| John Thornburg: a ministry of congregational singing |
| John Thornburg is a fourth generation Methodist minister whose family members have served over 40 appointments under 30 bishops in 10 states from 1899 to the present. After graduation from Perkins School of Theology, John served four parishes in Dallas including an inner city cooperative parish. That cooperative work resulted in the revitalization of six congregations, as well as the creation of a network of ministries that served 30,000 people per year. In 2001, after 22 years in parish ministry, John pursued a new calling by starting an itinerant ministry of song leading and worship consultation called “A Ministry of Congregational Singing.” (www.congregationalsinging. com) He now travels the country leading congregations in singing, and consulting with churches about how to enrich the singing of the congregation. He has led singing in local churches from Boston to Berkeley, at youth gatherings and retirement centers, and at both regional and national conventions. John is a published poet whose hymn and anthem texts appear in 15 different hymnals, hymnal supplements, single author collections as well as octavos from six publishers. In January of 2005, John was invited by the mission director of the new United Methodist mission in Cameroon, West Africa, to assist the 20 Cameroonian United Methodist churches in the production of their first hymnal/worship book. That project was completed in May of 2009, but John continues to travel to Cameroon to provide encouragement to musicians and pastors. John is an adjunct instructor in preaching at Perkins School of Theology, and a small group facilitator for the Institute for Clergy and Congregational Excellence in Austin, TX. He and his wife, Beth, a law professor at Southern Methodist University, live in Dallas. |
| AT WORSHIP FAIR 2010: "Making the Ordinary Extraordinary: Preaching through the Dog Days" Sometimes it seems that Ordinary Time will never end, and it's hard to envision what to do with 26 weeks of Sundays without any high holy days. But the Bible is a gold mine, so let's do some excavating together to see what the possibilities are. Adam Hamilton isn't smarter than you; he just knows different things. Let's find out what you know and what you're passionate about. "Beyond Filling in the Blanks: Worship Planning that Matters" If worship planning feels like drudgery, something is wrong. Let's look at how Sunday morning can be alive with possibilities for getting God's awesome power out into the sanctuary. Worship ought to be a place for 'God sightings'. We'll explore what it means to be open to spontaneity and surprise. |