April 15, 2008

Featured Grant: Luther Memorial Lutheran Church, Blacksburg, Virginia

Last fall, worshiping communities in Blacksburg, Virginia, including grant recipients in the Worship Renewal Grants Program, gathered to worship on the campus of Virginia Tech. A group of leaders and students from Calvin College, Calvin Theological Seminary, and the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship traveled to Blacksburg to worship with those who gathered. Here are their reports and reflections.

Read more.

www.calvin.edu/worship/grants/featured/blacksburg.php

Different people help lead worship at St. Luke AMEZ.

By involving all ages and restoring the tradition of class meetings, one church is changing its practices and yet remaining true to worship principles.

You can count on variety at St. Luke African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. You may see choir and acolyte robes one week, worshipers "dressed down" for a black history heritage Sunday or costumed for a biblical drama. The men's choir, young adult choir, or Voices of Zion may sing. Different people will lead the call to worship, responsive reading, Old and New Testament readings, and altar prayer.

Read more.

www.calvin.edu/worship/stories/amez_zion.php

Philosophy and Liturgy: Ritual, Practice, and Embodied Wisdom
Calvin College
Grand Rapids, Mich.
May 20-22, 2008

Hosted by James K.A. Smith, John Witvliet and Nicholas Wolterstorff

This conference brings together leading scholars in philosophy and theology to investigate key themes in worship with the tools of philosophy, with the ultimate goal of informing practice. There is also the reciprocal goal of letting liturgical practice become a fund for philosophical reflection on classic questions and themes. The conference will thus stage a reciprocal encounter between philosophy and liturgy, with the goal of generating a liturgical philosophy, and a philosophically-informed liturgy.

Co-sponsored by Seminars for Christian Scholarship at Calvin College.

More information and registration.

www.calvin.edu/scs

www.calvin.edu/worship/events

Rediscovering the Ascension in Worship

"Though often overlooked, the ascension of Christ is filled with theological significance. Christ's ascension means that in heaven there is one who, knowing firsthand the experience of suffering and temptation, prays for us and perfects our prayers. The ascension is a witness and guarantee of our own bodily resurrection, as well as an invitation for us to set our hearts and minds “on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God” ... Finally, the ascension of Jesus serves as the prelude to Pentecost, when the power of the risen Christ came upon all believers through the Holy Spirit."

- from The Worship Sourcebook, p. 655

Resources for Ascension Worship

www.calvin.edu/worship/ascension

Recent Posts at our Blog

- Blog reports from Transforming Culture conference in Austin

More posts

www.calvin.edu/worship/blog

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Calvin Institute of Christian Worship 1855 Knollcrest Circle SE Grand Rapids MI 49546-4402

worship@calvin.edu 616-526-6088