Upcoming Event
A Reformation Sunday worship service commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Accra Confession
October 27, 2024, 5:00 PM
Coop's Column - Simply Fellow Strugglers
My years as chaplain among college students have convinced me that many young people suffer from what I call the "immortality virus": "Death-accidents, illness, and weakness, too-can, and sometimes do, happen to others. But it won't -read: cannot- happen to me." Or so they foolishly imagine.
August 16, 2010
Coop's Column - There I Have Pledged to Set My Foot, Too
"Being alive is very difficult. Human beings are very complicated. I know. I've spent my whole life being one, and I still can't totally figure it out." So commented one elderly gentleman as he looked back over the seemingly haphazard trajectory of his life's course of events.
July 26, 2010
Singing the Psalms Against a Backdrop of Persecution: A View from Pakistan
Find out how the psalms bring hope to suffering Christians in Pakistan and how the psalms can challenge theologians, poets, and musicians around the world to strengthen faith, ministry, and worship.
March 23, 2010
Tending the Heart: Soul Care for Worship Leaders
It is all too easy for worship leaders--preachers and musicians alike-to--slip into "mere professionalism." When that happens, we settle into dull habit, holy things no longer stir our soul, and God becomes distant and even abstract? This session examined that spiritual danger and suggested some practices to "guard our souls."
March 22, 2010
Forgotten Ones: Worship and Pastoral Care
Many people have a vision for pastoral care that takes place in homes, hospitals, and institutions, often in times of crisis. But the prime place for pastoral care is in the community gathered for worship, when all who are able gather under the care of the Good Shepherd, and those who cannot attend are still remembered and named.
March 17, 2010
Music and Worship Help Heal Northern Ireland
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland is using music and worship to overcome the legacy of "the Trouble" in Northern Ireland. You can apply their insights to political and other differences that divide Christians in your context. A feature story exploring the role of music and worship in healing.
June 19, 2009
Justice and Suffering in Worship Centered on God
Setri Nyomi, general secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, explains why confessing that Jesus is Lord applies to the economy and earth. As the Accra Confession affirms, God calls for just relationships with all creation--so our worship should reflect that faith stance. A feature story exploring Justice and Suffering in Worship centered on God.
June 1, 2009
Worship, Suffering, and Justice
This workshop explored the phenomenon of vibrant worship in communities in which there is much suffering, and engages participants in discussions around meaningful worship in such settings. It also explored how social justice can be part of worship while keeping the focus on God.
January 1, 2009
What the Psalms Have to Teach Us about Song Writing
Psalms allow us to express a whole range of emotions in powerful ways and at the same time, they tell us a lot about God. This workshop will examine how worship song writers can learn from the psalms as they work on their own craft.
January 1, 2009
Autism and Your Church
If your church is larger than 150 people, statistics say that you have members who fall on the Autism Spectrum, including Asperger Syndrome.
January 1, 2009
Worship that Ministers to the Afflicted
Many worshipers suffer from chronic illnesses, sudden crises, stresses from work and/or family life, losses of loved ones or of personal abilities, discouragement from situations in the local community or the world.
January 1, 2009
Building a Healthy and Interdependent Church Community
The session presented several practical tools for building a church community that welcomes and embraces diversity in membership. Highlighting examples from churches including members with disabilities, this session offered ideas that allow people to see one another through God's eyes.
January 1, 2009