Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources and events from other organizations and institutions. These Lutheran and ecumenical partner organizations work alongside the ELCA to support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church. ELCA Worship also features resources from Augsburg Fortress Publishers in a monthly blog post.

Association of Lutheran Church Musicians

ALCM nurtures and equips musicians to serve and lead the church’s song.

Fall Webinar Series

October 23: Recruiting a Choir in a Post-COVID World, The Rev. Steven J. Basselman
November 13: Choosing Music for Smaller Ensembles, Dr. Marin Jacobson
December 4: Choral Rehearsal Techniques for Aging Voices, Andrew Peters

Vi Messerli Memorial Lectures in Church Music

 For All the Saints
October 18-20
Concordia University Chicago
River Forest, Illinois

Join us for another exiting year of celebrating the Church’s song at the Vi Messerli Memorial Lectures in Church Music. This year’s presenters include: Rev. Dr. Dien Ashley Taylor, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in the Bronx, NY and Atlantic District president (LCMS), Marin Jacobson, director of choral activities at Valparaiso University, the Kantorei from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, under the direction of Kantor Kevin Hildebrand, and a hymn festival led by Daniel Schwandt, now cantor at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, plus many practical and thought-provoking workshops.

The event will begin on Sunday afternoon with a stellar piano recital by the director of Concordia’s Preparatory and Community Music Program Katrina Sudman and Vincent Catalano.

The Lectures in Church Music website is www.CUCHICAGO.EDU/LCM26 If you wish, you can access the brochure here. Online registration is available here and within links in the brochure.

Registration fees are provided on page 9 of the brochure. Please note that the early registration fees apply until September 15. A limited number of scholarships are available to college students and those new to church music. Bring a friend to Lectures and get $25 off the registration when each of you registers! Please use the code FRIEND2026.

Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival

Transforming and connecting lives through faith and music since 1981.

New Free Sheet Music from Lutheran Summer Music
Download Kingsfold, a new set of theme-and-variations for solo instrument and keyboard by Anne Krentz Organ. The third offering in the LSM Hymn Tune Project, Kingsfold is based on the beloved English folk tune associated with a wide range of hymn texts. Available for a variety of solo instruments and keyboard, the work may be performed in its entirety or as individual movements.

 Preview and download for free.

Center for Church Music

The Center for Church Music, on the campus of Concordia University Chicago, provides ongoing research and educational resources in Lutheran church music.

 Introduction to the Center for Church Music

Music that Makes Community

Rooted in Christian contemplative and activist traditions, Music That Makes Community envisions a liberative culture that empowers individuals and communities to claim and use the power of singing to heal our spirits, nurture our common lives, and work for justice.

What is Music that Makes Community?

Music that Makes Community focuses on fostering connection, spiritual engagement, and shared leadership through the practice of singing together. The organization emphasizes paperless song leading, a method where participants learn and share songs without printed music, promoting oral tradition and active participation. Explore the website to learn about workshops and retreats as well as online and community events. Song resources for singing in community are available for public use.

“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here.

Prayer Prompts:
For peace and reconciliation among the nations, especially in Iran, Gaza, Yemen, South Sudan, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Ukraine, and Myanmar…
For the state of Hawai’i in the aftermath of Hurricane Lowell…
For immigrant communities across the United States…
For the wildfires in Indonesia and all those affected by natural disasters…
For the families of 24 children killed in a school fire in east Congo…
For casualties following a cargo ship fire in eastern China and a ferry fire in the Philippines…
For the United States as it commemorates the 25th anniversary of 9/11…

Events & Observances:
September Observances: National Suicide Prevention Month
Peter Claver, priest, missionary to Colombia, died 1654 (Sept 9)
Patriot Day (Sept 11)
Rosh Hoshana (Judaism, Sept 12)
John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople, died 407 (Sept 13)
Holy Cross Day (Sept 14)
Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, martyr, died around 258 (Sept 16)
Hildegard, Abbess of Bingen, died 1179 (Sept 17)

Prayers from ELCA Resources:
A prayer for faithful living in society(ACS)
God, our gracious giver, your Son Jesus taught us that where our treasure is there our hearts will be also. Teach us to love people more than money, relationships more than things, and you above all, that the way we live will reflect what we truly value and believe. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who emptied himself in love for us, and now reigns with you and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

A prayer for commerce and labor(ELW)
Almighty God, your Son Jesus Christ dignified our labor by sharing our toil. Guide us with your justice in the workplace, so that we may never value things above people, or surrender honor to love of gain or lust for power. Prosper all efforts to put an end to work that brings no joy, and teach us how to govern the ways of business to the harm of none and for the sake of the common good; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer and worship resources for the 25th anniversary of 9/11 are available here.

—

ELW = Evangelical Lutheran Worship
ACS = All Creation Sings: Evangelical Lutheran Worship Supplement

Additional topical prayers are found in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (pp. 72–87) and All Creation Sings (pp. 46–55), as well as in other resources provided in print and online at sundaysandseasons.com.

