Concordia Publishing House

The preparation of Holy Communion is a blessed and extremely significant act. Several types of sacred vessels and linens may be used, and practices can differ by congregation. Here is a guide to the most common types of Communion vessels to help you prepare for the distribution of the Lord’s Supper. The information in this post is adapted from What an Altar Guild Should Know by Paul H. D. Lang.

Confirmation Sunday is an exciting day for the youth of your congregation. With all of the extra things and people to coordinate, though, it can be a challenge for church staff and volunteers. As you prepare for the day, here are some suggestions to help the event run smoothly.

Maintaining the unfaltering light produced by candles adds to the reverent mood of worship services. Here are a few basic guidelines from Cathedral Candle Company for caring for and using your church candles.

Merry Christmas! What a joy to know that the Church’s Christmas song continues through the next eleven days. Enjoy these twelve hymns as you rejoice in the Savior’s birth!

During the Advent season, churches may set aside time to reflect on the O Antiphons of Advent through worship and song. What are these O Antiphons and how can church musicians incorporate them into the church’s song this Advent season?

As churches celebrate Jesus’ birth in the flesh and transition into the following parts of the Church Year, there are several things to consider when maintaining the sanctuary. At what point does the nativity scene get put away? What other decorations are appropriate? When do the paraments change color? Here are some tips to help your altar guild during the season of Epiphany.

Dozens of candles, elegant tree decorations, cheery poinsettias—beautiful sanctuary decorations for Christmas highlight the thrill and wonder of Jesus being born in the flesh! Here are some tips from The Altar Guild Manual for decorating your church sanctuary in ways that focus the glory on God and what He has done for us in Christ.

The season of Advent provides a great opportunity to stop and pause, to wait with joyful anticipation for Christmas. While the rest of the world may be singing Christmas carols and decorating trees, the church patiently waits for the coming of Christ. During this time, the altar guild and church office have a special opportunity to help reinforce the message of Advent through the paraments, bulletins, and other adornments that are used in the church sanctuary.

We know many of you are getting started recruiting musicians and selecting music for this year. To help you with that, we’ve put together a list of pieces you may want to consider for Advent and Christmas. 

When you think about singing, what emotion comes to mind? Often, we immediately assume that singing is what we do when we’re happy. We figure that hymns are for praise. But we can sing when we’re sad. We can use hymns as prayers of sorrow. We can use these words of comfort anytime—during personal devotion and daily study, whether spoken in prayer or sung aloud.