Once a year around this time, several dozen Lutheran churches from all over the country come together for Holden Evening Prayer. In the 1990s, Pastor Dave and his family often visited Holden Village, which is in a remote area of Washington State. Ours is the only church in Colorado that holds a HEPAW (short for Holden Evening Prayer Around the World), with most services occurring in the Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes Region. We have hosted this event for three years now, but Holden Evening Prayer has had a place in the hearts of many at Saint Peter for decades.

Because it was my first time attending a HEPAW this last Wednesday (February 5th), I wasn’t sure what to expect, so I brought my camera. The congregation sat “in the round” and enjoyed the music put together by Steve Howie and played by Arielle Wilson on the piano, Mary Pratt on the violin and Pastor Dave on the guitar. I especially liked the way Steve moved to different areas of the round throughout the service and led us in a few meditative hymns, one of which was sung “in rounds,” something I don’t think I’ve done since I was in Vacation Bible School. It was beautiful.

The Litany & Prayers struck me the most. The people said, “God of mercy, hold us in love.” I liked this so much, I thought I’d put in on the StPLC sign out front.

The sermon was short, as was the whole service, and it was followed by faithful conversation. If you were to attend a similar worship at Holden Village, the format would be similar and the faithful conversations would vary. Our group talked about the Refugee Crisis, the theme of Saint Peter’s current Wednesday night Faith Table Talks Series.

This article was written by Sara Lancaster, Congregation Communications at Saint Peter. To learn more about HEPAW, the best place for additional information is their website (http://www.holdenvillage.org/).