Update on Evangelical Lutheran Worship

Our pew copies of the new hymnal ("ELW") have arrived. A copy is on display in the narthex for you to preview.

Of the 450 copies of ELW that we have purchased, donations have been made for approximately 200 of them, so we still have 250 to pay for. Fundraising continues - if you would like to donate one or more copies of ELW in honor or memory of a loved one, teacher, pastor, choir director, or anybody who has been significant to your faith journey, please contact the church office.

We're planning on starting to use ELW at the beginning of Lent, which is February 21. During Lent, we will use Setting Five of the Communion Service from ELW. This is a chant setting based on LBW Setting 3 (which our congregation has not used) and Service Book and Hymnal Setting 2 (which we used many times before the LBW was published). This setting will work well for Lent, and we believe that those who have not used it in the past will be comfortable with it quickly.

Our plan is that during the next several years, we will establish a seasonal rotation of three or four settings from ELW. Both Setting 1 and Setting 2 from the LBW appear (with some modifications) in ELW. Setting 5 from WOV does not appear in ELW, but we'll continue to use it periodically for some time. We'll also evaluate which new setting(s) to use.