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Calvin Symposium on Worship

Presenters 2005

James Abbington is a professor of music at Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland. He was associate editor of the African American Heritage Hymnal (GIA, 2001), is executive editor of the GIA African American Sacred Music Series, and the author of several books on music and worship in the African American heritage; for an interview, see Reformed Worship 72(June 2004) and "Vital Worship Feature Stories."
Alison Adam is a member of the Iona Community in Scotland and is currently based in London, England. Her passion for congregational song and participative worship brings her to many congregations and churches, helping them to develop and invigorate their worship.
Jeff Barker is chair of the department of theatre and speech as well as playwright in residence at Northwestern College, Orange City, Iowa, where he has helped build a nationally recognized theatre department. He has over one hundred productions to his credit.
Alan Barthel is executive director of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians.
Dorothy Bass is the author of Receiving the Day: Christian Practices for Opening the Gift of Time (Jossey-Bass, 2000). She is director of the Valparaiso Project on the Education and Formation of People in Faith, at Valparaiso University.
Robert Batastini is vice president and senior editor for GIA Publications, Inc., with over forty years of experience in pastoral music ministry.
Kwame Bediako is executive director of the Akrofi-Christaller Memorial Centre for Mission Research and Applied Theology in Ghana, and director of the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies in Oxford, England. He is author of Jesus & The Gospel in Africa: History & Experience (Orbis, 2004), Theology and Identity: The Impact of Culture upon Christian Thought in the Second Century and Modern Africa (Paternoster, 1999), and Christianity in Africa: The Renewal of Non-Western Religion (Edinburgh University Press/Orbis, 1995).
Harold Best is professor of music emeritus at Wheaton College and author of Unceasing Worship (InterVarsity Press, 2003) and Music through the Eyes of Faith (Harper Collins, 1993).
Daniel Blauw is a board member of the Christian Council on Persons with Disabilities, an attorney specializing in disabilities, and a Worship Inclusion Task Force leader at Third Reformed Church in Grand Rapids.
John Bolt is professor of systematic theology at Calvin Theological Seminary and author of A Free Church, a Holy Nation: Abraham Kuyper's American Public Theology (Eerdmans, 2001).
Joy Bonnema is an associate professor of biology at Calvin College and a Barnabas Team mentor for students.
Thomas A. Boogaart is professor of Old Testament and director of the doctor of ministry program at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan.
Emily Brink is editor of Reformed Worship and Senior Research Fellow for the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. She also served as editor for three hymnals: the Psalter Hymnal, Songs for LiFE, and Sing! A New Creation, and co-editor of The Worship Sourcebook (Faith Alive Christian Resources, Baker Books, Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, 2004). In 2004 she was named a Fellow of The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada in recognition of distinguished service to hymnody and hymnology.
Alice Brinkman is a textile artist in Lansing, Michigan. She creates textile hangings, installations, liturgical textiles, banners, and wall pieces. Many of her designs are for liturgical or church purposes and are three-dimensional installations.
Rozanne Meyer Bruins is a chaplain at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a member of the Evening Star Project funded by the CICW Worship Renewal Grants Program, which developed and piloted worship curriculum for persons with dementia who live in long-term care facilities.
Peter Bush is the teaching elder of Knox Presbyterian Church, Mitchell, Ontario, and a consultant on rural ministry.
Randall Buursma is adjunct associate professor of communication arts and sciences and an instructor for Academic Services at Calvin College, and is involved in the theater arts program. Randy plans worship at First Christian Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he develops Scripture-based dramas for use in worship and coaches church members in acting and interpretive reading of Scripture.
Ronald Byars is professor of preaching and worship at Union Theological Seminary & Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Virginia. A Presbyterian pastor for more than three decades in Michigan and Kentucky, Byars’ primary interest is in the recovery of Word and Sacrament as the norm for Lord’s Day worship. He is the author of Christian Worship: Glorifying and Enjoying God (Geneva, 2000), and of The Future of Protestant Worship: Beyond the Worship Wars (Westminster John Knox, 2002).

