Highlands UMC offers worshippers a chance to ‘Be Still’ in chaotic world

Living in our wired, fast-paced society can be upsetting, according to Mikah Hudson, senior pastor at Highlands United Methodist Church.

“The world’s very chaotic and crazy right now” and “everyone is screaming at one another,” Hudson said.

In order to offer people some relief, Highlands now presents Be Still, a contemplative worship service, the second Sunday of each month at 8 p.m., including Jan. 14.

“Our goal is to create a worship space where people can find some calm, peace and quiet,” Hudson said.

“Be Still is a good way for folks to unplug from a loud, busy world at the end of the weekend and in preparation for the coming week,” said Reggie Holder, director of growing ministries at Highlands.

Drawing on the tradition of Compline, or evening prayer, Be Still takes in ancient and emerging spiritual traditions, including Christian monasticism and even Buddhist meditation.

Be Still, which began in September, is a “unique” service with a “pretty dramatic” setting featuring incense and candlelight, Holder said.

“It seems to speak more to the heart and spirit as opposed to the mind, as most of our other services tend to do,” Holder said. “There is an air of mystery to the service that I find meaningful and comforting.”

Be Still is based on Christian tradition and includes songs, prayers and readings, but there’s no preaching and no effort to push an “agenda or message,” Hudson said.

Worshippers are encouraged to be comfortable — to sit, kneel, even lie down — according to Hudson.

There are also powerful moments of silence, one of which affected Hudson in November.

“I felt a certain sense of calm and peace that settled on me, and I had to pull myself out of that, because I had a part to play to leading the service,” Hudson said.

All people are welcome at Be Still, according to Hudson.

“We want to provide an environment where people from many different ways of understanding faith — or even not having faith at all — feel some sense of comfort,” he said.

Be Still has another benefit, according to Holder. “It's nice to be still, to be quiet and to be off the grid, even temporarily,” he said.

For information, call 933-8751 or go to highlandsumc.net.