The phrase "alternative worship" is used for just about anything now-a-days where worship is organised differently to your standard hymn-sermon-liturgy sandwich. So just what is it and where do you find out more?

Personally I would class Alternative Worship as any form of worship in which creativity was viewed as more important than tradition and familiarity, and in which journey was more important than linear structure. The trouble though with being creative is that you need inspiration and resources, and the trouble with 'journeying' is that it is often hard to work out where you are starting from and where you want to end up. So I thought it might be helpful to put together some resources and ideas for folk who might be just starting out on the 'journey' or who are in need of some more inspiration and resources.  

Directions for the weary traveller or bemused liturgist!
The first and best place to begin has to be the marvellous www.alternativeworship.org. Does what it says on the tin of course. At this site you'll find a much more in depth discussion about the alternative worship scene and plenty of pages of resources and web links for you to enjoy. Begin there and read thoroughly through its many resources, definitions, guides and links and you won't go far wrong. 

One of my favourite websites is called wibsite and can be found www.wibsite.com. Particularly of interest is the Faith area and a marvellous introduction to alt.worship is the simple article on 60 ideas for creative worship.

Resources Resources Resources...
The biggest problem with running an Alternative Worship event long term is not just coming up with ideas, but resourcing those ideas too. If you use the websites above and in the Links Database here on FishFood Media you'll have plenty of ideas to try out. But where to get the materials needed? Well, here's a few suggestions:

Ebay : It might not seem the most obvious place in the world but Ebay has a lot more on it than just people emptying their garages. In fact Ebay is big business for small cottage industries, especially crafty type people who make all manner of things which are useful in the alt.worship scene. Candles, cloth, screen, paints, clay, mirrors, stones - everything you might want can be found on there either in small quantities or in bulk. Of course there is no stock list on Ebay, it just has what people are selling at that time, so it's best to plan in advance - but do keep an eye out and do go there even at the last minute because it is a treasure trove, and many a bargain can be found. 

Ikea : Ikea? Really? Yes, really. Ok, so you might not want to buy a ne sofa or a funy sounding wardrobe, but wander through any Ikea store's market place and you'll soon spot all manner of wonderfully cheap and simple objects for your next alt.worship service. There are bags full of tea lights for £1; glass candle holders; sand; little wooden bowls; mirrors; cheap rugs if you need one of those to mark a holy space on the ground somewhere; and all manner of other things you never thought you needed before. They even do a grea tline in painting stuff and large chalks which can come in really handy. 

B&Q: Again, not the most obvious choice perhaps, but B&Q is invaluable for things like bags of sand and large nails!

Note on sand and nails: Get the right sand for the job. If you want sand which will be dry, smooth and flow through people's hands, then get children's play sand. It's very clean, very fine, and useful for lots of activities. If you want something firmer, to be piled up, or written in, then builders sand will do. B&Q do a red sand which is damp, clumps together easily and ... is very messy! It can stain people's hands red, which is both a good thing (imagine confessing sins by writing them in the sand then wiping them away, and seeing the blood of the lamb on your hands), and a bad thing if you don't have a way to let people get clean again afterwards.

Grumpy's: Note - specific to Manchester. Near us we have a wonderful resource called Grumpy's. It is a play resourcing outlet which has a warehouse full of the most amazing toys, devices, and best of all - bags of rubbish! Well, when I say rubbish, I mean cast off's, end of line's, job lots. you have to get what you can when you can, and it's worth while going along sometimes when you don't have anything in mind to stock up for another time. Our youthgroup wanted to make candles, someone went to Grumpy's and came home with bags and bags full of wax. It only cost a few £'s too. That's the brilliant thing about Grumpy's - its very very cheap! They also do a greast line in hiring out equipment. You do need to register there before you can use their services though - but it's well worth it!