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Church takes modern tack

Worship has a different look at Lake Magdalene United Methodist's new Sunday service: It's casual and contemporary.

By SHERYL KAY
Published August 20, 2006

LAKE MAGDALENE - In response to an ever-growing quest for services that have more mass appeal, Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church will start a brand new contemporary worship service Sept. 10.

Changes don't always come quickly to religious institutions, especially one like Lake Magdalene, which includes a rich legacy of more than 100 years of worship in Tampa. The new 11 a.m. Sunday service, called Genesis, comes after a yearlong review by church consultants Easum and Bandy of Corpus Christi, Texas.

"The study pointed out what they called the unchurched, the people who don't want to come and hear an organ play," said John Jacobs, 73, chairman of the church council. "This is the iPod generation, and we want to reach out to them and feed them what they want."

Jacobs was quick to point out that although the structure and presentation of the service would be a radical departure from the three traditional services the church now offers, the message will be unchanged.

"The venue will be different, more casual," said Jacobs, a retired salesman living in the Hunter Lake section of Carrollwood. "But as long as it's within the saving grace of Christ, that's what we want to do."

Joey Herres, director of contemporary worship, came to Lake Magdalene this past March from a similar position in Jacksonville to develop the service.

"Some people just don't want to be preached to," said Herres. "The thees and the thous just don't have relevance to our modern-day people. Some of that is just so formal, so this service is going to be much more informal."

Herres said he first became involved with music when he was old enough to step on his tiptoes and reach the keyboard with one hand. He will lead the new service as he plays piano with a band and sings lead vocals. Words and Scripture will be projected over backgrounds of running streams, mountainsides and other serene locales.

In Herres' view, part of the appeal is the contemporary music, but the format is an asset as well. Studies have found that when parishioners use hymnals, their heads are down and they become disengaged, he said, whereas with projected images, congregants are always looking up and it becomes more of a shared experience.

During the week, Herres will coordinate various audio and visual tools to create the service. He may also use movie and TV clips. A team of four or five technicians will run the presentation on Sundays.

Herres is confident that several hundred of Lake Magdalene's 2,000 members will try the new service. Church support has been strong, from hiring Herres, to collecting more than $50,000 to renovate the fellowship hall to accommodate the various technologies needed to produce the service.

Although he doesn't think it will replace the other services, Herres noted that the format has been well-received throughout the Methodist community.

"There are many, many churches out there where the contemporary service has become their strongest service," he said.

The key to garnering support, he said, has been to help attendees understand that the service will not replace anything; it will augment ministry. The traditional services will not change. The idea is that church programming will grow when the new service brings in new people.

Jacobs said he and his wife will go to their usual 8 a.m. service, attend Bible class, then go to the Genesis service.

"The message and the teachings will all be exactly the same," said Herres, "but this will be designed to reach average people, with average terminology, and with music they're accustomed to listening to. It may not be for everyone, but now everyone will have someplace that feels right to them."

Traditional services will continue at 8, 9:15, and 10:30 a.m. For more information, call the church office at 813 961-1254.

Contact reporter Sheryl Kay with religion news at (813) 230-8788 or skreporter@hotmail.com.

[Last modified August 19, 2006, 11:35:27]