One
year after arriving at my new congregation, West Plano Presbyterian
Church (WPPC), I decided it was time to test the waters. You
see, WPPC once had an Easter Vigil but had stopped holding it
when support for the service declined. During my first year,
I discovered why. The Vigil had required the presence of the
choir in a week already filled with heavy choral responsibility.
Though faithfully done with respect to its shape and the choice
of texts, the Vigil lacked vitality and imagination. From the
few recollections shared with me, it seemed that the Vigil was
more a “clergy thing” than a “people thing.”
So, in early January, I made the following announcement during
worship and in the newsletter: “We are planning to hold
an Easter Vigil this year. Anyone who might be interested in
having a role is invited to come to a planning meeting.”
In personal conversations with people I let it be known that
I did not want anyone coming to the Vigil as a test of their
loyal support. I preferred that the Vigil congregation be made
up of those who wanted to be there rather than the duty-minded.
Why? Because attending additional worship services under compulsion
creates the potential for complaints, especially when the service
lasts more than an hour. And the Great Vigil of Easter cannot
be done under the tyranny of the clock.
At our first planning meeting, about twenty people showed up.
I distributed prepared materials pertaining to the nature, structure,
and significance of the Vigil as well as a planning sheet outlining
the different roles for which people could volunteer. These
included fire builder, fire extinguisher, room arrangements,
director of processions, cantors, special musicians, and those
who would carry in procession such items as paschal candle,
cross, water pitcher, bread, wine, napkins, Bible, and sprig
of evergreen. I invited people to volunteer for teams that would
be assigned one of the many Scripture readings that comprise
the Service of the Word portion of the
Vigil. My instructions were straightforward: use your imagination,
be creative, be inclusive of children and youth, and look for
ways to use the diversity of gifts present in your team. Apparently,
this was enough to get people genuinely involved in the Vigil.
When the night of the Vigil arrived it was cold, damp, and
windy—unusual weather for April in north Texas. Expecting
no more than thirty to thirty-five to show up, I was amazed
to see more than seventy people of all ages arrive—young
children, youth, adults, even an elderly woman using a walker.
The number in attendance was remarkable for our church of 310
members. We gathered outside around a warming fire; sang the
ancient Exultet; processed inside following the paschal candle
from room to room; listened and responded to marvelous readings
of Scripture; renewed our baptismal vows in a baptistery; and
prepared for this night’s service before finally gathering
in the church’s sanctuary for the feast of the Risen Christ.
Never before had I seen a congregation invest so much of itself
in an Easter Vigil. This liturgy was truly the work of the people. |