George Davis is an ordained evangelist and director of music and worship at Oakdale Park Christian Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Renee Davis is a Worship Inclusion Task Force leader for the Renaissance Church of God in Christ, Grand Rapids, Michigan, which has taken into consideration many accessibility issues in the construction of a new church building.
Carl P. Daw, Jr. is executive director of The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada and one of the most respected hymn text writers in North America; his texts are found in most current hymnals. Before his current appointment he served as a parish priest, professor of English, and university chaplain. His latest published collection of hymns is New Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs (Hope).
Gregg DeMey recently moved to Ludington, Michigan, where he has begun work toward a new church plant. He moved from a now established church in Sacramento, California, where he led a team of artists, composers, and worship planners in a ministry that strives to be hospitable, fresh, and deeply rooted. See his weblog on new and emerging churches.
William A. Dyrness is professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California; his latest book is Reformed Theology and Visual Culture: The Protestant Imagination from Calvin to Edwards (Cambridge, 2004).

Embellish is a professional community handbell ensemble founded in 1995 to provide advanced ringers an opportunity to grow, learn, and promote the art of handbell ringing by providing a high quality musical experience for diverse audiences. Stephanie Wiltse is a founding member and has served as music director of the Grand Rapids organization since 1999.

Randall D. Engle is senior pastor and director of music of North Hills Christian Reformed Church, Troy, Michigan. He is co-author of Serving in Your Church Music Ministry (Zondervan, 2002).
Nancy Faus is professor emerita at Bethany Theological Seminary, Richmond, Indiana, where she was the Alvin Brightbill Chair of Ministry Studies - Worship, Preaching, Church Music. She is the immediate Past President of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada.
Paul Fields is theological librarian and curator of the H. Henry Meeter Center for Calvin Studies at Calvin College.
Ken Gehrels is pastor of Calvin Christian Reformed Church, Ottawa, Ontario, and doing graduate study at the Institute for Worship Studies with Robert Webber.
Edna Grenz is minister of worship at First Baptist Church in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is doing research and writing on the use of the church year in a broad spectrum of evangelical congregations.
Stanley Grenzis professor of theology at Carey Theological College, Vancouver, British Columbia, and author of many books, including The Social God and the Relational Self: A Trinitarian Theology of the Imago Dei (Westminster/John Knox, 2001).
C. Michael Hawnis professor of church music at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas. He is internationally-known for his writing on world-wide Christian music; his most recent books are Gather into One: Praying and Singing Globally (Eerdmans, 2003), and One Bread, One Body: Exploring Cultural Diversity in Worship (Alban, 2003), both published in collaboration with the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.
Betsy Steele Halstead is an artist who works in oils and printmaking (woodcuts). She also works as continuing education events manager for the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and Calvin Theological Seminary and coordinates the visual arts work of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. She has degrees in both art and theology, and is particularly interested in the integration of theology and the visual arts.
Laura James is a self-taught painter of Antiguan heritage who works and resides in Brooklyn, New York. She paints religious subjects and visual dramatizations of Bible stories using iconography in Ethiopian Christian art. Her work is widely collected, exhibited, and published, including The Book of the Gospels (Liturgy Training Publications, 2001).
Martin Jean is the newly appointed director of the Yale Institute of Sacred Music; he is also continuing as professor of organ at Yale University School of Music.
Robin Margaret Jensen is the Luce Chancellor's Professor of the History of Christian Art and Worship at Vanderbilt Divinity School. She has recently written two books: The Substance of Things Seen (Eerdmans, 2004), and Face to Face: Portraits of the Divine in Early Christianity (Fortress, 2004).
Christine Jerrett is pastor of Grace United Church, Sarnia, Ontario. She co-directs GraceWorks, a congregational project made possible through a Worship Renewal Grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.
