Six pastor’s representing the six Lutheran church on island came together with many of their members to celebrate the Reformation Day (Officially October 31st, 1517 when Martin Luther nailed the 95 thesis to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany to protest the abuses of the Bible that he saw in his church).
The service included a mass choir with singers from many of the churches. The service was accompanied by a brass ensemble and Karl Bachman playing the organ. Mitch Gowen from Our Savior, Aiea shared the Reformation message of how we live our lives within the grace of God, struggling in the balance of Scripture vs. human guesswork, Faith vs. luck, Grace vs. works, through Christ vs. me. Those gathered celebrated the Lord’s Supper and were sent out with the rousing music of A Mighty Fortress – singing the first verse in German.
After the service many settled into the fellowship hall for pupus and conversation.
A big thanks to all those church members from around Hawaii who made this a great service.
Pastors from left to right: Patrick Pooch, Messiah Ewa Beach; Shawn Hazel, Trinity Wahiawa; Bruce Betker, St. Mark Kaneohe; Mitch Gowen, Our Savior Aiea; William Shimkus, Our Redeemer Honolulu; Jeff Mueller, Good Shepherd Honolulu
The joint Reformation Service was beautiful and majestic. The music brought tears to my eyes! It was really fun singing the first verse of A Mighty Fortess in German it made the service seem very authentic. I love the idea of having all the LCMS churchs come together for a joint service. I can not wait for our next one!
Comment by mitty1 — October 30, 2007 @ 4:31 am
I agree, it was very special, the hymn singing was amazing; a joy I’ve taken into my week when I remember it. Hopefully next time an even bigger choir. Glad you were there.
Comment by trinityhawaii — October 30, 2007 @ 11:31 pm
[...] After a very successful first gathering of Oahu churches last year (Here’s the blog >> Oahu Lutherans Celebrate) the pastor’s have set the date for the next Island-wide Reformation [...]
Pingback by Oahu Lutheran’s Celebrate Together Again, Pastor’s Set Date « Trinity Lutheran Church and School Wahiawa — May 21, 2008 @ 10:21 pm
Could you share a copy of the service or the list of hymns? Looking for ideas for our service for this year. Thanks
Comment by Dee Ratke — September 29, 2009 @ 1:40 am