ELCA Worship News: January 2016

Dear friends,

Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago that we were praying, “Come, Lord Jesus” as we began anew in Advent? Earlier this month, the secular world was focused on beginning again with new year resolutions and, in only a few weeks, we will be repeating “return to the Lord” as the Lenten season is upon us, perhaps too soon. It seems as if we are always beginning again.

And that is a very good thing indeed.

No matter how many seasons and festivals we celebrate…
No many how many beautiful and meaningful liturgies we plan…
No matter how connected our worship is to the needs of the world…

…we need to begin again and again and again.

The good news of Jesus Christ proclaimed in word and sacrament, articulated in song and prayer, embodied in art and gesture, coming to life through assemblies of worshipers is never done once and for all. Worship is a living art, continuously being reformed and renewed for the particular community gathered, in light of the current needs of a hurting world, all to the praise of a God who never changes and whose love is infinite.

Thank you, dear friends, for tending carefully to the worship life of your unique congregation. Thank you for continually beginning again. It is a high and holy calling.

Peace

Scott C. Weidler
Program Director, Worship and Music

A transformative experience in worship
I was living in Columbus, Ohio, and finishing up seminary when a friend invited me to her church where Rev. Bradley Schmeling was the pastor. It was Confirmation Sunday and her son was being confirmed. I am not a life-long Lutheran so at that point had not attended many Confirmation Sundays.

At the service, Rev. Schmeling spent time talking about each confirmand so that by the time he finished you felt you knew the person well and how Rev. Schmeling had been influenced by the student. You also learned how the confirmation experience had impacted their faith. I left that experience knowing that when I became a pastor, I was going to use this model in my congregation, and I did. After the first confirmation class where I used this model, the second class was eager to know, “What are you going to say about ME pastor?” I continue to feel such a bond with my confirmands, and I thank Rev. Schmeling for showing me a model that fit perfectly with who I am and what I wanted my confirmation ministry to be about. I recently saw Rev. Schmeling at an event and was able to thank him for not only who he is but for the model that was transformative for my ministry.

The Rev. Brenda Smith
Program Director, Fatih Practice/Missional Leadership
ELCA Congregational and Synodical Mission, Chicago

We are a church of storytellers as we pass our experiences from one generation to the next.
What is your story? We would love to hear them.
If you would like to share your story with the worship staff, email it to us at worship@elca.org

As part of the 500th anniversary observance of the Reformation, gather with other members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) to rejoice in the freedom we have in Christ. The Grace Gathering, in partnership with the 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, will be an opportunity to gather with voting members, prepare for the 500th anniversary and reflect on how the Reformation can continue to guide us today. It will be a time for workshops, worship and fellowship.

The Grace Gathering will provide an opportunity for all ELCA members to experience the same inspiring worship, Bible study, experiential learning activities and fellowship that voting members have when they attend the Churchwide Assembly in New Orleans. At the same time, the Grace Gathering will offer workshops and presentations that equip congregational leaders and synod planning teams to prepare for observing the 500th anniversary in local communities.

Registration is now open. Learn more and register at http://ELCA.org/gracegathering

Same-gender marriage resources forthcoming

The Ministry to and with Same-Gender Couples and their Families Working Group concluded their work, presenting a report to the ELCA Church Council at its November 2015 meeting. In the report, one of the recommendations is to create liturgical resources to aid same-gender couples, their families, congregations and pastors. In that recommendation, the Office of the Presiding Bishop through the executive for worship has been tasked to develop and publish:

A collection of prayers and words of support to welcome a married same-gender couple in a pastoral setting in which a congregation has chosen not to conduct same-gender marriage liturgies
Supplemental liturgical resources appropriate for same-gender couples for use within the marriage service of Evangelical Lutheran Worship as a way to continue to live into our commitment “to finding ways to allow congregations that choose to do so to recognize, support and hold publicly accountable lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships”

A writing team has been identified and all materials will go through the appropriate churchwide-level reviews prior to publication. We anticipate these resources will be available online at www.ELCA.org/resources/worship later in 2016.We will share information through Worship News and other social media venues as more becomes available.

Share your event
Are you planning a worship event in your congregation or synod? Share it with us for this newsletter!
Due to publication schedule, items should be submitted a minimum of 10-12 weeks before the event.

Share your story
We love highlighting worship events from across this church in this newsletter.
To submit your story, send a brief article and pictures to worship@elca.org

New Evangelical Lutheran Worship resources information website

Augsburg Fortress has launched a new “brochure” website to help you find information about the wide variety of Evangelical Lutheran Worship resources that are available. Categories include: Congregational, Music, Study & Leadership and Gifts.

