Rachel Spry in Concert

Our organist Rachel Spry will present a concert on Sunday, November 5 at 4pm at St Catharine’s Church in Cincinnati. Besides the organ standards of Bach and Brahms, this program consists of twentieth century music with a French accent. This is a free concert.

2848 Fischer Place Cincinnati, OH 45211

Directions: Take I – 75 south. Take I-74 west towards Indianapolis. Take the Montana Ave exit and turn left. At the 3rd light, turn left onto Wunder Ave. The church is at the end of the block on the left.

Thanksgiving Eve Service

Our annual Thanksgiving Eve worship service will be held on Wednesday, November 22 at 7:00 PM. A soup supper will precede the service at 6:00 PM. If you can help prepare the meal, please call the church office at 293-1147 or send an email message to Pastor Gary. Attendance for the service and dinner have been excellent for the past several years. Thanksgiving is one of those holidays when visions of large, joyous family gatherings clash with the realities of isolation and loneliness for many people. Please join us in fellowship and in praising God for all that he has done for us. To quote a hymn: "All are welcome, friend and stranger, at the banquet of the Savior!"

Early Chancel Choir Rehearsal Sunday

A message from Ginger:

This coming Sunday, October 29 is Reformation Sunday. The Chancel Choir will rehearse early at 9:30 AM so there is time to run through the festival setting of LBW setting II and the anthem with the organ, brass, and percussion.

Our Pastor's Weekly Update

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

If you missed Dr. Dick Hardel last weekend in worship, you missed a powerful message - in fact, you missed three! Dr. Hardel is the Executive Director of the Youth and Family Ministries Institute, located in Bloomington, Minnesota, and he was in town to lead a workshop sponsored by the Parish Resource Center. As a Lutheran pastor, he was looking for a place to preach, and we were able to land him. What a treat! In worship, he focused on the importance of family members sharing their faith stories and Bible stories with their children and youth, because dropping them off at the church steps to let the "professionals" teach them is not enough.

And what about that Sonshine Choir at 10:30 a.m. worship last Sunday?! It is truly a joy for me to have them sit up in the chancel during worship, instead of going back to their families. Those children may not know all the words to the liturgy, but they sure can belt out the "Alleluias," and they know the Lord's Prayer by heart! Special thanks to parents for sharing your children with us in worship, and a BIG thanks to Liz Beal (choir director) for her patient work with our children. If you want to share your appreciation, check out www.sonshinechoir.blogspot.com and type in your comments.

This weekend, we celebrate the Festival of the Protestant Reformation. The color for the weekend is RED, and I encourage everyone to wear red in worship (chancel choir members, you’re set!), as it is the color of the blood of the martyrs. Martyr comes from the same greek word which is the root for WITNESS; and "witness" is the basis of our baptismal identity as the People of God. So, let's have a sea of red in the pews this weekend. The chancel choir is preparing special music for us at the 10:30 AM Sunday service, and we are receiving new member disciples in worship this weekend as well.

And, this Saturday, October 27, the Sonshine Choir will share special music with us in worship as we begin to use musical portions of Setting 5 (blue hymnal) with accompaniment from a variety of congregational musicians.

And . . . REMEMBER TO SET YOUR CLOCKS BACK ONE HOUR SATURDAY NIGHT! Let's meet in worship this weekend!

In Christ,

Gary

First Glimpse of Evangelical Lutheran Worship

Our organist Rachel ordered a personal copy of the new book of worship and hymnal last summer, and it arrived last week. The congregation's copies should ship on Nov. 9. If you want to preview a copy, ask Rachel to see hers.

Bell Choir Update

The Bell Choir is scheduled to play at the 10:30 AM service on Sunday, November 26. This day is the Festival of Christ the King. Bell Choir members--please note that this is the Sunday during Thanksgiving weekend. If you are going to be out of town on this day, please let me know immediately.

From Our Pastor's Weekly Update . . . .

This Sunday, October 22, the Sonshine Children's Choir will help to lead 10:30 a.m. worship by presenting special music prior to the Children's Moment.

The Rev. Dr. Dick Hardel will be our guest preacher at all three worship services this weekend. Dr. Hardel, a Lutheran pastor, is the executive director of The Youth and Family Institute in Bloomington, Minnesota, and is a passionate believer in families passing on the faith in Jesus Christ to children and youth. Dr. Hardel will also teach Adult Sunday School at 9:15 a.m.

The SACRED HARP SINGERS will hold their monthly gathering this SUNDAY, 3:00 P.M. IN THE PARISH HOUSE MEETING ROOM. You are welcome to stop by and join your voices with theirs as they creatively praise the Lord.

We missed the Chancel Choir in worship with us last week, and look forward to their voices and their leadership with us in worship this Sunday. But, it was a joy to hear from our YOUTH as they shared with us their experiences from the July Mission Trip, in which they worked on the Henderson family home in New Orleans. And, what a blessing to hear one of our youth share her voice in song with us!!

Gary

Worship This Weekend

A message from Pastor Gary: Worship this weekend focuses on the Biblical theme of sacrificial giving, and serves as the introduction to our annual Stewardship Emphasis, which is "Celebrate Generosity!" Part of this emphasis is supporting the ELCA World Hunger program. As we collect food this fall, please remember to donate food that you would want to receive! The grocery cart will be in the narthex in which to place your donations.

Fund Raising for New Book of Worship Off to a Strong Start

We've already received donations for 49 copies of Evangelical Lutheran Worship. The congregation has ordered 450 copies. Please give generously to help us pay for these copies. You can dedicate each copy in memory or in honor of a friend, loved one, or anyone else who has touched your life and been a part of your faith formation-pastors, teachers, and other mentors. The October edition of the Voice included a envelope for donations. Envelopes are also in the pew racks. If you donate more than one copy, you can write one check and place a dedication list inside the envelope. Because we ordered early, each copy is $17.50. (Price to order today is $20.00.)

Augsburg Fortress reports that the new hymnal has had such a tremendous reception that a fourth printing has been started and orders placed today will be shipped in February. We're expecting our copies to arrive before the end of October, and plan to begin using them on the first Sunday of Advent. For more information about Evangelical Lutheran Worship, click this link or go to the Renewing Worship link at the right.

Blessing of the Animals

Today is the day that the church especially remembers St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and the ecology. This evening, we held a Service of the Blessing of the Animals for the first time. The original plans were for the service to be held outside in the Memorial Prayer Labyrinth, but with a thunderstorm threatening, the service was moved into the main sanctuary. About thirty-five people attended with about twenty pets. Most of the pets were dogs, but there were also two cats, a bird, and a hampster. After the hymn "All Creatures of Our God and King," several readings from the Bible about animals, and a short homily, Pastor Gary blessed the animals that were brought forward. The service concluded with prayers and the hymn "All Things Bright and Beautiful." The animals were amazingly calm during the entire service--not a single dog fight occurred!

Dr. Dick Hardel to be Guest Preacher October 21 & 22

Dr. Dick Hardel is the executive director of The Youth & Family Institute in Bloomington, MN. He is the author of Blest Be the Pie that Binds, which one of our adult Sunday School classes studied last year. Dr. Hardel adds radical thinking to the basics of faithful ministry of passing on faith in Jesus Christ. A Lutheran pastor for many years, he is passionate about parish ministry and liturgy. Dr. Hardel will also teach Adult Sunday School at 9:15 AM on October 22.