Worship Resources and Events

Download the most recent version of Worship News. | View in your browser.

November 2021

Come and open our tomorrow for your joyful reign so near. Take away all human sorrow; give us hope against our fear. “Come to Be Our Hope, O Jesus” (All Creation Sings 904) As we approach the end of one church year and the beginning of the next, the final phrase of a hymn by Jaci Maraschin encapsulates my prayer: “Give us hope against our fear.” In an October interview for the podcast “On Being,” atmospheric scientist and evangelical Christian Katharine Hayhoe shares her reasons for hope amid the immense challenges of our time. Interviewer Krista Tippett calls this hope “muscular hope” rather than a naïve optimism. Hayhoe notes that one of her favorite Scripture passages is 2 Timothy: “God has not given you a spirit of fear” (1:7). Instead, we are given a spirit of power and of love. The gifts we have been given empower us to act as agents for change in the world. This Advent brings several reasons for hope: children can soon receive vaccinations for COVID-19, many congregations are gathering again in person, families look forward to holiday celebrations. Yet humanity grieves losses and experiences great suffering and forms of oppression, as does the planet itself. As this is being written, people from around the world, including over a dozen from the ELCA, are meeting in Glasgow for the climate change summit. How will those attending encourage all of us to have the kind of “muscular hope” needed to address climate change? For two new hymns in All Creation Sings that address this, see “Can You Feel the Seasons Turning” and “Abba, Abba, Hear Us” among others in the “Lament” and “Creation” sections. To encourage our connection to the land on which we gather, see resource links below for including land acknowledgments in worship. Blessings as you move into this new year, living more fully into the hope and love to which we are called. In Christ, our Hope, Deacon Jennifer Baker-Trinity Program Manager, Worship Resource Development All Creation Sings Additional resources to support All Creation Sings (ACS) are now available for purchase or preorder. You may purchase the eBook, Ensemble Setting of Holy Communion (Setting 12) or the Enlarged Print Edition. The Guitar Accompaniment Edition is available for preorder and will be released later this fall. The All Creation Sings webpage is still your destination to learn more about this liturgy-and-song supplement to Evangelical Lutheran Worship. There you will find teaching materials including reproducible graphics, videos of hymns and songs, audio recordings of all the liturgical music in Settings 11 and 12, over a dozen blog posts, and recordings of webinars that were held earlier this year. Frequently Asked Questions Several new or revised FAQs are available: “How Is Language Used in Worship?” addresses language more generally. “What Is Meant by Inclusive and Expansive Language in Worship” focuses on more specific questions. “Can We Alter the Language of Hymns and Songs?” brings our awareness to the various factors at play when considering the words we sing. “How Do We Craft Prayers of Intercession?” provides background and other helpful information to assist congregations as they prepare prayers for worship each week. Resources for Land Acknowledgement The ELCA American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal Nations desk has provided a helpful guide to practicing land acknowledgements. It includes examples of statements that you can speak at the beginning of every worship service, print at the top of worship bulletins, use to create outdoor signage, and more. Including such acknowledgements follows our commitment as a church as part of “A Declaration of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to American Indian and Alaska Native People.” Resources in Spanish newly available on sundaysandseasons.com Evangelical Lutheran Worship Holy Communion Setting Seven is now available to “Sundays and Seasons” subscribers. It can be accessed in English and Spanish, English only, and Spanish only in both the library and the planner. Also available in the planner are the prayers of the day in Spanish for year C, which begins Nov. 28. World AIDS Day is observed annually on Dec. 1. ELCA Worship provides a World AIDS Day resource with litanies, prayers and Scripture, and hymn suggestions. Learn more about ELCA involvement in HIV and AIDS ministry. Guidance for Safe Worship Practices “Care-filled Worship and Sacramental Life in a Lingering Pandemic” is a comprehensive update from the Consultation on Ecumenical Protocols for Worship, Fellowship, and Sacramental Practices. Incorporating the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, this update informs decision-making and basic practices of Christian worship and congregational life. The ELCA has been a partner in this consultation throughout the pandemic. Also available in Spanish.

