Living Worship
Are you still wondering what the worship renewal grant is all about? Maybe this will help.
Why did Princeton apply for a grant? After seven of our members attended the summer gathering for all grant recipients last summer (2010), we decided that the enthusiasm and passion for worship that was so obvious was also contagious. We wanted to share it with our congregation, so we applied for a grant.
Who is in charge of giving out grants? The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship (CICW), with funds provided by Lilly Endowment Inc., “is designed to strengthen and sustain well-grounded worship renewal in congregations throughout North America.”
What do we call this year of renewal? Living Worship is the logo we will use from now on for our year of worship renewal.
What will Living Worship be like this year? Our grant proposal focuses on studying the Psalms in new and varied ways (Vertical Habits) and learning together about why we worship the way we do. This will include delving into how the Liturgical Year (the church year) affects our worship throughout the calendar year, and intentionally planning for several gathering times to celebrate what we are learning, always with food. The retreat and the book groups are our fall events. Later we will bring in speakers who will give more insight into the areas of learning that Living Worship is focusing on. We want every worshiper to feel that their experience in worship and their purpose for worship is more meaningful and enlightened because of this year of Living Worship. That means, of course, that the more you participate in Living Worship events, the more you will get out of it. It truly is a unique opportunity for all of us to glorify God with a fresh new awareness of worship, both corporately and individually.
Why begin with a retreat? There is power in spending extended time together as a congregation away from the church structure. The intent of the retreat is to kick off Living Worship in a unique way, promote fellowship, and begin learning about worship, particularly the Psalms, from our key speakers, Bob and Laura Keeley.
We kicked off our year of worship renewal with the congregational retreat at Camp Manitou Lin. For a summary of the day and pictures, click here. Now we are participating in small discussion and book groups. Keep your eyes open for more opportunities to learn and get involved with worship renewal this year.
Just what are these book groups about? Several people interested in small groups and in ongoing learning at Princeton chose 4 books that are about worship or about the main topics of the year. These books will be introduced on August 14. For the rest of August we are encouraging all members to sign up for this very special situation at Princeton…corporate learning throughout the week and a free book for all who participate. We will have a dinner celebration at the conclusion of the fall book groups where we can share insights from our reading and maybe discover a new book to put on our reading list.