Oktoberfest!
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
109 South Elm Street
Kewanee, Illinois
October 4-6, 2015 (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday)
The Twentieth—Twentieth!—Annual Oktoberfest! and Gottesdienst Central will be hosting the Rev. Richard
Stuckwisch, PhD, Pastor at Emmaus Lutheran Church in South Bend, Indiana.
The question of the Eucharistic sacrifice is a
critical ingredient in the Lutheran understanding of worship. Pastor Stuckwisch
happens to be an expert among us on the matter. He became
interested in the Lutheran confession of Eucharistic sacrifice in the course of
his STM studies at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne. He explored this
further in his doctoral work at the University of Notre Dame, where he investigated
the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship, focusing especially on the
development and discussion of the Eucharistic rites of the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982). His PhD research was published in 2011 under the title, Philip Melanchthon and the Lutheran Confession
of Eucharistic Sacrifice. His topic
for this conference is
“Eucharistic Sacrifice and Eucharistic
Prayer in Theology and Practice”
The event begins Sunday the 4th with Choral
Vespers at 5 p.m. Following the service is our annual bratwurst banquet. When
everyone has had their fill of brats and beer, Dr. Stuckwisch will give a synopsis
of his Monday seminar. Following the banquet is the after-the-party party, at
Pastor Eckardt’s home, where, as always, a gaggle of the editors of Gottesdienst will
be milling about.
On Monday,
October 5th, the day begins with Mass at 9:00 a.m., with Rev. Fr. Michael Frese
from Redeemer in Fort Wayne, Indiana, as our special guest preacher. Following Mass
and a continental breakfast, Fr. Stuckwisch will hold forth for the rest of the
day, in two sessions running until about 2:45, followed by Vespers.
On Tuesday,
October 6th, the conference will continue in the same format, with discussion
of a new video project Gottesdienst is
planning, showing the rubrics of the Divine Service, with Fr. Eckardt, pastor
at St. Paul’s, holding forth. The Tuesday sessions will be framed by morning
low Mass (spoken Divine Service) and Vespers.
REGISTRATION: $40 per person, $60 per couple, students $20 —
includes Sunday banquet and Monday continental; no charge for children with
parents. Register by email (b.f.eckardt@gmail.com)
or call 309-852- 2461 and leave your name, address, and which
days you plan to attend. You may pay the registration fee when you arrive. Lodging:
AmericInn. 309-856-7200. Special
rate $97.66 (mention Oktoberfest when you register, by September 14th);
Aunt Daisy’s B & B, 888-422-4148;
Quality Inn, 309-853-8800; Days Inn (Sheffield), 815-454-2361; Best Western
(Annawan), 309-935-6565; Kewanee Motor Lodge, 309-853-4000.
