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2018 Calvin Symposium on Worship | Vesper
This Vesper Service
We cannot escape the grasp of sin and death. In this service, Urban Doxology responds to events of hate and racism, death and tragedy through song, with words of both lament and hope. This service will include songs such as “Come by Here,” “Holy Spirit,” “Shalom,” “Spirit Pour Out,” “Isaiah 58,” “Purge Me,” “Speaking,” “We Are Good,” “Who Has the Final Say,” “Say Yes,” “Declaration of Dependence,” “Without You,” and “Get Up and Dance.”
What does “Urban Doxology” mean?
An “urban doxology” is any liturgy, preaching, music or art that crosses boundaries in ethnicity, race, and class and prepares God’s people for the city of God.
The Urban Doxology Story
Urban Doxology is a ministry that writes the soundtrack of reconciliation in the racially diverse and gentrifying neighborhood of Church Hill, Richmond, Virginia. The band evolved out of the Urban Songwriting Internship Program that is a partnership with Arrabon and East End Fellowship. Most of band members are an active part of East End Fellowship, a community that endeavors to be a faithful presence, seeking God’s joy and justice for their neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia, out of love for Christ. Urban Doxology is a ministry of Arrabon through worship formation. Urban Doxology creates worship experiences and resources to equip Christian communities with the spiritual formation needed to faithfully practice reconciliation. You can find out more about Urban Doxology, their mission, and their music on their website: www.urbandoxology.com.
What is “Arrabon”?
The word arrabon means “a foretaste of what is to come.” The ministry of Arrabon (www. arrabon.com) believes that the church should be a “foretaste of a reconciled heaven to our divided world.” Arrabon works to equip Christian leaders and their communities with the resources needed to increase their cultural intelligence to effectively participate in reconciliation.
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.
