July 23-29, 2023
Thanks for joining us for an incredible week!
We’ll post resources from the conference by fall 2023.
Mark your calendar for July 21-27, 2024!
A conference for all ages of worship leaders.
Whether you are ordained or a layperson, there are plenty of opportunities
to learn, practice, and worship together.
The 2023 theme is “Instruments of Peace,” as in the Prayer of St. Francis,
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.”
Printed copies will be available at check-in for all conference tracks. Schedule subject to change. All participants are welcome to take part in both Bible and Church Music programs. Music packets will be available at check-in on Sunday (first packet complimentary with registration, additional packets cost $5/each). Adults may observe children and youth music programs at the discretion of the clinicians.
Worship is at 7PM each night in Hudson Auditorium. All are welcome!
Sunday
Rev. Dr. Jerry Cannon (Board of Pensions, Charlotte, NC) will preach on 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.
A pickup choir and our conference accompanist will provide music.
Monday
Rev. Carla Pratt Keyes (Ginter Park Presbyterian Church, Richmond, VA) will preach on John 14:15-29.
Music to be provided by Chamber Choir and conference accompanist.
Tuesday
Rev. Ashley Diaz Mejias (Voices of Jubilee, Richmond, VA) will preach on Ezekiel 37:1-14.
Music to be provided by harps and Conference Choir.
Wednesday
Speakman Chair of Preaching Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka (Village Presbyterian Church, Prairie Village, KS) will preach on Isaiah 61:1-4. We will share the Lord’s Supper.
Music to be provided by Children’s music ensembles.
Thursday
Rev. Dr. Victor Aloyo (Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, GA) will preach on Matthew 5:1-12.
Music to be provided by Handbell Ensembles and Youth Choirs.
Friday
Speakman Chair of Preaching Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka will return to the pulpit to preach on Acts 2:22-24, with music provided by the Advanced Handbells Ensemble and Adult Choirs. We will conclude worship by singing “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah, a longstanding Bible & Church Music Conference tradition.
2023 Speakman Chair of Preaching
Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka
Rev. Dr. Nishioka has served as the senior associate pastor and director of Adult Faith Formation at Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, KS since 2016. Prior to this call, he taught at Columbia Theological Seminary for 15 years as the Benton Family professor of Christian Education. He is a graduate of Seattle Pacific University (BA), McCormick Theological Seminary (MATS), and Georgia State University (PhD). Born in Honolulu and raised in Seattle at the Japanese Presbyterian Church, Rodger is the son of Rev. Richard and Alice Nishioka, and is is evidence that you can be a pastor’s kid and still love Jesus and the church.
Rev. Dr. Nishioka will be preaching on Wednesday and Friday, as well as offering a forum on Thursday morning.
History of the Speakman Chair of Preaching
Frederick B. Speakman began coming to Massanetta Springs in 1953. Over a forty year period, he inspired young ministers and ministered to many while on the platform at the Bible Conference. Fred graduated from the University of Oklahoma, Harvard University (M.A.) and Princeton Theological Seminary (B.D.), and in 1950 he received the honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, PA. He served three churches: Central-Brick in East Orange, NJ, Third Church in Pittsburgh, PA, and Westminster Church in Dayton, OH. Fred was also an author and wrote three books of sermons: The Salty Tang, Love is Something You Do, and He Dwelt Among Us.
In 1957 Fred purchased a home in the Cottage Community, on the Massanetta Springs grounds, and in 1983, he and his wife, Zoe, retired and moved to the Cottage Community. With Fred in mind, a family in the Cottage Community began an endowment to which others have added, to ensure that the quality and name recognition of preachers for the Bible Conference will continue to be of the highest quality as has been in the past! This endowment supports the Fred Speakman Chair of Preaching. Each year one or more outstanding preachers are brought to Massanetta during the Bible Conference by the proceeds from the endowment.
Previous Speakman Chair of Preaching recipients:
2022: Rev. John Bell
2021: Rev. Dr. Karoline Lewis
2020: Speakman Online Series: Rev. Dr. Karoline Lewis
2019: Bishop William H. Willimon
2018: Rev. Drs. Kimberly Bracken Long and Thomas G Long.
