Upcoming Themes

Do any of these topics capture your interest? Do you find yourself considering worship materials you have that would connect with these themes? If so, this is your invitation. Please send your thoughts, worship materials, or anything that seems to connect with these themes. Thank you! 

Shared Ministries and Lay-Led Ministries
Gathering Lent/Easter 2027
Submit contributions through GatheringWorship.ca by June 1, 2026
Many communities of faith are part of shared ministries with other denominations. Some have worked with others to create an intentional interdenominational church. Some have partnerships that involve sharing buildings with other denominations or community partners. Some communities of faith are committed to lay-led ministry with no intention of calling an ordained or diaconal minister. We invite you to share your experiences and your learnings as a community of faith.

Gospel 
Gathering Pentecost 1 2027 
Submit contributions through GatheringWorship.ca by September 1, 2026 
The word gospel literally means “good news.” Yet, there are many nuances to how the word is understood and used. Jesus explains that “those who lose their life…for the sake of the gospel will save it” (Mark 8:35). The apostle Paul declares that he is a servant of the gospel, set apart for the gospel of God (Romans 1:1). Paul describes the gospel in many ways—the gospel of peace, the gospel of salvation, the gospel of grace, the gospel of Jesus Christ—and devotes himself to “make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel” (Ephesians 6:19).
What does the word gospel mean to you? When you share the gospel message in your congregation, what is the message you are sharing? What does it mean to be a servant of the gospel? How do you make sure the gospel message is proclaimed in each service? We invite you to share your answers, understandings, prayers, and poetry with the Gathering community.

Invited to the Banquet 
Gathering Pentecost 2 2027 
Submit contributions through GatheringWorship.ca by December 1, 2026 
In her book Undivided Love: Navigating Landscapes of Living Faith (Friesen Press, 2022), Janet Gear introduces the idea of five streams of lived faith: evangelical, ecclesial, missional, ecumenical, and spiritual. These five streams of theological diversity are present in all of our congregations, with one or two perhaps having a more dominant place. Gear invites us to understand that, rather than seeking a homogenous understanding of God and expressions of faith, we are richer when we honour all these streams at the banqueting table of God. We invite you to share ways that Gear’s work has guided you in understanding your congregation and navigating conflicting understandings of God and God’s purpose. We especially invite prayers, worship services, workshops, and more that you have developed around Gear’s work, as well as any worship material based on the idea of gathering at the banqueting table of God

WE NEED YOUR SUBMISSIONS. 
Gathering began as a document stapled together from worship materials sent by (snail) mail to the Worship Desk at the national office. Worship leaders across the United Church wanted to share what had worked well in their congregations. They wanted to be inspired by the ideas of their colleagues. And Gathering was born!

We know you love using the prayers and worship ideas from Gathering. But Gathering only works if you submit your own prayers and worship ideas. You don’t have to edit it before sending it. It just needs to be your own original work. Send it along. We’ll edit it and find a way to share it with other worship leaders.

So please! Share your experiences and worship materials. Your contributions create the richness of the Gathering Worship Resource. Submit through GatheringWorship.ca or by emailing to @email.