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<title>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship: Vital Worship Feature Stories</title>
<description>Feature stories ... for inspiration, learning, and group discussion</description>
<copyright>Copyright 2006 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</copyright>
<language>en-us</language>
<lastBuildDate>Mon, 13 Feb 2006 12:05:00 EST</lastBuildDate>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship</link>

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<title>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship</link>
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<item>
<title>Baptism: A Story We All Share</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/baptism_stories.php?source=rss</link>
<description>Discover how the multiple meanings of baptism can enrich baptism as a source of Christian identity, faith formation, and baptismal living.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2009 6:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Psalms in Worship: God knows we need help praying </title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/diverse_psalms.php?source=rss</link>
<description>Discover why more congregations are following Christ's example of praying the Psalms in worship.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Fri, 24 July 2009 6:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Simon Chan on the Life of the Holy Spirit in the Church</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/simon_chan.php?source=rss</link>
<description>Simon Chan says that bad worship produces bad theology, which leads to an unhealthy church. That's why he suggests in his book Liturgical Theology that churches make more room for the Holy Spirit to work in worship.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Wed, 8 July 2009 6:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Music and Worship Help Heal Northern Ireland</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/irish_worship.php?source=rss</link>
<description>The Presbyterian Church in Ireland is using music and worship to overcome the legacy of "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland. You can apply their insights to political and other differences that divide Christians in your context. </description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Fri, 19 Jun 2009 6:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Justice and Suffering in Worship Centered on God</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/nyomi.php?source=rss</link>
<description>Feature Story: Justice and Suffering in Worship Centered on God</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Mon, 1 Jun 2009 6:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Projected Images in Worship: Illustrate or Illuminate?</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/projected_images.php?source=rss</link>
<description>Feature Story: Projected Images in Worship: Illustrate or Illuminate?</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Mon, 11 May 2009 6:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Learning to Worship 24/7</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/sojourn_community.php?source=rss</link>
<description>Feature Story: Learning to Worship 24/7</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2009 6:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Another World Is Possible: Witness in Argentina</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/oberman.php?source=rss</link>
<description>Feature Story: Another World Is Possible: Witness in Argentina</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Mon, 2 Mar 2009 6:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Ethnodoxology: Calling all peoples to worship in their heart language</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/ethnodoxology.php?source=rss</link>
<description>Feature Story: Ethnodoxology: Calling all peoples to worship in their heart language</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Mon, 9 Feb 2009 6:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Learning Worship Together: How worship change happens</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/learning_together.php?source=rss</link>
<description>Feature Story: Learning Worship Together: How worship change happens</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Jan 2009 6:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Abraham Kuyper's Our Worship: First English translation</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/kuyper.php?source=rss</link>
<description>Feature Story on Abraham Kuyper's Our Worship: First English translation<</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Wed, 22 Dec 2008 6:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Singing the New Testament: No greater text than scripture for worship songs</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/singing_nt.php?source=rss</link>
<description>Singing Scripture songs and hymns sinks the words of the Bible into your heart, mind, and muscle memory.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Wed, 26 Nov 2008 6:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Old Testament Resources for Christian Worship: Surprising insight</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/old_testament.php?source=rss</link>
<description>The new book Touching the Altar, edited by Carol Bechtel, shows how the often-neglected Old Testament is essential to understand our purpose in worship. The book gives ideas any church can apply.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Fri, 14 Nov 2008 6:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Sunday Morning Worship: Who's not there and why not?</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/sunday_morning_absence.php?source=rss</link>
<description>As churches work toward full, conscious and active participation in liturgy, some are noticing patterns of worship attendance. They're reaching out to those absent from Sunday morning worship.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2008 6:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Becoming a Veteran-friendly Church: Pacifists Can Do This Too</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/veterans.php?source=rss</link>
<description>How can churches follow the Prince of Peace and yet minister to warriors? Military chaplains and veterans say that this dilemma keeps many congregations from including war concerns in worship or ministering to soldiers and families.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2008 6:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Worship Words Too Important to Neglect</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/worship_words.php?source=rss</link>
<description>Words are powerfully formative. Worship words shape how we understand God and worship together. In 'Worship Words: Discipling Language for Faithful Ministry' Debra and Ron Rienstra show why and how to give more attention to your church's worship language.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Sep 2008 6:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>From Confirmation or Profession of Faith to Multiple Milestones of Faith</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/profession_faith.php?source=rss</link>
