Worship Weblog
Monday, January 22, 2007
GR Press on Symposium 2007
The Grand Rapids Press published this preview of Symposium 2007:
GRAND RAPIDS—The Calvin Symposium on Worship celebrates its 20th anniversary this week.
Hosted by the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, the symposium, which runs Thursday to Jan. 27 on the Calvin College campus, features more than 80 artists and about 1,600 participants.
Presentations by Keith and Kristyn Getty, Irish composers of worship songs, highlight next week’s event. Keith Getty’s hymns include “In Christ Alone,” sung in churches around the world. The pair will present a concert on Jan. 28, at Grand Rapids Christian High School’s DeVos Center for Performing Arts.
“We never could have imagined how the symposium would grow,” said John Witvliet, director of the worship institute for the past decade. “I’m especially gratified with how people from such completely different kinds of churches are able to be part of this conversation—from urban and rural, long-established and brand new, North American and beyond North America.”
Witvliet said he’s especially pleased with the number of international guests. More than 100 participants are flying in from overseas, with approximately 25 already here in the states attending Calvin or for other reasons. Participants are coming from 34 countries, including Argentina, Namibia, China, India, Iraq, Pakistan, Scotland and Taiwan.