The King's Connection Magazine Volume 23 Number 3//Spring 2013 | Page 20
Featured article
In their own words
Hopeful for the Heart of the Church
by Miriam Mahaffy (B.Sc.)
S
tudents Miriam Mahaffy, Angie Vandermeulen
and Jacky den Haan along with Campus Minister Tim
Wood and Coordinator of Residence Life Rob Nutting
traveled to the Calvin Symposium on Worship held in Grand
Rapids, Michigan from January 24 - 27. The trip was part of a
year-long exploration of drama in worship that also included
the “Speaking the Bible” conference with Jeff Barker held this
past November, and ongoing exploration of drama in worship
reflected in weekly chapel services. The project is supported
by a worship renewal grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian
Worship and Lilly Endowment Inc.
“
While cold January weather invaded Edmonton this year,
a few King’s students and staff were privileged to invade
Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan to experience the
2013 Calvin Symposium on Worship. Sending students to
the symposium is just one of the many ways that King’s is
expanding its exploration of worship via a worship renewal grant
from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.
Bringing together almost 1,500 attendees, the symposium
included plenary addresses from Christine Pohl and Kenneth
Bailey, as well as workshops and lectures by over 80
presenters. Three days of wise teaching and hopeful visioning
by these innovative church leaders, coupled with the exigent
questioning of attending pastors and worship leaders left me
curious enough to continue conversations, frustrated enough to
be challenged, and excited enough to question my commitment
to completing my B.Sc. (just kidding… mostly).
I will freely admit that I was initially overwhelmed by the absurd
concentration of charismatic and outspoken church leadership
personalities attending the symposium, and struggled to
reconcile such an idealistic gathering of church folk with
the clearly broken church realities evidenced in some of the
compelling questions posed to speakers. I wondered how, for
example, the skills to present scripture with drama or ideas
on how to organize a multigenerational worship service could
possibly address the inward fractioning of the church: were
pragmatic worship details really the most pressing issues we
could be discussing?
As the conference drew to a close, I was therefore surprised
to find myself almost hopeful for the heart of the church. As
lectures covered the details of hermeneutics, preaching,
singing, and fellowshipping in worship, I began to understand
that the speakers were indeed seeking to refocus the church: I
began to hope that perhaps we, as the inward looking church,
could experience a practical revolution.
Although each speaker explored the 2013 focus of the Sermon
on the Mount from a unique angle, several common themes
18 /// The King’s Connection /// Spring 2013
emerged between presentations, and I was especially captured
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