Local Pastor Elected National Chairman

At the October meeting of the Commission on Worship of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, the Rev Dr Gregory J. Wismar, pastor of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Newtown, was elected to serve as chairman for the coming triennium.

Pastor Wismar is currently beginning his fourth three-year term on the commission, which directs the worship life of the 2.8 million-member Synod and provides it with worship resources and learning opportunities. The current major project being completed by the commission is the issuance of a new hymnal, Lutheran Service Book.

Over the past years, Pastor Wismar has been involved in many areas of the hymnal project, including the writing, editing, and translating of hymns and the composing of prayers that will be included in the new resource. The target date for the release of the Lutheran Service Book and it supporting materials is November 2006.

Composed of seven members appointed by the president of the Synod, the commission includes church professionals and laypeople from across the nation. Also elected at the October meeting were Lutheran teacher Allen Loesel of St Charles, Mo., as vice-chairman and the Rev William Otte of Rochester, Minn., as secretary. One of the first worship education activities to be supervised by the new commission will be an Institute on Worship, Preaching and Church Music, which will be held on the campus of Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis., from July 26 to 29.