CHICAGO FOLK SERVICE. We use this modern folk setting for the liturgy incorporating congregational musicians who play guitar, keyboard, flute and clarinet for a vibrant service; monthly during June through August and every 6 weeks during September to May.

HEALING SERVICE. Healing services which allow time for private prayer consultations during Communion are held twice a year. The next healing service will be Sunday, October 21 (both services), to honor St. Luke.

ALL SAINTS SUNDAY. “With all the choirs of angels, with all the faithful of every time and every place, we praise your name and join their unending hymn,” proclaims the presiding minister in the great thanksgiving.  On the festival of All Saints we remember with thanksgiving those who have lived and died in the faith. We especially remember those who have died since last November and will honor them by reading out their names and lighting candles.

40th ORDINATION ANNIVERSARY OF DR. LARRY NEEB. This year we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the ordination of our congregation member Dr. Larry Neeb. Born in Austin, Texas, he studied at Concordia College in Austin, Concordia Sr. College in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Harvard, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and Eden Seminary where he received his doctorate in 1975.

After his ordination at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Ft. Wayne, IN, he became a part of the faculty of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. While there he also served for five years as Youth Minister (part-time) and later as vacancy pastor (part-time) at Concordia Lutheran Church, Maplewood, MO.

Larry was in the group of faculty and students who formed Christ Seminary-Seminex in 1976 and served there as Director of Seminary Relations and later as General Manager of ELIM, a support agency for Seminex.

When Christ Seminary moved to Chicago in the mid-eighties, Larry stayed in St. Louis to work full time as President of Creative Communications for the Parish, Inc., which he founded in 1976. Creative Communications serves 80,000 congregations across all denominational lines in the U.S. and in seven foreign countries. Creative's main publications are in the field of liturgy and devotions. Creative also offers many other publications and products to support parish ministry. Creative has also published many of the writings or our own late Dr. Arden Mead. Pastor Mead was Creative's first, and as Larry says "best ever" author. At the beginning of this century Creative built its own 46,000 square foot building in Fenton, MO.

Looking forward to retirement in 2007 Larry sold Creative Communications to Bayard, a large Catholic (and ecumenical) publishing company headquartered in Paris, France. After working three more years for Bayard as President of Creative, Larry retired at the end of June this year.