Events ¢ Dr Low Wye Mun is a medical doctor who serves in the Worship & Music ministry of Holland Village Methodist Church. He plays acoustic & bass guitar and leads songs of praise in the Sunday services. / Photos courtesy of the Methodist School of Music
MSM Worship Symposium 2021 My cup runneth over “WFH” (work from home) has become a buzzword, so when the Methodist School of Music (MSM) announced their 2021 Worship Symposium, I signed up immediately to WFH: Worship From Home. The theme “Flow: the ancient way to do contemporary worship” was intriguing, and the topics seemed to flow from the MSM Certificate of Christian Worship course I had attended last year. (Top to bottom)
Comprising plenary lectures with parallel panel discussions (online chats with experienced Christian worship leaders and thinkers), there were also skills training sessions. I chose the Worship Leader track while others opted for those for worship musicians, song writers, children’s worship or choir. Presented in English and Chinese, the sessions formed the basis of the threeday gathering of kindred hearts and spirits. And Spirit there was—introducing the concept of FLOW and the ancient traditions undergirding our church worship, the sessions literally flowed into the notion of blended worship. From this arose issues that challenge us all in the “new normal” of presenting church worship services via online platforms. What drew me into the WS2021 sessions each day were: •
the speakers and panel discussion servants who freely and generously shared their deep experience, theological foundations, helpful ideas and personal thoughts;
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worship services that “walked the talk” of flow, diversity and deep central focus on God;
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a Zoom format that enabled interactions where I “met” and was enriched by other participants sharing freely using the “chat” function; and
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interaction with the MSM team who put WS2021 together— getting to know them by name, sending them messages, and feeling their humble (and immensely hardworking) efforts to bring about the symposium.
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METHODIST MESSAGE August 2021
Panel 1 (English track) Panel 2 (Chinese track) Panel 3 (Chinese track)