Crafted intercessions for every Sunday and festival are provided in the Sundays and Seasons worship planning guide published in-print and online by Augsburg Fortress. Further assistance for composing prayers of intercession can be found here: Resources for Crafting Prayers of Intercession

Prayer Ventures, a daily prayer resource, is a guide to prayer for the global, social and outreach ministries of the ELCA, as well as for the needs and circumstances of our neighbors, communities and world.

Augsburg Fortress is the publishing ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources from Augsburg Fortress Publishers that support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church. 

Sundays and Seasons Music Leader Module

Deluxe subscribers may now enhance their SundaysandSeasons.com experience by adding the Music Leader Module. This module allows subscribers to download accompaniment files for the hymns in Evangelical Lutheran Worship and All Creation Sings, and the accompaniments for Psalter for Worship (A, B, and C) and Psalm Settings for the Church Year. At launch, the accompaniments for ELW’s ten settings of Holy Communion will also be available. The accompaniments for Holy Communion liturgies from All Creation Sings and the Service of the Word and Daily Prayer liturgies from ELW will soon follow.

Outside the Lectionary

Many music planning tools are built around the lectionary, helping worship leaders select music that complements the appointed Scripture readings. Yet the life of the church includes many meaningful occasions that do not fit neatly within the lectionary calendar. To support those services, we’ve gathered choral, organ, and piano suggestions for six themes that regularly arise throughout the year. Use code MOREMUSIC26 to receive 15% off these titles!

Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Pastoral Care

This compact volume contains prayers, readings, and rites for use in a variety of situations and occasions, including expanded prayers and resources for life passages. Lay persons as well as clergy will find support here for their ministries of caring. Also available as an eBook.

Embodying Confidence and Grace: A Handbook for Presiding Ministers

In a grace–filled manner, Callista Isabelle offers wise counsel on how presiding ministers plan, prepare, preside, and then reflect on the assembly’s worship. The author encourages presiding ministers to carefully prepare their voices, bodies, and spirits as a sign of respect to the assembly to whom they have been called. They are invited to approach this calling with care and humility so that they can be fully present and confident in their abilities to lead and serve.

Fall Webinar Series

September 22, 11 a.m. CST,
Small Choir Toolkit: Versatile Music for Unison, 2-part and SAB Choir
David Sims, presenter

October 22, 11 a.m. CST,

Singing for a Lifetime: Rediscovering and Cultivating the Potential of the Aging Voice
Jennaya Robison, presenter

November 10, 11 a.m. CST,
A Dazzling Bouquet: Songs on the Path of Justice and Community
Bret Hesla, presenter

Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources and events from other organizations and institutions. These Lutheran and ecumenical partner organizations work alongside the ELCA to support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church. ELCA Worship also features resources from Augsburg Fortress Publishers in a monthly blog post.

Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival

Transforming and connecting lives through faith and music since 1981.

Missed LSM This Summer? Watch on Demand

The LSM 2026 season may be over, but the inspiring music continues online.

Watch more than 40 concerts, worship services, recitals, and special events from this summer whenever it’s convenient for you. Catch up on the performances you missed or experience your favorite moments. Enjoy the Bach Cantata Eucharist, Festival of Hymns, plus performances by the Festival Band, Choir, and Orchestra, and many more joyful moments from this summer’s season. Visit our website to browse the replays and start watching today with LSM On Demand!

Association of Lutheran Church Musicians

ALCM nurtures and equips musicians to serve and lead the church’s song.

Fall Webinar Series

October 23: Recruiting a Choir in a Post-COVID World, The Rev. Steven J. Basselman
November 13: Choosing Music for Smaller Ensembles, Dr. Marin Jacobson
December 4: Choral Rehearsal Techniques for Aging Voices, Andrew Peters

Vi Messerli Memorial Lectures in Church Music

 For All the Saints
October 18-20
Concordia University Chicago
River Forest, Illinois

Join us for another exiting year of celebrating the Church’s song at the Vi Messerli Memorial Lectures in Church Music. This year’s presenters include: Rev. Dr. Dien Ashley Taylor, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in the Bronx, NY and Atlantic District president (LCMS), Marin Jacobson, director of choral activities at Valparaiso University, the Kantorei from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, under the direction of Kantor Kevin Hildebrand, and a hymn festival led by Daniel Schwandt, now cantor at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, plus many practical and thought-provoking workshops.

The event will begin on Sunday afternoon with a stellar piano recital by the director of Concordia’s Preparatory and Community Music Program Katrina Sudman and Vincent Catalano.

The Lectures in Church Music website is www.CUCHICAGO.EDU/LCM26 If you wish, you can access the brochure here. Online registration is available here and within links in the brochure.

Registration fees are provided on page 9 of the brochure. Please note that the early registration fees apply until September 15. A limited number of scholarships are available to college students and those new to church music. Bring a friend to Lectures and get $25 off the registration when each of you registers! Please use the code FRIEND2026.