Peter Jonker is a pastor at Woodlawn Christian Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Anneke Kaai, an artist from the Netherlands, has painted several series inspired by the Bible and her personal faith, including Creation; Revelation; Ten Commandments; Apostles' Creed; Psalms; and In a Word. The Psalms: An Artist’s Impression (InterVarsity Press, 1999) is accompanied by selections from Eugene Peterson’s The Message. Her latest publication, In a Word: The Image and Language of Faith (Paraclete Press, 2004), is also in collaboration with Eugene Peterson, exploring well-known words of the Bible.
Carl Kammeraad is pastor of congregational life and outreach at Seymour Christian Reformed Church, a large church in a multi-racial neighborhood. For the past 25 years he has pastored inner-city churches in Paterson, New Jersey, and Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Bob Kauflin is director of worship development for Sovereign Grace Ministries and the pastor of music and worship at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He was formerly a writer/arranger for the Christian group GLAD, and now trains pastors and church musicians in areas related to music and worship.
Robert Keeley is professor of education at Calvin College where he teaches courses in educational psychology, and religious education in the elementary classroom. Along with his wife, Laura, he is also director of children’s ministries at 14th Street Christian Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan where he frequently uses his guitar to lead worship.
Lisa Huisman Koops is a doctoral student in music education and ethnomusicology at Michigan State University, with an interest in studying how children learn music of cultures other than their own. She has taught elementary school music and has particular interest in studying children's music of The Gambia, West Africa.
Steven Koster is a graduate research assistant at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and also a student at Calvin Theological Seminary. Before coming to Calvin he was senior product manager at Avid Technology, Inc. where he was responsible for the content, community, and digital exchange services on AvidProNet.com. He founded and still moderates a world-wide user community of professional film and video editors.
David Kromminga, who has served urban churches in Canada and the United States, is currently the pastor of Sherman Street Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Swee Hong Lim is from Singapore, where he co-founded the Methodist School of Music, taught at Trinity Theological College, and was director of worship and music at Wesley Methodist Church; he is pursuing doctoral studies at Drew University in New Jersey.
Michael Lindvall is pastor of Brick Presbyterian Church, New York, New York.  He is the author of three books: The Good News from North Haven, Leaving North Haven (both Crossroad Publishing), and The Christian Life: A Geography of God (Geneva Press, 2001).
Eleazar Merriweather is pastor of St. Luke’s African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Martha Moore-Keish is assistant professor of theology at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. Before her move to Columbia in 2004, she taught liturgical studies at Yale Divinity School and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music.
Sally Morgenthaler is author of Worship Evangelism (Zondervan, 1999) and a speaker and consultant on issues of worship and postmodern culture.
David Naugle is chair and professor of philosophy at Dallas Baptist University and author of Worldview: The History of a Concept (Eerdmans, 2002). He will consider the connection between worship and worldview.
Derrick-Lewis Noble was recently cited as one of the top 20 young Black preachers in America; he recently moved from New Hope Baptist Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he was senior pastor, to Orlando, Florida, where he is President/CEO of Derrick-Lewis Noble & Associates, LLC through which he facilitates speaking events, motivational seminars, and corporate training.
Michelle Ogren is Coordinator of the Secretariat for Christian Life and Ministry for the Grand Rapids Roman Catholic Diocese.
Christine O'Reilly is the pastor of Knox Presbyterian Church, Thedford, Ontario, and St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Watford, Ontario and a consultant on rural ministry.

Chris Stoffel Overvoorde is professor of art emeritus at Calvin College. In 2003 an exhibit at the Grand Rapids (Michigan) Art Museum traced his development from early years in the Netherlands to his most recent work.

