1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 2026 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
Many churches, especially smaller ones, feel as if their glory days are over. But learning how to collect and tell stories in narrative worship can help them identify God’s work, wisdom, and will in their congregations and inspire them to see how God is still working in their midst and beyond church walls.
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Learning to give testimonies, add visuals, and enact scripture helped one small congregation build intergenerational relationships and learn to see their stories within God’s story.
Carmen Imes has spent the past fifteen years immersed in the book of Exodus, writing about it for both her master’s thesis and her doctoral dissertation. In this lecture, Imes will share some of the most paradigm-shifting insights she’s had while reading Exodus through an Egyptian lens.
This panel considers the psalms as a source of artistic and theological engagement, exploring how musicians and songwriters draw from these ancient texts to navigate the emotional complexity of the human experience. Through diverse musical approaches and cultural perspectives, the panelists will consider how the psalms continue to resonate in modern contexts by offering language for lament and praise, shaping liturgical practice, and fostering resilience in both personal and communal experience.
“Deconstruction” is a popular term among young people who grew up in the Christian church. In this public lecture, Robert Chao Romero will consider the challenge of widespread deconstruction while offering a hopeful path forward. Expanding on Phyllis Tickle’s analogy of the church having a rummage sale of ideas every few centuries, Romero invites us to consider the contributions of Latina/o theology and the history of the Brown Church as valuable resources for reconstruction on the other side of deconstruction.
This chapel service is a festival of psalms centered on Psalm 42. This service originally took place as part of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship’s “Dwelling in the Psalms” year. This event was a partnership between the Calvin University Campus Choir, under the direction of Dr. Mark Stover, and the Woodlawn Church choir, directed by Chan Gyu Jang.
In this workshop, the McGrath family and Kiran Young Wimberly will discuss how spiritual practices, particularly singing the psalms, can build resilience in our lives. In a retreat-like experience, interwoven with psalms set to Celtic music, we will sing together as we reflect on what brings us joy, strength, and hope so we can flourish in the face of daily challenges.
In this workshop, the McGrath family and Kiran Young Wimberly will discuss how spiritual practices, particularly singing the psalms, can build resilience in our lives. In a retreat-like experience, interwoven with psalms set to Celtic music, we will sing together as we reflect on what brings us joy, strength, and hope so we can flourish in the face of daily challenges.
La felicidad genuina se vive en el seno del hogar (Salmo 128). En la vida de toda persona se experimentan peligros de muerte, pero Dios escucha y socorre a quienes lo invocan (Salmo 107). Mantener viva la memoria de las grandes acciones de Dios en la historia enriquece nuestra vida y adoración a Dios (Salmo 105). Asimismo, estudiar y reflexionar sobre lo que Dios ha hecho y hace en el mundo nos ayuda a ser sabios artesanos de nuestra vida personal y comunitaria (Salmo 111). Y, aun cuando vivamos situaciones de peligro mortal, si Dios está de nuestra parte, somos más que vencedores por su amor (Salmo 124).
Hwarang Moon’s recent book Worship in Conversation: Dialogues with Leading Liturgical Theologians (Baylor University Press, 2025) is the culmination of years of engagement with some of the most influential voices in contemporary liturgical studies. Through conversations with scholars from Anglican, Reformed, Lutheran, Methodist, Catholic, Orthodox, and other Christian traditions, Moon explores how worship shapes Christian faith, forms ecclesial identity, and enriches the life of the church.In this interview, Moon reflects on the origins of the project, what he learned from engaging theologians across Christian traditions, and why listening across traditions remains an essential task for the church today.
Los salmos nos acompañan en el diario vivir y nos capacitan para enfrentar todo tipo de situación y desafío.
As part of the Dwelling in the Psalms year, the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship has provided resources to support Psalm festivals around Canada and the United States. These events are open to the public and many will be livestreamed.
An evening of music and spoken word with Mark Glanville, accompanied by a jazz trio, reflecting on how preaching and worship can form deeper churches in a post-Christian context.
