2008 Worship and the Arts Conference

'The Body'

July 9-12, 2008
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Louisville, Ky

"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body."
(1 Cor. 12:12-13).

Come to the 2008 Worship and the Arts Conference to engage your theological imagination and renew your creative spirit as we consider the theme of “the body” in worship. Sponsored by Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Society for the Arts, Religion, and Contemporary Culture, and the Office of Theology and Worship of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), this four-day event will offer pastors, worship leaders, liturgical artists, church members and seminarians ideas and inspiration for creative approaches to worship planning and leadership.

Through lectures, workshops with professional artists and creative worship experiences, participants will explore the biblical, liturgical and theological symbolism of the body in a variety of media: music, dance, drama, writing and visual arts.

Learn more at the conference Web site.

Conference costs:

Tuition: $100 (free for students)
Lodging: $207 Laws Lodge, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Meals: $73

Conference leaders include:

Mark Torgerson, keynote speaker — associate professor of worship studies at Judson University, Elgin, Illinois, a practicing artist, and the author of An Architecture of Immanence: Architecture for Worship and Ministry Today (Eerdmans, 2007).

Clare Byrne, dance  — artistic director of Clare Byrne Dance and professor at Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York.

David Gambrell, literary arts — liturgist and songwriter, associate for worship, Office of Theology and Worship, PC(USA).

Will B. MacAdams, drama — apprentice/intern company director at Actors Theatre of Louisville.

Chuck Marohnic, music — an internationally renowned jazz pianist, composer, professor and author.

Ellen Phillips, visual arts — an award-winning painter and sculptor, whose works are found in galleries and churches in the Atlanta area.

Conference Schedule

Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Registration: 3 p.m.
Student Orientation: 4–5:30 p.m.
Dinner: 6 p.m.
Opening Worship / First Keynote: 7 p.m.
Reception: 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, July 10, 2008
Breakfast: 8 a.m.
Meditation Centers: 9 a.m.
Worship: 10 a.m.
Second Keynote: 11 a.m.
Community Lunch: noon
(Students: Lunch with Instructor)
Workshops: 2-5 p.m.
Dinner: 6 p.m.
Singing Together: 7:30 p.m.
Preparation for Closing Worship: 8 p.m.
Movie / Snacks: “Babette’s Feast”: 9:30 p.m.

Friday, July 11, 2008
Breakfast: 8 a.m.
Meditation Centers: 9 a.m.
Worship: 10 a.m.
Third Keynote: 11 a.m.
Community Lunch: noon
(Students: Lunch with Instructor)
Workshops: 2-5 p.m.
Dinner: 6 p.m.
Singing Together: 7:30 p.m.
Preparation for Closing Worship: 8 p.m.

Saturday, July 12, 2008
Breakfast: 8 a.m.
Meditation Centers: 9 a.m.
Closing Worship (Eucharist): 9:30 a.m.

Students will be able to register for this event as a course for credit at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are also available through the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary office of Lifelong Learning.

For more information, contact Claudio Carvalhaes at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary or David Gambrell at the Office of Theology and Worship of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)