Albert J.D. Aymer is president of Hood Theological Seminary, Salisbury, North Carolina. A native of Antigua, he has served as pastor of churches in the Caribbean and New Jersey, and spent twelve years at Drew University as associate dean and director of the doctor of ministry program.

Lyle Bierma is professor of systematic theology at Calvin Theological Seminary, and author, with Charles D. Gunnoe, Karin Maag, and Paul Fields, of An Introduction to the Heidelberg Catechism: Sources, History, and Theology (Baker Academic, 2005).

Nathan Bierma is communications and research coordinator for the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, writer of the weekly column "On Language" for the Chicago Tribune, and contributing editor to Books&Culture. His first book, Bringing Heaven Down to Earth: Connecting This Life to the Next, has just been released by P&R Publishing.

Tim Botts is the senior art director for Tyndale House Publishers and has taught and exhibited calligraphy internationally. His books (Tyndale House) include Doorposts, Messiah (based on Handel's work), The Book of Psalms, Botts Illustrated Bible, and Portraits of the Word. He is co-founder of Masterpiece Ministries, an outreach to high school students in the arts.

Richard Caemmerer is founder and director of Grünewald Guild, Leavenworth, Washington, a community that teaches and practices the relationships between art and faith, and author of Visual Art in the Life of the Church: Encouraging Creative Worship and Witness in the Congregation (Augsburg, 1983). He has been the artist and liturgical consultant for over 600 churches worldwide.

Phil de Haan is director of media relations at Calvin College, a post he has held for the last decade. He acts as a conduit between the many good stories happening at Calvin and the local, state, and national media who cover such topics as higher education and religion.

Cindy de Jong is coordinator of daily worship and co-director of the Worship Apprentice Program at Calvin College. She provides support to the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship in the area of worship on college and university campuses.

Heidi S. De Jonge is pastor for Discernment Initiatives at Calvin Theological Seminary. Her work includes creating relational systems to help individuals in discerning a calling to ministry, providing resources to advise individuals throughout the process, and working with various schools, churches and organizations to encourage people to consider ministry as a vocation.

Robert C. DeVries is professor of Church Education (emeritus) at Calvin Theological Seminary. He and his co-author Susan J. Zonnebelt-Smeenge have both been widowed and now have written three books on dying and grief, and speak extensively throughout the United States and Canada to professional organizations and bereavement support groups on dying, death and bereavement issues.

Norma de Waal Malefyt is resource development specialist for congregational song at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. She has 25 years of experience in the area of pastoral church music, including 17 years as director of both youth and adult handbell choirs at Hillcrest Christian Reformed Church, Hudsonville, Michigan. She is co-author of Designing Worship Together: Models and Strategies for Worship Planning (Alban Institute, 2005).

Friends of the Groom is a professional theater company dedicated to communicating the Christian message in an entertaining and challenging format. Since 1980, this inter-denominational group has performed plays, led retreat weekends, and conducted workshops in thousands of locations from Anchorage to Canterbury. Friends of the Groom rehearses at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Terrace Park, Ohio. Those coming to Symposium 2006 include:

Stephanie Cotton-Snell, who joined Friends of the Groom in 2002. She has a B.F.A. and an M.F.A in Theatre Performance, and has extensive acting experience in many different venues across the United States.
Tom Long, the director, playwright, and chief storyteller for Friends of the Groom. He has published several religious plays and musicals, performed for Public Educational Television, and served as a consultant in youth work and theater for many churches, schools, and social agencies throughout Ohio.
Jocelyn Sluka, who joined Friends of the Groom in 1990. She was director of theatre for the First Christian Assembly Church for ten years, and has performed professionally in different theater companies, including touring productions for US troops stationed overseas.

Betty Grit is program manager of the Worship Renewal Grants Program of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.

Betsy Steele Halstead is an artist who works in oils and printmaking (woodcuts). She coordinates the visual arts work of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and serves as continuing education events manager for Calvin Theological Seminary. She has degrees in both art and theology, and is particularly interested in the integration of theology and the visual arts.

Scott E. Hoezee is director of the Center for Excellence in Preaching at Calvin Theological Seminary; his latest book is Proclaim the Wonder: Preaching Science on Sunday (Baker, 2003).

Trygve David Johnson is the Hinga-Boersma Dean of the Chapel at Hope College, Holland, Michigan.

Catherine Kapikian is a textile artist and director of The Henry Luce III Center for the Arts and Religion, Wesley Theological Seminary. She is author of the forthcoming book Art in Service of the Sacred (Abingdon Press, spring 2006).

Gregg A. Mast is director of Ministry Services in the Reformed Church in America; he has served as a pastor for 30 years and holds a Ph. D. in Liturgics from Drew University.

Barbara Newman is a special education consultant in Western Michigan for the Christian Learning Center (CLC), a ministry that provides an array of services to students and adults with identified disabilities. She is the author of Autism and Your Church: Nurturing the Spiritual Growth of People with Autism Spectrum Disorders (Faith Alive Christian Resources, forthcoming) and Helping Kids Include Kids with Disabilities (Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2001).

Garth Pauley is professor of communication arts and sciences at Calvin College. In 2003 he won the Karl R. Wallace Memorial Award for his work on Civil Rights rhetoric.

Eugene Peterson is author of many books, including his widely acclaimed paraphrase of the Bible, The Message. He was James M. Houston Professor of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia for many years, and also served as founding pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland. His latest book is Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology (Eerdmans, 2005), the foundational book in a projected five-volume series on spiritual formation, Scripture, leadership, the church, pastoring, and spiritual direction.

Bert Polman is chair of the Music Department at Calvin College and senior research fellow for the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.

Doug Porter is a video artist from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a member of All Nations Christian Reformed Church in Halifax.

Debra Rienstra is associate professor of English at Calvin College and author of So Much More: An Invitation to Christian Spirituality (Jossey-Bass, 2005).

Paul Ryan is resource development specialist for worship teams for the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and the coordinator for Christian Formation through Worship at Calvin College.

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.

Greg Scheer is minister of worship at Church of the Servant, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a published composer of worship songs. See also compositions at www.gregscheer.com.

Barbara Schultze is the coordinator of dance ministry at Church of the Servant, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Tom Schwanda is associate professor of Spiritual Formation at Reformed Bible College, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and adjunct associate professor of Christian Spirituality at Fuller Theological Seminary. He served as a pastor for 18 years in three congregations and is the author of Celebrating God's Presence: The Transforming Power of Public Worship (CRC Publications, 1995).

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, Dr. Smit is also ordained in the Christian Reformed Church in North America.

Howard Vanderwell is a resource development specialist with the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and adjunct professor of worship at Calvin Theological Seminary. 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 de Waal Malefyt, Designing Worship Together: Models and Strategies for Worship Planning (Alban Institute, 2005).

Jane Rogers Vann is professor of Christian Education at Union Theological Seminary & Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Virginia, and author of Gathered before God: Worship-Centered Church Renewal (Westminster/John Knox, 2004).

Deanna Witkowski is a New York based pianist/composer/vocalist, winner of the 2002 Great American Jazz Piano Competition, and music director at Church of the Redeemer—a bilingual (Spanish/English) Episcopal church. Her third CD, Length of Days, is scheduled for an October 2005 web-only release at deannajazz.com.

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 Zonnebelt-Smeenge is a licensed clinical psychologist at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She and her co-author Robert C. DeVries have both been widowed and now have written three books on dying and grief, and speak extensively throughout the United States and Canada to professional organizations and bereavement support groups on dying, death and bereavement issues.