Deacon Thomas Winninger and Lynn Trapp, a musician, composer and liturgist at St. Olaf Catholic Church in Minneapolis, are combining their skills and talents to welcome church musicians, clergy and artists of liturgical environment to the Upper Midwest Conference on Worship, Music and Homiletics Sept. 28-29 at the church.
“Ours is a much simpler itinerary and format [than similar conferences], yet with the same quality presenters. So, anybody in 24 hours can learn, study, engage and network with other people in the same course orientations that some liturgical conferences take four to five days to do,” said Deacon Winninger.
Trapp said the conference is designed to appeal to all Christian denominations, with its depth and content coming from a strong Catholic presence.
“The crossover is rooted at the intersection of our faith in one Lord and our determination to offer our best quality worship to God,” he said.
Varied topics
Deacon Winninger, an internationally recognized speaker and author, presents on two items during the conference. His first session on Sept. 28 focuses on engaging people in liturgical work.
“How do we as worship leaders engage volunteers and people in serving in the liturgies and how do we lead them as volunteers to not only participate but to grow in their own spiritual engagement?” he said.
His second session on Sept. 29 focuses on convergence of homiletics, which Deacon Winninger defined as “preparing in a pattern that brings preaching to a convergence with the word and music.”
Trapp will present sessions on “Principles of Keyboard Leadership” (Sept. 28) and “Organ Repertoire for the Church Year” (Sept. 29).
The conference also will feature a mix of other theological and musical workshops taught by respected faculty to challenge participants’ perspectives and build techniques.
Conference organizers hope that it will grow into an annual event that addresses the needs of pastoral ministers without being product- industry- or institution-driven.
Sept. 15 is the last day to register for the entire conference or individual sessions.
If you go
- What: Upper Midwest Conference on Worship, Music and Homiletics
- When: Sept. 28 and 29
- Where: St. Olaf, Minneapolis
- For more information, to register or to view a list of other presenters, visit www.conferenceonworship.org.