Jackie Pederson-Kriens, F.C.C.A., is co-owner and instructor of Dance Gallery in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; she is best known in the Midwest region for her work with liturgical dance, especially with the 30 member liturgical dance group, "Faith in Motion."
Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. is president and professor of systematic theology at Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan. His most recent book is Discerning the Spirits: A Guide to Thinking about Christian Worship Today (Eerdmans, 2003), co-authored with Sue Rozeboom.
Bert Polman is a professor of music at Redeemer University College, Ancaster, Ontario, who specializes in hymnology and worship. He is currently writing a commentary on Praise-Worship songs as well as completing a major study of musical settings of the Song of Mary.
Steve Prince is a printmaker and sculptor residing in Hampton, Virginia. His most recent series of prints and drawings, Urban Epistles, retranslates the thirteen epistles of Paul to create a contemporary investigation into issues of faith, race, and the challenges faced by urban society.
Murray Rae is senior lecturer in theology and ethics at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.  He is coordinating a three year "Theology and the Built Environment" colloquium cosponsored by the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.
Richard Rienstra is a minister in the Reformed Church in America and former director of a county mental health program. He is a member of the leadership team for a Worship Renewal Grant given to Hope Network, a service agency in Michigan for persons with special needs.
Shirley Roels is professor of management and director of the Lilly Vocation Project and the Spoelhof Family Institute for Christian Leadership in Business at Calvin College. She and research assistant Kari Slotsema will offer models for lay leadership in congregations.
John Rottman is associate professor of preaching at Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Fleming Rutledge is author of several sermon collections, including: The Undoing of Death (Eerdmans, 2002) and The Bible and The New York Times (Eerdmans, 1999). She will also speak at the 2005 Calvin College January Series.
Paul Ryan is coordinator for Christian Formation through Worship at Calvin College, where he coordinates LOFT, a student-led worship service, and co-directs the Worship Apprentice program. A senior at Calvin Theological Seminary, Paul regularly coaches worship leaders, preaches, and teaches the theology and practice of worship.
David Rylaarsdam is a professor of church history at Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan, with a particular interest in the history of worship, spirituality, and biblical interpretation.
Craig A. Satterlee is professor of homiletics at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and Dean of the ACTS Doctor of Ministry in Preaching Program. He will share insights from his forthcoming book, When God Speaks through Change: Preaching at Times of Congregational Transition, to be published by The Alban Institute in collaboration with the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. This book is the result of a yearlong consultation with parish pastors, funded by the Louisville Institute, a Lilly Endowment Program for the Study of American Religion.
Greg Scheer is director of music ministries at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, where he oversees campus worship and the music ministry major. He is writing a book on contemporary worship leadership and is an active composer, with more than 250 compositions available at Worship Today, Augsburg Fortress Press (forthcoming) and www.gregscheer.com.
Clayton Schmit is associate professor of preaching at Fuller Theological Seminary and author of Too Deep for Words: A Theology of Liturgical Expression (Westminster John Knox Press, 2002) and Public Reading of Scripture: A Handbook (Abingdon, 2002).
Calvin Seerveld is senior member of philosophical aesthetics, emeritus, at the Institute of Christian Studies, Toronto, and past co-chair of the Canadian Society for Aesthetics. His writings and illustrated lectures presented around the world have been profoundly encouraging to contemporary Christian artists. Two recent books are Bearing Fresh Olive Leaves: Alternative Steps in Understanding Art (Tuppence Press, 2000) and How to Read the Bible to Hear God Speak (Dordt College Press, 2003). His latest title is Voicing God’s Psalms (Eerdmans, 2005; includes audio CD).
Pearl Shangkuan is chair of the music department and professor of choral music and conducting at Calvin College. She has toured with choirs throughout Europe and Asia, and is a frequent clinician and guest conductor in North America and also Asia. In June 2004, she toured with the Calvin Alumni Choir in the Netherlands and was on the faculty of the World Association for Chinese Church Music meeting in Malaysia.
Larry Sibley is lecturer in practical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia and visiting professor at Baltic Reformed Theological Seminary, Riga, Latvia. He is the author of Spiritual Disciplines: The Tasks of a Joyful Life and Worship: Discovering What Scripture Says, both from Shaw Books.
Kari Lynne Slotsema, a senior psychology major, was a McGregor student research assistant for the Lilly Vocation Project at Calvin College this past summer. Currently she is continuing her work with both the Lilly Vocation Project and the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.
Laura Smit is assistant professor of religion and dean of the chapel at Calvin College. Her areas of academic interest include the doctrine of God, theological aesthetics, and medieval philosophical theology. While she continues to retain her Presbyterian ordination, this fall Dr. Smit was also ordained in the Christian Reformed Church in North America.
James K. A. Smith is a professor in the department of philosophy and director of the Seminars in Christian Scholarship Program at Calvin College. He is author of Introducing Radical Orthodoxy (Baker Academic, 2004) and editor of Baker Academic's new book series, Critical Theory for the Postmodern Church.

