The Online Liturgy Seminar and Octoberfest

In the upcoming issue of Gottesdienst, I'm going to have a review of Piepkorn's The Conduct of the Service, as well as promoting our upcoming Octoberfest. Octoberfest details are also below. We're tacking on another day this year, for a Liturgy Seminar. This is primarily for interested clergy, but of course anyone may attend.

I'm proposing that in preparation for this seminar, or even if you'd only like to participate online, you consult Piepkorn, and go to my new blog dedicated to this purpose alone. It's called "Liturgy Seminar" and may be accessed here. What we’re offering this October will be a seminar in the sense of a graduate classroom seminar. Give and take; round-table discussion. Encouragement, discussion, and debate, with an aim toward uniformity. Anyone who wants to come will be encouraged to do a little advance preparation and study of the book.

We can do preliminary internet conversing about it on this blog, and perhaps even arrange for the proposition of theses for discussion by any pastor in attendance, or even if you can’t come to the seminar.

So go ahead, check it out: click here. Meanwhile, here’s the Octoberfest info:

Announcing the Twelfth Annual Octoberfest Seminar and Liturgical Conference at St. Paul’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Kewanee, Illinois, beginning Sunday, October 7^th at 5 pm until midafternoon on Monday. The Conference theme is “Eyewitnesses of His Majesty.” This year we are pleased to welcome as our guest the Reverend Chaplain Jonathan E. Shaw, S.T.M., a highly decorated Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army, having served in Korea, Nicaragua, Iraq, and Germany. He is currently stationed at the Chief of Chaplains’ office in Washington, D.C. He has also served as chairman of the Board for Congregational Services of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Chaplain Shaw has been an associate editor of Gottesdienst since its inception in 1992. His popular Sabre of Boldness column is featured in every issue.

Chaplain Shaw will examine the Biblical record of Jesus’ ministry, toward an understanding of these foundational Scriptural accounts as the historically verifiable origin and basis of the Christian Church’s sacred Liturgy.

New this year: on the following day (Tuesday), a liturgical seminar is planned for anyone interested in participating in a roundtable discussion seeking uniformity in our worship practices. Informed Lutheran clergy are particularly invited to provide input and exchange of ideas.

For more information or to register for either or both events, log on at www.liturgyseminar.blogspot.com or send us a note in the enclosed envelope.

Schedule of events

Sunday, October 7

5 pm Autumn Choral vespers, anticipating the Festival of Harvest

6 pm Annual bratwurst banquet

Monday, October 8 (Octoberfest Seminar)

9:00-9:30 a.m. Registration

9:30 a.m. Holy Mass: Festival of Harvest

11:00 a.m.-3:15 p.m. Seminar

Tuesday, October 9 (Liturgical Seminar)

9:00-9:30 a.m. Registration

9:30 a.m. Holy Mass

11:00 a.m.-3:15 p.m. Seminar

$25 per person (students $15) $40 per couple--includes Sunday banquet and Monday continental and luncheon; no charge for children with parents. The Tuesday seminar alone is free (but a donation would be nice).

To register, go to www.liturgyseminar.blogspot.com and find the registration information in the sidebar; there’s even an option to do it all online, including payment.