<description>What is confirmation or profession of faith for? Does it certify knowledge, open the communion table, affirm acceptance of baptism, mark a milestone in a continuing faith journey?</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Tue, 2 Sep 2008 6:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Community Worship at Mustard Seed School</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/community_worship.php?source=rss</link>
<description>How can your Christian school design school chapel services that connect with real life? Mustard Seed School in Hoboken, New Jersey, has a model worth following, which they call community worship.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Fri, 22 Aug 2008 6:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Trinitarian Worship: This doctrine makes a difference</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/trinitarian_worship.php?source=rss</link>
<description>What makes worship "work"? Is it the music, the preaching, your mental effort to connect with God? Gordon T. Smith and Philip W. Butin are among a growing group of scholars who say that consistently and explicitly naming and invoking the Trinity in worship inspires renewal.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Mon, 21 July 2008 12:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Bringing Our Pain to God: biblical lament in worship</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/biblical_lament.php?source=rss</link>
<description>More and more churches agree, theoretically, that there's room for lament in worship. But what does biblical lament look or sound like in real congregations? Here's what Michael Card and Calvin Seerveld say about bringing our pain to God.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Fri, 20 June 2008 12:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Faith Formation: What's the Trouble with Moralism?</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/faith_formation.php?source=rss</link>
<description>Troubled by a gap between what Christians say and do? Robert J. Keeley and Jane Rogers Vann suggest switching from moralism to faith formation.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Thurs, 5 June 2008 12:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Chapel Services at Seminaries: Questions worth asking</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/chapel_seminary.php?source=rss</link>
<description>Ron Rienstra surveyed Protestant seminaries to learn more about chapel practices. Barbara Day Miller shares a model for planning chapel worship on seminary campuses.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 12:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Kenneth E. Bailey on Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/bailey.php?source=rss</link>
<description>Kenneth E. Bailey has lived most of his life in the Middle East. His books, lectures, and more invite Christians to strip away cultural mythologies and worship the real Jesus of the Middle East.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Wed, 07 May 2008 12:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>From Pastor-centered to Participative Worship</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/amez_zion.php?source=rss</link>
<description>Pastor Eleazar Merriweather and St. Luke African Methodist Episcopal Zion church are on a worship renewal journey. By involving all ages and restoring Wesleyan class meetings, they are changing practices yet remaining true to worship principles.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship</author>
<pubDate>Tues, 15 April 2008 12:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Postmodernism and Community Memory</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/postmodern.php</link>
<description>Does your church want to be relevant to postmodern people? If so, how much should your worship community connect or disconnect with memory? Do you need new worship…a more traditional church…a missional place to encounter God?</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate>Tues, 25 March 2008 10:04:00 EST </pubDate>
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<title>How to Plan Art Used in Church Worship</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/art_planning.php</link>
<description>Is your church commissioning liturgical art...creating art for cross cultural worship...or designing a new building? Get tips from worship and arts leaders who've learned how to involve more people in planning and creating art for worship.  </description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate>Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:00:00 EST </pubDate>
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<title>In  Praise of Small Churches</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/halifax.php</link>
<description>All  Nations Christian Reformed Church in Halifax,   Nova Scotia, is a small  congregation that makes the most of its size. Learn how church dynamics shift  as All Nations and other churches change size.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate>Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:04:00 EST </pubDate>
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<title>Healing in Worship: hospitality that welcomes everyone as they are</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/healing.php</link>
<description>Though you might associate “heal” with “cure,” healing in worship is broader. Whether through prayer, hospitality, communion, or laying on hands, it helps people become more whole.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 1 Feb 2008 08:47:00 EST </pubDate>
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<title>Todd Farley on Embodied Preaching</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/farley.php</link>
<description>Todd Farley shows preachers how to use body communication to preach lively sermons. His embodied preaching ideas spring from a theology of restoring arts to ministry.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:17:00 EST </pubDate>
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<title>Digital Storytelling: Use multimedia in worship to enhance, not replace</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/digital.php</link>
<description>Biblical storytellers Tracy Radosevic and Tim Coombs and liturgical media arts expert Eileen D. Crowley explain how to tell God’s stories in a digital age. They show how to add layers of images, sounds, and experiences to enhance worship.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:36:00 EST </pubDate>
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<title>Gerardo Marti on Successful Multicultural Churches</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/marti.php</link>
<description>Whether you say multicultural, multiracial, or multiethnic, churches want to become more diverse. Sociologist and pastor Gerardo Marti shares his research about what’s the same and different among successfully diverse congregations.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 9 Nov 2007 09:11:00 EST </pubDate>
