Are you excited about worship?

While in Minnesota once I ran across some paperwork from the WELS Worship Conference held on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter.  It was most impressive.  But what was even more impressive was the fact that they had perhaps a thousand in attendance -- a goodly percentage of the parishes and pastors of that church body represented for this national worship conference of their church.  Now I do not know what the registration is for the LCMS Worship Conference in Seward but it is nowhere near the percentages of the WELS Conference. 

Of course there are probably many reasons why a larger proportion of the WELS pastors and worship leaders attend than LCMS do.  We might be able to explain it so that it might even make us feel better about it all.  My point here is that our Synod has put together worship conferences of amazing quality and breadth.  Did you even peruse the booklet of major speakers, break outs, and smaller sessions?  If you did you would have found a most impressive gathering of experts, teachers, and passionate participants in the worship life of parish and individual for our church.  The cost was reasonable -- I would say cheap!!  The setting easy and comfortable.  The facilities well suited to the gathering.  The planning was extraordinary.  If you were not there, you should have been.  You missed a marvelous experience that made a far deeper impact upon me than I did it.

There will be another one in three years.  I am telling you this so that you will start setting aside the time, start saving the dollars, and start encouraging your friends and acquaintances to join you in the premier practicum on worship in the entire Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.  I attended the Valpo Institute for many years until it seemed captive to the ELCA and its worship direction.  I have attended a host of other worship gatherings over the years (from District Pastoral Conferences to national seminars) and the event in Seward has far out shined any and all competitors.

It is coming again.  Do not miss it NEXT time.  And if you were not there this year, find somebody who was and hear about the excitement for worship that permeated every session, seminar, and service at Seward in July 2014.  Thanks go to Chaplain Will Weedon, Sandy Bowers, and the whole crew for putting on a most impressive and substantial conference!