NEWS
2005 Worship Renewal Grants Announced
The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship has announced this year’s grant recipients through its Worship Renewal Grants Program, now in its sixth year. This year the Institute awarded nearly $700,000 to fifty-four churches and organizations.
“This year we were especially encouraged by the number of proposals from congregations who seek to discover new ways to worship as the body of Christ across barriers of age, gender, race, and language,” said Betty Grit, program manager of the Worship Renewal Grants Program.
Here is a partial list of projects, in alphabetical order, for 2005. Use this list to pray for these projects and to consider ways your congregation or organization could also work toward worship renewal. For more information, including an introductory brochure and application information, see the Grants section of www.calvin.edu/worship. Next year’s deadline for applications is January 10, 2006.
American Baptist Seminary of the West, Berkeley, California
To explore worship renewal through a collaboration of seminary students, pastors, lay persons, and other ministry professionals from various racial, ethnic, and cultural communities during a pastoral leadership conference.
Beulah Missionary Baptist Church, Cincinnati, Ohio
To examine historic traditions of African American worship and incorporate them into worship services through a process that includes forty ministry leaders who will participate in a thirteen-week Bible study, retreat, seminars, and a citywide worship service.
Bridge of Peace Community Church, Camden, New Jersey
To advance the development of lay worship leadership in a multicultural setting by training lay leaders, creating a model for worship leadership training that can be applied in other multicultural settings and offering congregational workshops on worship.
Broadway Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, Princeton, Indiana
To develop skills of listening, training, and creating in order to design meaningful worship for the “Millennial Generation.”
Catholic Campus Ministry at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas
To cultivate an environment that will empower students to explore and discover authentic forms of liturgical expression and sacred worship through visits to other worshiping communities, workshops, retreats, and mentors who train students in various aspects of leading worship.
Choristers Guild, Garland, Texas
To teach children the structure of worship, develop their skills for leading various aspects of worship, provide them with experiences of various worship-related arts, and work with them to prepare worship services through summer worship, arts, and music camps.
Church of the Redeemer, Presbyterian Church (USA), Los Angeles, California
To share innovative and creative methods for spiritually renewed, culturally relevant, and multigenerational vibrant worship within small to mid-size traditional churches, with particular emphasis on children and youth, young adults, the preached and spoken Word, leadership development, and sacred music and the arts in collaboration with eight local churches.
Commission on Ritual and Worship (CMEC), Los Angeles, California
To review and evaluate the Book of Ritual, a current denominational resource for worship, that will lead to revisions of content, language, theology and rubrics so that the resource will more accurately reflect the theological heritage of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CMEC), promote deeper understanding of and meaning in rituals, and include materials that will speak to the diversity of musical and liturgical concerns of the cultures and demographics within the CMEC.
Davidic Ministries COGIC, Grand Rapids, Michigan
To offer worship workshops for members of the congregation, train worship leaders, and identify and create new expressions of worship in multicultural, urban ministry through partnership with neighboring congregations.
Diocesan Worship Directors of Michigan, Detroit, Michigan
To provide liturgical formation for musicians and others responsible for liturgical preparation to aid them in choosing appropriate liturgical music through participation in a summer camp.
Eliot Presbyterian Church, Lowell, Massachusetts
To develop liturgy and multicultural worship so as to portray the congregation’s unity in a diverse community by considering language, dance, media, visual art, music, attitude, understanding, practice, leadership, and congregational participation.
First Christian Reformed Church, Salt Lake City, Utah
To equip area church choirs to lead worship spiritually and musically within their respective churches through a year-long process that will include a weekend of workshops, rehearsals, and worship.
First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, Berkeley, California
To create new, engaging, and enduring habits of worship through a study of visual arts in worship with an emphasis on communion, baptism, and the unity of believers.
First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica, Santa Monica, California
To achieve a clearer and deeper understanding of the aim, purpose, and components of worship services by developing worship leadership within the congregation and introducing the congregation to new music, forms of prayers, and liturgy.
First United Presbyterian Church of San Francisco, San Francisco, California
To train Asian and Anglo Americans of all ages to better plan, lead, and participate in a newly established multicultural, multigenerational worship service through discussion groups, liturgical art, retreats, and a conference.
