The Coffee Hour from KFUO Radio

It's Bach Week! How can we successfully teach Bach to our children and youth? Dr. Jerrode Marsh (Director of Music at St. Paul Lutheran High School, Concordia, MO; Executive Director of Concordia Music Conservatory; and artistic director and conductor for the Sedalia Symphony Orchestra), joins Andy and Sarah for our Set Apart to Serve series to talk about how Bach has influenced her life and work, formative experiences as a musician where Bach played a role in her love of music, why it's important to her that children and youth learn Bach, her approach to teaching Bach in German to children and youth, the benefits of learning to sing Bach in German for her students, how students also learn about the life and history of J.S. Bach, and what benefits her former students have shared with her about their experience of learning Bach. Learn more about St. Paul Lutheran High School in Concordia, MO at splhs.org.Find all Bach Week episodes at kfuo.org/tag/bach-week.Christ’s church will continue until He returns, and that church will continue to need church workers.Set Apart to Serve (SAS) is an initiative of the LCMS to recruit church workers. Together, we pray for workers for the Kingdom of God and encourage children to consider church work vocations.Here are three easy ways you can participate in SAS:1. Pray with your children for God to provide church workers.2. Talk to your children about becoming church workers.3. Thank God for the people who work in your congregation.To learn more about Set Apart to Serve, visit lcms.org/set-apart-to-serve.Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

It's Bach Week! How can the works of J.S. Bach be used in support of our vocations at home and in our worship? The Rev. Brian Hamer (U.S. Navy Chaplain) joins Andy and Sarah to talk about Omnibus Bach: “All of Bach” with the Netherlands Bach Society and Bach in the Parish: “Bach through the Year,” a resource for incorporating Bach music into the three-year lectionary. They discuss how Bach has influenced Chaplain Hamer's life and faith, examples of how listening to Bach at home can be helpful, the amazing project "All of Bach" from the Netherlands Bach Society, how Bach’s compositions were intended to support faithful liturgical life in the Church, the lectionary in use at the time of J.S. Bach, how this lectionary is similar and different from the lectionary used by many churches today, and what has helped him utilize the works of Bach in support of a faithful liturgical life for those he serves. Find All of Bach from The Netherlands Bach Society at bachvereniging.nl/en/allofbach and "Bach Through the Year" by John S. Setterlund at kirkhousepublishers.com/product-page/bach-through-the-year-by-john-s-setterlund.Find all Bach Week episodes at kfuo.org/tag/bach-week.As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let’s be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

It's Bach Week! How can someone learn to listen to Bach? Kantor Kevin Hildebrand (Kantor of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN) joins Andy and Sarah to talk about how Bach has influenced his work and faith, how Bach played a role in his love of music, how we can marvel at the beauty of Bach's music and also let it wash over us as something good and beautiful, insights for understanding the significance of Bach's music, what is key when listening to Bach's organ and choral music, and examples of where to start a listening journey.Find all Bach Week episodes at kfuo.org/tag/bach-week.As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let’s be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

It's Bach Week! What was the liturgical life of the church like at the time of J.S. Bach? Benjamin Kolodziej (Church Organist and Musicologist) joins Andy and Sarah to talk about how Bach has influenced his life and work, formative experiences where Bach played a role in his learning music, the liturgical life of the church in Leipzig at the time of J.S. Bach, the external influences impacting churches at this time, how orthodox Lutheran chorales were included in the services of the church, how the work of Bach influenced or shaped liturgical life even through to today, and how he encounters theological symbolism in Bach's music as a church organist.Find all Bach Week episodes at kfuo.org/tag/bach-week.As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let’s be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

It's Bach Week! Is J.S. Bach considered a "Fifth Evangelist"? Dr. Martin Dicke (former LCMS missionary, Member of Board of Directors for David’s Harp, Composer of settings for Hymns of the Reformation from David’s Harp) joins Andy and Sarah to talk about how Bach has influenced his life and work, formative experiences as a musician and missionary where Bach played a role in his love of music, where the phrase “the fifth evangelist” began as a description of J.S. Bach, how Bach approached scripture and who influenced his understanding and handling of the Word of God, and how his understanding of scripture is apparent in his compositions. Learn more about David's Harp at davidsharpmusic.org, including the Hymns for the Reformation at davidsharpmusic.org/product/hymns-of-the-reformation-occasional-series.Find all Bach Week episodes at kfuo.org/tag/bach-week.As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let’s be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

We're talking church work recruitment and worker wellness at the 2025 LCMS Youth Gathering! Deaconess Dr. Tiffany Manor (Managing Director, LCMS Office of National Mission) and the Rev. Dr. James Baneck (Executive Director of Pastoral Education and Set Apart to Serve) join Andy and Sarah on the KFUO Stage for our Set Apart to Serve Series to talk about the role of the lay person in worker wellness, how worker wellness is a part of Set Apart to Serve, what concerns we have about the wellness of church workers, what we mean by personal stewardship, and some examples of excellent worker wellness and personal stewardship from the parish and Deaconess Tiffany and Rev. Baneck's prior service.Christ’s church will continue until He returns, and that church will continue to need church workers.Set Apart to Serve (SAS) is an initiative of the LCMS to recruit church workers. Together, we pray for workers for the Kingdom of God and encourage children to consider church work vocations.Here are three easy ways you can participate in SAS:1. Pray with your children for God to provide church workers.2. Talk to your children about becoming church workers.3. Thank God for the people who work in your congregation.To learn more about Set Apart to Serve, visit lcms.org/set-apart-to-serve.Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

Meet the President at the 2025 LCMS Youth Gathering! The Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison (President of the LCMS) joins Andy and Sarah on the KFUO Stage to talk about his experiences at the LCMS Gathering, youth ministry in the Synod, and what he's hopeful of for the youth of the Lutheran Church.As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let’s be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

Meet international participants at the 2025 LCMS Youth Gathering! James from Korea and Lilly from Hong Kong join Andy and Sarah on the KFUO Stage to talk about their home countries and the church bodies in each country, what makes their Lutheran church body unique, what they want their friends and family back home to know about the LCMS Youth Gathering, how they got the privilege of serving as an international representative, and their favorite foods from their home countries!As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let’s be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

Meet international participants at the 2025 LCMS Youth Gathering! Isabel from Brazil, Elisabeth from Germany, Lulu from Shanghai, and Andreas from Belgium join Andy and Sarah on the KFUO Stage to talk about their home countries and the church bodies in each country, what makes their Lutheran church body unique, what they want their friends and family back home to know about the LCMS Youth Gathering, how they got the privilege of serving as an international representative, and their favorite foods from their home countries!As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let’s be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

Meet the 2025 LCMS Youth Gathering Media Team! Members of the Media Team Lauren Humphrey (LCMS Gathering Facebook host), Nina Chuang (LCMS Gathering TikTok host), and PJ Aarsvold (LCMS Gathering Instagram host) join Andy and Sarah on the KFUO Stage to talk about how they first got involved with the LCMS Youth Gathering, what the work of the Media Team is, how the many members of the media team work together to produce a wide variety of content, what they've learned about creating content for viewers on social media, and what they want their viewers to know about the LCMS Youth Gathering. Find LCMS Gathering on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok and learn more about the LCMS Youth Gathering at lcmsgathering.com.As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let’s be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.