Music/Song
Local Songwriting as CSA: Support Your Local Psalm Grower!

Riffing on the themes of community-supported agriculture (CSA), Cardiphonia and Bellwether Arts have been partnering with homegrown liturgical artists to create local, organically produced fruits of the psalms through song, art, and prayer—community-supported artistry. Since 2015 they’ve been on a journey of seasonal engagement through which they have lovingly harvested almost two hundred songs, dozens of original artworks, and other liturgical produce. In this workshop you will hear from a variety of growers who sow and reap in West Michigan in various soils and sediments.

May 28, 2026 | 81 min video
What Visual Artists See in the Psalms

The psalms present a world full of color, texture, and depth. Join us for this panel discussion in which participants explore the contribution of visual artists to our experience of the psalms. What do visual artists see when they approach the psalms? How can visual artists help form our theological imaginations? What role do the visual arts play in interpretation? This stimulating discussion aims to equip worshipers and leaders with resources for engaging the rich visual imagery of the psalms. 

May 28, 2026 | 90 min video
Karen Campbell on Considering Lament: Psalms of Protest, Pain and Hope

Technically, the Troubles in Northern Ireland ended in 1998. But just as trauma didn’t end after the passage of the US Civil Rights Act or the work of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, pain still lingers in Northern Ireland. Karen and David Campbell composed a new set of lament songs to help Christians voice protest, pain, and hope during worship.

May 4, 2026 | 8 min read

Psalmody in Black: The Psalter as Human Expression

This workshop explores the deep connection between the psalms and the breadth of human emotion through musical settings by Black composers. Interwoven with reflections on the history and function of the Psalter, this program reveals how these timeless texts continue to speak to the spiritual, emotional, and cultural experiences of our shared humanity. 

May 1, 2026 | 90 min video
Stephen Vesolich on the Songs of Ascent

Studying, reciting, singing, and praying the Songs of Ascent from the book of Psalms helped Centerpoint Community Church make its worship and spiritual formation more intergenerational. It also gave people a shared language for bringing all their emotions to God. The church created a website to make all of its Songs of Ascent resources freely available.

February 26, 2026 | 7 min read

Chris Fenner on African American Hymns and Devotions

Many Christian publishers offer books of hymn stories, hymnals that follow the lectionary and church year, and devotionals based on hymns or the lectionary. Two new resources by Chris Fenner provide all three in one—hymn stories and sources, hymns, and lectionary-based devotionals to match each hymn. Both Hymns & Devotions for Daily Worship and Hymns & Devotions for Daily Worship: African American Edition begin with Advent.

February 18, 2026 | 5 min read
A Soundtrack for the Soul: Singing the Psalms with Wendell Kimbrough

This chapel worship service was led by Wendell Kimbrough at Calvin University as part of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship’s “Dwelling in the Psalms” year.

February 16, 2026 | 27 min video
Worship with a Puerto Rican Twist: A Liturgical Calendar Set to Song

AGUADA, Puerto Rico — At the First Presbyterian Church of Aguada, the sound of faith has found a new rhythm. Between the beats of bomba, plena, and seis, a community has discovered how Puerto Rican folk music can become a vehicle for worship and spiritual renewal.

February 16, 2026 | 4 min read

Nate Glasper on Changes in Gospel Music

From “I’ll Fly Away” to “You Know My Name,” gospel music over the generations has helped musicians, choirs, and congregations embody faith in God’s promises and provisions. Nate Glasper describes how gospel music’s main genres comprise “academic, theological, historical, and cultural scholarship expressed through sound.”  

February 4, 2026 | 7 min read
Nate Glasper on Directing and Mentoring Gospel Choirs

Directing a gospel choir can help singers express their own culture or learn from other cultures. Nate Glasper shares tips for helping gospel choir members grow through mentorship and skillful directing so that they live a lifestyle of worship.

January 22, 2026 | 6 min read