Fredericktown United Methodist Church, Fredericktown, Ohio
To nurture active, intergenerational corporate worship by training parents, grandparents, and church school leaders and providing resources for them to promote the daily worship of God in children’s lives in the context of the liturgical year.
Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, Charlotte, North Carolina
To train and encourage clergy and lay leaders in African-American churches by offering a four-day conference on worship and a pre-conference study related to worship for those who will be attending the conference.
Grace United Church, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
To create litanies, choral readings, and Scripture dramas to facilitate the dramatic nature of worship through the collaboration of lay theologians and artists of all ages within the congregation.
Grace University Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota
To deepen the understanding and practice of healing as a part of worship life in a community surrounded by large institutions dedicated to healing and health, through forums, workshops, retreats, and worship experiences for lay leaders and congregation members and weekly healing services for the community.
Grandview Park Presbyterian Church, Kansas City, Kansas
To develop a deeper understanding about the theology and practice of worship, educate and train worship leaders from the church’s diverse membership, and explore ways art can enhance the multicultural worship experience in an urban setting.
Hastings College Chapel, Presbyterian Church (USA), Hastings, Nebraska
To explore the shifting cultural contexts of worship and to identify a theology of worship that is rooted in the past and open to the future, through a yearlong consultation on worship leadership with student leaders of the Hastings College Chapel and local pastors, musicians, and lay leaders.
Jan Hus Presbyterian Church, New York, New York
To study hospitality as a model for worship and missions through workshops and Bible studies with members of the three congregations who worship in the same sanctuary: Jan Hus, Indonesian Presbyterian Church, and St. John’s Independent Catholic Community.
John Calvin Presbyterian Church, Salisbury, North Carolina
To provide experiences and guidance through lectionary-based activities enabling participants of all ages and abilities to discover their own gifts and employ them in worship services within an urban community.
Kotzebue Church of God, Kotzebue, Alaska
To offer a series of classes for clergy and lay leaders of seven congregations on how worship impacts the physical and spiritual needs that exist in isolated communities of rural Alaska.
LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan
To investigate and implement ways in which participation in formal worship can be made increasingly accessible to children and youth.
Living Water Fellowship, Berkeley, California
To study the biblical foundations as well as theological, historical, and practical perspectives of the inclusion of a variety of forms of dance and movement in worship, with the intention of incorporating dance appropriately into worship services in a primarily college-age congregation.
LOGOS System Associates, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
To explore resource materials and design a process for using and sharing them that will engage all ages in understanding parts of a worship service and in integrating their renewed appreciation of worship into congregational life.
Lower Susquehanna Synod, ELCA, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
To train and encourage parish musicians in small congregations by offering classes in the theological and liturgical foundations of worship and the development of musical skills.
Memphis Theological Seminary, Cumberland Presbyterian, Memphis, Tennessee
To explore forms of art and ways to incorporate that art in the ongoing worship life of local congregations through a two-week institute on the arts in worship for clergy, laity, and seminarians, and to develop a resource guide for local congregations.
Midwest Episcopal District, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Belleville, Illinois
To conduct teaching sessions for clergy and laity centered on the topics of preparation, observance of the Lord’s Day, prayer, praise, proclamation, obedience, offerings, service, congregational participation, holiness of life, significance of preaching of the Word of God, and the administration of the sacraments.
Montreat Presbyterian Church, Montreat, North Carolina
To offer workshops in North Carolina and Texas to address processes and principles of developing and leading multisensory worship.
Music in World Cultures, Inc., St. Paul, Minnesota
To explore how God is drawing peoples from all nations to become biblical, wholehearted worshipers through the study and development of indigenous expressions of music and the arts.
New Life at Providence Church, Virginia Beach, Virginia
To equip and disciple worship leaders in dance ministry through biblical teaching, to establish a network of dance leaders, and to develop strategies for training dancers to use their gifts in worship.
North Park United Methodist Church, St. Louis, Missouri
To cultivate active youth leadership and participation in worship in the local church through the development and implementation of a Worship Leadership Training Program for Youth and Young Adults.
