Our Worship Matters Series begins next week! This five-session introductory course has been developed to help participants grow into a richer understanding of the foundations of Lutheran worship. With a focus on the principle gathering around word and sacrament, this course explores the foundational questions of why we gather, how we encounter God in worship, and how that encounter shapes our response in both our communities and our world. Topics include the Church Year, the Lectionary, Holy Baptism, Holy Communion, Corporate Prayer, Worship and Culture, and more.

The same lesson will be held twice a week, beginning with the Thursday meeting. Feel free to come to either session and alternate between groups!


Thursdays at 6:30PM: April 18, 25, May 2, 9, 16
Sundays at 5:00PM: April 21, 28, May 5, 19

There will be no meeting on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 12.
The Sunday group will have its fourth session on Saturday, May 11, at 5:00PM.

Sessions will be held either in the Sanctuary/Lorenz Chapel at church or in participant homes. If you would be interested in hosting a session in your home, please contact Jennifer Doerr.

Potluck food and drinks will be offered. Please look for the sign-up sheets in the sanctuary.

Many thanks to Jim Noyes for making this available to all!

“Why do you think there are so many references in the Bible to food and actions associated with eating and drinking?” (Feeding the Flock by Russell Chandler.)

If you spend some time thinking about why food is mentioned in the Bible, you’ll probably find yourself coming up with several answers, and perhaps those various answers will then take your thoughts in many directions. That’s exactly what happened over dinner tables this autumn when small groups from OSA gathered together for the Food & Scripture studies. We found our conversations traveling down many paths to discover the meanings of food references in the Bible.

The Swell Division of the organ at OSA is nearing completion.  This is the section which occupies the chamber upstairs to the left of the altar, more or less unseen from the sanctuary.  (The original OSA organ was entirely located in this space.)  Its expressive capacity is augmented by a series of shades, which the organist controls from the console.  Opening or closing these makes possible a dramatic range of dynamics from soft to loud.  Inside the chamber are two brand new windchests, one above the other, which support a large variety of colorful sounding pipes (770 to be exact) and rise to a total of about 25 feet.   Some are made from wood, and some from metal, and come from different sources, including the original Moller Organ of 1929. 

Each pipe has been meticulously worked on in the shop of Lawrence Trupiano in order to speak as well as possible and also blend with all of the pipework as a whole.  In addition, all of the wiring required between the playing console downstairs and the new chests upstairs is new, as is the solid state relay which (with a little help from the organist) makes the right notes play at the right time.  More joyful noise is coming soon to OSA!

A month spent in England would not be complete without a stop at the Lawless family compound.  I was in London to write, to experience the culture, the Olympics, and of course, a home cooked meal from Lois Ann.  My class and I were staying in London, so finding the time and the energy to take the 45 minute train ride to Banbury was hard, but well worth it. 

    Aboard the train I told them stories about Domingo Gordo, Christmas, and the amazing garden Lois Ann had built.  Cassie and Joanna, my travel mates, are Agnostic and Conservative Jewish History majors (respectively) – so I knew they would have plenty to talk to Barrie about.  We met them at the train station, the couple just as bright and warm as always, I no longer felt like a stranger in a foreign country.

These images and more are available at WHIN's Facebook page!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/WHIN-Music-Project/140364006103392