Liturgy for Decommissioning of the Pews

On Sunday, May 12, we included a Prayer Litany for the pews as part of our service, prior to the start of Sanctuary Renovations:

Prayer Litany for the pews

One:  Let us pray.
Almighty God, you are the great builder of the worlds and the great architect of our lives and our salvation. For calling us to be Windsor Park United Church, in this place,
All: We give you thanks, O Lord.

One; For giving us a beautiful house of prayer and worship for these 63 years,
All:  We give you thanks, O Lord.

One: For providing a holy place in which to bring our prayers, and find your presence,
All: We give you thanks, O Lord.

One: For providing an empowering place to hear your word, grow in faith, and be challenged in mission,
All: We give you thanks, O Lord.

One: For inspiring those who came before us with the vision to build and the means to accomplish it,
All: We give you thanks, O Lord.

One: For blessing those whose knowledge and gifts, whose sweat and labor, made this place all that it is,
All: We give you thanks, O Lord.

One: God, most of us were not here when the visioning and plans for this building were originally made, but we know they were made with hope for the future and trust in your guidance.
Some of us remember a time of excitement, change and hope for the future with other building projects as well – the building expansion, lift, and parking lot.
Today, as we enter a time of change in this sanctuary, help us to again trust in you.
We thank you for the pews we sit on today, which have held our hymn books, communion cups and attendance books and whose seats have held generations of families in the congregation.

One: Inspire us by your continued presence in our lives and in this house of worship.
All: We dedicate our lives to your service.

One: Continue to guide and nurture us as our building changes and moves forward in a new way, knowing that the building itself is not our faith, but only a tool to help us and others grow in faith.
All: We dedicate our lives to your service.

One: Empower us to reach out to our neighbours and welcome them into this beautiful space.
All: We dedicate our lives to your service.

One: Creator God, you bless us in so many ways with your gifts, and in particular you bless us with the gift of this house of worship.
As times of change come and go, and as we ourselves come and go from this place, may we know your presence always, find consolation for our weary hearts, and be empowered by your Holy Word and Sacraments to go forth to serve you in the world.

All: Amen

 Sung response (adapted from VU #639):

One more step along the world we go,
One more step along the world we go,
From the old things to the new,
Keep us travelling along with you:
And it’s from the old we travel to the new;
Keep us travelling along with you.