Office of Theology and Worship, Presbyterian Church (USA), Louisville, Kentucky
To reflect on shared practices of prayer and service among pastors and church leaders and to provide for a series of on-site consultations to identify and strengthen pilot churches who are intentionally seeking to connect sacramental practices with mission and service commitments.
Office of Worship and Christian Initiation, Archdiocese of Santa Fe, Albuquerque, New Mexico
To train and form local liturgical leaders through a process of learning, and applying that learning by designing, implementing and evaluating a parish liturgy project and writing a theological reflection paper integrating what they learned with their story, the story of their parish communities, and the story of God’s love for us.
Office of Worship, Diocese of Honolulu, Kaneohe, Hawaii
To develop a two-week formation program for clergy and laity to probe the connection between Jesus’ death and resurrection and the practice of worship and prayer, and the connection between worship and daily living.
Oklahoma Alliance for Liturgy and the Arts, Shawnee, Oklahoma
To establish partnerships between visual artists and church congregations by engaging in the study and development of a theology of worship that includes the visual arts, offering workshops to link artists with the needs of congregations, and creating residencies for artists to work with church members to develop art for worship.
Philadelphia Liturgical Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
To create an ecumenical team of liturgists who will mentor local parishes/congregations to reflect upon and develop their ritual focus, proclamation of the Word of God, preaching, clarity of the sacraments, music, architecture, art, and hospitality.
Progressive Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Inc., National Music Department, Columbia, South Carolina
To train and inspire clergy and lay leaders through national music, worship and staff development sessions for the purpose of developing innovative worship practices that affirm theology and music to promote the gospel message.
Providence Christian College, Ontario, California
To develop a chapel program that reflects Reformed perspectives on worship by creating an environment conducive to communal worship, training student worship leaders in the history and theology of Reformed worship, developing their leadership skills, educating the college community on the deeper meaning and purpose of worship, and implementing ways that students can apply their knowledge of worship to impact both the college community and the surrounding community.
Rochester College, Rochester Hills, Michigan
To train students to be effective worship leaders in chapel and other worship opportunities through a Worship Training Seminar Series for the purpose of focusing the community’s vision on worship that is both spiritually vital and theologically rooted, having integrity and relevance.
San Joaquin First Nations Fellowship, Inc., Lathrop, California
To encourage and enable Native Americans to worship God in an authentic, indigenous way through a process that will include learning and offering a workshop to other churches and the community.
Skidmore College, Office of the Chaplain, Saratoga Springs, New York
To engage college students through revitalization of a chapel program using the strengths of the liberal arts college—literature, poetry, studio art, music, theater, and dance—by providing instruction, inspiration, collaboration, and materials for college students to connect their academic artistic endeavors with the worship life of the college chapel.
St. Catherine of Siena Center of Dominican University, River Forest, Illinois
To explore and animate the linkage between worship and justice through a process, including a conference, theological reflection, and a series of public worship events, which will lead to the creation of resources to help deepen the connection between worship and justice.
St. Paul/Minneapolis District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota
To engage laity and clergy from nine historic congregations in critical dialogue, theological reflection, action, and celebration around the historical aspects of worship in the AMEC, in order to identify new interpretations of traditional models for worship, seek new vision for worship that is intergenerational, and bridge historical worship traditions with contemporary ones.
St. Clare of Montefalco Catholic School, Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan
To encourage a deeper involvement in and understanding of worship among students by focusing on prayer in small group gatherings and creating concrete sensory liturgical experiences.
St. Luke African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan
To study the implications of church architecture and sacred space in worship through a peer learning process that will assist the congregation to develop plans for the construction of a new church building.
Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church of Manhattan, New York, New York
To engage congregants of different ages and different ethnicities/languages in worship preparation and celebration as one body through intentional, joint learning, reflecting, planning, and creating worship for September 11, Reformation Sunday, a service focusing on the communion of the saints and commemorating martyrs, and Pentecost.