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<title>Christian Funerals: Going to be with God</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/funerals.php</link>
<description>Thomas G. "Tom" Long makes a case for returning to classic Christian funeral traditions. Howard Vanderwell and Leonard VanderZee offer pastoral considerations for planning church funerals and memorial services.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 26 Oct 2007 11:20:00 EST </pubDate>
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<title>Training  Gospel Choirs: Caring for your voice and talent</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/gospel_choirs.php</link>
<description>A  temporary voice problem led Charsie Randolph Sawyer to create a DVD to help  gospel choirs protect and improve their voices for more effective ministry. Her colleagues in African American churches say that learning to read music helps congregations deepen worship.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Thu, 4 Oct 2007 15:09:00 EST </pubDate>
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<title>Vertical Habits: Relational words that expand worship language</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/vhabits.php</link>
<description>Focusing on simple phrases helps develop worship habits that affect our whole lives. Vertical habits expand how people talk with God during church worship and school chapels.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 14 Sep 2007 09:30:00 EST </pubDate>
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<title>Why Preach Sermons Based on a Catechism?</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/catechism.php</link>
<description>It turns out that preaching sermons based on the Heidelberg Catechism (or other confessions) hits home with worshipers, including those from the postmodern generation.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 31 Aug 2007 09:00:00 EST </pubDate>
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<title>How Church Architecture Affects Lord's Supper Practices</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/lords_supper.php</link>
<description>Does your church visually convey a message that contradicts your theology of communion or mass? Mark A. Torgerson explains how church architecture and sanctuary design can inhibit or enhance a more full and communal Eucharist celebration</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 17 Aug 2007 08:30:00 EST </pubDate>
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<title>Lord’s Supper Practice in the Reformed and Presbyterian Tradition</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/lords_supper.php</link>
<description>Though John Calvin favored weekly communion, many churches in the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition are just starting to renew Lord's Supper practices ... so worshipers fully celebrate the Eucharist.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Tues, 24 Jul 2007 15:35:00 EST </pubDate>
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<title>All Ages Needed for Intergenerational Worship</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/intergen_wrshp.php</link>
<description>Though  many churches offer multiple worship options, each pegged to an age or  generation, Howard Vanderwell and Steve Burger make a case for intergenerational  worship that has families worshiping together.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Mon, 11 Jun 2007 14:35:00 EST </pubDate>
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<title>Robert E. Webber’s Legacy: Ancient Future Faith and Worship</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/webber.php</link>
<description>Ancient future worship, according to the late Robert E. Webber, who coined the term, isn’t about candles.  It’s about rooting our worship as the early church did—in God’s story—so we embody not our culture but God’s mission.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 18 May 2007 10:45:00 EST </pubDate>
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<title>Worship Coordinators: Lead, Learn, and Let Go</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/worship_coord.php</link>
<description>Today’s worship coordinators do far more than sing into a microphone. They lead congregations to broader, deeper worship. They plan, train, and lead worship while learning to let go and let God.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Tue, 1 May 2007 09:00:00 EST </pubDate>
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<title>Let Story Form Your Worship: Old Testament and Lectionary Dramas</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/drama.php</link>
<description>As drama ministry rises in church worship  and biblical literacy drops, here are two church worship drama models based on  Bible texts.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Thu, 4 Apr 2007 11:00:00 EST </pubDate>
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<title>Old Testament Sermons: The Case for Preaching the Whole Bible</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/davis.php</link>
<description>Paul said that all Scripture is God-breathed. Still, when did you last hear a sermon on the Old Testament? Ellen Davis says we can’t truly understand our relationship with God till we dive into the wondrous depths of the Hebrew Scriptures.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 16 Mar 2007 16:32:00 EST </pubDate>
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<title>Pablo Sosa on Congregational Singing</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/sosa.php</link>
<description>Songs put words in people’s mouths, knowledge in their bones, and conviction about whose voice counts. Songs shape how a community lives out its faith. That’s why Pablo Sosa thinks congregational singing is so important.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Mon, 26 Feb 2007 13:18:00 EST </pubDate>
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<title>Biblical Storytelling: Learning Scripture by Heart</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/storytelling.php</link>
<description>Dennis Dewey says that biblical storytelling reconnects worshipers with the communal experience of hearing God together. Telling stories from Scripture changes the people who learn them well enough to tell them—and changes worshipers who hear the old, old story anew.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 9 Feb 2007 08:00:00 EST </pubDate>
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<item>
<title>Church Anniversaries Worth Celebrating</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/anniversary.php</link>
<description>As good as it is to reconnect with former pastors and see old church photos, there’s a lot more you can do to plan a meaningful church anniversary in your congregation or denomination.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Tues, 23 Jan 2007 18:42:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/anniversary.php</guid>
</item>

