Friar Tuck Learns Worship: The Roundabout Road of Liturgical Resource Development: Review and Testimony

I have spent the last 6 months adjusting to a congregation with a much more liturgical heritage than my own.As I adapt to leading worship in this style, I have had to go out and purchase several resources that provide readings and insight into Presbyterian and Methodist worship. This may sound burdensome, but it really has been fun. It has been fun because I love learning new skills, and this is a new skill set for me to adapt to. Normally our church has used readings in four places: Call to Worship, Responsive Closing, and a Unison Prayer at the end of sharing praises and concerns in prayer.

In the process of becoming equipped for this facet of my ministry, I have had to purchase several books of readings and other liturgical resources. In addition, I have also had to begin to study deeper on more traditional worship in general. So, pay attention if you want to know more about what I am learning in this regard, because I will be sharing a lot about what I am discovering as I go through the year.

In this first discussion of worship and liturgical arts, I want to share the resources that contain readings and other worship resources that I have been given. Later, I will evaluate these titles in bunches. What do you use in worship planning? Does anyone out there write their own readings for their congregations? If you have any further ideas let me know!

Here are the resources I have in my office. Some of them I had before. Many of them I have gathered in the last year or so:

• Presbyterian Book of Common Worship
• Episcopal Book of Common Prayer
• United Methodist Book of Worship
• Gathering for Worship (Baptists of Great Britain)
• A Manual of Worship by John E. Skoglund and Nancy E. Hall (American Baptist)
• Prepare! An Ecumenical Music and Worship Planner
• Revised Common Lectionary Prayers (Consultation on Common Texts published by Fortress)
• The Abingdon Worship Annual
• The Abingdon Preaching Annual
• When We Gather (Presbyterian, Geneva Press)
• Invocations and Benedictions for the Revised Common Lectionary by Drescher
• Psalms for All Seasons
• The Worship Sourcebook (Faith Alive Publishers (CRC and RCA))
• Benedictions--A Pocket Resource by Vasholz
• Call to Worship--A Pocket Resource by Vasholz
• Gifts of Many Cultures by Tirabassi
• The New Handbook of the Christian Year
• Whispers of God by Levon Bayler
• Led by Love by Levon Bayler
• Touch Holiness by Ruth Duck
• Flames of the Spirit by Ruth Duck
• Litanies and Other Prayers for the Common Lectionary Year B by Tilson and Cole
• Litanies for All Occasions and More Litanies for All Occassions by Garth House
• Prayers for the Seasons of God's People--Year B by Hostetter
• Before the Amen by Tirabassi and Tirabassi