Resources
The Church Together: Exploring Intergenerational Worship
2004 Presenters
Alexis D. Abernethy is associate professor of psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary, where she also serves on the steering committee of the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts. She is known for her writings and consultations on the relationship between health-related outcomes and spirituality.
Joanne Alberda teaches art at Dordt College, Sioux Center, Iowa, and works with many churches as a designer and creator of liturgical banners. She has particular interest in the textile arts—weaving, dyeing, stitching, and quilting, and frequently serves as a consultant to churches on liturgical textiles and worship environments.
Rebecca Baylor is an Elementary Education major at Calvin College and will graduate in December. She has a major in Spanish and an additional minor in Language Arts. For over a year, Rebecca has worked with the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship as a student assistant.
Claudia Beversluis teaches psychology at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Spiritual formation during the teen years is one of her research areas.
Sarah Bjornebo trained professionally with the Milwaukee, Boston and Pennsylvania Ballets from 1985-1991, after which she attended Valparaiso University where she received a degree in Theology and French. During her time at Valparaiso she also danced for a liturgical dance company in Chicago. Since then she has continued to dance, teach workshops, and consult with churches in liturgical dance.
Joyce Borger is on staff at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, serves as the associate editor of Reformed Worship and is the worship and music editor at Faith Alive Publications.
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 (a children’s songbook and part of LiFE curriculum, Faith Alive Christian ), and Sing! A New Creation.
Carolyn Brown has served as a director of Christian education in churches, large and small, rural and urban, for over 30 years. She currently is the director of children’s ministries at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia, but will soon be moving to Charlottesville, Virginia, where she will be writing and freelancing as a workshop leader and consultant. Carolyn is also the author of several books, including You Can Preach to the Kids, Too!, Forbid Them Not, and Gateways to Worship.
Nancy Buschart is a vocal musician and teacher and a spiritual mentor. She is university, conservatory, and seminary trained, receiving her M.A. in Christian Studies from Denver Seminary in 2002. Nancy is the designer and founder of Vine, Vision and Voice, a ministry that seeks to allow the word of God to encourage women to discover deepening intimacy with Christ and a fuller expression of their creative voices, and also serves as an adjunct faculty mentor at Denver Seminary, leading a spiritual formation group of ten seminarians as well as serving as a lay and professional mentor for women.
Moses Chung serves as associate pastor and worship leader at New Life Community Church, a multiethnic and multigenerational RCA congregation in Los Angeles.
Gregg DeMey is the music pastor at Granite Springs Church: a growing, multi-generational Christian Reformed Church in Sacramento, California. Gregg leads a team of artists, composers, and worship planners that strives to be hospitable, fresh, and deeply rooted. He and his wife Sarah have two children.
Norma de Waal Malefyt is a graduate of Calvin College with majors in education and organ performance. She has served in parish music ministry roles all her adult life. She currently is serving as a Development Resource Specialist for the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship where her responsibilites include providing and writing materials for parish worship planners and teaching keyboard lessons to students who are pursuing their interest in church music ministry in their studies at the college.
Gail De Young is co-director of the Rehoboth Christian High School Choir from Rehoboth, New Mexico and serves as teacher and counselor at Rehoboth Middle School. In addition, she is the Music and Worship Coordinator for Rehoboth Christian Reformed Church, a position which she has enjoyed for 12 years.
Joy Engelsman is worship coordinator of Worship II—a new experience of intergenerational Reformed worship—at Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church (EPC) in Denver, Colorado. She graduated from Denver Seminary with a Masters of Divinity in May 2004.
Caroline Fairless is an Episcopal priest and founding director of Children at Worship—Congregations in Bloom, a national non-profit resource organization that trains congregations in the planning of worship that serves entire congregations including children and youth. Fairless is the author of the teaching manual Children at Worship: Congregations in Bloom; Hambone, the first in a series designed to address the difficult issues in children’s lives; and Confessions of a Fake Priest (Church Publishing, Inc.). Fairless and her husband James Sims are the producers of the CD New Voices/Ancient Words: Dramatic Adaptations of Scripture (Church Publishing, Inc.) and The Bloom Box (Leader, Inc.).
