Description: Wide Open Worship is an evening for young adults to come together for community, prayer, reflection, and worship and praise in Eucharistic Adoration.
Get Ready
- Prep Time: One meeting (one to two hours) is required to plan the event; approximately two hours are needed for set up on the day of the event.
- Volunteers Needed: Minimally, the event needs one person to serve as the MC, two people to be greeters, and someone to create and distribute publicity. Volunteers may also be asked to lead the praise and worship music.
- Ideal Group Size: This program can be for nearly any size group, as long as the space can adequately accommodate the group, leaving each person enough space to pray.
- Ideal Time for this Event: Friday evening, 7-9 p.m.
- Who is this for? Any young adult can appreciate this opportunity for prayer and praise.
- Supplies Needed: Prayer and music aids. Depending on the space being used, sound equipment may also be necessary.
- Reserve the Space: This event requires a church space appropriate for Eucharistic Adoration.
- Publicize the Program: Promote the evening through bulletin announcements, flyers, e-mail and social media, especially Facebook. Publicizing from different angles and using different mediums has been very effective!
Prayer for Program Planner: Lord, you tell us “come to me all you who are burdened and weary and I will give you rest.” As we take time out of our busy lives to come before you in Adoration tonight, help us to find rest in you. Quiet our thoughts and our hearts so that we can truly listen for your voice. Help us to feel the joy of your Spirit as we worship and praise you as one community. Amen.
Community Building: Community is central to our Wide Open Worship or W.O.W. event. It is an evening for young adults from all over to come together and worship God. Our event is also geared especially at bringing together all diocesan young adult groups for community and fellowship. Partnering together built community between the different young adult groups in the diocese.
Make It Happen
- Invite young adults to help coordinate the event.
- Select a date and time. Each year we do W.O.W. on a Friday evening at the end of the summer, but this event could be held at any time of year.
- Determine who will provide music. Live music is better than recorded music, but recorded music can work if that’s all you have. If there is a parish that has a Mass that young adults frequent, consider inviting the music ministry from that Mass. You could also have a local choir or a single music leader.
- Decide on a presider. It’s important to discuss this with your pastor or chaplain, so your presider will be familiar with the space and requirements for Eucharistic Adoration. You may also wish to have a priest who is responsible for Exposition and Benediction, and another person who provides the reflection.
- If you are not connected with a parish or a multi-parish group, determine where you will have the event. Make sure the space is appropriate for Eucharistic Adoration. For most parishes, this will be the main church space.
- Once everything is confirmed, create and circulate publicity.
- If you have young adults providing music, be sure the music team selects songs for the evening and practices.
- Create any necessary music and/or prayer aids.
- On the actual evening of the event, be sure the space is set up appropriately. Check the sound. Be sure to greet all participants.
Ideas
- Advent is a really busy time, so it might seem difficult to put this event together right before Christmas. However, many young adults will appreciate the extra time for quiet and prayer.
- Young adults are often waiting for the next thing to come along, so invite young adults to connect their waiting to Advent waiting.
- Connect with the diocesan young adult ministry, particularly for publicity. This allows the event to extend beyond your group.
- Follow up your event with a potluck or other simple refreshments providing young adults the opportunity to socialize after praying.
Recommends: Keep it simple! Making sure the music is prayerful and the presider is good will ensure a successful event.
