1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 2026 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
In September 2016 participants gathered at the Universal Design for Worship seminar at Calvin College. Singer-songwriter Ken Medema participated through musical leadership and storytelling.
So Stephanie sits beside me
at the table all day long.
And I ask her, “What’s your biggest takeaway?”
She says, “After all I heard
I wrote down just two words:
Challenge and Courage—I am taking home today.”
Challenge to the ones who give the care
to have the courage to dream and dare,
to take the steps that help us open our eyes.
And challenge the ones who need the care
to come to us and let us bear
you upon eagle’s wings to find the sky.
And in this sweet communion,
gathered ’round these tables,
I have sensed the passion and purpose to live the call.
To call on Love Divine,
to create this new design,
to make the church a place for one and all.
Challenge to the ones who give the care
to have the courage to dream and dare,
to take the steps that help us open our eyes.
Challenge to those who need the care
to come to our church and let us bear
you upon eagle’s wings to find the sky.
Now it’s time for us to part.
There’s hope blossoming in every heart—
hope that we’ll create a better day.
Thus thanks to Stephanie and everyone.
And now that this sweet day is done,
we look forward to learning along the way.
(There will be)
Challenge to those who give the care
to have the courage to dream and dare,
to take the steps and help us open up our eyes.
Challenge those who need the care
to come to our church and let us bear
you upon eagle’s wings,
teach you the song to sing,
make life a sweeter thing,
give you bells to ring,
bear you upon eagle’s wings,
to find the sky.
© Ken Medema
“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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
