Protocol on Interfaith Worship
Protocol on Interfaith Worship
Definitions
- PLANNERS – members of the CAMC to whom the CAMC delegates the function of planning a worship service.
They will meet previous to such service to plan the order of the service, select and approve the particular
activities and music that will be used, sung and heard in the service; prepare and circulate the publicity flyers;
and print the bulletin. - PARTICIPANTS- the members of the CAMC or of CAMC organizations who will participate in the
worship program as leaders, readers, speakers or singers, or in another capacity. - WORSHIPERS- all persons who attend the worship service.
- CLERGY – leader or representative of a particular faith group; may be called rabbi,
pastor, priest or any other title. This person may or may not use particular piece(s) of clothing that identify them.
May be used to refer to one or more persons. - WORSHIP SERVICE – the activity that the planners meet to organize, by delegation of the CAMC. Used interchangeably with WORSHIP.
- SPONSORING CONGREGATION- the particular faith or cultural group that receives the visit of
the CAMC and its members and guests.
Guidelines
- On special occasions or commemorations, or as the occasion may rise, the CAMC may celebrate
worship in one of the area houses of prayer and/or worship or where it may see fit. - These worship services may be seen as the culmination of the work of the CAMC in that in
these services, the purposes of the CAMC are lived out in the community. With this in mind,
all of the worshipers turn to their own tradition for uniqueness. Each worshiper may expect
respect for his or her tradition, and will, in turn, also be respectful of other faith-traditions. - The worship services will be planned in advance. All CAMC members are welcome to
participate in the planning, but a smaller planning group is advisable, for ease and flexibility
in accomplishing the planning. If one person or group has a specific issue that they are
sensitive to and can illuminate to the planners, they should be part of the worship planning process.
The clergy of the sponsoring congregation or their designated representative should be present at
the meetings of the planners, and if possible, some if not all of the planning meetings should
be held at the sponsoring congregation’s site. The clergy of the sponsoring congregation will
receive a copy of these guidelines personally or through the designated representative.
The guidelines will be used in the planning process. - The planning committee will encourage the use of gender inclusive language in the worship
service, for references to the divine as well as to people, in the invocation and the benediction of
the service. Inclusive language also refers to language that would tend to include people of
different cultural backgrounds, races, ethnicities and people who are handicapped. - The planning committee will verify that the sponsoring congregation’s site has made provision for
handicapped persons’ access. - The planning committee will inquire as to the time needed for each participation; it will then
will set the guidelines as to the time limits for each segment of the program. These time limits
will be strictly adhered to, especially by the members of the CAMC and the planners, as a sign of mutual respect. - Participants are encouraged to use a language other than English, if this is part of their tradition.
- The participation of choirs in traditional dress and singing traditional songs is encouraged.
As a matter of courtesy, if children participate in the service, their participation should be
planned for early in the worship service. - The planning committee should share the plans and program with the executive committee of the
CAMC, for review, preferably in the meeting previous to the event, but in no case less than
two weeks before the event, before programs are printed. - The planners will keep in mind that in the prayers and activities of the worship service that
ask for the participation of all (such as singing, chanting, movement), a common ground of respect
must be maintained. That which we have in common should be stressed when all participate. When
one tradition is presenting, it is appropriate to present what is unique. The comfort of
worshipers of other traditions should always be kept in mind in the planning process. - The statement of purpose of the CAMC should be printed in the worship service bulletin. The
same statement may be prominently displayed at the site of the worship, in the sponsoring
congregation, on a table set up for informational purposes. A list of the member organizations may
also be included with the statement of purpose. - The members of the CAMC are encouraged to give publicity to the worship services, in their
congregation and area congregations, including especially to other faith and cultural organizations
not associated to the CAMC. The planners will circulate a leaflet or flyer to facilitate the publicity.
The statement of purpose of the CAMC should be printed on the publicity leaflet and in the bulletin. - The offering, if any is to be collected, should be done in such a way as to not offend
traditions to which the “passing of the plate” is not the customary way. Offering plates may be
placed in the rear of the room where the worship service is held, or it may be announce that
specially marked designated people may receive the offering. The designees of the offering may be
announced during the worship service, and should be printed in the bulletin as well as in the
publicity. The planning committee will select the entities that will receive the offering, if the CAMC has
not specially designated this beforehand. - Clergy and members may wear traditional “service” dress, and will process into the house of
prayer/worship before the service begins, and will recess after the service ends. - At the beginning of the service a member of the CAMC will welcome the worshipers and remind
them that what they are about to share are experiences from other faith-traditions, and encourage
to be inspired by these different experiences. As part of the service, worshipers should
be encouraged to greet each other. - Participants should be clearly identified as members of the CAMC, either by seating area or by name tags.
- Participants, planners, sponsoring congregation and clergy will model for all
cordiality, greeting, welcoming each other and worshipers. - Participants and clergy will participate, if possible, in the social activity that follows,
if such is offered by the sponsoring congregation, in order to better get to know each other
and the members of each other’s faith or cultural groups. Tables may be set up to permit the sharing
of publicity for upcoming activities of CAMC and/or its members. - An evaluation of the activity, as to whether or not it complied with the guidelines, will
be conducted by the planning committee, before the next monthly meeting, if possible, with
attendance of at least one member of the executive council. The leader of the sponsoring congregation
should be present at this evaluation. The purpose of this evaluation is to give and receive
positive feedback, constructive criticism, so as to avoid future problems and to increase the
members’ sensitivity to problem-areas that may cause discomfort or resentment. This
evaluation may be discussed at the next CAMC meeting. Any findings may be incorporated
in these guidelines.
Adopted on February 10, 2005
The Cheltenham Area Multifaith Council (CAMC), formerly the
Cheltenham Ministerium of Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, was organized in the
Fall of 2001 following the tragedies of 9.11. The following September,
we sponsored an ecumenical community memorial service held at Reform
Congregation Keneseth Israel in September, 2002. Nearly 3000 people
attended. Steps were then taken to strengthen our organization by
creating a set of By-Laws, establishing both institutional and personal
dues and, most recently, by adopting a set of guidelines on Interfaith
Worship.
A non-profit, non-political organization, CAMC sponsors two regular
permanent services a year: one on the Tuesday prior to Thanksgiving, the
other in celebration of Martin Luther King Day. The council meets on a
monthly basis at a different house of worship or religious institution
in our area from September to May to learn, share and plan future
events. Our June meeting is a retreat and is held in our local Dominican
Retreat House. We also forged the idea of a community emergency food
pantry which is now housed at AME LaMott Church and work with local
authorities and schools in our area for the common good.
Currently, the Council represents over 30 religious institutions as
well as a number of independent, supportive individuals in our
community. For more information about joining the CAMC, dues or
financial support, please contact Rabbi Lance J. Sussman at
kirabbiljs@aol.com.
About Our Logo
CAMC commissioned a unique logo to symbolize its mission. The circle
represents interfaith cooperation. The parallel sticks represent each
of our traditions as unique but also standing in cooperation with its
neighbors, that is, our ideal of “harmony and diversity.” As a
multifaith association, we seek to cooperate but not to blend. The
colors of the logo are the colors of Cheltenham Township, High School
and local street signs. Our logo was designed locally by Marthe
Roberts/Shea of Taxi Graphics, Inc.
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