2017: Rev. Dr. Luke Powery
2016: Rev. Dr. Steve Eason
2015: Rev. Michael Lindvall
2014: Rev. Dr. Debra J. Mumford
2013: Rev. Dr. James C. Howell
2012: Rev. Dr. Brian K. Blount
2011: Rev. Dr. M. Craig Barnes
2010: Rev. Dr. Joanna M. Adams
2009: Rev. Dr. William J. Carl III
2008: Rev. Dr. Anna Carter Florence
2007: Rev. Thomas G. Long
2006: Rev. Dr. Frances Taylor Gench
2005: Bishop William H. Willimon
2004: Dr. Stephen D. McConnell
2003: Rev. Dr. William Powell Tuck
2002: Dr. Ben Lacy Rose
2001: Dr. Jerold D. Shetler
2000: Dr. Paul T. Eckel
1999: Dr. Myron Augsburger
1998: Rev. Dr. Thomas K. Tewell
1997: Rev. Dr. Ernest Campbell
1997: Rev. Dr. Ernest Campbell
Seeking Shalom
Dr. Ryan Bonfiglio of Emory’s Candler School of Theology will lead a series of talks around the biblical concept of shalom, and what it means to seek wholeness, healing, and hope in our personal lives and communities.
Bible Study is from 9:30-10:15 Monday to Friday in the Nook.
Dr. Ryan Bonfiglio
Ryan Bonfiglio teaches Old Testament at Emory’s Candler School of Theology. He also serves as director of The Candler Foundry, a new initiative that seeks to bridge the gap between the church and the academy by making seminary-level learning accessible and engaging for the broader public. Ryan is the founding director of TheoEd talks, an ecumenical speaker series that seeks to do for the Bible, theology, and spirituality what the TED series has done for technology, entertainment, and design. Bonfiglio previously taught at Columbia Theological Seminary and served as the John H. Stembler Scholar in Residence at the First Presbyterian Church (USA) of Atlanta. His research and teaching interests include biblical metaphors, the Sabbath, and the Bible and poverty. His wife, Jamie, is an ordained Presbyterian minister and together they have an energetic and hilarious 8-year old son named Leo. Ryan is a former NCAA wrestler and wrestling coach and suffers from a life-long love of Philadelphia sports.
LITURGIST
Rev. Molly Spangler
Molly received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from East Carolina University and her Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Christian Education from Union Presbyterian Seminary. She believes everything begins with relationship and connection to one another. Worship, justice, mission, fellowship and pastoral care all depend on forging relationships of trust with one another and with God. Molly serves as the associate pastor at Unity Presbyterian Church in Fort Mill, SC. She will be writing and organizing liturgy for our worship services throughout the week.
Preachers
Rev. Dr. Jerry Cannon
Vice President of Ministry and Innovation
Board of Pensions, Presbyterian Church (USA)
Preaching Sunday 7/24
Rev. Carla Pratt Keyes
Pastor
Ginter Park Presbyterian Church, Richmond, VA
Preaching Monday 7/25
Rev. Ashley Diaz Mejias
Voices of Jubilee
Richmond, VA
Preaching Tuesday 7/26
Rev. Dr. Victor Aloyo, Jr.
President, Columbia Theological Seminary
Decatur, GA
Preaching Thursday 7/28
Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka
Senior Associate Pastor & Director of Adult Faith Formation
Village Presbyterian Church, Prairie Village, KS
Preaching Wednesday 7/27 and Friday 7/29
Adult Choirs: Joan Pi, Regent University
Joan Pi is the Director of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor in Music at Regent University. She directs University Choir, Chamber Choir, and Early Music Ensemble Timeless, and develops and teaches numerous music courses, and serves as a music program coordinator. Pi holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from Stony Brook University, a Master of Music and Artist Diploma in Choral Conducting from Yale University, a Certificate in Sacred Music from the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale, and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from McGill University. Most recently, Pi was the Director of Music Ministries at Three Chopt Presbyterian Church in Richmond, VA. In addition to the post at Regent, she also serves Haygood United Methodist Church in Virginia Beach as the traditional worship music director. Praising God through making music and teaching has been the center of her life, and she continues to answer God’s calling by sharing the music God has put in her heart with others. Joan and her husband, Jaechul “Jay,” a pastor at Lynnhaven Presbyterian Church (Virginia Beach, VA) and military chaplain, reside in Chesapeake, VA, and have one elementary-aged child together.
