A Dismissal Dance

A dismissal dance helps to emphasize and energize the closing words of a worship service. Included in this article are creative suggestions for sending worshipers into the world with a strong sense of God's presence. During the final hymn, choir members moved down the aisles, and each stopped at the end of a different pew to sing the words directly to the people in that pew: "Go tell it on the mountain / Over the hills and everywhere / Go, tell it on the mountain / That Jesus Christ is born!" In another church, all the people were directed to face others around them while singing the benediction "God Be With You Till We Meet Again. " And in a third church, the people processed out singing the final hymn: "Forth In Thy Name, O Lord, We Go. " As we see in these three examples, dismissals and benedictions should give us a strong personal sense of God's presence and direction to send us forth. By contrast, we know of churches where the people begin leaving before the dismissal is spoke…