1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 2026 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
Carmen Imes has spent the past fifteen years immersed in the book of Exodus, writing about it for both her master’s thesis and her doctoral dissertation. In this lecture, Imes will share some of the most paradigm-shifting insights she’s had while reading Exodus through an Egyptian lens.
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As part of the Dwelling in the Psalms year, the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship has provided resources to support Psalm festivals around Canada and the United States. These events are open to the public and many will be livestreamed.
“Deconstruction” is a popular term among young people who grew up in the Christian church. In this public lecture, Robert Chao Romero will consider the challenge of widespread deconstruction while offering a hopeful path forward. Expanding on Phyllis Tickle’s analogy of the church having a rummage sale of ideas every few centuries, Romero invites us to consider the contributions of Latina/o theology and the history of the Brown Church as valuable resources for reconstruction on the other side of deconstruction.
Martin Luther frequently called Psalm 118 as his “own beloved psalm,” describing it as a “friend who helped [him] out of many troubles.” This session provides a history of the interpretation of this beloved psalm by looking at the readings of Ambrose, Augustine, Theodoret of Cyrus, Cassiodorus, Luther, and Calvin.
Modern song writers are continually setting the psalms to new music for band-led worship contexts. Join Paul Ryan, Nate Glasper, and the Calvin University Worship Apprentices to sing contemporary psalm settings sung in public worship at Calvin.
Join this excursion through compositional method, use of text, melodic creation, vocal range, and inner insights. The session includes the presentation of new psalm settings by Rawn Harbor.
Small churches often mourn what they no longer have. But the relationships and stories they still have can be a source of awe and renewed faith and mission. Learning about storytelling, narrative worship, and story maps has blessed many congregations that had once considered disbanding.
Many churches, especially smaller ones, feel as if their glory days are over. But learning how to collect and tell stories in narrative worship can help them identify God’s work, wisdom, and will in their congregations and inspire them to see how God is still working in their midst and beyond church walls.
Learning to give testimonies, add visuals, and enact scripture helped one small congregation build intergenerational relationships and learn to see their stories within God’s story.
This panel considers the psalms as a source of artistic and theological engagement, exploring how musicians and songwriters draw from these ancient texts to navigate the emotional complexity of the human experience. Through diverse musical approaches and cultural perspectives, the panelists will consider how the psalms continue to resonate in modern contexts by offering language for lament and praise, shaping liturgical practice, and fostering resilience in both personal and communal experience.
This chapel service is a festival of psalms centered on Psalm 42. This service originally took place as part of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship’s “Dwelling in the Psalms” year. This event was a partnership between the Calvin University Campus Choir, under the direction of Dr. Mark Stover, and the Woodlawn Church choir, directed by Chan Gyu Jang.
In this workshop, the McGrath family and Kiran Young Wimberly will discuss how spiritual practices, particularly singing the psalms, can build resilience in our lives. In a retreat-like experience, interwoven with psalms set to Celtic music, we will sing together as we reflect on what brings us joy, strength, and hope so we can flourish in the face of daily challenges.
In this workshop, the McGrath family and Kiran Young Wimberly will discuss how spiritual practices, particularly singing the psalms, can build resilience in our lives. In a retreat-like experience, interwoven with psalms set to Celtic music, we will sing together as we reflect on what brings us joy, strength, and hope so we can flourish in the face of daily challenges.