Resources and Events 2022 ALCM Summer Conference Valparaiso University July 18-21, 2022 “From Generation to Generation” is a continuing education conference for church musicians and worship leaders, held in conjunction with the 2022 Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival. It will feature, from Leipzig, Germany, Calmus, who will sing an all J.S. Bach concert, and other choral music during worship. Also participating: Cantus and organist Martin Jean. Early registration is open now through Jan. 15, 2022. Association of Lutheran Church Musicians Body, Mind, Spirit, Voice — Our Calling as Pastoral Musicians Friday, Jan. 14, 2022, 2 p.m. (Eastern time) Start off the new year with a free webinar featuring Dr. Anton Armstrong, Tosdal Professor of Music at St. Olaf College. More details and registration can be found on the ALCM website. Editor Position Available ALCM is seeking a high-achieving contract employee to fill remote responsibilities as editor of CrossAccent, the journal of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. Volumes explore helpful topics for today’s Lutheran music directors including in the areas of theology, musicology, hymnology, sociology, liturgy and history. The editor is responsible for complete development and production of the three-issue-per-year publication. Exceptional candidates email cover letter and resume to jimrindelaub@alcm.org with "CrossAccent APPLICATION" in the subject line. Please indicate potential interest/availability as an interim editor. Position available immediately to begin production on the spring 2022 issue. View job description. Institute of Liturgical Studies “Kyrie and Gloria in Liturgy and Life” April 25-27, 2022 The Institute of Liturgical Studies is pleased to announce its next gathering, April 25-27, 2022, on the campus of Valparaiso University: “Kyrie and Gloria in Liturgy and Life.” The plenaries, seminars, workshops, and liturgies will explore such topics as liturgy, music, and preaching amid traumas, tensions, and trials; the nature and meaning of assembly; and creative opportunities that emerge during crisis and uncertainty. Learn more about the institute’s 2022 offering. Lutheran Summer Music 2022 Valparaiso University June 26–July 24, 2022 Lutheran Summer Music (LSM) is thrilled to announce that Anne Krentz Organ will join the 2022 composition faculty. A prolific composer of liturgical and other sacred music, she is the primary composer for Holy Communion Setting 12 in the new All Creation Sings hymnal supplement. Anne returns to LSM having previously served as organist and handbell choir director, also teaching classes on church music and hymnody. Read more about Anne Krentz Organ HERE and join LSM in welcoming her back to work with the next generation of church musicians. Do you know a young musician in your congregation who would thrive at LSM? Now is the time to nominate them for LSM 2022. Students who plan on attending both LSM and the 2022 ELCA Youth Gathering can opt into a group travel plan from Valparaiso to Minneapolis on July 24. Learn more HERE! Music that Makes Community (MMC) While online programming continues this fall and winter, MMC looks forward to resuming in-person events in 2022. Stay tuned for regional events as MMC plans several small workshops around North America, starting in February. Morning Grounding continues to gather each Monday at 10 a.m. Eastern time. MMC’s newest offering, Composing Ourselves, concludes in early December with a second cohort beginning early in the new year. For upcoming events, visit their community calendar to find a listing of online and in-person gatherings. Looking for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany music? Visit their song resources, blog or YouTube channel!

Worship resources from Augsburg Fortress Music Sourcebook: All Saints Through Transfiguration Ensemble Setting of Holy Communion (Setting 12) Soli Deo Gloria: Choir Devotions for Year C Praying the Catechism, Revised and Expanded Edition

Connect with Us

You have received this email as a member or supporter of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. To ensure that you continue to receive these emails, please add worship@ELCA.org to your address book or safe list. © Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago, IL 60631-4101 800-638-3522 Home | Privacy | Unsubscribe

 .