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Date: May 10, 2005
Contact: Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
V: 847/742-5100 F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL: CoBNews@AOL.Com

CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN	NEWSLINE
May 10, 2005

`BRIMMING WITH WORSHIP' EXPLORES MUSIC AND ARTS  IN WORSHIP

By Carrie Eikler

May 10, 2005 (Elgin, IL) -- The  "Hebrews 12:28--Brimming with Worship" 
conference brought close to 100  participants from as far away as Florida and

Washington state to Bethany  Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind. The
seminary is 
affiliated with the  Church of the Brethren.

Part of Bethany's centennial celebration, the  conference was sponsored by 
the Rosenberger Memorial Recital Series, the Stephen  I. Katonah Endowment
for 
Faith and the Arts, and the seminary. Participants  joined together to
explore 
the heights and the depths of music and the arts in  worship. Members of the 
Church of the Brethren as well as local Society of  Friends, Disciples of 
Christ, and Baptist meetings and churches gathered for	three days filled
with 
workshops, small group reflection, and a variety of  worship experiences. 

The conference featured three keynote speakers who  enlivened and engaged the

discourse on worship: Sally Morgenthaler, James  Abbington, and Dena Pence 
Frantz. 

Morgenthaler is the founder of	Sacramentis.com, "Re-imagining Worship for a 
New Millennium." She asked the	question, Is there worship after the 
contemporary? Recognizing that worship and  relationships have changed in the
"wired" 
world, Morgenthaler spoke to the  complexity of worship in the "contemporary"

or "emerging" church. Worship, at  its essence, is to be about revelation and

response, and most importantly, being  engaged with the spiritual needs for 
worship in one's own community, or what she  memorably phrased, "digging deep
in 
our own dirt." Morgenthaler led a series of  workshops on "Crafting Worship
in 
the Emerging World."

James Abbington  delivered the Saturday morning keynote address. He joined 
the conference from  Baltimore, Md., where he is professor of music at Morgan

State University and  associate editor of the African American Heritage
Hymnal 
of GIA Publications,  Inc. Abbington spoke enthusiastically about the 
importance of worship being a  lifestyle, a circular effect where our ritual
informs 
our lifestyle, which  informs our ritual. In the midst of the "worship wars,"

where we argue over  genre rather than gospel, and style rather than
substance, 
Abbington reminded  the conference that at the heart of worship is the way 
people understand and  engage God. Abbington led workshops on keyboard li
terature, choral reading, and  music in the African-American tradition.

Dena Pence Frantz, professor of  Theology at Bethany, delivered the third 
keynote address introducing her work on  theological understandings making
use of 
visual art. Frantz's address, "Birds  and Flames: Occasions for God's 
Presence," brought insight on how images create  corporate experiences as
well as 
interior encounters, opening space for	worshipers to dwell with visual 
structure. Using images of birds and flames,  Frantz explored these metaphors
for God's 
presence among us through the Holy  Spirit as depicted in art.

Workshops, ranging from banner making to  congregational singing, drama to 
praise movement, team leadership to media in  worship, allowed participants
to 
engage topics relevant for their congregations.  Small groups allowed 
participants to share experiences, struggle with questions,  and envision
what they 
will take back to their churches. Early evening concerts  featured the
Richmond 
Church of the Brethren choir, the joint choir of Bethany  and Earlham School
of 
Religion, and handbells. 

The conference brimmed	with corporate worship. Three different styles were 
presented in daily worship:  a traditional service led by Rebecca Slough,
James 
Abbington, and Nancy Faus; an  "emergent" worship service led by Brian 
Messler, associate pastor at Frederick	(Md.) Church of the Brethren, and the
West 
Charleston (Ohio) Church of the  Brethren praise band; and an energetic and 
informative experience of  African-American music led by James Abbington.

The Church of the Brethren  is a Christian denomination committed to 
continuing the work of Jesus peacefully  and simply, and to living out its
faith in 
community. The denomination is based  in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith 
traditions and is one of the three Historic  Peace Churches. It celebrates
its 300th 
anniversary in 2008. It counts about  130,000 members across the United 
States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and  sister churches in Brazil, the 
Dominican Republic, Haiti, and	Nigeria.

Carrie Eikler is a student at Bethany Theological Seminary in  Richmond, Ind.

# # #

For more information contact:

Cheryl	Brumbaugh-Cayford
Director of News Services
Church of the Brethren General	Board
1451 Dundee Ave.
Elgin, IL 60120
847-742-5100 ext.  260
cbrumbaugh-cayford_gb@brethren.org

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