Great Speakers, Legendary Hospitality, Rich/Authentic Liturgies & Manly Food at the BJS Conference

It is not too late to sign up for the second annual BJS conference, February 12-13 at Bethany Lutheran Church –  Naperville, Illinois (suburban Chicago). You can click here for more information. We prefer that you sign up in advance but we will also welcome registrations at the door.

Bethany’s hospitality has grown legendary. In addition to hosting the BJS conference, the congregation has also hosted the Doxology retreat, three seminary presidents, a synodical president, a Blue Ribbon seminar and numerous other events, all to rave revues.

We already have several women signed up and want the ladies to know that it is not limited to men. This year we will be introducing our Sisters of Katie Luther group, headed up by BJS Associate Director Suzanne Zobel. Attendance at the conference is also open to non-members. You do not have to be a member of BJS to attend this wonderful conference and retreat.

Many participants commented last year that the get-together was just as much a retreat as it was a conference. That was good to hear. We have built in a lot of together time and the conference has a fairly slow pace  so that confessional men and women can gather together and build one another up in the Lord’s strength to face the difficult challenges in the church today.

The speakers for the conference, “The Fired and the Staff,” are all engaging and forthright, traits that are needed yet rare in the church these days. You will certainly enjoy and more importantly be edified by Todd (the fired), Mollie and Klemet (the BJS blogging staff). We are also honored to have two fine preachers, Pastor Ed (Tony) Sikora of Hope Lutheran in Dewitt, Michigan for our sung Evening Prayer service on Friday night and District President Herb Mueller (Southern Illinois District) for the Divine Service on Saturday.

Included in the conference fee is dinner on Friday, and breakfast and lunch on Saturday. Dinner on Friday night will be our traditional pizza (both thin and Chicago deep dish) with the addition this year of some hot wings. Each of the hotels provides a continental breakfast but we encourage the brothers and sisters to come early to Bethany for Pastor Rossow’s manly hot breakfast. Of course, the highlight of our eating will be the feast of the Lord’s Supper on Saturday afternoon.

As is customary we will also be having our “No Pietists Allowed Parties” on Friday night. Look for more more information next week and a chance for early sign-up for the parties.

Here is the conference schedule:

Friday, February 12

4 PM                             Welcome Reception

4:30 PM                   Session 1: Klemet Preus

5:45 PM                   Dinner

6:45 PM                   Vespers (Preacher: Pr. Tony Sikora; Organist: Phillip Magness)

 8:30 PM                   “No Pietists Allowed” Parties (wine tasting, chocolate tasting, Irish pub, and more)

 Saturday, February 13

8:00 AM                   “A Man’s Breakfast”  (Hosted by Pastor Rossow and the Bethany – Naperville BJS Chapter)

9:00 AM                   Session 2: Mollie Ziegler Hemingway

10:15 AM               Break

10:45 AM               Session 3: Todd Wilken

12:00                             Lunch

1:30 PM                   Divine Service  (Preacher: DP Herb Mueller; Organist: Phillip Magness)

2:45 PM                   Dismissal

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