Religion Commons^™

Saying Grace: Expanding And Exploring The Family Prayer Time, Lora Copley, Elizabeth Vander Haagen

Symposium on Worship Archive

This workshop is an introduction to Come to Me: A Family Prayer Book. In this time we will talk about and practice prayer as family-friendly extended conversation with God, using samples from this forthcoming book. Come to Me is an experiential, contemplative book for daily use with families with children elementary age and up.

Art In The Service Of The Liturgy, Ellen Phillips

Symposium on Worship Archive

This workshop will present the history, theory, theology, propriety, and need for art in worship allowing plenty of time for those who attend to ask questions, discuss the ideas and present their own thoughts on liturgical art.

Reading For Preaching: The Preacher In Conversation With Storytellers, Biographers, Poets, And Journalists, Cornelius Plantinga

Symposium on Worship Archive

This workshop is for anyone who is interested both in good reading and in good preaching and, especially, in how the first supports the second. Introducing and drawing upon the presenter's new book on this topic, this session will propose ways that a program of general reading is likely to benefit the preacher. For example, well chosen reading is likely to start the preacher's heart, to tune the preacher's ear, and to make the preacher wise. Wisdom is requisite because folly in the pulpit is homiletical malpractice.

Proclamation In The Psalms For Christian Worship, Cornelius Plantinga

Symposium on Worship Archive

A proclamation is a confident and significant declaration. A proclamation does not say “I wish that God were in charge.” A proclamation says, “The Lord reigns.” A proclamation does not say, “I feel that God wants to take care of me.” A proclamation says “The Lord is my shepherd.” A proclamation is a confident and significant statement of what is true of God and the world, and the Psalms are full of them. This workshop will explore trenchant proclamations in the psalms and suggest uses of these proclamations in Christian worship.

Can The Organ Sound Like A Conga? Leading Cross Cultural Song From The Organ, John Ferguson

Symposium on Worship Archive

The organ can lead and accompany an amazing variety of musical styles. John Ferguson will share techniques for leading many nontraditional styles of congregational song from the organ, using his new resource Many and Great: Introductions and Accompaniments for Global Hymns (Morningstar). If you own this resource, bring it to the workshop!

Listening To Your Listeners: A Preaching Preparation Process That Changes…Everything!, Lori Carrell

Symposium on Worship Archive

A vast majority of listeners attending U.S. churches have never talked with a pastor about a sermon. And, unfortunately, those listeners report by the thousands that though they expect spiritual growth as they listen to their preachers, it usually does not occur. Preachers who listen to their listeners as a regular part of sermon preparation can expect to change these patterns, increasing the spiritual impact of preaching for individuals, congregations, communities – and culture. During this workshop, participants will discover how diverse congregations have established and maintained pre-sermon dialogue groups (without adding to the preachers’ limited sermon prep time!).

The Art And Craft Of Creating Texts For Congregational Song, Ruth Duck

Symposium on Worship Archive

Ruth Duck, widely published author of many psalm and hymn texts, including in Lift Up Your Hearts and Psalms for All Seasons, will introduce several of her texts and speak about her process in writing hymns. As a seminary professor of worship, she has many insights to offer about writing, theology, and worship as they intersect in congregational singing.

Complementary Prayers: Prayers To Accompany The Psalms, Hymns, And Spiritual Songs Of The New Hymnal Lift Up Your Hearts, Cornelius Plantinga

Symposium on Worship Archive

Worship leaders live off the work of worship planners and add touches of their own, sometimes celebrating in prayer the power of what the congregation has just sung or, in a prayed line or two, anticipating what the congregation will sing in a moment. This workshop will display and discuss prayers that have been composed to complement psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs in Lift Up Your Hearts. The idea is to give planners and leaders prayers they may use verbatim or in part—or take simply as suggestions for composing their own prayers, written or extemporaneous.

Singing Songs From The Global South In A North American Church Context, Debbie Lou Ludolph

Symposium on Worship Archive

In this workshop we will sing songs of faith from around the world, share experiences of learning to sing these songs by reflecting together on how to meet the challenges of introducing foreign languages, alternate instrumentation and movement in a predominantly Euro-North American context.

