On this 4th of the 12 days of Christmas, I hope all are still basking in the Light of the Christ Child and reflecting on the wonder of Christmas.

Just a couple notes this week: Since New Year's Day is Saturday, we will not have our regular Saturday service at 6pm, and since the schools are still on Christmas break, there will be no Sunday School this coming Sunday, January 2.

At the 8:30 and 11am services this coming Sunday, January 2, we will be celebrating Epiphany with the procession of three kings, incense and all! This is the day that we celebrate that Jesus, the Christ Child, was the Messiah and God's Light for the whole world, Jews and Gentiles! What better way to start the New Year than gathering around that!

Our regular schedule of Saturday worship at 6pm and 8:30 and 11am worship with Sunday School at 9:45 will resume on January 9, and our Wednesday suppers will resume January 5.

May these 12 days of Christmas and the beginning of the New Year be filled with God's Lightand Peace and Love for you and yours.

See you in church!
Pastor Jack Diehl

It's been a wonderful journey through Advent! Many thanks to our Sunday School children and parents who brought the Advent season to a culmination yesterday at our 11am service with their annual Christmas Program. What a wonderful celebration. A special thanks to Charlotte Elizabeth Roble, born October 3, (Dr. Linda Aiken's granddaughter) who was Baptized at the 8:30 service and came back to be "baby Jesus" at the 11am service. She truly lived out in a hurry what Martin Luther said that each of of our callings is as a Baptized child of God, that is to be a "little Christ" in the world!

We now stand on the threshold of the Christmas celebration.

On Christmas Eve we have 2 candlelight communion services: one at 6pm with our Handbell Choir ringing and one at 9pm with our Chancel Choir singing. There will be preservice music beginning about 1/2 hour before each service.

On Christmas Day there will be a service with Holy Communion at 11am followed by our annual Home Alone Christmas Dinner at noon. The menu will be mashed potatoes, gravy, roast beef and all the fixins! This is our gift to the community. If you'd like to make a reservation, reply to this email and we'll save a seat for you.

Since Christmas Day is on Saturday this year, there will be no regular 6pm Saturday service, but there will be two services of Lessons and Carols on Sunday at 8:30 and 11am.

At Christmas we celebrate that God has not stayed far off in an unknown distance, but has come to be with us in the person of Jesus. May these holy days be filled with the Peace, Joy and Love of the Christ Child for all of you.

Pastor A.C. 'Jack' Diehl III,

"Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, oh Israel." During these weeks of Advent we have been singing this refrain every time we prepare to hear the reading of the Gospel. It is especially fitting at that point in our worship, because there is one of the places where Emmanuel, Jesus, the Word become flesh, comes to us…through God's Word.

But that's not the only place God comes to us. Along with coming to us in worship, in His Word and in Holy Communion, God also comes into the dark places of his creation and of our lives…the places where people are hurting or sick or suffering or lonely. As the one verse in "It Came upon the Midnight Clear" goes, "And you, beneath life's crushing load, whose forms are bending low, who toil along the climbing way with painful steps and slow; look now, for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing; oh, rest beside the weary road and hear the angels sing!" God doesn't leave us alone, forsaken. God comes among us. And that is our reason for Hope, for Joy and for Peace in this wonderful season.

As the last weekend in Advent approaches, the Sunday School children will be helping us hear the Christmas story at the 11am service this coming Sunday, December 19. There will be shepherds, angels, Mary, Joseph and some wonderful singing by the children. This is a wonderful way to experience the wonder and joy of the Christmas message…through our children helping to tell the story. At the 6pm and 8:30am services Pastor Jack will be sharing "An Advent Monologue" by Walt Wangerin Jr. (If you get "The Lutheran" be sure to read "Jesus. Him." on page 28 of the recent December 2010 issue by Wangerin.)

Because of the upcoming Christmas Home Alone Dinner here at church and all of the other preparations and activities at this time of the year, our Wednesday suppers are taking a little recess, but will resume on Wednesday January 5.

As we enter the last days of Advent, may they be filled with Hope, Peace and Joy for you and yours. See you in church!

Pastor A.C. 'Jack' Diehl III

This past weekend, one word which rose to the surface in our worship was "Hope". In the middle of desperate times for Israel, Isaiah spoke a word of hope. Over the centuries, God's people, trusting in God's promises, have been a people of hope. And the hope we share is not just wishful thinking, but is in that One, the "…shoot that shall come out from the stump of Jesse…", Jesus himself, who came among us to bring us God's Light and Truth and Life.

Among the images of hope that Pastor Shelly shared, was that of Nancy Ogonoski's Christmas tree last year, which began sprouting forth new growth, much to everyone's surprise! That's a picture of hope, where life springs up in a most unexpected way. (So, what ultimately happened to that tree, many have asked? Well, not only did new growth sprout forth from the branches, but as Spring approached, little critters which had been laying dormant in the tree, also "sprung forth" from the tree and began flying all around inside the house! The tree was out of there! :-) But wasn't that also another sign of life springing up in an unexpected way?!) Hope is sometimes surprising! 

