Alternative worship gaining followers> United Methodist services targeted toward today’s busy, diverse lifestyles

“Our God is an awesome God,” sings the congregation as a cymbal rings under the sound of the keyboard. Churchgoers clap their hands and sing, reading the words off an overhead screen. Young people act out a short play on Luke 15:11-31. There is no sermon, no offering, no hymnals, no standing up and sitting down again, no cross hanging above the altar.

This is the contemporary service at First United Methodist Church in Bangor, one of several United Methodist congregations in northern Maine that regularly offer alternative worship in addition to traditional services.

The Bangor church and Gray Memorial United Methodist Church in Caribou hold contemporary services in their community rooms. Services begin at 9 a.m. and are shorter than traditional services held at 10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary with all the trappings — choir, hymnals, sermon and offering.

Between 1991 and 1995, United Methodist membership nationwide fell by almost 50,000 per year, according to figures compiled by the Albion Institute. As the population of northern Maine continues to age, congregations are graying. Some mainline denominations, such as the United Methodists, are using some of the methods that have been successful for evangelical churches in attracting younger members, especially middle-aged baby boomers who have not attended church regularly for years.

“Baby boomers don’t want to park their cars in the street or cross a street to go to church,” said the Rev. Randall Cretien, pastor at First United Methodist. “They’re not into religious symbols they don’t understand. They don’t like reading responsively, praying in unison or singing from hymnals. And they think churches exist to gather money.”

Cindy Stevens of Clifton is not a member of the church, but is a “regular guest.” As a child, she attended Baptist and Methodist churches. Her children were baptized in the Episcopal church, and as a family, they attended the Universalist church for a while.

“Each week, I go wherever God calls me,” she said after the contemporary service at First United Methodist last Sunday. “But what keeps me coming back here is the members. I felt an immediate warmth and comfort level the first time I came in the door. And they have wonderful music.”

Many of the 30 people at the service said the contemporary Christian music is a major factor in their enjoyment of the service.

“The different beat keeps the kids interested,” observed Page Chaloult of Bangor, who teaches Sunday school. “There’s a different dimension to the music that’s nice. They do a lot of jazzy stuff and blues, sometimes. Plus, this fits into our schedule.”

The need to accommodate families’ diverse and busy schedules is one of the reasons the contemporary service has been popular at Gray Memorial, according to the Rev. Lynne Josselyn, pastor. The service has been a success at her church because it is not a substitute for the regular worship service, but an alternative that reaches people whose lifestyles, health or family needs no longer fit well with traditional worship.

“We’re working people,” said Peggy Bailey, whose family owns and operates Bailey’s Delicatessen in Caribou. “We just love it. It’s more upbeat and it gives us time to do what we need to do the rest of the day.”

Chris Pooler, 13, of Bangor agreed. “It’s convenient since it’s early. It’s less formal, which is nice, and there’s not too big a crowd,” he said. Last Sunday, Pooler performed in the skit, which is a part of every contemporary service at First United Methodist.

“I go back and forth between the two services,” said Jim Burkhart of Bangor. “My son likes it more. It gets him involved in church activities, so I usually come because he likes it. It is freer in form, not as rigid as the traditional service.”

Not every United Methodist church is able to offer two different services. The North Brewer-Eddington United Methodist Church often blends the modern with the traditional by having the seven-member band Selah play at services. Made up of high school-age youth, they have played at Gray Memorial’s contemporary service and other United Methodist churches in the Bangor area. Their repertoire includes “He’s Just a Man” from “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Spirit of the Living God,” and a Jimi Hendrix-style rendition of “Amazing Grace.”

“It is hard to blend this kind of music, which ranges from folk to rock, into a traditional service,” said the Rev. Joan DeSanctis, pastor. “They play contemporary Christian music and are now composing music of their own. We ask them to do things we like as adults, but we put up with some of the things they like. Our congregation is very supportive of youth ministry, and although the medium may have changed, their message is the same.”

Another difference is the absence of a formal sermon. While Cretien did read a Scripture lesson, he read it from the program, rather than the large Bible used in a traditional service. He also did not wear the black robe over his suit that most clergy don for worship. Instead of reading a sermon, he carried on a conversation with worshipers about the day’s lesson.

Josselyn said the alternative service is successful because people are able to “worship without experiencing what to them may have been the drawbacks of prior unfulfilling worship experiences. … People are worshiping on a regular basis, who worshiped on an irregular basis before. It’s participatory for both children and adults … a total intergenerational service.”

“There’s an atmosphere of excitement [at the contemporary service], as opposed to the mystery and awe” of the later service, she said. “[At the new service] you create an atmosphere of electric worship, as opposed to an atmosphere of prayerful worship.”

First United Methodist Church of Bangor, 703 Essex St., and Gray Memorial United Methodist Church, 8 Prospect St., Caribou, hold contemporary services at 9 a.m. each Sunday. Selah will participate in traditional worship services at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, at the North Brewer-Eddington United Methodist Church, Route 9, on the Brewer-Eddington town line.