Saints Gather for the St. Mark's Conference in Baltimore MD by Gottesdienst
One Holy Church is to Remain Forever
The St Mark’s Conference, presented by the Gottesdienst Crowd, is a gathering of great theological minds that you do not want to miss. The St. Mark’s Conference is held annually at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Baltimore, Maryland. This church building is an absolute gem in the midst of some of the roughest and toughest areas in and around Baltimore, MD. As the light shines in through the many beautiful stained glass windows, one is reminded that the light of Christ shines forth from Our Saviour through this Church, it’s humble Reverend and the parishioners that all this their spiritual home.
This year it was a two day conference that focused on the study of God’s Holy Word and the worship of the Triune God through the various services offered to the attendees and the public. The speakers are always top notch and included Rev. Dr. Edward A. Naumann, Pastor of Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church in Brookfield, Illinois. He spoke on “The Triumph of the Mystical Meaning of Holy Scripture” on both days of the meeting. The Rev. Charles McClean, Pastor of Our Saviour Lutheran Church, spoke on “Canterbury Tales of a Sasse-phile” and presented a very interesting and unique perspective considering his many years serving as an Anglican Priest. The final speaker was the Rev. Roy Axel Coats, or “Father Axel”, who serves as Pastor of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, which is also located in Baltimore, MD. Father Axel presented a rousing paper on “Lutheran Bishops? Archbishop Laurentius Petri on the Office of Bishops” and drew upon his tedious work of translations to deliver a strong point to the audience.
The Church services offered included Matins, Solemn Vespers, and the Devine Service according to the Healey Willan Setting. Sermons were provided by Rev. Dr. Carl E Roemer during the service of Quasimodogeneti and Rev. Christopher Seifferlein for the Saint Mark’s Day service. And, according to the true Lutheran way, a fun filled Gemutlichkeit was enjoyed with some home brewed libations. The conference can never be complete with out an energetic Panel Discussion which serves to challenge the speakers and all the listening ears to consider the truth of God’s Word rightly understood.
