Worship Symposium

by Bryan Van Soelen

One of the many perks of studying at Calvin Seminary is the free access to the many great events offered on the Calvin campus. I have been aware of the Calvin Symposium on Worship and the Arts for a few years, but this was my first engagement with it. My anticipation had been building for some time leading up to the event - not only had I registered to hear some great presenters, it was also a few days off from my normal academic routine.

The first day was a madhouse as I navigated through the field house, talking to fellow seminarians, seeing friends and former professors from college, and entering the Van Noord Arena. The captivating vocals of Kristyn Getty filled the Arena as the attendees filled this designated sanctuary, and the experience of the Symposium began.

Worship was exuberant and robust, even at 8:30 in the morning, and each worship service was equally wonderful gathering of a very diverse group of people and worship styles. Worship services were enhanced by dramatic scripture presentations, engaging pastors, and well-planned liturgies. The final worship service which included a service of Communion was unlike any I’ve experienced before. To have some 1,000 people walking down the aisles to receive the body and blood of Christ shed for his people was an awe-inspiring moment. To me, this event was a sneak peak into the heavenly kingdom where all people will be gathered to Christ in celebration and unending praise – it was a beautiful service.

The rest of my days outside of the worship services where whirlwind and non-stop as I quickly learned my way around the college campus, soaking up as many great presentations as I could. From small classrooms packed well over capacity, to larger spaces like the college chapel, I took in a number of great events and presenters. Jaime Smith helped me look at the ways which in look to engage in worship by focusing on theories from his new book. Jeff Barker from Northwestern College (IA) and Tom Boogaart from Western Theological Seminary enlightened me on the dramatic reading and presentation of scripture, scripture memory, and the benefits of acting out a passage to shed new light on the narrative. Musical inspiration from composers Keith and Kristyn Getty, and musical genius such as Jeremy Begbie reflected the deep impact music has on corporate worship and the intentionality used to create new music for the church. Lively discussions from Syd Hielema and Mike Graves kept me captivated, and the charitable and humorous interaction of our own President Plantinga and Dr. Richard Mouw kept the whole room in good spirits as the intensity of the last few days began to wear on our minds and bodies.

Overall, the Symposium was a fantastic experience. Great presentations from a massive variety of speakers kept me scrambling the whole weekend to get to every event I could. A big thank you is due to all of those who were involved in some way, and a standing ovation for those who spearheaded this whole event. And for those of you who missed it for one reason or another, be sure to keep your calendars open for next year – this is not an event to be missed.

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