RW WINS AWARDS AT ACP AND EPA CONVENTIONS
If you ever visit our offices at Reformed Worship, we'll show you our growing hallway gallery of awards received from the Associated Church Press (ACP) and (the Evangelical Press Association (EPA). Those organizations, consisting of several hundred religious periodical publishers, hold annual conventions and offer awards in a number of categories based on the previous year's issues.
Congratulations to several of our authors and staff for these 1997 awards:
Ruth Hofman for "Hard Sayings" (RW 44) in the Biblical Exposition category (EPA)
Ron Huizenga, RW's graphic designer, for the cover on RW 44 (awards from both ACP and EPA)
Sally Morgenthaler for "Enlarging the Circle" (RW 43) in the Professional Resource Category (ACP)
James Schaap for his column "View from the Pew" (ACP)
Several others received Honorable Mentions. But the most exciting award we received this year was EPA's Award of Excellence in the category "Christian Ministries"—the top award for overall excellence and the most coveted award at these conferences. The judges said of RW:
This publication is consistently on top in both content and presentation style as well as writing. The depth and breadth of theology treated in this publication has an appeal not only to worship leaders and planners but also any ministers in the community. Especially to the authors' and editors' credit is the tendency to draw from the richness of other religious traditions. This ecumenical approach is admirable and it is done effortlessly but efficiently.
Naturally, we're thrilled with this assessment and hope that it matches your perception. We'd be even more thrilled for the word to spread!
Why not give a subscription to a new pastor or worship leader?
RW TO EXPAND CONFERENCE OFFERINGS
Reformed Worship has cosponsored several worship conferences on a four-year schedule at different Christian colleges. In fact, RW was born out of need for more sustained support expressed at these conferences by pastors and worship leaders. Recent discussions with a number of subscribers have convinced us that conferences are not only still important, more are needed. A conference every four years is not nearly enough.
To address this concern, RW met with the new Calvin Institute of Christian Worship to discuss ways we might work together to offer conferences annually in different locations around the United States and Canada. A steering committee met in June 1997 to begin establishing a long-range plan and schedule.
The committee discussed two types of conferences: longer summer conferences that provide enough time for some skill development, and shorter weekend conferences during the school year that can involve more students. In addition, we talked about supplementing the summer conferences with pre-conference and/or post-conference courses offered for continuing education credit for pastors and worship leaders.
The RW staff is excited about the potential for more opportunities for worship leadership development. We'll keep you posted in future issues.
RW IDEAS CHURCHES HAVE TRIED
RW staff often learns informally about the creative ways in which churches adapt resources in RW for their own contexts. Readers tell us about things that went well (or not so well), about creative ways they've adapted or moved beyond our printed ideas. Our staff appreciates these comments and find that many are worth sharing with you!
So, beginning in our next issue, we'll include a new feedback column. This column will include responses from churches who've used ideas from the previous issue that covered the same time of the year. So, for example, if you give us feedback on a service idea from this issue, we'll share your ideas in next year's Advent/Christmas issue.
In fact, if you've used any of the Scripture Alive! or Noel series dramas and would like to let us know how it went, we'll spread that word too.
Of course, the best time to send us feedback is right after you use a service idea. So if you use or adapt an idea from this issue, please let us know how it went.
Our next issue will offer Lent and Easter resources. If you used any service ideas from last year's Lent and Easter issue (RW 46), let us know, and we'll pass along your reactions to our readers.
Now it's your turn! Tell us how it went in your congregation. Send us your bulletins, comments, photos, and stories to us at Reformed Worship
2850 Kalamazoo Ave. SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49560
fax: (616) 224-0803
e-mail: rw@crcpublications.org.
CONFERENCES
Wausau, Wl, September 19
Minneapolis, MN, September 21
Des Moines, IA, September 26
Waterloo, IA, September 28
Lincoln, NE, October 3
Omaha, NE, October 5
Fargo, ND, October 10
Sioux Falls, SD, October 12
Wichita, KS, October 24
Kansas City, KS, October 26
Oklahoma City, OK, October 31
San Antonio, TX, November 9
Houston, TX, November 14
1998 Renew Your Worship! workshops with Robert Webber on blending contemporary and traditional worship. Webber has devoted several years to covering most of North America with these one-day leadership training workshops. Contact the Institute for Worship Studies, Box 894, Wheaton, IL 60189; 630-510-8905; fax 630-510-0601; website: http://members.aol.com/worshipweb
Wheaton, IL, September 11-12, 1998
Church Pianists' Institute at Wheaton College. Keynote: Mark Hayes. Contact Wheaton Conservatory of Music, Wheaton College, 501 College Ave., Wheaton, IL 60187; 603/752-5099; patricia.swindle@wheaton.edu
Holland, Ml, October 1-3, 1998
Fall Church Growth Conference. Speakers include Bill Easum, John Witvliet, and Wayne Brouwer. Contact Harderwyk Ministry Center, 1627 West Lakewood Blvd, Holland Ml 49424; (616) 399-9190; Fax (616) 399-8808; e-mail conferenceline@harderwykcrc.org; www.harderwykcrc.org
Grand Rapids, Ml, January 8-9, 1999
Twelfth Annual Symposium on Worship and the Arts at Calvin College. Contact Department of Music, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Ml 49546; 616-957-6253; fax: 616-957-6266.
Sioux Center, IA, July 7-10, 1999
COLAM (Conference on Liturgy and Music) cosponsored by Reformed Worship and the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, to be held at Dordt College. Put it on your calendar now! More details in the December issue.