Along with that image of hope, Pastor Shelly also told the story of Christa Brelsford who lost a leg in the earthquake in Haiti, but who out of that tragedy has helped build a new school in cooperation with Haiti Partners where the former school was destroyed in the earthquake. If you click on the following link, you can see and hear more about Christa's story, and hope springing up in the midst of the destruction and rubble of a country cut down to the stump.

http://www.haitipartners.org/2010/12/christa-brelsford-on-nbcs-today-show/

Another local way of living out the hope God gives us, this past weekend, our Men in Mission held their annual Christmas Gift fundraiser by providing some wonderful food after each worship service. Here's a message from our Men in Mission leader, Jack Mill, which he sent out to the guys after this weekend's event.

"God's grace never ceases to amaze me! What a great group of Men in Mission and what a wonderful and generous turnout from Our Savior Lutheran Church for our BBBS (Big Brother Big Sister) Christmas Fundraiser! ALL the food was delicious and well received by the congregation. A total of $1902.83 was raised so that needy children can have a Christmas present this year. THANK YOU very much and may God bless you all!"

(A big thank you to Jack Mill for heading up this great project up and to all the guys who make it happen. This coming Wednesday evening the Youth Group will be taking the money and going Christmas shopping for these children. They will then come back, wrap the gifts and make arrangements for the families to get them. What a wonderful cooperative way of sharing God's love in this season!)

As this week unfolds, may we all be a people of hope, seeing God's new life springing up in all kinds of unexpected ways and places, as we wait and watch for the clebration of the coming of the Christ Child in that unexpected way and place, in a lowly manger, for you and for me.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Rom. 15:13)

See you in church!

Pastor Jack

We have definitely entered the "Holiday Season", with Thanksgiving and the first Sunday in Advent coming on the same weekend! Many thanks to all who made it such a great Thanksgiving Day here at Our Savior with the Thanksgiving service at 11am and Thanksgiving Dinner at noon. About 140 people were served and all of the "reviews" were great! A special thanks to our chief cook, Colleen Heagy who spent the last days before Thanksgiving here in the church kitchen getting everything going.

And speaking of food, our Wednesday suppers resume this week, with beef pot roast on the menu. These are wonderful opportunities to have a great meal and get to visit with other members of the Our Savior church family. A donation basket is available for you to help cover the cost of the meal. Plan on joining us.

This coming weekend, our Lutheran Men in Mission will be serving some very special refreshments after all 3 services, including Saturday evening. This is a part our annual Christmas gift project in cooperation with Our Savior's Youth Group. Along with the special food, an offering basket will be available for anyone to make a donation which will be used to provide Christmas gifts for a number of families in our community who are in need. At their December 8th meeting, the Youth Group will take the money received from this upcoming weekend, along with information about the families (ages and genders of the children) and go Christmas shopping for them. After the shopping, the gifts are wrapped and the families are notified as to when they can come by and pick up the gifts. This is a wonderful cooperative way so many can work together to be a sign of God's grace at work in this holy season.

So, in the middle of all of the sights, sounds and smells of this season, may they all be reminders of the One who comes to bring us Life and Hope and Peace. May our eyes be open to God's coming, not just at the end of time, but among us now, in this season, in all kinds of ways, great and small. And may we be living examples of God's New Day dawning upon us and all of creation as we "…lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, and live honorably as in the day..." (Romans 13, this past Sunday). This is what this season is really about!

See you in church!

Pastor A.C. 'Jack' Diehl III

As we head into Thanksgiving, we first need to do a little recap of this past weekend. It was really a wonderful weekend at Our Savior beginning with the Annual Holiday Bazaar and Health Fair Saturday morning. Lots of good food, crafts and health related information and activities. Many thanks to all who participated in so many ways. 

A special thanks also to those who gave blood at the Bloodmobile which was here Saturday morning. Re: the Bloodmobile, I have to pass this along. This morning I saw the man who runs the Bloodmobile and he made a point to tell me what a pleasure it was to be here at Our Savior. He told me that he takes the bloodmobile all over, to other churches and businesses and events, but that the people at Our Savior we're really extra pleasant and good to work with. And that was a totally unsoliceted comment. (Well, he did want to know who made the great lemon squares which he bought from our bake sale!) :-) But his comments really were sincere. You needed to hear that. 

If you weren't able to get your flu shot because your finances are tight, talk to our parish nurse, Bonnie Lanyi. She has some vouchers and information for those who can't afford to get a flu shot. 

This past weekend was also the last weekend of the church year, Christ the King Sunday. In her sermon, Pastor Shelly mentioned a wonderful event that happened at the Macy's store in downtown Philadelphia last month. It was inspiring, uplifting and amazing. For those of you who haven't seen it, you can check it out at the following link. Just click on, watch and listen to the words. Very fitting for Christ the King Sunday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp_RHnQ-jgU

With Thanksgiving around the corner, this coming Wednesday afternoon at 3pm we'll be setting up for our annual Home Alone Thanksgiving Dinner, which will be at noon on Thanksgiving Day, following our Thanksgiving Service at 11am. If you'd like to volunteer helping set up, peeling potatoes, serving or cleaning up, or if you'd just like to join us for dinner, please call the church office (567-2253). There will be a place for you!