Friends of the Groom is a theater group committed to proclaiming the Christian message with a unique blend of humor, story, challenging content, and scenes that are hard to forget. The group is composed of adult performers from the Cincinnati area, usually traveling in teams of three.
Betty Grit is program manager of the Worship Renewal Grants Program at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. She has served churches of many denominations in diverse locations as organist, director of children and adult choirs, and as worship planner and leader. Her interest is to encourage and equip church leaders of all ages.
Betsy Steele Halstead is an artist who works in oils and printmaking (woodcuts); she also works as resource development specialist for the visual arts at 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.
Michael Herold teaches art at Denver Christian School.
Syd Hielema is an associate professor of theology and youth ministry at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa, and a member of the Christian Reformed Children and Youth Advisory Committee. Formerly a high school music teacher and a youth pastor in Ontario, he lives now with his wife Evelyn and three children in Sioux Center.
Bob Ippel directs the Rehoboth High School Choir at Rehoboth (New Mexico) Christian School.
Laura Keeley is co-director of children’s ministries at 14th Street Christian Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan.
Robert Keeley is professor of education at Calvin College where he teaches courses in educational psychology and religious education in the elementary classroom. He co-directs children’s ministries at 14th Street Christian Reformed Church.
Harvey Kiekover After more than 38 years of ministry, I began my retirement on January 1, 2004. But that was really only a rather hurried transition to the work of teaching at the Theological College of Northern Nigeria where I began my ministry. Later I returned to Grand Rapids to serve the first 19 years half time at Calvin CRC and half in chaplaincy work at Holland Home. Serving as a CRC chaplain amongst our older people has been immensely rewarding. The older members of God's family have taught me out of their wisdom and experience and their love and appreciation are both humbling and gratifying. I am deeply thankful to God.
Steven Koster, currently studying at Calvin Theological Seminary, 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.
Larry Lindquist is currently part of the faculty at Denver Seminary where he chairs the departments of Youth and Family and Educational Ministries. For nearly 20 years Larry served as youth pastor, worship leader, and Christian education director in Wisconsin, Illinois, and New Jersey. He received his undergraduate degree in music from Trinity International University, his Masters degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and earned his doctorate at Northern Illinois University. Dr. Lindquist has served as adjunct professor at Moody Bible Institute and Trinity International University and has written for David C. Cook, Moody Press, and Group Publishing. He continues to speak at churches, national youth conferences, Christian colleges, summer camps, retreats, and conventions. Larry and his wife Cindy live in Littleton, Colorado.
Jorge Lockward works with the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church in New York City. He has taken many young people on tours around the world and has been involved in the production of several recordings and collections of global songs. He is also director of Cantico Nuevo.
Sally Morgenthaler (presenting Wednesday only) is a worship consultant (www.sacramentis.com) and author of Worship Evangelism, a book that explores her passion for “worship-as-witness.” She has a particular interest in reaching people who have been turned off by the church.
Ron Nydam is associate professor of pastoral care at Calvin Theological Seminary; he was previously a pastor and served as agency director of Pastoral Counseling in Denver for 14 years.
Gil Rendle is a senior consultant at the Alban Institute, an ecumenical and interfaith research and consulting organization for congregations. An ordained United Methodist pastor, he served two urban congregations as the senior clergy and for the last 17 years has been a consultant to congregations across the United States and Canada. He has written four books, the most recent being Holy Conversations: A Handbook for Strategic Planning in Congregations.
Don Richter is associate director of the Valparaiso Project on the Education and Formation of People in Faith, an initiative funded by the Religion Division of Lilly Endowment Inc. and based at Valparaiso University (Indiana). Don is responsible for managing the project website www.practicingourfaith.org, administering the small grants program, and coordinating resources for youth and practices including Way To Live: Christian Practices for Teens and www.waytolive.org. He was founding director of the Youth Theology Institute at Emory University (1992-98), and has taught Christian education at Emory's Candler School of Theology and Bethany Theological Seminary. Don and his wife Kim are both ordained ministers in the Presbyterian Church (USA). They make their home in Asheville, North Carolina, with their children Jonathan (16) and Katherine (7).
