~ Second Annual ~
Festival of Christian Arts and Culture
Friday—Sunday + April 5 – 7
Friday: 6:30 PM Vespers 7:00 PM Jonathan Schkade, Children’s Author
Saturday: 12 Noon Tour of Zion, Art & Stained Glass
Sunday: 3:00 PM Organ Concert Janette Fishell, Bach Specialist
Zion Lutheran Church 709 N. 6th Street + Wausau, Wisconsin
Friday, April 5: Vespers and Author Jonathan Schkade
Opening Worship, 6:30 PM
Festival opens with Vespers in Zion’s Chapel on Friday night. The event will then continue with our first presentation:
Author Jonathan Schkade, 7:00 PM
Children’s author and devotional writer, Mr. Schkade has published Arch Books and such memorable titles as “Icky Sticky Hairy Scary Bible Stories” as well as devotional volumes for Concordia Publishing. With books in tow, Mr. Schkade will share the dynamics of faith in his writing.
Saturday, April 6: The Beauty of God’s House at Zion
Tours of Zion, 12 & 3 PM Invite friends to learn about the faith through Zion’s art, architecture, and stained glass.
Dedication of Plaque, 3:30 PM Celebrate Zion’s designation on the Wisconsin Historical Registry with a public dedication.
Architectural Historian, Traci E. Schnell, 3:45 PM Ms. Schnell assisted Zion in reaching its historical designation. She will speak on its process and value for our community. Light refreshments will be served.
Sunday, April 7: More with Mr. Schkade and Organ Concert
Sunday School, around 10:15 AM
The children will enjoy a special presentation with Mr. Schkade.
Organ Concert, 3:00 PM
Internationally renown organist Dr. Janette Fishell, professor for the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, will present a concert featuring the works of Lutheran kantor J. S. Bach. A reception hosted by the ladies of Zion will follow.
This festival has a Gospel thrust: to demonstrate the sanctifying power of God’s Word and Spirit in the beauty and cultural life of His Church. Come and share in the joy!
Why a Festival?
It keeps in step with Scripture. “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:6). When the Lord breathed life into man, He endowed our human race with varied skills and gifts. Now, in the Spirit-breathed Church of His Son, He gathers all of those talents into His praise: “And into the city [Zion!] will be brought the glory and honor of the nations” (Rev. 21:26).
It is good soul care. Beauty and harmony are essential for the health of the human soul. Over against a world hell-bent towards disorder and harm, a Festival of Christian Arts and Culture demonstrates how the redeeming Word of God not only inspires such beauty and harmony, but even makes it a source of Gospel-comfort and proclamation for everyone. It turns artistic talent into healing balm.
It is good evangelism. We may think of human experience has having three spheres: truth, beauty, and goodness. People are accustomed to the Church engaging truth (teaching, doctrine) and goodness (morality, charity), but rarely think of it engaging beauty (arts, literature). This hampers the Church’s outreach to the human race, which needs all three for its full humanity.
