Liturgeeks discussion

This group is getting bigger by the minute. I know we've done various introductions (phone calls, Twitter, etc.) but for one last time, would you kindly introduce yourself to the group?

1. Name and location
2. Occupation
3. Research with liturgical theology and/or general research projects

Thanks!

Greetings!

1. My name is Samuel J. Howard. I live in Jamaica, Queens, basically at the far eastern end of the subway in NYC.

2. By day I'm I health insurance specialist with the federal government working on Medicare managed care and prescription drug plan and Health Insurance Marketplace issues. I'm also a distance education graduate student in theology at Holy Apostles College and Seminary.

3. I'm working (too slowly) on my MA in theology thesis on the appropriation of the Byzantine Liturgy's view of the Descent into Hell into western theology (specifically Ratzingerian theology).

I'm interested in the rites of the Church generally as expressions both in words and actions/symbols of theological content. For example, I wrote a paper, which I hope to return to and flesh out more on the expanded liturgical role of baptismal sponsors in the early church (lifting up the baptizand out of the font) and how this gives hints at how we might reconsider the theology of the role of baptismal sponsorship.

I'm currently a Russian Greek Catholic after growing up a Unitarian-Universalist and becoming a Roman Catholic in college. I sing in and occasionally direct the choir at the Russian Greek Catholic Church here in NYC (though I'm now "on leave" from singing until at least next week due to vocal cord issues.)

What an exciting group! Glad to be included.

My name is Joy. I live in St. Andrews, Scotland, a tiny town on the edge of the sea. I am pursuing a Phd in Theology at the Institute for Theology Imagination and the Arts. My research is on the affections, affective practices, and the arts. There's a lot there, but I can explain another day. :-) My research doesn't relate directly to liturgy, except to say that liturgical traditions are obviously so beautifully suited to affective engagement, encounter, and formation. I'm currently Anglican of a highish sort. Look forward to seeing what comes up on this page!

Matthew Westerholm, pastor for worship and music at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. I finished my PhD from Southern Seminary about two years ago and I teach at the seminary affiliated with my church. My dissertation revolved around issues of eschatology and contemporary church practices. Still thinking and writing about it. Always learning!

I live in the Kansas City area with my wife and three boys. We just moved across town and are still getting settled.

I'm working on my PhD at University of Aberdeen in Scotland. Under the supervision of Tom Greggs, I am dissertating on liturgical theology. Specifically, I am working to redefine the field in light of research and developments over the last 50 years, provide a functional and ecumenical methodology, and then employ said liturgical theology in my final chapter with a case study (or three).

I think that's it for me. Peace!

My middle name is “Case”...I think I can do what I want!!

Please, no!!!

Hey Everyone!
My name is Tim Braun. Since 2006 I've been the worship pastor of a Baptist church in the Canadian prairies (Martensville, SK). A few years into that role I became very frustrated and discontent with the typical approach to contemporary evangelical seeker-sensitive worship. So, to address that frustration, I did a master's degree at IWS where I fell in love with liturgical theology.
I'm constantly looking for ways to integrate intentional, formational liturgical practices into my free-church setting.
I also serve as an adjunct worship professor at a local Bible College.

Hi y’all! I’m Brent Neely and I’m a pastor in the Church of the Nazarene (a Wesleyan-Holiness denomination). I currently pastor the Cape Elizabeth Church of the Nazarene in beautiful Cape Elizabeth, ME. Along with pastoring I also work at an Assisted Living Home as an activities associate.
I graduated with my MDiv and a certificate in Spiritual Formation in 2017 and am hoping to find a STM program to start soon. I’d like to study the relationship between icons, signs, and symbols and our culture that is becoming more and more illiterate (unable to understand what is being said, not just “not being able to read.”) [see Facebook for plenty of examples of how illiterate we can be!]

Will this group be primarily GoodReads? Or will we have a Facebook group as well? And / or potential Google Hangouts to discuss the book with one another?

Hello all! I'm Rosemary Williams, and I'm studying for an M.A.R. in Liturgy at Yale's Institute of Sacred Music/Divinity School. During term-time, I'm in New Haven, CT; but otherwise I'm normally based out of Northern VA. My collection of jobs includes personal assisting, teaching music, and various church music roles. I became interested in liturgical theology this semester when I took a stunningly good course by the same name, and am especially interested in liturgical theology as it pertains to formation and ecumenicism.

Hi, all. Sorry I'm late to the party. My name is Steven Vredenburgh. I'm currently pursuing a phd at Fuller Theological Seminary with emphases in Theology and Culture & Worship and Preaching. My interest is in the use of visual media, specifically film/video in a worship context. I also work at a United Methodist church in Pasadena, CA though I have just begun to the process of ordination in the Church of the Nazarene.

Hello, everyone! I am also late to the party, but I just saw the Liturgeeks account on Twitter so I asked to join and see what you all are about. My name is Andrew Teeple. I am a librarian, currently working as a database manager at a public library in Indiana. I live in Valparaiso, Indiana, where I received my undergraduate degree.

My graduate degree research was all library-related, so I won't post the details here, but I have what should be considered an amateur-level interest in liturgical theology. I am currently a member of the Presbyterian Church (USA), but also have connections to Lutheran and Anglican worship communities in my past. My interest in theology is focused around the Mercersburg theological movement in the United States in the 1840s and after. If you are unfamiliar with this movement, the Mercersburg theologians (primarily John Williamson Nevin and Philip Schaff) were interested in re-invigorating a deeply confessional and incarnational Reformed theology, in contrast to the popular Reformed theology at that time which was based around revivals and personal experience. Mercersburg theology is therefore highly liturgical, sacramental, and communal--hence my interest in this group.

Looking forward to reading the thoughts of the group and seeing where the discussions and readings go over the next few months!

Hello! I'm Elizabeth. I'm an Australian who resides in Melbourne, a city in the south-east of the continent. I'm a tutor at a local Anglican seminary and in the next few weeks will officially start my PhD dissertation in theological methodology.

Other than theological methodology, my interests include sacramental theology (esp the work of Henri de Lubac), political theology, and ethics.