congregational music [that is, music that we all sing] is led by the Recovery Worship 'house' band. Special music during the service is presented by any musicians - individuals or groups. Overall, the music is more modern [more guitar than pipe organ], but with a wide variety of influences, styles, traditions, and languages, especially when it comes to special music.
Sermons/homilies/preaching is presented by a variety of preachers whenever possible, to help present a multitude of viewpoints and traditions as we celebrate our diversity under the umbrella of a Christian context.
Generally, congregational music [that is, music that we all sing] is led by the Recovery Worship 'house' band. Special music during the service is presented by any musicians - individuals or groups. Overall, the music is more modern [more guitar than pipe organ], but with a wide variety of influences, styles, traditions, and languages, especially when it comes to special music.
Sermons/homilies/preaching is presented by a variety of preachers whenever possible, to help present a multitude of viewpoints and traditions as we celebrate our diversity under the umbrella of a Christian context.
WHERE?
When we gather in person, we gather at Christ United Methodist Church in Millcreek. Christ UMC has graciously welcomed us to their space, in support of this ministry. This church has similarly inclusive and progressive values, is ADA-accessible, near public transportation, and has various technology available to aid worship. Directions and other information can be found on the Sunday Evenings page.
HOW DO I FIT IN?
Looking for more involvement? There are plenty of ways to get involved! Read on for more details.
People Who Attend!If you're still reading, you may feel comfortable in this service :) We held several special services in 2019, and launched regular weekly gatherings in March 2020. You're welcome any time!
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People Who PreachPeople who are willing to preach, either on a semi-regular basis or as a backup.
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Setup/TeardownWe start setting up for our services about 1 hour before the meal starts - this gives us time to set up tables & chairs, prepare food, and put out cutlery while still leaving time to chat a bit before dinner starts. If you're able to help with this on any given week, just show up!
We show our gratitude towards our host church by cleaning up & putting everything away after each gathering, including washing dishes, tidying up the kitchen, and putting away tables & chairs. With a handful of people helping, we're usually finished in 30-60 minutes. |
Children's LeadersChildren are absolutely welcome at Recovery - we currently don't have too many currently attending, but we always anticipate and plan for growth! If you'd like to help teach/lead the children (similar to a Sunday School teacher) or help parents with nursery-aged children, let us know. Ideally, these people will have a fairly regular presence (i.e., more like a weekly or biweekly schedule), and of course two or more adults will be present at any time to ensure safety and emergency preparedness.
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MusiciansIf you're musically inclined, there are many ways to get more involved!
If you'd like to play with the Recovery Worship 'house band,' come to rehearsal sometime and jam with us. We have a few rotating band members, so it's easy to accommodate schedules - musicians can serve regularly or even just as a fill-in. If you'd like to offer special music sometime, just send us a note or talk to Jen! |
Other AssistantsThere are plenty of other ways to serve and build our community. This will include artists, dinner / kitchen assistants, greeters, ushers, communications, reading, ASL interpretation, bookkeeping, drivers, and other various assisting roles. If you'd like to help with any of this - or have another idea! - you are more than welcome!
We can also always use help with our Tech & A/V team. If you have Tech-related or A/V skills or would like to learn, send us a note - we are happy to get you in the loop and teach you whatever you need to know! |
Recovery WorshipVirtual worship gatherings: Sundays at 5pm
All in-person gatherings are currently suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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