Beginning this Sunday, February 1st, the Informal Family Service (IFS) will be held in the Asplundh Assembly Hall. As the coordinating pastor for this service, I’m looking forward to exploring the new space and finding out what it enables us to do.
If you haven’t been to an IFS recently (or ever), I encourage you to come check it out. The core values of the service have remained largely the same since it began as the Contemporary Service in the early 1990s: active participation of lay people, a welcoming “come as you are” atmosphere, a focus on affection and charity, an interactive presentation of the Word that appeals to all the senses, and the opportunity for people of all ages and walks of life to come together as a community. One of the beautiful things about the service is the way that it has been able to change and adapt over the years depending on the needs of the congregation while remaining true to these values.
In the past couple of years, we’ve especially focused on making sure the service is truly a family service, feeding people of all ages from toddlerhood to old age. It’s a tall order, and we’re still learning how to do it well, but we think it’s worth the effort. Toward this end, we try to be consistent in the timing of the service - we start at 10:15 with ten minutes of singing followed at roughly 10:25 by a welcome and opening prayer, and we aim to finish with the closing song by about 10:55.
One of the most beloved aspects of the service is the discussion period after the closing song, a practice introduced under the leadership of Rev. Solomon Keal about a decade ago. It’s a wonderful opportunity for people to share their thoughts and reflections. At the same time, there’s a value in being able to chat informally or to watch your kids as they play or to leave when you need to leave. With that in mind, we’ve tweaked the format so that immediately after the closing song and before any discussion, everyone gathers in the lobby for refreshments and visiting. A few minutes afterwards, there is an invitation for anyone who would like to participate in the discussion to return to the hall, and others can stay in the lobby to continue informal visiting. Whether you choose to come to the discussion or stay in the lobby to chat with a friend or head out the door for a family lunch, we want you to feel like you have fully participated in the service.
I hope you’ll join us this Sunday or other Sundays in the near future!