Emily Brink to Step Down as Editor
During this 20th anniversary year of Reformed Worship, I made a big decision—the next issue (RW 80, June 2006), will be my last one as editor. This seemed like a very appropriate time to make the transition, and I’m delighted to announce that Joyce Borger will become editor beginning in September with RW 81. We’ve been working together closely the last two years, and I’m confident the transition will be smooth. I’ll continue as an editorial consultant and will even be writing for RW in the future. I’ll also continue my work at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. So look for a celebratory issue this coming June. The focus will be on “Marking Time.” We’ll reflect on the past twenty years of RW, look ahead to the future, and mark ways churches can celebrate various kinds of anniversaries in worship. Don’t miss it!
—ERB
From the Heart to the Heavens
This CD, recorded live at the 2004 Calvin Symposium on Worship, is now available. Many RW readers were singing that night, either as conferees or as members of the conference choir led by Pearl Shangkuan. If you were there, you’ll remember the wonderful organ and piano playing by John D. Schwandt from Indiana University. The CD includes thirteen songs; all song texts and the commentary by Emily Brink are included in the CD jacket. The recording is a joint effort between the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians (ALCM) and the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Available from Faith Alive Resources: www.FaithAliveResources.org; 1-800-333-8300.
2006 Conferences
Choristers Guild Directors Enrichment Conferences
Ashville, North Carolina, June 16-17/
Grand Rapids, Michigan, July 16-17
Led by Mark Patterson, director of the Choristers Choir at Covenant Presbyterian Church, Dallas, Texas. For information on both these events contact the Choristers Guild. 972-271-1521; registrar@mailcg.org; www.choristersguild.org.
St. Paul, MN, July 12-15
Global Consultation on Music and Missions 2006, Bethel College. Over 40 seminars and panels discussing topics related to music and the arts, missions, and indigenous worship around the world. www.gcommhome.org/contactus.htm.
Presbyterian Association of Musicians
Montreat, NC, June 18-23 and 25-30
(two identical conferences) “Look Who Gathers!”
Westminster, PA, July 9-14
“Extraordinary Stories for Ordinary Time”
PAM West, July 23-28
“A Cup of Cold Water: Ministry Mission Music”. Contact www.pam.pcusa.org;
1-888-728-7228 ext 5288; pam@ctr.pcusa.org.
Grand Rapids, MI, July 12-14
“Starting Here, Starting Now: How to Launch and Maintain a Successful Church Theater Group.” An in-depth, three-day workshop for those who are or will be involved in drama programs at churches, led by the award-winning Friends of the Groom—a professional theater company with 25 years of excellence in performing for church audiences. A separate one-day overview workshop on Christian drama will be offered the following Saturday. Cosponsored with the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. www.calvin.edu/worship; 616-526-6088.
Greencastle, IN, July 16-20
“Hymns of the Heartland” is the theme for the annual conference of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, to be held at DePauw University. www.thehymnsociety.org; 1-800-the hymn; hymnsoc@bu.edu.
Grand Rapids, MI, July 24-28
“Baptisms, Weddings, Funerals, and Other Occasional Services.” A course for audit or credit at Calvin Theological Seminary, studying the biblical, theological, and pastoral dimensions of celebrations of baptism, weddings, funerals, and occasional services such as ordinations, dedications, and commissioning services. Taught by John D. Witvliet. www.calvin.edu/worship; 616-526-6088; worship@calvin.edu.