Go to www.evangelicallutheranworship.org to find out what is available!

How does the Lutheran tradition compare with others

Hundreds of Christian denominations and dozens of non-Christian traditions have followers in the United States. How do we view this wide variety of beliefs and practices? How does the Lutheran tradition compare with others? Since its release in 1999, “Honoring Our Neighbor’s Faith” has been widely embraced as a valuable resource for congregational study or personal exploration around these questions.

“Honoring Our Neighbor’s Faith Revised Edition” brings new light and nuance to these questions, which are as timely and vital as ever. Use this book to explore 32 faith traditions that represent a wide spectrum of beliefs or stand out due to their size or public profile in America. Each tradition constitutes a “chapter,” which includes key teachings, worship patterns and practices, and how each is governed. This revision also includes updated statistics, enhanced tools for group study and discussion, and updated resource and website lists to facilitate further study. Click here to learn more and download a free sample.

2016 Lutheran devotional for your congregation

“Bearing Fruit: Devotions for Lent 2016” is a beautiful, full-color devotional that takes you through Lent with daily readings from Colossians. Each reading is accompanied by a photo, quote, reflection and prayer. It is available in a pocket-sized edition, as well as large print and eBook. To ensure you have copies for your congregation in time for the Lenten season – remember, it begins early in 2016 on Feb. 10 order today while supplies last.

Learn more at www.augsburgfortress.org/bearingfruit or call Sales & Service at 800-328-4648.

‘Prophetic Preaching in Times of Change’
Atlanta
May 16-20

Registration for the 2016 Festival of Homiletics is open! This year’s theme is “Prophetic Preaching in Times of Change.” It is sure to be a time of incredible preaching, proclamation and fellowship.

The Festival of Homiletics is a weeklong conference that brings together a wide variety of outstanding preachers and professors of homiletics to inspire a discourse about preaching, worship and culture. Preachers are invited to experience various styles and methods of preaching in the hope that they will renew their faith and refresh their spirits through engaging worship, lectures and workshops. Throughout the week we aim to inspire you in your role of proclaiming the gospel.

Please visit the festival’s website to learn more about this year’s event.

Register by Feb. 15 for an early bird discount!

Each year, during the second week of Easter, clergy, musicians and other worship leaders gather on Valparaiso University’s campus for three days of continuing education, worship, community and renewal. This year’s theme is Bearing God’s Creative and Redeeming Word to all the World: Vocation and Worship, April 4-6.

For 68 years, the Institute of Liturgical Studies has provided a place of engaging emerging topics in liturgical renewal. This year is the second in a series exploring our relationship to creation as a site of liturgical renewal. In 2015 we considered how stewardship of creation takes on new urgency as we discover the fragile nature of our universe.

In 2016 we will explore how we frame our own vocation and worship in this interconnected cosmos. Our plenary presenters will consider how this theme takes root in our own lives. Plenary presenters Delores Dufner, Rafael Malpica-Padilla, Donald Salers and Paul Westermeyer will unpack those implications.

In worship we will use global sources to connect our lives to those around us. We will consider what a global economy does to our lives, what justice requires of us, and how those realities shape the way we worship. Worship will lead us to connect our vocation to the world around us. Our liturgies will offer eucharistic and other prayer offices that lead us to reflect on God’s creation and our place in it. Through plenary talks, seminars and workshops, we hope to engage in important questions about vocation in our own time.

Optional Monday afternoon seminars offer participants the opportunity to delve more deeply into a single aspect of worship leadership. This year’s seminar topics include preaching, enlivening worship, clergy-musician relationships, and liturgy and life relationships.

Information about workshops, seminars, worship and the schedule are available at Register now. Discounted, early registration ends Jan. 31!

Lorraine S. Brugh
Director, Institute of Liturgical Studies

Earth to Earth: Natural Burial as Spiritual Practice
Nov. 4-5
Save the date!

If you love the arts, www.LutheranArts.org is for you.

Lut heranArts.org is a rich, emerging resource in the creative arts, connecting artists, audiences and the arts.

See innovative ways to enrich worship life.
Find talent you can support and benefit from in the years ahead.
Join the registry to showcase your artistic talents.

This website includes a resource center that will help you find skilled professionals to enhance your vision, from architects to organ builders, liturgical arts consultants to instrument makers. It also offers resources, archives, a calendar of events and exciting opportunities related to the creative arts.

Passon for the arts is evident in every corner of LutheranArts.org. Explore it today!

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