Worship and the Arts Ministry

Worship and the Arts Team (WAT) - The primary responsibility of this team is to evaluate, plan and implement the worship ministries of our congregation including, but not limited to: weekly worship service(s), festival and occasional worship services, recruiting and scheduling of worship volunteers, maintaining worship supplies, etc. Also includes oversight of worship staff. This team should also help develop a program to introduce the new ELCA worship resources
Communicator.

1. FALL WORSHIP SCHEDULE
   Our church worship schedule will be as follows:
   Worship Service     9:30 AM
   Sunday School,     10:30 AM
2. Join Bell Choir and Vocal Choir!
   A new music season will restarted , and you can be a part of this! Bell Choir resumed under the direction of Lea Langhoff. Choir practice resumed under the direction of Josh Langhoff. We hope to see you there!
3. Notes from Josh
   

   At the beginning of April, I was fortunate to attend the Institute of Liturgical Studies at my alma mater, Valparaiso University. The Institute is an annual conference that brings together Lutheran pastors and church musicians from all over the country for two days of lectures, seminars, discussions, and a whole bunch of church services. After hearing lots of different ideas about worship, and after seeing such excellent models of music in worship, I came back to work feeling inspired and blessed to belong to a congregation that so values our collective act of worship. So thank you all, and since I attended the conference on Trinity's dime, thank you for collectively funding me, as well. I hope to do the Institute justice.
   
   The theme of this year's conference was "Liturgy in the Public Square," and many of the presentations and sermons considered how our church services prepare us for engagement with the everyday world. Theologians and musicians explored some thought-provoking themes:
   • When we enter worship, we enter the very same Kingdom of God about which Jesus spoke. When we lose ourselves in the act of praise, we find who we truly are.
   • As Christians, it's right that we should offer help to those in need. But our worship should also prepare us to address the underlying, systematic causes of that need. We remember the poor, but we must also ask why they're poor. (For example, a recent Tribune article pointed out that the demand for the biofuel ethanol is causing the North American price of corn to skyrocket, which is good for Illinois farmers. But in Mexico, these high corn prices have made tortillas, milk, eggs, and meat more expensive -- for some lower-income people, prohibitively so. How can we justly resolve this Catch-22?)
   • Praise isn't just a human act. At various points in scripture we find images of animals, plants, and even rocks praising the God of all creation. (Remember the hymn that goes, "The trees of the field will clap their hands"!) Our worship should also lead us to consider all creation in our everyday actions.
   • When we praise God, we do not praise Caesar. That is, our praise of God declares that our concern for God is ultimate, and our concern for civic and business leaders is secondary. You might say this makes praising God a subversive act.
   
   That last thought popped up in a seminar on a recent hymn text, "Rise, O Church, like Christ Arisen," by Susan Palo Cherwien. (Other hymns of hers include "Day of Arising" and "Beloved, God's Chosen.") Here's the first stanza of this sending hymn:
   "Rise, O church, like Christ arisen from this meal of love and grace; May we through such love envision whose we are, and whose, our praise. Alleluia, alleluia; God, the wonder of our days."
   
   The hymn's message is an ideal bridge from the celebration of Easter to Pentecost's emphasis on the Spirit-led church. As we learn this hymn to a couple different hymn tunes, may it better equip us to engage with the world once we exit the doors of our church!

4. JOIN THE CHURCH CHOIR!
   The brilliant Christian psychiatrist, Dr. Walter Menninger, said that singing in a church choir was very helpful to him. After an exhausting day at work, he found it inspirational and soothing to go to choir practice at his church. The music enabled him to put the stress of his day behind him, get in touch with something beautiful and holy, and end the day relaxed and uplifted.
   Ask a choir member what singing in a choir does for him or her. It's very likely that you'll find he or she gets great joy in serving the Lord through singing. And remember, also, there is wonderful fellowship among choir members. Singing in a choir is a good way to make new friends. Try it.
   TRINITY'S CHOIR PRACTICE RESTARTED, ON SEPTEMBER 6 at 8 PM UNDER THE DIRECTION OF JOSH LANGHOFF. NEW MEMBERS ARE WELCOME!
5. WANTED MORE BELL CHOIR MEMBERS!
   Bell Choir practice will restarted in ON SEPTEMBER 6 at 7:00 PM under the direction of Lea Langhoff. NEW MEMBERS WELCOME!