El Culto Como Discipulado, Maria Eugenia Cornou

Symposium on Worship Archive

El culto es una experiencia comunitaria integral, que de manera explícita o aún inconsciente, contribuye a modelar el carácter y la identidad de cada participante. En este taller vamos a explorar cómo las diferentes prácticas culticas repercuten en la formación de los y las creyentes y vamos a compartir ideas creativas para enriquecer la celebración de cultos que apunten intencionalmente a la trasformación y al discipulado cristiano.

Communal worship is a holistic experience which explicitly or even unconsciously shapes the character and identity of each participant. In this workshop we will explore how different worship practices influence believers’ spiritual formation. …

Water From The Rock, Calvin Institute Of Christian Worship, Sue Rozenboom, Travis West

Symposium on Worship Archive

No abstract provided.

Leading Diverse Congregational Song From The Organ, John Ferguson

Symposium on Worship Archive

The organ can lead and accompany an amazing variety of musical styles. John Ferguson will share techniques for leading traditional hymns as well as many non-traditional styles of congregational song from the organ. A portion of the seminar will feature his new resource Many and Great: Introductions and Accompaniments for Global Hymns (Morning Star). If you own this resource, bring it with you! This seminar will be held at Calvin Christian Reformed Church (transportation provided).

A New Song. A Skillful Song, Bruce Benedict, Ruth Duck, Greg Scheer

Symposium on Worship Archive

Those of us who feel Psalm 33's call to write new songs must remember that the Psalm also tells us to play skillfully. In this seminar we will focus on the skills of songwriting for congregations, digging into what it means to balance inspiration and perspiration. Join Ruth Duck, Bruce Benedict and Greg Scheer, three songwriters who also spend much of their time editing the works of others as they discuss their approaches to creating new texts, new tunes, and combining texts and tunes. Participants will be invited (not required) in early January to send two of their own congregational …

Growing Congregational Health For Teens To Thrive, Syd Hielema, Laura Keeley

Symposium on Worship Archive

A congregation is a lot like a garden: there are areas of health, fruit-bearing, and beauty—along with weeds and other things that constantly threaten that health. As congregational leaders we are called to tend the garden, strengthening its health and working to contain the "weeds" so it can flourish. This seminar will focus on our role as garden-tenders as it concerns teens. What can we do to encourage growth? How might we deal with those particular toxins that teens are vulnerable to and/or those that congregations are vulnerable to concerning teens? How does our congregational approach to worship, community, and …

Everlasting To Everlasting: A Cantata For Congregation, Calvin Institute Of Christian Worship, Cornelius Plantinga Jr., Greg Scheer

Symposium on Worship Archive

A Vesper/Prayer Service based on the Hallel Psalms, composed by Greg Scheer. Performed by Greg Scheer and friends, with Neal Plantinga, liturgist.

Transformational Preaching: Engaging With Exodus And The Old Testament, Scott Hoezee, Jeff Manion

Symposium on Worship Archive

In this seminar Jeff Manion will help preachers explore the art of building a bridge back to the world of the Bible and then bringing the drama back to our generation. Compelling teaching rests on an emotional connection with the characters in the Biblical drama and so the seminar will ponder first “The Power of Connection” and then next how to explore ways to utilize tension in the telling of the biblical narrative in ways that help listeners wonder “What’s at Stake?” in both the biblical story and its implications for our lives today. The seminar will include conversations with …

Singing Our Prayers With The Global Community, Calvin Institute Of Christian Worship, Debbie Lou Ludolph

Symposium on Worship Archive

A Vesper/Prayer Service with Debbie Lou Ludolph and Inshallah, the global song ensemble from Waterloo Lutheran Seminary

Rhythms Of Desire, Jeremy Begbie, James K.A. Smith

Symposium on Worship Archive

A seminar with presentations by philosopher Jamie Smith and theologian Jeremy Begbie, exploring the theme of desire in worship, drawing especially on music. It will include a dialogue between Jamie and Jeremy, live performance at the piano, and extended time for discussion with the audience.

God Of Grace And God Of Glory: An Exodus Triptych, Calvin Institute Of Christian Worship, Sandra Bowden, Bruce Benedict, Ruth Duck, John Ferguson, Andy Park, Latifah Phillips, Eric Sarwar, André Thomas, David Reimer, John Varineau

Symposium on Worship Archive

No abstract provided.

