Seminar to explore Methodist
worship in context: Registration now open

By GEORGE MARTZEN

REGISTRATION is now open for a dynamic and insightful worship seminar on May 27 and 28, 2005 at Methodist Centre.


"Methodist Worship in Context", part of the week-long Aldersgate Convention 2005 beginning May 24, will be led by two US scholars, the Rev Dr Geoffrey Wainwright, and the Rev Dr Karen Westerfield Tucker. They will present topics of interest to worship leaders, church musicians and pastors, to explore the rich resources of our Wesleyan worship heritage.


In addition to their topics, there will be a number of workshops on various aspects of Methodist worship in Singapore, including Music in Worship, Contemporary Worship, Baptism, Communion and Word in Worship, to name a few.


The Rev Dr Tucker, Professor of Worship at Boston University School of Theology, will present two topics: "Worship in the Wesleyan Tradition: Discovering the riches from the past for present use", and "In the world but not of it: Worship in culture and context".


The Rev Dr Wainwright, Robert Earl Cushman Professor of Christian Theology at Duke University Divinity School, will also present two topics: "Ecumenical patterns in worship: Theology and practice in light of church unity and gospel mission", and "Worship by the book: Principles for shaping an enduring liturgy".


One of the goals of the worship seminar is to offer recommendations to a General Conference level group studying the feasibility of an official hymnal and worship book for The Methodist Church in Singapore. Bishop Dr Robert Solomon, in his Episcopal Address at the recent General Conference session, called for the development of official worship resources that would reflect our Wesleyan heritage as well as the Singapore context.

The two seminar speakers are active in the World Methodist Council and are well-known in their fields. The Rev Dr Wainwright has written and spoken extensively on Christian worship and ecumenism. Originally from England, he is an ordained elder in The Methodist Church in Britain. The Rev Dr Tucker, an ordained UMC elder, chairs the Worship and Liturgy Committee of the World Methodist Council. After 15 years at Duke University Divinity School, she was recently named Professor of Worship at Boston University School of Theology.

The Rev Dr William Abraham, Albert C. Outler Professor of Wesley Studies at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, will deliver nightly talks from May 25-27 on the theme "Faith and Reason: Wesleyan Perspectives" at Barker Road Methodist Church.

Bishop Dr Solomon will preach at the Aldersgate Service at the joint premises of Faith Methodist Church and Queenstown Chinese Methodist Church on May 24 at 7.45pm. The Methodist School of Music will round off Aldersgate Convention 2005 with a hymn festival at Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church (TA2 Sanctuary) on May 28 at 7.45 pm.

For the seminar, individual early-bird registration, until April 18, is $35, including lunch and tea breaks for two days. Regular registration is $50. Groups of 10 or more are also entitled to the special fee of $35 each -- even after the early-bird registration is closed.


Registration forms for the two-day seminar are available at all Methodist churches, at Methodist Centre and on-line at www.methodist.org.sg


A form is also printed on this page.


Organising the seminar with the Bishop's Office is a committee made up of the Rev Chong Chin Chung, of the Chinese Annual Conference, the Rev Ebinezar Mohan (Emmanuel Tamil Annual Conference) and the Rev Dr Lorna Khoo (Trinity Annual Conference).



The Rev George Martzen is Minister Attached to the Bishop's Office.