1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 2026 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
What can ministry and worship look like among people who are bitterly opposed to each other? Around the world, congregations gather for worship every week, defining themselves by how they’re different from other nearby Christian worshiping communities. Sometimes these communities carry with them memories of violence, genocide, and the resulting immeasurable trauma. Reflect on insights from Christian leaders in Rwanda, Ukraine, and Hungary about their call to walk in step with the Holy Spirit on journeys of Christ-centered reconciliation, noticing the significant role public worship plays in announcing, praying for, and modeling renewed patterns of Christian life. This is a YouTube Video Premiere panel discussion.
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A worship service led by Elizabeth Conde-Frazier and Tony Alonso based on Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
A YouTube Video Premiere worship service led by Jerry Pillay based on Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
A YouTube Video Premiere worship service led by Janette Ok based on Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."
In this conversation Catholic theologian and educator Tim O'Malley of the McGrath Institute for Church Life reflects on the significance of several key values in the lives of youth that work together to form lives shaped by scripture and transformed by God.
A campus pastor shares how Vancouver Christian High School youth are showing initiative and taking on emerging leadership roles.
Shaping a time of prayer for dwelling with Bible texts, prayer responses, songs of faith, and a concluding benediction.
A service of scripture, song, and prayer in Spanish & English led by Carlos Lemagne, Program Coordinator at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
Just as lectio divina invites people to meditate on scripture, visio divina helps people pray with art. Visio divina, which translates as “divine seeing,” uses silence and images to help worshipers reflect and respond to God in ways other than listening to a sermon or singing praise songs.
Shaping a time of prayer for dwelling with Bible texts, prayer responses, songs of faith, and a concluding benediction.
Many worshipers do not see themselves as creative or gifted in the arts. Yet low-risk opportunities to encounter visual art in worship and participate in making liturgical art can strengthen worshipers’ identities as children of the Creator.
Public worship and congregational ministries shape the practices of Christian congregations and are a powerful means to strengthen intergenerational worshiping communities for their formative role in the lives of all churchgoers, including youth and the ministries that support and enrich their religious and spiritual lives.
Shaping a time of prayer for dwelling with Bible texts, prayer responses, songs of faith, and a concluding benediction.
