Westminster Sacred Dance Ministry continues to grow and expand
By Sandra Jones, Director of Sacred Dance
When dance ministry was introduced at Westminster, the group was simply known as the sacred dance choir. I soon realized that a name would help establish group identity and encourage commitment and unity. This was difficult, as the name was dependent upon the mission. I turned to the PC(USA) Book of Order to better understand worship in the reformed tradition.
According to the Book of Order our worship services consist of five actions centered in the Word of God, presented in a logical progression rooted in the Old and New Testaments and reflecting the tradition of the universal church and our reformed heritage. The five major actions are (1) gathering around the Word; (2) proclaiming the Word; (3) responding to the Word; (4) sealing of the Word; (5) bearing and following the Word into the world.
The Word is proclaimed not only through sermons, but also through song, drama, and yes, even dance. Where the Word is read and proclaimed, Jesus Christ, the Living Word, is present by the inward witness of the Holy Spirit. The people of God receive the Word and in turn respond in many ways, including by symbolic actions, of which fasting, feasting, singing and dancing are a few examples. In other words, dance may be used to both proclaim and respond to the Word of God.
After this research, I could develop a mission statement for our dance ministry which is
Faithfully proclaiming the Word of God, through symbolic-interpretive movement, leading the congregation of Westminster Presbyterian Church in praise and worship of the Living Word, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
It is from our mission statement that the name of the dance group was born, Word in Motion, for truly “In Him we live, and move, and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)
Word in Motion was created for young women in grades six through twelve; a few years ago I felt led to start a women’s group. As adults, taking just a small step out from behind the pew can often call for a huge leap of faith—hence the women’s group name: Leap of Faith.
In its nine years, the dance ministry has grown, and Word in Motion has doubled in size in the past three years. We are therefore starting a third group, not only for practical reasons but also to better serve the wide range of ability and maturity among the dancers. Having two groups will allow us to focus on the dancers’ strengths more and better train the younger dancers in the technical and spiritual aspects of dance. Word in Motion will be the name for the ninth through twelfth grade group.
Paul says in Romans 12:1, “I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Complementing this, 1 Peter 2:4–5 says “Come to Him, to that living stone, rejected by men but in God’s sight chosen and precious; and like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Because the younger dance group will be a training group and we are living stones with Christ as the cornerstone, we have chosen the name of Stepping Stones. Please welcome Stepping Stones as the newest group in our blessed and growing dance ministry here at Westminster.
