1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 2026 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
The songs below come from a song festival at the Calvin Symposium of Worship in January 2020 and was led by The Aeolians of Oakwood University, directed by Jason Max Ferdinand. The orchestral musicians are from the Grand Rapids, Michigan area.
The Aeolians of Oakwood University, established in 1946, performs choral music repertoire from the Baroque era to the 21st century, under the direction of Jason Max Ferdinand. In 2017, they won the Choir of the World award at the LLangollen International Musical Festival. In 2018, they won three gold medals at the 10th World Choir Games and the championship in both the University Choirs and the Spirituals categories. In 2019, they became the first HBCU choir to be selected from blind auditions to perform at the National ACDA Conference.
Jason Max Ferdinand is a professor, the director of choral activities, and the chair of the music department at Oakwood University, Huntsville, Alabama. He is in his twelfth season conducting the world-renowned The Aeolians of Oakwood University. He maintains an active schedule as a composer, presenter, adjudicator, and guest conductor for high school, collegiate, and church choirs throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. His choral series bearing his name is in circulation by Walton Music, a division of GIA Publications, Inc. His greatest passion is watching those who he has mentored become conductors and composers in their own right.
Text and Tune: Donald Lawrence.
Used by permission.
Text and Tune: Shawn Kirchner.
Used by permission.
Text and Tune: R. Nathaniel Dett; instrumentation arr. Jason Max Ferdinand. Roderick George, Tenor
Used by permission.
Music: arr. Ken Burton.
Used by permission.
Text and Tune: Stephen Adams; arr. Noble Cain F.E. Weatherly; © 1946 (Renewed) BBI.WN. Mills Publishing Corp.
Used by permission.
Text and Tune: Richard Wagner, arr. William Dawson. © Neil Kjos.
Used by permission
Text and Tune: Adolphus Hailstork © 2000 Theodore Presser Co.
Used by permission.
Text and Tune: Cedric Dent.
Used by Permission.
Text and Tune: James Mulholland © 1999 Colla Voce Music, Inc.
Used by permission.
Text and Tune: C.A. Tindley, arr. Nathan Carter © 2000 GIA Publications, Inc.
All rights reserved. Reprinted and recorded under OneLicense.net A-703303.
Explore the compelling beauty of the Bible's covenantal vision of the divine-human relationship and the transformative difference this makes for how we worship the triune God. This session will feature insights from the authors of two influential books: Esther Lightcap Meek's Loving to Know: A Covenantal Epistemology and Daniel Block's Covenant: The Framework of God's Grand Plan of Redemption.
While Christian baptism is predominantly a transcultural practice, distinct faith communities worldwide experience this initiation rite through unique contextualizing elements. Join us in a fascinating conversation with Christian leaders from five continents about the rich cultural diversity reflected in baptismal liturgies, imagery, and practices, and how they shape Christian life in their contexts.
This panel will explore the intersectionality between culture and disability. What can we learn from the experiences of people across varying cultures and contexts? What do experiences of racism and ableism in the church have in common? How do they overlap? How does belonging for people with disabilities look different in a variety of cultural contexts?
Explore the compelling beauty of the Bible's covenantal vision of the divine-human relationship and the transformative difference this makes for how we worship the triune God. This session will feature insights from the authors of two influential books: Esther Lightcap Meek's Loving to Know: A Covenantal Epistemology and Daniel Block's Covenant: The Framework of God's Grand Plan of Redemption.
While Christian baptism is predominantly a transcultural practice, distinct faith communities worldwide experience this initiation rite through unique contextualizing elements. Join us in a fascinating conversation with Christian leaders from five continents about the rich cultural diversity reflected in baptismal liturgies, imagery, and practices, and how they shape Christian life in their contexts.
This panel will explore the intersectionality between culture and disability. What can we learn from the experiences of people across varying cultures and contexts? What do experiences of racism and ableism in the church have in common? How do they overlap? How does belonging for people with disabilities look different in a variety of cultural contexts?
Teenagers’ desire to encounter God has been realized throughout history as youth ministry has grown and evolved. Indeed, teenagers have expressed needs and desires to practice and grow their faith at church, school, and home as well as at camps and conferences or on short- and long-term mission trips. On the one hand, these worship efforts have been deeply formative. On the other hand, these worship efforts have focused on attracting and keeping teenagers as much as, if not more than, on spiritual formation. This session will identify key historical patterns in adolescent worship and examine how we might engage their wisdom for faithful worship practices with teenagers today.
