Our Savior's Shared Journey

“October Goes Deep. . .”

 … and deeper.

     Welcome to the heart of Autumn! The trees know it and show it; for them it seems to be about the beauty and gentle grace of the shifting seasons.

     The winds know it (and maybe the early snows too!) with sometimes “less-than-gentle” reminders that change—winter—is on the way.

     Nature provides the back-drop for the deepening of OSLC ministry. We welcomed Jennifer Hamilton as our new Children Youth and Family Ministry Director last month, she will be deeply involved in the ministry of this coming month. She is helping to make sure this year’s Confirmands are ready for their deeper journey into faith, especially the ones who will be affirming their baptism on October 6. It will be good to have her ideas, energy and leadership joining with that of Bill Schlenvogt, Pastor Karen and myself as we engage in a new confirmation training partnership with Zion Lutheran. She will be helping build on the already successful middle school and high school youth ministry cooperation that has been happening with Zion for more than 3 years already. Working with Pastor CJ and the volunteers at Zion, faith formation for these age groups will take on a deeper resonance. Please keep this process and these people in your prayers.

     Sunday School children will get their Bibles on October 13. Keep those youngsters in your prayers and make sure you have had a chance to underline your favorite Bible Verse in their Bibles!

     You will be asked to share your giving plans (both financial and time & talent) for 2020 on “Pledge Sunday,” October 20. October 27 is Reformation Sunday, a deep plunge into who we are as Lutherans in a sometimes confusing Christian landscape.

     The Sunday lessons for each of those deepening experiences will help us embrace our mission—“To Know Christ and To Have Others Know Him”—all the more fully.

     All along the way, Our Savior’s mission and ministry will invite you to deepen your experience and commitment:

+ Pray for the Via de Cristo Retreat Weekends Our Savior’s is hosting on October 10 – 13 for men and October 17 – 20 for women. If you have not experienced this retreat, talk to me or Dave Templeton to sign-up; it is not too late!

+ Pray for the New Horizons Preschool; they have a robust and growing cadre of little lovely souls!

+ Support the day-to-day financial needs of your church as the furnace gets turned up and the lights are on more often, as well as to meet the challenge we all embraced at the last Annual Meeting. Your staff and leadership continue to do a remarkable job of keeping our ministry costs in line, but your church still needs a hearty financial finish for 2019. Many of you shared your giving plans for 2019; Our Savior’s ministry this year was going to take $20,000 more than that; you said at the Annual Meeting “We can do it!” I believe you were right! We all will need to “dig deep” in these final months of 2019 to complete that commitment.

     And there is more…

     I urge you to look deeply at this Messenger and the Sunday Bulletins and Our Savior’s Facebook and Web Pages to see where God is calling you to go deeper into mission and ministry.

     I am on that journey with you!

Pastor Chris