1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 2026 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
The music for this worship service comes from One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, a new ecumenical hymnal that pulls together songs from historic African American traditions and denominations.
Opening Greeting
Scripture Reading: Psalm 150
Songs: 16 “Total Praise”
67 “Holy One, We Worship Thee”
Prayer of Response
Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:7–12
Songs: “Shall Tribulation or Distress"
(choral anthem based on Romans 8 by Mary Louise Bringle & Sally Ann Morris)
473 “Be Still, God Will Fight Your Battle
455 “Beams of Heaven”
Prayer of Response
Scripture Reading: Luke 15:11–32
Songs: 418 “I Am Redeemed”
238 “Jesus, You Brought Me All the Way”
(choral anthem arr. by Kenneth W. Louis)
Prayer of Response
Scripture Reading: Romans 5:1–5
Songs: 121 “I Will Make the Darkness Light”
113 “The Solid Rock”
108 “It Is Well with My Soul” (choral anthem arr. by James Biery)
Prayer of Response
Announcements
Blessing
Sung Blessing: 472 “Let the Church Say, ‘Amen’”
Leaders: James Abbington; Doug Brouwer; Choir, Liturgical Movement, and Scripture Arts Teams;Norma de Waal Malefyt; Duane Kelderman; Eron Lauchie; Hannah Barker Nickolay; Jackson Nickolay; Debra Perry; Lisa Sung; Kathleen Turner; and Lisa Weaver.
Join us after the University worship service (chapel) for a conversation with worship leader Kimberly Williams. We will explore topics related to worship leading and planning for diverse congregations, leading teams, songwriting and recording, and mentoring women in ministry.
In this session Terry Wildman will share the vision, process, and outcomes of the First Nations Version (FNV) New Testament. Why was this translation needed? Who was involved in the translation? What were some of the cultural challenges faced by the translation council? What does it say about the translations done in Native languages in the past? How did the translation council decide on more than 185 key words and terms? What are some of the unique qualities of the FNV versus other English versions? How has the FNV affected the worship expressions of some Native believers? What is the future of the FNV?
How does one think about diversity as a Christian or as the church? How might working with and among—or even just thinking about—migrant neighbors contribute to our ecclesial identity? The language of catholicity allows us to imagine the unity of the church not in a monocultural way, but rather as a community inclusive of people of all languages and ethnicities. Migration and migrants today especially remind the church of its own catholic identity. How does the church's identity as a migrant church foster a healthy catholicity in the church's worship? This session will include the use of salsa music to invite participation in a more catholic way of life, asking what multicultural, cross cultural, and intercultural ways of being a church on the move might look like in worship.
Join us after the University worship service (chapel) for a conversation with worship leader Kimberly Williams. We will explore topics related to worship leading and planning for diverse congregations, leading teams, songwriting and recording, and mentoring women in ministry.
In this session Terry Wildman will share the vision, process, and outcomes of the First Nations Version (FNV) New Testament. Why was this translation needed? Who was involved in the translation? What were some of the cultural challenges faced by the translation council? What does it say about the translations done in Native languages in the past? How did the translation council decide on more than 185 key words and terms? What are some of the unique qualities of the FNV versus other English versions? How has the FNV affected the worship expressions of some Native believers? What is the future of the FNV?
How does one think about diversity as a Christian or as the church? How might working with and among—or even just thinking about—migrant neighbors contribute to our ecclesial identity? The language of catholicity allows us to imagine the unity of the church not in a monocultural way, but rather as a community inclusive of people of all languages and ethnicities. Migration and migrants today especially remind the church of its own catholic identity. How does the church's identity as a migrant church foster a healthy catholicity in the church's worship? This session will include the use of salsa music to invite participation in a more catholic way of life, asking what multicultural, cross cultural, and intercultural ways of being a church on the move might look like in worship.
As inhabitants of the modern age, we are deeply marked by skewed ways of thinking that thwart our humanness, our involvement with the world, and our spirituality. This is a philosophical tune-up that directly challenges and dispels modernity’s implicit philosophy. My philosophical proposals in my 2023 book Doorway to Artistry target the creative process, but they positively affect and bring healing to all arenas of life and work and worship. I pose that we as human persons are meant to live out a joyous “yes” to the real, and our involvement with the real takes the form of intimate encounter and communion. My approach reflects especially on God’s creative act and God’s created things. It taps epiphany, the redemptive encounter, and the Eucharist as paradigms for our knowing, our artistry, and all our everyday involvement with the world, so it should make us better at our stewardly dominion and voicing creation’s praise in worship.