<item>
<title>Good Taste, Bad Taste, and Christian Taste</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/brown.php</link>
<description>Talking about worship aesthetics need not polarize people. Frank Burch Brown tells how to be more inclusive in arts and worship…yet also more discerning.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 5 Jan 2007 15:44:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/brown.php</guid>
</item>

<item>
<title>Epiphany in Missional Churches</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/epiphany.php</link>
<description>Learn why missional churches are deciding that Epiphany is a lot more than a fuss about wise men.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 22 Dec 2006 8:39:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/epiphany.php</guid>
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<item>
<title>N. T. Wright on the Gospel and Meal Jesus Gave Us</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/ntwright.php</link>
<description>What can people inside and outside your church learn about the gospel from the way you preach and practice the Lord’s Supper? Bishop Tom Wright wrote Simply Christian and a book on communion to explain why Christ’s resurrection is good news for the whole cosmos.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 08 Dec 2006 10:30:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/ntwright.php</guid>
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<item>
<title>Miroslav Volf: Religious commitment that promotes peace, not violence</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/volf.php</link>
<description>Miroslav Volf knows how difficult reconciliation can be. His books "Free of Charge" and "Exclusion and Embrace" suggest new ways to think about worship and living as Christians in a violent world.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Tue, 28 Nov 2006 09:53:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/volf.php</guid>
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<item>
<title>Laotion Refugees Start and Join Churches</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/laotion.php</link>
<description>Looking back, Laotion refugees and the Christians who befriended them profess surprise at how God has joined together people and churches from different languages, religious assumptions, and life experiences.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 10 Nov 2006 09:23:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/laotion.php</guid>
</item>

<item>
<title>Designing New Churches to Build a Sense of Community</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/design_church.php</link>
<description>Building a new church lets you rethink the message you send through its interior and exterior design. Good architectural choices can improve worship participation, promote a sense of community, and offer your church as a welcome “third place.” </description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 27 Oct 2006 10:00:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/design_church.php</guid>
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<item>
<title>How to Welcome Guest Preachers</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/guest_preach.php</link>
<description> The way your church welcomes (or fails to welcome) a guest preacher also says something about how visitors experience your church. And if you're the pulpit supply, the way you prepare makes a big difference.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 13 Oct 2006 13:18:00 EST </pubDate>
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<item>
<title> Frederick Dale Bruner: Moving from text to sermon</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/bruner.php</link>
<description> Good preachers study commentators so they can draw on collective wisdom as they prepare sermons. Frederick Dale Bruner’s Matthew commentaries set a high standard.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 29 Sep 2006 14:48:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/bruner.php</guid>
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<title>Restorative Justice: Prison Congregations Multiply Grace</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/restore_justice.php</link>
<description>Millions of people behind bars are waiting to hear the gospel. Forming congregations in prisons is an important step in restorative justice, say pastors Ed Nesselhuf and Steve Moerman.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 15 Sep 2006 11:03:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/restore_justice.php</guid>
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<title>Keith Getty on Writing Hymns for the Church Universal</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/getty.php</link>
<description>Keith Getty says that what we sing becomes the grammar of what we believe. That's why he and Kristyn Getty are writing and teaching modern hymns that all ages can sing together ... and remember.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Wed, 6 Sep 2006 13:02:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/getty.php</guid>
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<item>
<title>Planning Contemporary Worship Services</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/contemp_wrshp.php</link>
<description>Do you know how to look beyond the style of a traditional or contemporary worship service to find its worship vision, structure, and theology? Ron Rienstra says it’s a question more worship planners should ask and answer.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 18 Aug 2006 12:00:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/contemp_wrshp.php</guid>
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<item>
<title>Renovating Churches to Build a Sense of Community</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/ren_comm.php</link>
<description>Church renovations let you rethink the message you send through the design of your church interior and exterior. Good architectural choices can improve worship participation, promote a sense of community, and make neighbors feel more welcome.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 4 Aug 2006 11:12:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/ren_comm.php</guid>
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<item>
<title>The Case for Talking about Adoption in Worship</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/adoption.php</link>
<description>Not talking about awkward emotions, say after infertility, pregnancy out of wedlock, or adoption, may seem kind. But it's better for churches to include adoption and related issues in baptisms, worship, and church life, say Howard Vanderwell and Ron Nydam.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 21 Jul 2006 11:12:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/adoption.php</guid>
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<item>
<title>Eschatology: Our hope for a new heaven and new earth</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/eschatology.php</link>
<description>How does your story fit into God's story? The way you answer this question likely influences what you believe about heaven. And your view of heaven makes a big difference in how you live and worship.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 7 Jul 2006 11:22:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/eschatology.php</guid>
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<item>
<title>Lead Worship Change, not Worship War</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/worship_wars.php</link>
<description> Though no one wants a worship war, discussions about worship change are often more divisive than divine. Howard Vanderwell explains how to ask questions that focus on worship principles, rather than on passions and preferences.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 23 Jun 2006 12:45:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/worship_wars.php</guid>
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<item>
<title>Accessibility in Worship Architecture: Does your church welcome everyone?</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/accessibility.php</link>
<description> Becoming an accessible church involves far more than installing a wheelchair entrance. It includes making design choices so anyone can access the platform and lead worship.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 9 Jun 2006 08:30:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/accessibility.php</guid>
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<item>
<title>Tod Bolsinger on Worshiping as the People of God</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/bolsinger.php</link>
<description>It's an important distinction, yet one that many Christians miss, says Tod Bolsinger. Here it is: God calls us into a relationship that is intensely personal…but never private.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 26 May 2006 08:15:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/bolsinger.php</guid>
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<title>Baptism and Church Architecture: What message are you sending?</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/baptism.php</link>
<description> Bowl, font, pool. Sprinkle, dip, soak. No matter what age your church baptizes people, ask yourself this: How consciously are you living your baptism as a way of life, not just an event?</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 12 May 2006 14:30:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/baptism.php</guid>
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<item>
<title>Let the Children Come</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/children.php</link>
<description>Splitting into age-divided worship each Sunday doesn’t necessarily result in kids who go on to choose worship as adults. That’s why Carolyn C. Brown and several pastors are talking about intergenerational worship.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Mon, 1 May 2006 00:00:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/children.php</guid>
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<title>Uncovering the Blessing of Fixed-Hour Prayer</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/prayer.php</link>
<description>Whether you call it the divine office, praying the hours, or common prayer, this ancient treasure of Christian heritage is hidden in plain sight.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 14 Apr 2006 00:00:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/prayer.php</guid>
</item>

