Last year the Leadership Team commissioned a task force to give attention to what is guiding our vision, values and assumptions in the area of worship and arts. This group began to meet on a monthly basis in September of 2006. Without going into detail here, it is important to note that over the last 5 to 10 years our worship practices and liturgy have been shifting in a number of ways. (This document suggests some of the themes that have been a part of conversations along the way)
On April 29 the Worship and Arts Task Force planned and lead a time of interaction with all the adult Sunday School classes meeting together in the sanctuary. Over the last several years, these 5th Sunday meetings have been a regular pattern established by the Leadership Team to facilitate healthy communication and discernment of how God is at work in our congregation.
The goals for this session included:
• Generate input from the congregation, particularly through experiencing a values exercise similar to one the WATF did as a group.
• Ask the congregation what they feel we are trying to accomplish as a group
• Establish WATFor: why are we meeting (response: “Do we want change to be purposeful or accidental?)
• Build an appreciation for the fact that we have a lot of diversity of thought/opinion at Sunnyside regarding worship and arts, and that there is a lot of complexity in dealing with the issues.
Rich Sauder (WATF chairperson) opened with prayer and introduced the WATF members. He then read our brief mission statement: Gain broad and deep insights about worship and arts values and practices in the Church.
We then broke into small groups to work with the following prompt: 
We affirm that worship should be part of each aspect of our individual lives and church community life. However, for the purposes of this morning’s discussion, your input should be focused on topics that relate to our sanctuary and the experiences we share during our corporate worship.
Q: In April 2007 at Sunnyside Mennonite Church, what are the values that you as a group can agree that we (our church attendees) hold highest related to our worship and arts?
Name as many as you wish, but take time to identify the five (5) values about which you feel we care 
most deeply.
Optional: you may add explanations as you see fit.
After time for discussion in small groups, Rich shared from the list that was generated when the WATF did this exercise. This list is available in the power point presentation that was used at our meeting. With a bit of time at the end for open questions and feedback, there was expression of affirmation for the work of the WATF and blessing to continue.
As we explore how change happens in the church, we are seeking to be attentive to how our expressions of worship can be faithful. Here is a prayer as we continue on this journey...
Almighty God, you have revealed to your Church your eternal Being of glorious majesty and perfect love as one God in Trinity of Persons: Give us grace to continue steadfast in the confession of faith, and constant in our worship of you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; for you live and reign, one God, now and for ever. Amen.