Worship Series for Summer (Or Any Season)—An Insider’s guide
Over the years, we have released five theme-based worship series that can be used anytime throughout the liturgical calendar. In this insider’s guide, we’ve compiled some at-a-glance information about each bundle to help you discern which series to use. Our Sanctified Art Community Group on Facebook is a great place to connect & collaborate with leaders who have used these series in past seasons.
(Please note: We are always in the process of developing and honing our resources. As you scroll through older series, pay special attention to what materials are included, as some of the resources we now regularly create may not have been developed at that time.)
Released: 2020
What it is: Stewardship resources to remember, release, reimagine, and restore our narratives around money.
Covers: 8 scriptures over 4 weeks (could be adapted for 8 weeks).
Resources Included: Sermon planning guide, words for worship, practical toolkit for stewardship, poetry, visual art collection, study journal, lessons for children, worship art project, and branding files.
Supplements & Add-ons: An editable pledge form | Hymn suggestions | Why this series offers a new approach to stewardship | How to adapt the art project for online/hybrid ministry
Great for: Stewardship season, capital campaigns, or engaging the community in becoming more intentional about how the church uses its resources in alignment with its mission.
Considerations: The practical toolkit includes some “pre-work” for a small group such as a finance committee or stewardship team to complete before the series begins, which could be adapted for a retreat setting as well. Each weekly sub-theme includes two scriptures, so this series could be extended to up to eight weeks (or beyond) if you desire a longer stewardship season. We created these resources in March-April 2020 during the initial shut-down, so some of the art and written reflections reference the experiences of the beginning of the pandemic.
Learn more: Download our free infographic to learn more about the theme and the focal scriptures included.
Released: 2021
What it is: Resources to build community through curiosity and empathy.
Covers: 8 scriptures over 4 weeks (could be adapted for 8-9 weeks).
Resources Included: Sermon planning guide, words for worship, video vignettes, “Conversation Church” creative worship liturgy, poetry, visual art collection, study journal, conversation cards, and branding files.
Supplements & Add-ons: Children’s lessons | Hymn suggestions | Pastoral resources for using Hannah’s story
Great for: Building deeper relationships among community members, especially after worshiping apart for so long, the arrival or departure of a pastor, or any other major event in the life of the church where reconnecting is a major priority.
Considerations: There is so much content included between the two scriptures each week that many of our patrons who have used this bundle have stretched I’ve been meaning to ask… beyond a four-week series. It can be extended as long as 9 weeks using the Conversation Church service for an additional week to either introduce or conclude the series.
Learn more: Download our free infographic to learn more about the theme and the focal scriptures included.
Released: 2019
What it is: A series centered on stories about the ways God meets us when our plans fall apart.
Covers: 12 scriptures over 12 weeks (could be adapted for a shorter series).
Resources Included: Sermon planning guide, words for worship, visual art collection, study journal, intergenerational art project, and branding files.
Supplements & Add-ons: Unraveled Poems (written & added in 2020) | 12 original hymns inspired by the series
Great for: Wrestling with the ways we have felt unraveled in the past few years, especially with the pandemic, natural disasters, and emerging war. Though on the surface this might seem like a more somber theme, a good number of the stories included are ultimately hopeful. Be sure to check the “media” section of our Facebook group to see how churches have created the woven medallion art project and incorporated it into their worship spaces.
Considerations: This series contains 12 weeks, so each week only has one scripture and there are fewer total resources included. The order and number of weeks are easily customizable to any length series you would like.
Learn more: Download our free infographic to learn more about the theme and the focal scriptures included.
Released: 2018
What it is: A character study of 16 different people in the bible, both well-known and unknown.
Covers: 16 scriptures over 16 weeks (could be adapted for a shorter series).
Resources Included: Visual art collection, coloring posters, study journal, and branding files. A worship art project is also available on our blog.
Supplements & Add-ons: A fun & easy art installation
Great for: A longer bible study series, especially for youth and adults. This series is great for preaching on and studying scriptures often left out of the Revised Common or Narrative Lectionaries.
Considerations: This is an extra-long series, and one of our older series, so there is no liturgy or sermon planning guide. However, you might ask in our Facebook group whether anyone who has used Faces of Our Faith in the past (a good number of our patrons) would be willing to share their liturgy or other resources.
Learn more: Download our free infographic to learn more about the theme and the focal scriptures included.
Released: 2017
What it is: Resources following the Abrahamic family narrative from Abraham and Sarah to Moses.
Covers: 12 scriptures over 12 weeks (could be adapted for a shorter series).
Resources Included: Visual art collection, coloring posters, study journal, and sermon note templates (this is not a sermon planning guide with resources, but a printable template to write notes & reflections).
Supplements & Add-ons: None.
Great for: Biblical literacy around the Genesis and Exodus texts, whether in bible study or worship.
Considerations: This series was created for the RCL Year A texts for Ordinary Time, but since it follows a narrative, it could easily be used at any time. You might even extend the series with additional scriptures that fall between the included scriptures. As one of our earlier and longer bundles, there is no liturgy or sermon planning guide.
Learn more: We don’t have an infographic for this series, but the scriptures included are listed on the bundle page.
Rev. Anna strickland
Operations Support & Content Creation
Rev. Anna Strickland (she/her/hers) looks for the Divine in the everyday like treasure in clay jars and first encountered God in the integration of her spiritual self and artistic self. She is a native Austinite and graduated from the University of Texas where she now works in college ministry, especially serving LGBTQ students.