Announcing! 

Novemberfest and a Gottesdienst Conference

St. John’s Lutheran Church, Mattoon, Illinois

Sunday evening and Monday, November 14-15, 2021

When we heard that the Fall CID Pastors’ Conference is not being held this year, we did some thinking.

Oktoberfest is not being held this year either, in Kewanee, Illinois.

St. Michael Conference in Detroit also not being held this year.

Some pastors have not been to conference in two years. Two years!

Something had to be done. And so we did it. Here’s something fabulous we have organized to provide you with the conference you wanted: Novemberfest and Gottesdienst Central.

Conference theme:          Reactions to Persecution

In an age of mounting animosity toward the Christian Church in our society, this conference aims to get pastors and laypeople thinking about how we might respond appropriately to such things.

For the seminar on Monday we are pleased to welcome the Rev. Dr. Adam Koontz (pictured left), Assistant Professor at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana as our keynote speaker. Dr. Koontz was recently added to our ranks as a Gottedienst blogger. He’ll be speaking on “Reactions to Persecution in the Early Church.” We’ll also hear from Rev. Jason Braaten (pictured right), our editor known for producing The Gottesdienst Crowd, our weekly podcast. Pastor Braaten will speak on “Temptations amid Persecution: Distraction and Indifference." The day-long seminar on Monday will open with Divine Service at 9:00 a.m. at St. John’s.

Here’s a chance to spend some quality time with fellow Lutherans and pastors who have been missing District Conferences for up to two years. So join us for some good times!

PLEASE REGISTER BY NOVEMBER 1ST!

Lodging options:         

Hampton Inn 1416 Broadway Ave East, Mattoon, IL 61938 (217) 234-4267

Comfort Suites 1408 Broadway Ave, Mattoon, IL 61938 (217) 619-0480

Holiday Inn Express & Suites 121 Swords Dr, Mattoon, IL 61938 (217) 235-2060

Quality Inn & Suites 4922 Paradise Rd, Mattoon, IL 61938 (217) 295-2190

Super 8 by Wyndham 205 McFall Rd, Mattoon, IL 61938 (217) 610-8264

And here’s an important BONUS: This Conference will be sandwiched between two evenings of Novemberfest: It all begins on Sunday evening, when Gottesdienst will be hosting a Picnic, Biergarten, and Gemütlichkeit under a heated tent at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tuscola, a half hour up the road from St. John’s, beginning at 5ish. And then on Monday after Vespers we’ll have a pizza party at St. John’s, followed by more of the Biergarten and Gemütlichkeit at Immanuel.