Book Review

Here is a book review done by Elayne Werges of St. John Lutheran Church in Nashua, Iowa.

Book Review: Book of Uncommon Prayer, Books I and II
Elayne Werges, Director of Ministries/Diaconal Minister Candidate
St. John Lutheran Church, Nashua, Iowa

So, one night we were having a lock in at our church, and it occurred to me that I had not planned the late night worship time for our group….yikes! what should I do. If I just skipped it, what would make this time together any different than all the other really cool fun things that our youth go to? So I went to the hymnal…filled with super things, but not what I was looking for….so I went to the internet, found some things, still not exactly what I was looking for, but I made it work, we had worship and off they went, another successful youth event.

Determined never to have that happen again, I began looking for resources that I could keep on file to grab at a moments notice. One of the books, actually two books I found were “The Book of Uncommon Prayer-Contemplative and Celebratory Prayers and Worship Service for Youth Ministry” Book I and Book II by Steven L. Case.
These books have been an indispensible tool that I have used over and over for everything from lock-ins to mission trips, to middle school worship experiences.
Chapters include prayers, responsive readings, and devotions for youth workers are found in book I. Book II includes outlines for services, blessings, and a scripture index. Both books come with a cd with music that can be used for the experiences described. The wording used in both books is that of youth today. It speaks to them in a way that they understand.

I like that it keeps the traditional order of service-Gather, Word, Meal, and Send. You can easily add video clips that illustrate the lesson for the day. All resources lend itself to adapting and changing to your context and situations.