University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, Texas
To provide workshops on music, ritual theory, visual arts, architecture, dance, drama, sacred text, and the importance of sacramentality with attention to Hispanic, Asian, African, Middle Eastern, and Euro-American perspectives to enrich worship on campus and in the surrounding community.
Westmont College, Santa Barbara, California
To invite more intentional practices of visual piety through a process that will include textual analysis, lectio divina, research, and conversation, resulting in the creation of fourteen images of moments in the life of Christ which will be displayed throughout the campus and incorporated in worship and the production of corresponding devotionals.
Winnetka Presbyterian Church, Winnetka, Illinois
To acquire knowledge about successful techniques for integrating multiply-challenged children into corporate worship, develop and implement a model for training clergy and lay leaders to welcome these children and their families, and help participating parents gain skills and confidence in exploring faith practices with their children.
Zion Korean United Methodist Church, Warwick, Rhode Island
To develop initiation programs for newcomers, including youth and children, which will include bilingual weekly communion, multicultural music and worship formation, and to partner with Hillsgrove United Methodist Church in multicultural worship celebrations and the exploration of justice and youth ministries.
Zion Lutheran Church, York, Pennsylvania
To explore the use of artistic elements, such as drama and liturgical dance, in worship through a process that will include congregational members of all ages in learning and creating forms of artistic expression for worship.
2005 Conferences
Dallas, TX, October 9-11
“Music in Worship: A Prophetic Voice Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.” A symposium for seminary musicians and academic deans, denominational music leaders, clergy, and church musicians. Presented by the American Guild of Organists (AGO) in partnership with the Association of Theological Schools, the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, and Perkins School of Theology. Contact: AGO, 212-870-2310; e-mail info@aagohq.org.
Princeton, NJ, October 28-30
“One Gospel—Many Voices” Second Academy of Global Song, with Melva Costen, Michael Hawn, Jorge Lockward, Carlton Young, and others. Contact: Mark Terwilliger, General Board of Global Ministries, 212-870-3633; mterwill@gbgm-umc.org; to register: Office of Continuing Education, Princeton Theological Seminary, 800-622-6767 x7990; e-mail: coned@ptsem.edu; web: www.ptsem.edu/ce.
Des Moines, NM, November 4-6
Taizé Ministry Weekend at a retreat center in northeastern sector of New Mexico on the slopes of the Sierra Grande. Led by Brad Bergland (www.reinventingsunday.com), leader of twice-monthly Taizé services at Calvary Baptist Church in Denver. Contact: The Mandala Center, 505-278-3004, or www.mandalacenter.org.
Houston, TX, November 10-13
“The Matter of Devotion: Art, Liturgy, and the Stuff of Worship.” Artists and scholars will examine the changing relationship between worship and contemporary culture, the ways in which fine art and liturgical art influence one another, and the renewal movements in both traditional and emerging churches for the biennial Image Conference of 2005. For more information visit www.imagejournal.org/conference.
Choristers Guild Choral Workshops
Three conferences led by Anton Armstrong, each from Friday at 4:30 and all day Saturday. Armstrong conducts the St. Olaf Choir and Troubadours, a thirty-voice boys ensemble of the Northfield Youth Choirs; he is editor of a multicultural choral series for Earthsongs Publications, coeditor of the revised St. Olaf Choral Series for Augsburg Fortress Publishing, and a past president of Choristers Guild.
To register call the number listed below; for accommodation information and interest in sharing hotel expenses, e-mail conferences@mailcg.org with your name, phone, and the conference you are attending. Car rental discounts with Avis: 800-331-1600, refer to AWD #J906690; airline discounts with NW/KLM/Continental: at 800-328-1111, refer to #NM7FL
New York, NY, September 23-25,
St. James Cathedral-Bascilica in Brooklyn, 718-855-6390Denver, CO, September 30-October 1,
Augustana Lutheran Church, 303-388-4678 Charleston, SC, October 21-22,
First Baptist Church, 843-722-3896
Grand Rapids, MI, January 26-28, 2006
Calvin Symposium on Worship (see ad on inside front cover). Consider coming with a group from your congregation to be able to take in more of the offerings of this increasingly international conference. Last year more than 1,500 people attended from across North America and beyond.