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International Worship Night

Join this student-led service of praise to God with a focus on Psalm 67, including songs reflecting the worshiping communities of the many places around the globe that Calvin University students represent.

June 17, 2024 | 53 min video

Jazz Vespers with Ruth Naomi Floyd

Lament shows us that it takes time to recognize the depth of the brokenness of our souls, families, communities, and world. In the midst of the darkest night, there is Light ever-present and hope in our sorrow. We will express our lament, gratitude, and prayers to God, all carried in poetry, scripture, and the moving language of jazz music shared by Ruth Naomi Floyd and her quartet.

June 17, 2024 | 41 min video
Benjamin Brody on Writing New Hymn Tunes

You might think that hymn tunes must always be in four-part harmony. But hymn tune composer Benjamin Brody includes many music styles for congregational singing in his new hymn collection - At the Weaving of Creation: 50 New Tunes.

June 7, 2024 | 7 min read

Brian Reichenbach on Including Band and Orchestra Students in Church Music

Playing his trumpet in worship alongside adult instrumentalists profoundly affected Brian Reichenbach’s Christian faith and church life. He works to help congregations give school band and orchestra students a similar grounding.

May 31, 2024 | 7 min read
Brian Hehn on an Ecumenical CCLI Top Songs List

CCLI (Christian Copyright Licensing, Inc.) hugely influences what many congregations sing, so the United Methodist Church began vetting CCLI Top 100 songs in 2015. Since then, song leader Brian Hehn has been encouraging other denominations to vet these popular contemporary worship songs so he can eventually create an ecumenically approved list of CCLI Top 100 songs.

May 21, 2024 | 7 min read

Seven Tips for Choosing Contemporary Worship Songs

Does your worshiping community sing contemporary worship songs from the CCLI Top 100 list? If so, maybe you wonder how these songs are forming worshipers’ views of God and the life God calls us to. Worship leaders and contemporary worship experts offer seven tips for evaluating your song choices and filling in gaps.

May 21, 2024 | 11 min read
Vetting CCLI Worship Songs for Faith Formation

Several denominations have created or are creating rubrics for vetting CCLI Top 100 contemporary worship songs. Vetting sparks conversations that help worship leaders make faithful decisions about which songs to put on congregations’ lips.

May 21, 2024 | 10 min read
Robert Feduccia on the CCLI Song Select Liturgy Section

Churches around the world seek permission to use contemporary worship music from Christian Copyright Licensing, Inc., or CCLI. Late in 2018, CCLI Song Select quietly introduced a liturgical section to help churches select contemporary music that fits the classic ordo, the four-fold pattern of worship. Robert Feduccia explains why.

May 21, 2024 | 6 min read