1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 2026 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
Participants
Entrance: Longing for Holiness
This section is led by Princeton Seminary Choir from Princeton, New Jersey. The readers are Christina Ong and Colleen Toole. They are led by Martin Tel, director, Michael Gittens and William D. Carter III, accompanists, and William Heard, soloist.
Resting in God’s Presence
The scripture reading is led by members of Thornapple Covenant Church here in Grand Rapids: Elise Hartmann, Bob Kingma, Ashlyn Korpak, Joy-Elizabeth Lawrence, and Casey McIntosh. Music is led by Jorge Lockward, from the New York office of the General Board of Global Ministries for the United Methodist Church, by West Michigan high school string players who have met today to form an honors orchestra led by Calvin faculty members John Varineau and David Reimer. They are joined by soprano Awet Andemicael from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, CICW accompanist Norma de Waal Malefyt, and Calvin College student, Kelsey Stark, oboe.
Cry for Help
The scripture reading is led by CICW staff members Kristen Verhulst and María Cornou. The music is led by David Bailey and the Urban Doxology band from Richmond, Virginia, and Tom Jennings from Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York.
Victory and Vindication
The scripture reading is led by current and former CICW staff members Anne Zaki (Cairo, Egypt), Eric Sarwar (Karachi, Pakistan, currently studying at Calvin Seminary), and Kai Ton Chau (Grand Rapids). The prayer is led by Anne Zaki. The music in this section is led by Eric Sarwar, with supporting musicians from Church of the Servant in Grand Rapids: Greg Scheer, Erin De Young, Maria Poppen, Susan Cleveland, as well as by the orchestra.
The Light of Creation, The Light of the Law
The scripture reading is led by members of Thornapple Covenant Church. The music is led by the orchestra, joined by Awet Andemicael and James Buswell, concert violinist who taught for many years at the New England Conservatory of Music, as well as by a student-led choir from the Korean Student Association at Calvin College.
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.
