Sermon & Service Packages Available to Churches for Summer

Thanks to CRCNA Worship Ministries, CRC churches can access three “sermon and service” packages for use this summer, for weeks when church leaders are away or need a break.

The packages include a video sermon and access to a folder for each service containing the orders of worship, liturgy, and videos for download. Churches can preview the sermons on the Worship Ministries channel on YouTube before requesting additional worship material.

Worship Ministries has offered similar packages in the past for busy times of the church year, including one made available for early January 2022, with the goal of giving pastors and worship leaders a rest after the busy Christmas season, said Katie Roelofs, resource and communications coordinator for Worship Ministries.

 The packages were well received, said Roelofs. A survey indicated they were helpful for churches who were vacant, wanted to give staff an extra week off, or had staff call in sick at the last minute due to COVID. Based on the response, Roelofs said, “we immediately thought about what would be the next ‘helpful’ date to do one of these.”

Worship Ministries staff chose to provide several packages for the summer months. Roelofs explained, “Many churches will have their pastor [away] because they are attending Synod. Even if they aren't attending, with the weighty agenda, they might be emotionally taxed. We decided to offer several more of these for the weeks around Synod, but also for general use in the summer when many travel and need pulpit supply.”

For example, said Roelofs, The “Work and Worship” package with Dr. Cory Willson, a professor at Calvin Theological Seminary, would be a perfect package for Labor Day. The sermon comes out of conversations around the book  Work and Worship by Willson and Matthew Kaemingk.

The other pre-recorded sermons are presented by Rev. Albert Chu of The Tapestry Church in Richmond, BC, and Rev. Rebecca Jordan Heys of Calvin CRC in Grand Rapids, MI. Each package includes a full liturgy, which churches can adapt to fit their context and worship style.

One church, having used a sermon and service package in the past, commented, “Please do this again! We liked the sermon; the liturgy was a bit different for us, but the song options were perfect.” Another church noted, “This was a great help for our congregation since our pastor did take this Sunday off. We felt the message was a strong, hopeful and Biblical message for the first Sunday in January.”

Churches interested in making use of the sermon and service packages can find out more and request materials here.