<item>
<title>The Case for Reciting Creeds in Worship</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/creeds.php</link>
<description>Albert Aymer believes more churches should use creeds in worship. Given how The DaVinci Code sparks so many questions about Christianity, now is a good time to brush up on creeds.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 31 Mar 2006 00:00:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/creeds.php</guid>
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<item>
<title>How Congregations Create Worship Visuals</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/visual_process.php</link>
<description>As Catherine Kapikian and other Christian artists have discovered, understanding the visual arts process is key to creating church imagery that builds community and deepens worship.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 17 Mar 2006 00:00:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/visual_process.php</guid>
</item>

<item>
<title>Eugene Peterson on God's Standing Invitation: Eat This Book</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/peterson.php</link>
<description>Whether translating the Bible from original Hebrew and Greek or writing spiritual theology, Eugene Peterson says he has one aim-getting Scripture into the hearts, minds, arms, legs, and mouths of men and women.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 3 Mar 2006 00:00:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/peterson.php</guid>
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<item>
<title>Reclaiming the Promise of Ascension</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/ascension.php</link>
<description>Many Christians skip from Easter to Pentecost because they don't understand why Christ's ascension matters.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Fri, 17 Feb 2006 00:00:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/ascension.php</guid>
</item>

<item>
<title>Visual Arts in Worship: From either/or to both/and </title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/visual_worship.php</link>
<description>What defines you? Is it what you know and do...or what you see and love? Must you choose? Your answer likely affects how you see the role of visual arts in worship.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Mon, 13 Feb 2006 00:00:00 EST </pubDate>
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</item>

<item>
<title>The "In Between" Words: How to keep fellow worshipers tuned in</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/inbetween.php</link>
<description>As worshipers move from one element of the service to the next, they need help to understand what they are doing and why. Verbal transitions help them stick with the worship dialogue between God and gathered people.</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Mon, 13 Feb 2006 00:00:00 EST </pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/inbetween.php</guid>
</item>

<item>
<title>All God's Children Have Gifts: Disability and worship</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/disability.php</link>
<description>How do you recognize each other's gifts and support each other's needs while avoiding a "you're not like us" attitude?</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Mon, 13 Feb 2006 00:00:00 EST </pubDate>
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</item>

<item>
<title>Previous Vital Worship Feature Stories</title>
<link>http://www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/list.php</link>
<description>For Vital Worship features stories from 2004 and 2005, see www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/list.php</description>
<author>Calvin Institute of Christian Worship worship@calvin.edu</author>
<pubDate> Mon, 13 Feb 2006 00:00:00 EST </pubDate>
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