Our worship space is used for many other activities throughout the week. Chairs are stacked around the edge of the room and brought out and used by various groups. I have come to think of this multiple use of our worship space as an advantage for our worshiping community. Before each service, the Communion Table is placed in the room—not necessarily in the same place from week to week—and bread, wine, and water are placed on the Table, but no other advanced preparations are made. As worshipers enter, they each take one chair, place in the worship space, and take their seat. Worshipers with physical limitations are given help, but their chairs are not brought into the circle until they are present. No chairs are set up in anticipation of the arrival of others. There are a few significant features of this arrangement:

  • the worshiping community creates it own space;
  • the circle of chairs is always exactly the right size;
  • the room never looks exactly the same for any two services; and
  • worshipers never walk into a room that has been prepared and arranged by someone else who has preconceived notions about how the space is “supposed” to look.

This seemingly insignificant feature of weekly worship has helped a group of 30-40 college students from a variety of Christian traditions take ownership of the weekly worship life of the particular community of which they are currently a part. Along with shared leadership, shared meals after worship, and regular reflection, this feature has helped a particular community of college students develop a unique and authentic worship life.