Exodus is Theme for Worship Symposium
Image from art exhibit by Sadao Watanabe
Sadao Watanabe
The annual Calvin Symposium on Worship sponsored by the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and the Center for Excellence in Preaching takes place January 30- February 1, 2014 on the campus of Calvin College.
The biblical book of Exodus, with emphasis on Prayers of the People, will be the worship theme of this year's conference. Some 1,500 pastors, worship leaders and planners, artists, musicians, scholars, students and other interested worshipers from more than 20 countries are expected to attend.
“People come from around the world for a time of fellowship, worship, and learning, seeking to deepen and integrate all aspects of worship, develop their gifts, encourage each other and renew their commitment to the full ministry of the church,” says a press release for the symposium.
Each day of the annual Worship Symposium begins and ends with worship. Thursday will be devoted to an in-depth study on the book of Exodus, featuring four, hour-long seminars. Friday and Saturday will include plenary talks and hour-long workshops.
The entire program, including descriptions of all seminars, is online.
The list of presenters goes from A-Z, ranging from Alison Adam, an international song leader, to Anne Zaki, an Egyptian seminary teacher and member of the Worship Institute staff.
In between are, for instance, Dale L. Cudjoe, the presiding Bishop of the Northern Diocese of the Church of Christ (Holiness) USA; Richard Foster, founder of Renovaré, a community of Christians seeking continual spiritual renewal in Christ, and Cindy Rethmeier, worship leader and songwriter for many years in Vineyard churches and music conferences in North America and Great Britain.
Two new exhibitions in Calvin’s Center Art Gallery will be connected to the Symposium. There will be “The Book of Exodus” by artist Sam Fink.
The exhibit, running October 9 to February 1, is drawn from his book, titled “The Book of Exodus,” in which Fink illustrates each chapter of Exodus with a watercolor landscape featuring hand-lettered text in Hebrew and English.
Also, there will be “The Biblical Prints of Sadao Watanabe,” running January 7- February 22.
At age 17, Watanabe (1913-1996) was baptized a Christian and he quickly combined his new faith with an interest in preserving the traditional Japanese folk art of stencil dying, or katazome.