John Rottman works in pastoral ministry at Grace Christian Reformed Church, Scarborough, Ontario.
Greg Scheer is the director of music ministries at Northwestern College in Iowa where he teaches in the music department, leads chapel worship, and oversees the college¹s music ministry major. He has written numerous songs and compositions for worship, many of which are available at www.gregscheer.com. He is currently completing a book about contemporary worship leadership.
James Sims is married to Caroline Fairless and is co-director of Children at Worship—Congregations in Bloom, a national non-profit resource organization that trains congregations in the planning of worship that serves entire congregations including children and youth. He is a classically trained guitarist, vocalist, and composer. His CDs include Lovestar, Metanoia, and Milestones.
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.
John Sutton has been a full-time professional church musician for over 20 years. During that time, he has distinguished himself as a minister of music and worship, directing active programs involving over 300 weekly participants in choral, handbell, and instrumental groups. He has served churches in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and California, ministering to congregations of diverse size, denomination and worship style. He is currently studying with Donald Neuen at the University of California, Los Angeles, in the doctoral program for choral conducting, serves Lake Avenue Church as the director of worship, and is assistant professor and director of choral activites at Azusa Pacific University.
Mary Sytsma is a youth leader at Wheaton (Illinois) Christian Reformed Church and teaches English at Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, Illinois. She is co-author with Jane Vogel of Sunday Morning Live: How and Why We Worship (Faith Alive, 2003), a curriculum for high school students.
Keith Tanis is the senior pastor of New Life Community Church, a multi-staff RCA in Los Angeles. He has been a campus pastor, church planter, and solo pastor in the CRC, as well as the director of field education at Calvin Theological Seminary. He is a certified spiritual director, mentor, and coffee roaster. He returned to parish ministry in 1999 to preach and lead a multi-cultural church in a warm climate. He is still hoping to preach his best sermon!
Jeff Van Kooten is a senior consultant with The Center for Generational Studies, which conducts research and leads seminars on how the generations in North America can better relate to one another. He also teaches bible and theology at Denver Christian High School, and is president of Mazeway, an organization exploring the interface between cultural change and biblical faith. He has contributed articles for such publications as The Gospel and Our Culture Newsletter, Gentrends, and Single Adult Ministry Journal. He is a contributing author to Treasures in Clay Jars: Patterns of Missional Faithfulness (Eerdmans). Jeff’s experiences as a business professional, youth worker, and ordained pastor; and his degrees in communication, psychology, and theology give him the perfect mix to understand people of all ages and backgrounds. Because he has had 13 years of experience on the platform and because he is just downright funny, Jeff will cause you both to laugh and to learn.
Kristen Verhulst is assistant director of administration for the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. She taught elementary education for five years at Bellevue Christian School in Washington and currently teaches Sunday School and children's worship in her church.
Jane Vogel is a youth leader at Wheaton (Illinois) Christian Reformed church and is a free-lance writer. She is a graduate of Calvin Theological Seminary and has been working with youth and worship for 20 years, both in professional and volunteer positions. Her latest book is Sunday Morning Live: How and Why We Worship (Faith Alive, 2003), a curriculum for high school students that she co-authored with Mary Sytsma.
Phyllis Vos Wezeman is director of Christian Nurture at First Presbyterian Church, South Bend, Indiana, and president of Active Learning Associates, Inc. Phyllis has served as adjunct faculty at Indiana University, South Bend, from which she holds an M.S. in education, as well as adjunct faculty in the department of theology at the University of Notre Dame; "Honorary Professor" of the Saint Petersburg (Russia) State University of pedagogical art and lecturer at the Shanghai (China) Teacher's University. She is the recipient of three "Distinguished Alumnae Awards." Author of hundreds of books and articles, she serves as project director of a worship renewal grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Phyllis and her husband, Ken, have three children and three grandsons.
John D. Witvliet is director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and author of Worship Seeking Understanding: Windows into Christian Practice (Baker, 2003).
Elmer Yazzie is an award winning artist living in Churchill, Montana who incorporates his Native American heritage and his deep Christian faith into his work.