Worship materials for congregations

Recognizing the toll that COVID-19 has had on pastors and worship planners, members of the AMBS community have prepared worship materials for congregational use for two Sundays.

We invite congregations to use whatever parts of the service(s) are useful to you and to give pastors and worship leaders a break from preparing! If you decide to use any of the resources, we would love to hear from you! We invite you to either fill out this form about how you used them or contact Janeen directly at [email protected]. 

— Janeen Bertsche Johnson, M.Div., Director of Campus Ministries, Development and Admissions Associate

AMBS students (l. to r.) Sibonokuhle Ncube, Marcos Acosta, Salomé Haldemann, Andios Santoso and Quinn Brenneke sing “Jesus, we are here.”

Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary students (l. to r.) Sibonokuhle Ncube, Marcos Acosta, Salomé Haldemann, Andios Santoso and Quinn Brenneke contributed music to AMBS’s congregational worship resources.

April 11, 2021 (Sunday after Easter)

The resources, which are based on the John 20:19-31 lectionary reading, include a prelude, call to worship, opening prayer, two hymns, Scripture presentation, sermon, two student testimonies, Amharic song, intercessory prayer, the Lord’s Prayer in three languages, benediction and postlude.

The video elements are available in this playlist and can be viewed below.

Gathering - Section 1 | View video

  • Prelude - "Low in the Grave He Lay" (Voices Together #333); arrangement by Carla Klassen | Pianist: Beverly Lapp, Vice President and Academic Dean
  • Call to Worship (Voices Together #1047) | Allan Rudy-Froese, Associate Professor of Christian Proclamation
  • Opening Prayer | Sibonokuhle Ncube, student from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
  • Hymn - "Breathe on Me, Breath of God" (Voices Together #737) | Janet Abai, student from Jos, Nigeria; and Anna Ressler, student from Apple Creek, Ohio, U.S.

Proclaiming - Section 2 | View video

  • Scripture presentation (John 20:19-31) | Rachel Miller Jacobs, Associate Professor of Congregational Formation
  • Sermon - "Believing with Hope and Resilience" | David Boshart, President
  • Sermon response | Lisa Heinrichs, student from Hope, British Columbia, Canada
  • Hymn - "We Walk By Faith" (Voices Together #588) | Janeen Bertsche Johnson, Director of Campus Ministries

Witnessing - Section 3 | View video

  • Student Testimony | Andios Santoso, student from Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia
  • Song | Hailu Wondafrash, student from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Praying - Section 4 | View video

  • Intercessory Prayer | Janeen Bertsche Johnson, Director of Campus Ministries

Sending - Section 5 | View video

  • The Lord's Prayer | Greek: Drew Strait, Assistant Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins; English: Daniel Grimes, Vice President for Advancement and Enrollment; Amharic: Misgana Eshete, Student from Bishoftu, Oromiya, Ethiopia
  • Benediction - Voices Together #1066 | Bob Yoder, Director of Development
  • Postlude - "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" (Voices Together #346) | Kristen Swartley, student from Cedar Falls, Iowa, U.S., flute; Rebecca Slough, Academic Dean Emerita and Professor Emerita of Worship and the Arts, piano

Any Sunday:

These worship service elements are based on the story of Jesus in the temple as a boy (Luke 2:41-52). They were originally made available for Epiphany, but the message of the sermon is broadly focused on the topic of faith formation, so they could be used at any time. Download the worship materials (PDF).

The worship elements we have prepared for this include:

  • a call to worship that can be done by one voice, two voices, or more.
  • a song, “Jesus, we are here” (Sing the Journey #6), sung in several languages by AMBS students
  • a prayer
  • a presentation of Luke 2:41-52 by Janeen Bertsche Johnson, Director of Campus Ministries
  • a sermon by AMBS President David Boshart that is based on the encounter of Jesus with temple leaders at age 12. The sermon speaks to the essential work of every congregation to create spaces where faith formation and vocational call of young and old alike are explored.
  • a closing song, “The Lord lift you up” (Sing the Journey #73), sung by AMBS employees

The video elements are available in this playlist and can be viewed below.

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