in worship symposium
By MARY Y. T. GAN
FROM the Heart to the
Heavens - A Symposium on Worship will be held on Aug 25 and 26,
2006 at Trinity Theological College (TTC). It is sponsored by
Calvin Institute of Christian Worship (CICW), Grand Rapids, Michigan
together with the Methodist School of Music, the Anglican Diocese
of Singapore, the Presbyterian Church in Singapore and the CAC
Board of Worship and Music.
The CICW is well-known for its annual Calvin Symposium on Worship
that draws more than 80 presenters and 1,600 participants from
around the world. This year more than 50 people from abroad attended
the symposium, including several from China, Hong Kong, Japan
and Singapore.
A 10-member team from Calvin Institute
of Christian Worship, Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary
will be in Singapore from Aug 23 to 26 as part of its study tour
of Asia, including the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore. The
team consists of three professors, Dr Emily Brink, Dr Bert Polman
and Dr Joel Navarro, a staff member, Ms Anne Zaki, four seminary
students and two spouses.
At the symposium on Aug 26, the
team will lead in worship and plenary sessions on the Eight Transcultural
Principles for Christian Worship and a Top Dozen List where participants
will sing through 12 commended songs gathered or composed in the
last 50 years, with suggestions for performance. Local sponsors
have also been asked to submit their recommended list of songs.
In addition to the plenary sessions,
there will be eight breakout sessions on the following topics:
Choirs in Worship/Dr Joel Navarro; Psalms in Worship/ Dr Bert
Polman; A Balanced Diet of Congregational Song/ Dr Emily Brink;
Worship, Hospitality and Pastoral Care/ Ms Anne Zaki; Conducting
Masterclass/ Dr Joel Navarro; The History and Spirituality of
Western Hymnody/ Dr Bert Polman; An Annual Rhythm for Worship/
Dr Emily Brink (an exploration of the Christian year, and its
implications for worship planning in preaching, music, and the
visual arts); and Treasures of Asian Song for Worship by Dr Lim
Swee Hong, a Singaporean liturgy lecturer at Trinity Theological
College.
The symposium will begin with
a Festival of Worship Songs on Aug 25 at TTC Chapel at 8 pm. This
is a festival of congregational song and choral music for public
worship, led by a worship team with the Calvin Institute of Christian
Worship, the children's choirs of Telok Ayer, Paya Lebar Chinese
Methodist Church, Toa Payoh Chinese Methodist Church, a Festival
Choir of members from the Methodist School of Music and various
churches. Admission is free and all are welcome.
All pastors, worship leaders, choir members, musicians and anyone
involved in the worship ministry are encouraged to register for
the symposium. Call MSM at 6767-5258 for more information. Registration
forms and detailed information can also be found at the following
link:
http://www.msmusic.edu.sg/misc/CME2006_Symposium.pdf
Mary Y. T. Gan is the Principal of Methodist School of Music.