Springfield, Ohio – Wittenberg University’s annual German Language Epiphany Service will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 12, in historic Weaver Chapel. Pre-service music begins at 7:15 p.m.

The service, a campus tradition since 1985, brings the Christmas season to a close. The service is conducted entirely in German and uses a format from a contemporary German Lutheran hymnal. The worship music comprises German Christmas carols and Epiphany hymns with University Organist David Crean playing the organ.

Rev. Stephen Foster, interim pastor of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Springfield, will preach and conduct the service. Special music will include pieces played on the organ by Crean and a vocal solo by Skylar Folkens, class of 2015.  Wittenberg students will read the lessons and prayers in the service.

Wittenberg was founded by a group of pastors of German background who created the English Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Ohio. While respecting their German tradition and language, the pastors believed that the English language was a way to foster the inclusiveness of the new American nation. In 1842, the new synod voted unanimously to establish a theological and literary institution that would serve the educational and cultural needs of new immigrants and new communities, and Wittenberg was founded in Springfield three years later.

The German Language Epiphany Service honors the heritage of those whose vision lives on today at Wittenberg University.

The service is open to the public, and Weaver Chapel is accessible to those with disabilities.