The Church Music Institute

The Church Music Institute is dedicated to the advancement and stewardship of the best liturgical and sacred music for Christian worship, serving clergy, musicians and congregants. Offerings include educational workshops and courses, inspirational festivals of church music, newsletters addressing current issues in church music, and online and print resources.

Invitation to Early Career Church Musicians: Apply for the Dr. Paul Lindsley Thomas Society

The Paul Lindsley Thomas Society benefits trained musicians who want to further their understanding of church music.  Membership is by application, asking respondents to react to the document “Aspiring to the Ideals of Paul Lindsley Thomas” as they view their own calling as church musicians.

Accepted applicants will enjoy monthly online meetings with other early career church musicians to share and learn about church music, admission to online and in-person CMI events, and complimentary CMI membership to access the 65,000 title choral and organ libraries. Apply at HERE and email a resume to info@churchmusicinstitute.org, include “PLT Application” in subject line.

Submission Deadline:  September 1, 2026

Augsburg Fortress is the publishing ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources from Augsburg Fortress Publishers that support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church. ELCA Worship also features resources from other partners in a monthly blog post.

Calendar of Word and Season: Sundays and Seasons, Year B 2027

Celebrate the church year through the vibrant art of Kelly Latimore. This beautiful full-color wall calendar combines inspiring contemporary iconography with practical tools for worship planning and daily life. Featuring striking artwork by acclaimed iconographer Kelly Latimore, each month invites reflection on faith, justice, and the presence of God in the world around us. Alongside stunning artwork, the calendar identifies church festivals, U.S. and Canadian holidays, and includes all Revised Common Lectionary readings for Sundays and major church festivals throughout the year. Spiral-bound and punched for hanging.

Around the Circle: Celebrating the Church Year

Around the Circle invites young children to join the journey through the seasons of the church year. Season by season, the rich colors and meaningful symbols help young readers get to know these special times, how they connect to the story of Jesus, and to their own lives.

Evangelical Lutheran Worship Occasional Services for the Assembly

Occasional Services for the Assembly is the second volume of services, readings, and prayers in the Evangelical Lutheran Worship family, complementing Pastoral Care. Commended for use by the ELCA Church Council in 2009, this book contains more than 60 services and 200 prayers relating to congregational life that are normally used in the gathering of God’s people for worship. Featuring a durable hardcover format and ribbons, the volume is designed to be suitable for use in public worship. Also available as an eBook.

Evangelical Lutheran Worship Large Print Text Edition

Make worship more accessible to your congregants! This large-print edition of Evangelical Lutheran Worship provides the pew edition text (words only) of weekly liturgies, daily prayer services, assembly song, psalms, service music, and hymns in standard large-print type (18-point, sans serif font) and formatting. Packaged in three shrink-wrapped sets of pages in an 8 ½ x 11” size, three-hole punched. Each set begins with a title page and table of contents. Designed for storage in three one-inch binders and for assembling selected pages into a single binder for use during worship.

Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources and events from other organizations and institutions. These Lutheran and ecumenical partner organizations work alongside the ELCA to support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church. ELCA Worship also features resources from Augsburg Fortress Publishers in a monthly blog post.

Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival

Transforming and connecting lives through faith and music since 1981.

THIS WEEK! Join us online through Live from LSM and enjoy more than 30 free concerts, recitals, and worship services streamed live from Lutheran Summer Music at St. Olaf College.

Highlights include a special guest performance by Cantus, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, the Bach Cantata Eucharist, the Festival of Hymns, and joyful performances by the Festival Band, Choir, and Orchestra.

View the full schedule and watch live at LSMacademy.org/calendar

The Church Music Institute

The Church Music Institute is dedicated to the advancement and stewardship of the best liturgical and sacred music for Christian worship, serving clergy, musicians and congregants. Offerings include educational workshops and courses, inspirational festivals of church music, newsletters addressing current issues in church music, and online and print resources.

Invitation to Early Career Church Musicians: Apply for the Dr. Paul Lindsley Thomas Society

The Paul Lindsley Thomas Society benefits trained musicians who want to further their understanding of church music.  Membership is by application, asking respondents to react to the document “Aspiring to the Ideals of Paul Lindsley Thomas” as they view their own calling as church musicians.

Accepted applicants will enjoy monthly online meetings with other early career church musicians to share and learn about church music, admission to online and in-person CMI events, and complimentary CMI membership to access the 65,000 title choral and organ libraries. Apply at HERE and email a resume to info@churchmusicinstitute.org, include “PLT Application” in subject line.

Submission Deadline:  September 1, 2026

Association of Lutheran Church Musicians

ALCM nurtures and equips musicians to serve and lead the church’s song.

ALCM  2026 Conference “Now and Forever”

St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn.
Celebrating the 1986 ALCM Constituting Convention
Overlapping with Lutheran Summer Music’s Festival Week!
Featuring Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Bach Collegium Valparaiso, Christopher M. Cock, artistic director. (Made possible through generous support provided by Pauline and John Kiltinen.

Day registration is still available.