Youth Choirs: Sherri Matthews, Glen Allen High School
Sherri Matthews has been the Choral Director at Glen Allen High School in Glen Allen, VA, since 2020. Prior to her time at Glen Allen, Ms. Matthews served as the Director of Worship and Music at Grove Avenue Baptist Church. Her duties at Grove included directing the adult instrumental and choral ensembles and directing the select youth ensembles. Sherri is an adjudicator with Music in the Parks, Performing Arts Consultants, and Kings Dominion Festivals. Ms. Matthews is a sought-out accompanist, choral clinician, and musical director for school, district and state festivals and theatre events.
Children’s Choirs: Giovanna Reyes-Mir, Point Park University
Giovanna Reyes-Mir is an accomplished professor of voice, choral conductor, and professional singer with over 15 years of experience in the Greater New York and Washington DC areas. Ms. Reyes-Mir is a native of Puerto Rico. Currently, Giovanna serves as Professor of Voice at Carnegie Mellon University, School of Music and teaches courses in singing at Carnegie Mellon University, School of Drama. She also serves as Professor of Musical Theater Voice at Brenau University in Gainesville, GA. She is Music Director and Professor of Voice at Keystone State Music Theater Academy. Before moving to Manhattan, Ms. Reyes-Mir was the Assistant Director of El Coro de Niños de San Juan. Formerly, she was the Director of Music Ministry at First Presbyterian Church of Winchester, VA, where she founded the Children’s Choir Church Music Festival, the First Friday Recital Series, and was the co-director of Sing Camp.
Handbells: Mike Joy, retired
Michael Joy is a resident of Philadelphia, PA and for the last 47 years has been the Music Director at First Presbyterian Church in Ambler, PA where he started the handbell program. Michael is a published composer and has taught at Handbell Musicians of America Area festivals and National Seminars, PMEA district and state conferences, and the 2008 International Handbell Symposium. Jeffers Publishing Company named Michael Composer of the Year in 2004 for his composition Dorian Dance.
Harp: Jen Narkevicius
Dr. Jen Narkevicius teaches and performs in the Washington DC area. Her innovative teaching mixes techniques based on her experience educating gifted and talented students, and ergonomics. She leads trips to Scotland, pairing the music with the places, people and events that inspired it. She is a Certified Music Practitioner (CMP), providing live music at the bedside for hospital patients who are alone at the end of life. She holds a PhD in Cognitive Psychology, with master’s degree in Special Education: Gifted and Talented.
Percussion: Zach George
Zach received his BM in Instrumental Music Education from West Virginia University in 2002 and has worked as a teacher and performer since early adulthood. Of his numerous influential teachers, he is a student of Dr. Paschal Yao Younge, and has performed with drumming and dance groups led by Dr. Younge in the U.S., Canada, Italy, Hong Kong, and multiple times in Taiwan and South Korea. He has also studied with Dr. Younge in Cuba and on many different occasions in Ghana, West Africa. Zach’s appreciation of various cultures and language as well as his passion for teaching helped to inspire an MA in TESOL from West Virginia University in 2011, where he taught English in the Intensive English Program for more than 5 years. He currently lives most of the year near Barcelona, Spain, where he teaches and plays.
Forums take place in the Nook each day 10:45-noon.
Monday: Rev. Dr. David Ensign, Presbyterian Peace Fellowship
Tuesday: David LaMotte, singer/songwriter
Wednesday: Rev. Ashley Diaz Mejias, Voices of Jubilee
Thursday: Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka, Speakman Chair of Preaching
Friday: Rev. Dr. Victor Aloyo, Columbia Theological Seminary
Workshops happen Monday-Thursday in Stewart from 2:30-4:00. Morning yoga will be available in Greenwood each day from 7:00-7:50 (all ages and abilities welcome!).
