Festival Worship
At the heart of our Festival is the belief that Ecclesia—the gathering of the people—is the primary instrument of the Spirit.
Throughout our four days, we will explore a spectrum of worship modalities designed for the emerging church. Guided by some of Canada’s most respected liturgists and musicians and featuring a professional festival orchestra and choir, you will experience familiar forms renewed and fresh expressions born from the yearnings of today. Return home refreshed in spirit and equipped with tangible, adaptable tools for worship that you can carry back to your own context.
Wild Church • Dinner Church • Holden Evening Prayer
Healing Rites • Taizé • Immersive Liturgy • And More
All worship is led in collaboration with a diverse roster of visiting and local clergy. Anchoring the musical and liturgical vision for the festival are:
Neil Cockburn (he/him)
Originally from St. Andrews, Scotland, Neil joins us from his current position as Director of Music at Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver. A celebrated concert organist and scholar, he holds degrees from Oxford University and the Royal Northern College of Music, as well as a PhD in Musicology from the University of Calgary. Since winning First Prize at the Dublin International Organ Competition, Neil has served as a distinguished educator, notably as Head of Organ Studies at Mount Royal Conservatory. Possessing a special gift for unifying diverse voices in common prayer, he is a sought-after worship director known for infusing deep artistry into worship spanning the spectrum of liturgical expression—from the intimacy of his Sundays@4 series (featuring Taizé, Holden Evening Prayer, and Broadway Vespers) to the complexity of national gatherings, including the 2023 Joint Assembly of the Anglicans and Lutherans in Canada.
Whether teaching in the studio, singing in the chapel, or conducting festival ensembles, Neil invites musicians of all levels to find their breath, find their note, and join the song!
Festival Co-Producer & worship director
Ben Johnston-Urey (he/him)
Yukon-based pianist, composer, and worship director Ben Johnston-Urey is a prolific creator of music for the emerging church, bringing over twenty years of experience leading worship in all its expressions throughout North America.
Known for an improvisational style described as “both dream-like and crystalline, with an execution reminiscent of Glenn Gould” (Isthmus Magazine), Ben creates music acclaimed for its evocative power and narrative depth, with recent premieres by the Brazil National Symphony, Calgary Wind Symphony, Civic Orchestra of Victoria, and others. His newest commissioned full communion setting, The Liturgy of the Beloved, has been heralded as "a profound work that will have reverberations across the church as it speaks to today's spiritual longings."
At the heart of Ben’s artistic philosophy is an abiding passion for bridging divides, fostering belonging, and inspiring others through the rhythms of daily life. In 2025, he received the National Leadership Award from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, recognizing his creative contributions to the evolving landscape of worship and community.
Festival Co-Producer & Worship director
Premiere: In the Gloaming, In the Dawning
A New Healing Rite
Words: Rev. Erin Thomas
Music: Ben & Caitlin Johnston-Urey
Born out of a profound journey of survival and recovery following a severe car accident in May 2025, In the Gloaming, In the Dawning is a deeply embodied new liturgical setting.
During her recovery, Rev. Erin Thomas struggled not only to find connective liturgical words for healing, but a lack of newly embodied liturgical structures altogether. Having already
begun a deep dive into womb theology, her healing
journey began to emerge through the imagery of the womb and the sacred Divine Feminine.
This resulting healing rite draws us into natural liminal spaces
that overlap to become their own sacred seasons.
By daring to explore new, permeable, and living liturgical structures, In the Gloaming, In the Dawning invites us to engage in grounded theology and praxis, while safely exploring our deeper identities in the Divine.
WWAF is honoured to present this groundbreaking new work
at our festival this year.