Kevin J. Adams on the Gospel in a Handshake
Kevin Adams explores the beautiful gifts of framing words for worship—the “conversation of worship”—that are lifegiving and engaging.
Luke A. Powery on Living the Questions of the Bible
Luke Powery encourages preachers and worshipers to embrace the space and place the church provides to ask questions as a faithful way of Christian discipleship and engaging with God.
Until Justice and Peace Embrace: A Service of Lessons and Carols
In a world filled with violence, injustice, and despair, the Advent and Christmas gospel comes, wondrously, with two strands of promise: one that touches neighborhoods racked in violence, one that is as intimate as our own interior lives, so often hidden from everyone but God. Both strands of promise are conveyed in a single common word with breathtaking scope: “Peace.”
The Colossian World Today: Opportunities for Preaching
In the 2023 91 Symposium’s five main worship services we are looking at Colossians. In this session the five people preaching on Colossians will reflect together on how the situations facing the Colossian Christians long ago remain relevant today. Najla Kasab, Marshall E. Hatch Sr., Laura de Jong, Danny Román-Gloró, and Scott Hoezee will talk about what they observed in crafting their sermons for this year's symposium and on the larger opportunities all preachers have to bring forward Paul's words to address the many crises of our own time.
The Practice of Lament
A panel of Calvin Seminary faculty with a variety of research and ministry experiences will reflect on the practice of lament. What are the different faces of lament? What is the goal of lament? How can pastoral leaders facilitate lament? What does lament reveal about the nature of God and what it means to be human? Those attending the panel will also be able to raise questions and join the discussion.
Choral Reading Session
Come learn and sing through a selection of choral pieces for use in worship. Packets provided by GIA Publications, Inc.
Listening to Pauline Shame
In this session, Te-Li Lau will contrast the current culture's understanding of shame with the biblical framework, suggest ways to rehabilitate our fractured understanding, and draw out the implications of a renewed understanding for public worship.
Discerning Leadership with Students
How can mentors help students discern the leadership roles God has called them to in the church and on campus? In this seminar, Joanna Wigboldy will walk through the process she uses in the ministry leadership class at Calvin University to help students find ways to practice leadership, build community, and love the church. The seminar will center the voices and stories of Calvin students who have been through this discernment process and will honestly explore the ways it helped them enter specific leadership roles as well as what learning gaps they had when they entered those roles. Responses by Angela Williams Gorrell.
Lessons for Leading Singing
Join the twenty-minute University worship service and then gather with the Calvin University 91 Apprentices, who will reflect on their chapel planning process and share lessons learned about leading congregational singing.
91 Music from Africa and the African Diaspora
What a gift to have in a single conversation leading experts on the rich history of Christian worship music in the continent of Africa as well as from African diaspora communities in the United States and England! What treasures and insights from this rich history should be more celebrated and cherished? What misunderstandings should be corrected? How can we learn from this rich history without misappropriating it? What signature examples of congregational song should we all learn more about and from? How can we all continue to learn more and explore more deeply connections across continents and Christian traditions?
Glocal Perspectives on Contemporary Praise and 91
Every Sunday, thousands of worshiping communities in the United States and all over the world rely completely or partially on contemporary praise and worship [CP&W] in corporate worship. How has CP&W evolved, what are the movement’s main trends, and how is it experienced around the world? How is CP&W shaping Christians’ understanding of God, themselves, and the world? Join us to learn from renowned scholars in the field.
Lamentation as Pedagogy
This panel will discuss ongoing research on the practice of lamentation in the Black church tradition as a formative pedagogical tool for both theological education and the broader community. Special attention will be given to the value of embodied learning with a cohort of seminarians, religious practitioners, scholars, and faith leaders who have visited sites where massacres and atrocities against Black life have occurred.