First the biblical story that informs us. When Jesus was with the Samaritan woman at the well, she questioned him as to the correct form and place of worship. Jesus acknowledged that the people of Judea worshipped in one way while the Samaritans worshipped in another place and way but then he said, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him.” (John 4:1-30)
From the movement of wilderness altars to temples to synagogues and continuing among the Christian community in the development of the church, believers have always felt free to experiment with different forms and times of worship according to their times and conditions.
Experimentation and openness to change have always been a part of the history of the Highland community. That never meant that all change was good or that even good change did not meet with its share of grumbles and nay sayers. But as a church, they kept trying to respond to their changing times and conditions.
Since at least 1956, there has been continued exploration of a different hour for Sunday worship during the summer in an attempt to meet the needs of those who desired an earlier worship hour. In 1963 they experimented with midweek services in the homes with a host home in different neighborhoods inviting 10 other families and a pastor. Also in 1963 it was proposed to have an early Sunday morning service for families which would last no longer than 35 minutes with the sermon being shaped to speak to the age of those in junior high.
In 1967 there developed the Experimental Church which met in homes. In 1968 they discussed the possibility of midweek services at noon or breakfast and having the sanctuary open during the week for meditation. In 1975 they voted to replace the Christmas Day service with a Christmas Eve service. In the 80’s they increased the number of times that Communion was celebrated. In 1989 they introduced the idea of preworship hymn sings to develop their comfort with new songs and increase their experience of old favorites. In 1991 they began trying to lift up the work of the congregation as an act of worship for an annual meeting.
Not all of the results of these experiments were good but there is a continual attempt to seek to provide the opportunity for people to worship God in spirit and truth and not to be frozen into a particular form or tradition.
