Worship (Workshop) in a Nondenominational Tradition Atla Annual Hymn of Praise 2024

Abstract

This in-person worship service was constructed not to be a common devotional experience, but a workshop on hymn-writing. Employing an ancient method for constructing a hymn, the participants wrote down various virtues or characteristics of God and God's activities based on those characteristics. Participants focused on virtues that were reflective of our professional lives: collecting, ordering, preserving, and making accessible knowledge and wisdom. The resulting hymn was then presented orally. After the workshop, the stanzas were collected, ordered, and are now available online. The goal of the exercise was to be intellectually stimulating and fun, but most importantly, to be worshipful.