Calvin Names 2004-2005 Worship Apprentices

May 20, 2004 == MEDIA ADVISORY

Calvin College has announced its 2004-2005 student worship apprentices.

The 11 students chosen for the program (which is principally funded by
Calvin's Lilly Vocation Project) will serve the college as musicians,
dramatists, liturgists, artists, dancers, hosts and technology coordinators in
a variety of campus worship contexts.

The goal of the worship apprentice program (entering its third year) is to
foster students "who both understand and value healthy and deep worship
experiences," says Shirley Roels, the Lilly Vocation Project's director.

The 2004-2005 Worship Apprentices are:

Scott Beahm (Great Bend, KS/Great Bend High)
Jon Bergman (Orono, ME/South Windsor High)
Bethany Cannon (Willoughby, OH/Cornerstone Christian Academy)
Aaron Einfeld (Columbia, MO/Columbia-Rock Bridge High)
Eunbee Ham (Warrenville, IL/Aurora Christian)
Martinus Geleynse (Chilliwack, BC/Hamilton Christian High)
Christin Gordon (Grand Rapids, MI/Potter's House Christian)
Kent Hendricks (Lynden, WA/Lynden Christian)
Bethany Keeley (Holland, MI/Holland Christian)
Joanna Kooyenga (Evergreen Park, IL/Chicago Christian)
Courtney Schutt (Worth, IL/Chicago Christian)

For further biographical info on the students see
http://www.calvin.edu/news/releases/2003_04/worship_apprentices.htm

Next year's apprentices will train for two weeks in August, prior to the start
of the 2004 fall semester. The apprentices will then assume leadership roles in
chapel, Living Our Faith Together (LOFT) and residence hall services, and at
jazz vespers, campus-wide celebrations and other events.

The team will also participate in Calvin's annual Symposium on Worship and the
Arts, sponsored in January by the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.

Worship apprentices commit to one semester of planning and leading worship,
with the expectation that they will continue in the position for a year or
more. Each apprentice earns a $1,000 stipend per semester.

"When Calvin College first dreamed of the worship apprentice program," says
Roels, "we hoped that it would improve the consistency of the campus worship
while nurturing students for church service. Yet we did not yet know how
powerful this program would be in shaping campus worship and students who
joined it.

"We have all expanded our worship horizons because of the topics, art,
graphics, music and litanies the student teams have introduced. Every week,
worship is biblical, contemplative, engaging, global, heartfelt and
theologically-informed."

The worship apprentice program is one component of the Lilly Vocation Project,
which is funded by a $2 million grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc. The
project provides a host of service opportunities for Calvin students and
faculty, each of which centers on the concept of vocation.

"The big thing we're trying to do with the Lilly grant," says Roels, "is say
Christian vocation is not just about what you do as paid employment. It's
about, 'Who does God call you to be?'"

Members of the 2004 team, like those of years past, were chosen for the
diversity of their gifts and their worship backgrounds.

For further biographical info on the students see
http://www.calvin.edu/news/releases/2003_04/worship_apprentices.htm

~written by media relations staff writer Myrna Anderson

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Received on Wed May 19 14:28:34 2004