David LaMotte
Music and Activism (Monday)
David LaMotte is a songwriter, speaker and author. He has performed over 3000 concerts and released thirteen full-length CDs of primarily original music, touring in all of the fifty states, as well as five of the seven continents. His dense speaking and workshop calendar has included presenting at the PC(USA) Mission to the United Nations, keynoting peace conferences in India, Australia, Germany and at the Scottish Parliament, as well as offering the baccalaureate address for graduates of Columbia Seminary. His TEDx talk on what music can teach us about peacemaking is featured on TED.org. David will be leading a workshop as well as performing a concert on Monday July 24.
Shontya’ Washington
Liturgical Movement and Dance (Tuesday)
Shontya' Washington has been dancing since the age of 3. Trained locally in NOVA by Diane Yates, founder of Northern VA Center for Dance and Theatre, she later became an instructor at the studio, as well. Shontya’ was raised in a Christian home and accepted Christ at a very young age. She is an active volunteer within her local church and community. She has been a member of the Sacred Dance Ministry at her church for the past 6 years. Within this ministry she is one of the choreographers. She has a passion for dance, but that passion is magnified when she is praising the Lord with this gift. Shontya' is the wife of Brian, and mother to their three, now teenaged, children.
Rev. Molly Spangler
Liturgy Writing (Wednesday)
Molly received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from East Carolina University and her Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Christian Education from Union Presbyterian Seminary. She believes everything begins with relationship and connection to one another. Worship, justice, mission, fellowship and pastoral care all depend on forging relationships of trust with one another and with God. Molly serves as the associate pastor at Unity Presbyterian Church in Fort Mill, SC. She will be writing and organizing liturgy for our worship services throughout the week.
Dr. Benjamin Bergey
Music and Peacebuilding (Thursday)
Benjamin Bergey is assistant professor of music and Director of Orchestra and Choral Activities at Eastern Mennonite University. He also teaches courses on music theory, conducting, and church music, and advises the new Music and Peacebuilding major. Dr. Bergey is an active clinician and guest conductor, and he is the artistic director and conductor of the Rapidan Orchestra in Orange, VA. Additionally, Bergey is a prominent music leader in the Mennonite Church, regularly leading resourcing events, retreats, and worship. He served as General Editor for Mennonite World Conference’s International Songbook 2022; Music Editor for Voices Together; as well as compiler and editor for the hymnal's Accompaniment Edition.
Rev. Ginny Brown, RYT 200 plus
Morning Yoga (Monday-Friday)
Yoga is a beautiful journey into one’s body, mind and spirit. A yoga practice teaches us how to be present in the moment, to feel our feelings without judgement and to move inside. Yoga can increase flexibility, strength, endurance and focus. Breath work is central and offers a respite from tension and time to calm our central nervous systems, re-entering the world from a different place. Yoga is accessible to every “body” as we learn to be kind and affirming of ourselves- knowing there is no competition, simply community. I invite you to come and join the journey. We will meet in Greenwood from 7:00-7:50 AM Monday through Friday. Bring a yoga mat if you have one. Namaste!
Come home to Massanetta Springs on Wednesday, July 26, 2023 and celebrate all things Massanetta! We enjoyed hosting the Centennial Day so much in 2022, we decided to make it a permanent part of the Bible and Church Music Conference.
$35 includes programming for the day as well as lunch and dinner.
You can register for Homecoming Day 2023 using the link below:
Registration Options
Registration has closed for 2023 to give our Program Team time to prepare housing, programs, and other arrangements! For last minute changes, please contact Program Director Colleen Earp: colleen@massanettasprings.org or 540-434-3829.
Participants register for the program, housing, and meals separately. Register online (below) or contact Sarah Grace Hall, Program Assistant, at 540-434-3829 for assistance registering.
Group registration (such as for a church choir—must be 6 or more people) instructions below. Discount $35/person.
