In our planning session we considered some interest from the congregation for a Taize-style service. I wondered aloud if it might be possible to craft a Maundy Thursday service in the style of Taize.
I posted a couple of queries among my colleagues and got a few responses, but nothing very detailed. But I also decided that what I imagined wasn't totally off the wall. One source strongly suggested to me was material from the Holden community. Their "prayer at the cross" services seemed relevant, and I used some materials from them to craft the service. Our music ensemble was piano, guitar, fllute, and cello, plus two singers. We did several Taize songs, but also one from Holden, a Pashto refrain, and a pretty traditional psalm response at the confession rite.
We had several lay folks lead the liturgy, with the clergy presiding at the table. A key focus was the visual installation. I wanted to include fabric draped from the ceiling, plants, a large cross, candles and icons. We managed to get all that
included. I have heard from many folks that this service was quite
meaningful for them. Our time of silence in the middle of the service
was 4 minutes long, quite impressive for Presbyterians!
We had a central installation with two ancillary areas along the walls. Folks made use of all the spaces.
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