Worship Moments in the Public Square

Thanks to Sarah Lawrence, Artistic Director of Lyric Opera of the North (LOON), Duluth, MN, for sharing this Great Idea from the Decameron Opera Coalition:

One of the Coalition, Chicago Fringe Opera is installing A City of Works: Site Specific Micro-Operas for Chicago.

A worship/church version of this could be intriguing!

Work with congregational leaders and youth to determine a focus or multiple foci: what do you want to share with your community? What messages does your community most need to hear, right now? How can you bring the Good News to this locale?

Let your outreach or social action leaders work with city/community governance to determine sites, content, and length of the “installations”. If publicly-owned or commercial sites are not available, you might spread installations around town via members’ yards or other properties.

You might have a different applicable message for each site. Or you might simply invite folks to consider where God is in each place.

OR

With tech tips from the Fringe Opera’s Installations, invite local artists, videographers (especially useful), and intergenerational participants from your congregation to create interactive videos, music, visual art, or other forms of messages of hope, love, joy, generosity, gratitude, belonging, etc.

You might focus on social justice with interactive booths that elevate locally significant issues. Include applicable Bible verses, prayer options, specific ways to be present with those who are struggling, and/or letter-writing campaigns to lawmakers, local organizations, or (local or national) newspapers/online media to help people connect social action to faith.

You may add to the intrigue of the sites by creating them anonymously. Or, make a public spectacle with media announcements. If going public, don’t forget to include a bumper sticker or other decal with your congregation’s contact info and logo at each site: let folks know that you care about what is happening in your community and in the world – and invite them to join you in caring and engaging!