$40 discount for all who are fully registered by Monday 4/24/2023—fully registered means all forms have been filled out and the $150 deposit has been made for the person(s) or group. Full payment for the conference is required before the start of the conference on 7/23/2023
Program Fee per person
Adults: $240
Infants, Children, and Youth staying with family on-site: $210
Children and Youth participating in day program (commuting): $225 (contact Christian Deen at daycamp@massanettasprings.org to register through Netta Day Camp)
Refund Policy
Folks that cancel before May 15 will receive a full refund less a 3% processing fee. After May 15 will receive a 50% refund up until 10 days prior to the start of the conference start date. Generally, there are no refunds for cancellations within 10 days of the conference start date.
Housing options (prices per room, not per occupant)
Hubler lodge (hotel-style room, two queen beds and private bath): $840
Standard housing, half double occupancy (single bed in shared room with shared bath): $366
Standard housing, double occupancy (2-3 single beds in private bedroom, shared bath): $534
Standard housing, double occupancy, private suite (2-3 single beds, private bath): $729
Standard housing, full suite (4-5 single beds, private bath): $924
Cabin (8 single beds including some bunk beds, shared separate bathhouse): $600
RV site (electric and water available, no dumping, shared bathhouse): $228
Tent site (shared bathhouse): $108
Meal options
Lunches only (suggested for commuters): $70
All meals for 13+: $273
All meals for 6-12 year olds: $183.50
All meals for 3-5 year olds: $142
No meal charge for guests 2 and younger.
Homecoming Day
Homecoming Day is Wednesday, July 26, 2023. To register for this one-day event, and not the whole conference, follow the Homecoming Day tab.
$35 includes lunch, dinner, and all programs 9AM through evening worship.
How to Register
Individual Registration (group registration below)
1. Log into OR create a Participant Profile on Campwise: Participant Link
2. Click “Register New” button
3. Click NO for “GHD ID” if you are coming as an individual.
4. Choose Bible / Church Music Conference Attendee. (This helps us plan music purchasing, but does not restrict participants from attending any sessions or workshops offered during the week!)
5. Enter the number of attendees for each category (if you’re not coming with children, type 0)
6. Either check “pick from contacts” OR write in the information prompted at the bottom of each category.
7. Review and accept the charges for each of the following:
Registration/ Per Person Fees
Lodging
Meals
Other
Please choose EITHER church music or Bible conference, which helps us with music ordering but does not limit participation in any offered programing
Select whether or not you would like a conference t-shirt
8. Review your registration fees and details
9. Complete the following forms:
Media Release
Camper Profile
Participant Form
10. A $150.00 deposit is required when registering. You will not be considered registered for the conference until the fee has been paid. Payment can be made online through Campwise OR by sending a check to Massanetta Springs with “Bible Church Music Conference 2023” in the memo line. If your church is paying for the conference, please have them send a check with “Bible Church Music Conference 2023” and your last name listed in the memo line.
GROUP REGISTRATION (This is for church groups. Families register through individual registration) (Discount for groups is $35/per person)
Please follow the instructions below CAREFULLY.
Step 1: Your church/group leader must fill out this form with general group information and estimated numbers to reserve spaces for your group. We will then generate a “group hold code” and send it to your leader. If you have questions, please call 540-434-3829 to speak to our registrar.
Step 2: Once your church/group leader has the “group hold code,” they will distribute it to your group. Parents/guardians will be able to register their youth and adult chaperones will be able to register themselves using that “group hold code.” They will not pay individually online. The church/group leader will pay for everyone registered at once through the separate leader account.
Step 3: For church/group leaders only. Leaders will be able to log into their separate account to view who has registered and the remaining bill for the group. This is where the full group payment will be made.
A $150.00 registration fee is required to be enrolled in the conference. In order for the group to be considered fully registered, they will have needed to complete all forms on Campwise. Half of the group’s payment is required by April 24, 2023. The other half of the payment is due before or upon arrival to the conference.
If you have any questions about the registration process, please contact Sarah Grace Hall at sarahgraceh@massanettasprings.org or by calling 540-434-3829.