Kathy Smith is director of continuing education for the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and Calvin Theological Seminary. She develops conferences and workshops on worship and congregational ministry for pastors and church leaders and also serves as a speaker for many of these events.

Gail Soper is co-leader of the Worship Inclusion Task Force at Thornapple Evangelical Covenant Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Carl Stam is the director of the Institute for Christian Worship, and an associate professor in the School of Church Music and Worship, at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky. He serves as the minister of music at Clifton Baptist Church.
David Stubbs teaches ethics and theology at Western Theological Seminary, Holland, Michigan. He has worked in college ministries and worship leadership for many years, served as a construction manager for Habitat for Humanity, taught English in China, and participated in and led several mission service projects in the U.S., Argentina, and Mexico.
Jim Tuinstra is president and chief executive officer of Hope Network Inc., Grand Rapids, Michigan, which offers residential and housing services in 200 locations to over 9,000 persons with physical disabilities and mental illnesses.
Pieter Tuit is associate professor of missiology at Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is a Dutch-born Australian citizen and has served as pastor in Australia and missionary in Indonesia and the Philippines.
William Vanden Bosch has a D.Min from Fuller Seminary where his dissertation was on church growth in a multi-cultural community. He has been in ministry for over 30 years and, as pastor at Oakdale Park Church for 25 years, led in its transition to a multi-cultural congregation and lives in the parsonage next door.
Howard Vanderwell is a resource development specialist with the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. After serving in the pastoral/preaching ministry in four congregations, he now devotes his time to providing encouragement and resources for others in their ministries. His writing and speaking has focused on preaching, worship, and worship planning. He co-authored, with Norma deWaal Malefyt, Designing Worship Together: Models and Strategies for Worship Planning (Alban Institute, 2005).
Leonard J. Vander Zee has served as pastor of the South Bend Christian Reformed Church for over 14 years and has been a pastor for over 30 years. He is the author of Christ, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper: Recovering the Sacraments for Evangelical Worship (InterVarsity Press, 2004) and In Life and In Death: A Pastoral Guide for Funerals (Grand Rapids: CRC Publications, 1992) as well as the author of numerous articles on the spiritual life and the practice of ministry.
Leanne Van Dyk is dean of the faculty and professor of Reformed theology at Western Theological Seminary, Holland, Michigan. She is editor of A More Profound Alleluia: Theology and Worship in Harmony (Eerdmans, 2005), which explores the relationship between worship and systematic theology.
Nancy S. Van Noord teaches instrumental music at Ada Christian School, Ada, Michigan, and is director of the Calvin Knollcrest Music Camp, an annual summer music camp for children.
Jo-Ann Van Reeuwyk is assistant professor of art education at Calvin College and a visual artist, exhibiting nationally. She is curator of the juried exhibition Space and Spirit: artistic interpretations of sacred place.
Jeffrey Weima, a professor of New Testament at Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan, has published two books and numerous scholarly articles related to the letters of Paul.
Stephanie Wiltse is a founding member and music director of Embellish, a professional community handbell ensemble, and has also directed the Calvin College Handbell Ensemble since 2001. A frequent performer for the past several years, she has also chaired the Grand Rapids District of the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers (AGEHR), organizing several mass rings and directors’ sessions, and helping to serve as a resource to other handbell directors in the area.
John D. Witvliet is director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and associate professor of music and worship at Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary. He is author of Worship Seeking Understanding: Windows into Christian Practice (Baker Academic, 2003) and co-editor of The Worship Sourcebook (Faith Alive Christian Resources, Baker Books, Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, 2004) and Proclaiming the Christmas Gospel: Ancient Sermons and Hymns for Contemporary Christian Inspiration (Baker, 2004).
Susan Woodhouse is an artist and member of Grace United Church, Sarnia, Ontario. She co-directs GraceWorks, a congregational project made possible through a Worship Renewal Grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.
Russell Yee is an adjunct professor at the American Baptist Seminary of the West (Berkeley) and at Fuller Theological Seminary, Northern California.