Elements Of Visual Arts In Action, Ellen Phillips

Symposium on Worship Archive

During this seminar, participants will be invited to create paperlace cut banners such as those which would be used in the worship space. In the process, we will discuss the elements of design (line, shape, direction, size, color) as well as the wealth of Christian symbols that are available for artists to incorporate. This seminar is suitable for all who are interested. Those who are familiar with art and design will have an opportunity to work on their own with minimal instruction, and those who are new to the process will be given plenty of guidance.

Learning To Lead Worship—Forming Worship Leaders In Congregations And Schools, Constance Cherry, Paul Ryan, John Witvliet

Symposium on Worship Archive

Every worship leader—every preacher, musician, artist, media specialist, hospitality provider and more—grows into this role over time. There is so much to learn about worship on so many levels—theologically and pastorally as well as technically. This learning happens in many different settings, through trial and error as well as reading and study, through formal courses as well as informal, off-hand comments in the middle of a service or rehearsal. This seminar will explore the process of teaching and learning worship, and is intentionally designed to both address first-time Symposium attendees as well as veteran teachers of worship. Plan on coming …

Wise Church: Learning From The World-Wide Church, Alison Adam, Emily R. Brink, Marie Eugenia Cornou, Paul Detterman, Jerry Pillay, Anne Zaki

Symposium on Worship Archive

Whether in Toledo, Toronto, Taipei, Tehran, or Tegucigalpa, worship of the Triune God has many commonalities, and followers of Jesus have much to learn from one another. This seminar will focus on the wisdom gathered in “Worshiping the Triune God,” a collection of proverbs developed through global consultation and explored in the study guide Wise Church (Faith Alive, 2013). Leaders from around the globe will speak to this wisdom as it is applied in their unique contexts in order to celebrate, challenge, and inspire each participant with ways our worship can more deeply connect us to the heart of God …

Program And Worship Book, Calvin Symposium On Worship

Symposium on Worship Archive

No abstract provided.

Jazz Vesper/Prayer Service, Jonathan Gilley, Tom Jennings, Fred Knapp, Julia Smith

Symposium on Worship Archive

Vesper/Prayer Service led by Tom Jennings, liturgist and pianist, with Julia Smith, vocals, Jonathan Gilley, bass, and Fred Knapp, percussion.

Multiethnic Worship: More Than Just Global Songs, Josh Davis

Symposium on Worship Archive

Visual art, scripture reading, video, responsive readings, and the list goes on. We will consider elements of a worship service (other than corporate singing) and how they can be intentionally multi-ethnic. We will give lots of practical examples that you can use right away in your local church contexts.

Building Better Partnerships, Norma De Waal Malefyt, Howard Vanderwell

Symposium on Worship Archive

This is an interactive workshop to explore together how to build better worship-planning partnerships. What are the best strategies for working together week after week? Who should be involved? What are the pitfalls to beware of? What can/should each bring to the planning workshop?

How People Change, Duane Kelderman

Symposium on Worship Archive

Anyone working with congregations knows that change is difficult and deep change in people and organizations is rare. How do people and organizations change? This workshop describes four things that take place whenever people or organizations have significantly changed, and gives practical advice for leaders trying to facilitate such change.

The Taizé Community: Music And Prayer, Brad Berglund

Symposium on Worship Archive

This nuts and bolts workshop will focus on the music of the Taizé Community and their unique practice of sung prayer. Using the published resources available to us, we’ll take an in-depth look at how to create a Taizé-style prayer service, lead the music, choose scripture readings and involve soloists and instrumentalists.

Songs Of Celebration And Contemplation From East Africa, Jean Ngoya Kidula

Symposium on Worship Archive

Many peoples in different parts of the world are usually introduced to the performance of Christian religious song that emanates from the cultural and other background of those who initially bring the gospel to them. In many parts of Africa, these were the songs of missionaries from Europe or the Americas. However new songs have also been composed that bear the ‘missionary’ style, or embrace the various other musical languages of the converts. Among the most utilized in East Africa are songs in Kiswahili language. In this workshop, we will examine and perform some Christian songs of contemplation and celebration …

What Can We Learn From The Early Church About Worship?, Marva Dawn

Symposium on Worship Archive

Those who were the closest to Jesus in time can teach us important things about worship. In this workshop we will look at the forms that were used in the earliest centuries of the Church to contemplate how we might use those elements in our worship today.