Because of this Thanksgiving Weekend the church office will be closed on Friday and there will no Sunday School this Sunday. Worship for this first Sunday in Advent will be at the normal times: Saturday 6pm and Sunday at 8:30 and 11am.

For those of you who are traveling, may your ways be safe and your homecomings joyful, and may you all have a blessed and gratitude filled Thanksgiving. 

Most gratefully yours,
+ Pastor A.C. 'Jack' Diehl III

"Anyone unwilling to work should not eat." (2 Thess. 3:10) "Give to everyone who begs from you." (Luke 6:30) We heard one of these verses a week ago, the other yesterday. Being a Christian isn't simple. It calls for wisdom, compassion, and discernment. And as St. Paul went on to say, "Do not be weary in doing what is right."

I began this morning "living" in a car at the Sexton Plaza here in Vero with others who are taking shifts "living" in a car for a 24 hour period which began yesterday. This is a part of "Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week", reminding the community that there are people who in fact are living out of their cars as a result of these difficult economic times. These are families and individuals who really would rather work and be able to support themselves. What the Homeless Family Center, and other agencies like that, are about, is helping families get over the hump and get to that place where they can get back to work. One statistic that stood out for me this morning is that there are over 41,000 homeless children in the state of Florida! These really are tough times for so many. And the Homeless Family Center is one of the places Our Savior helps support, both with donations and by brininging one meal a month to the center. Along with that, if anyone knows of any work that is available, please contact the center at 567-2766. They are always looking for work for their residents.

As we look ahead to this week and beyond around Our Savior, our Tuesday morning fitness class will be held at 10:30. Gloria Basile will be the teacher. Gloria comes with much experience. We're grateful for her helping out in this way!

Our Wednesday supper at 6pm will feature cheeseburgers and baked beans among other things. These suppers have been so very well received. What a great time to get together for some good food and conversation!

This coming Saturday is our annual Holiday Bazaar and Health Fair from 8:30am-1pm! There will be many beautiful crafts and a bake sale (I know there are some wonderful bakers out there…bring your goodies by on Friday between 9am and 3pm or Saturday morning! I'm already looking forward to Carol Javin's cookies among others!) There is no "garage sale" or "Grandma's attic" component this year. You can bring any of those items to the new Harvest Outreach Center Thrift Store on US1 and 28th Street, or any of many good thrift stores in our area. Or wait until February 26, when our WELCA ladies will host a rummage and book sale. 

But along with our Bazaar, we have a wonderful Health Fair, which includes: "Healthy Eating" by Gwen Turner, registered dietician; blood pressure checks; flu and pneumonia shots; balance screening by a physical therapist who specializes in vertigo; the Blood Mobile will be here for you to donate blood; Fire Safety presentation by firefighter Tob y Turner; and more. This Saturday Our Savior will be the place to be!

If you'd like a special way to get into the Christmas Spirit, Haiti Partners is in need of volunteers to help write Christmas Cards to be sent out during December. If you can offer a couple of hours doing this, it would be much appreciated. Contact Debbie Coleman at the Haiti Partners office for more information (772-539-8521). The Haiti Partners office is on the first floor of the Bank of America building on the corner of 6th Ave. and 21st Street, just down from the church.

Finally, looking ahead to this coming weekend, November 20-21, this is the last weekend of the church year, Christ the King Sunday! This is also the day when we will be receiving "My Estimate of Giving Plan" cards for 2011. Many of you received these cards in the mail in the last week or so, and a number of you have already returned them! Thank you! But if you haven't, these cards will be available this weekend as you come to church and a basket will be in the church to receive these. This is an important and very helpful way for us as individuals to plan our giving for the coming year, and also for us as a congregation to plan our budget for the coming year. Your being a part of this process is most appreciated.

These are only some of the highlights of what is happening at and through Our Savior.  And whatever you do or wherever you go as this week unfolds, may you not grow weary in doing what is right!

See you in church!

Pastor Jack Diehl

Dear Fellow Saints, Yes, that is who God calls us to be! This past weekend that is what we celebrated in worship together, as we remembered the saints who have gone before us, received some new saints into our congregation and were reminded that in our Baptism, we are indeed numbered among God's saints. Now, I know myself and I know many of you pretty well, and it may seem like a stretch to call any of us "saints", but this is all the more evidence of the amazing grace of God at work among us.

Speaking of God at work among us here are some things for you to be aware of and possibly be a part of:

1) Our Wednesday suppers continue at 6pm. If you received the latest issue of "The Lutheran" magazine, be sure to read Peter Marty's article on page 3. While he wasn’t writing about our Wednesday suppers directly, what he had to say certainly fit what we do at those suppers! And if you'd like to help set up, serve, or clean up, your help would be very welcome. Set up is usually underway by around 4:30pm. Thanks!

2) This coming weekend at the 11am service several new Christ Care leaders will be recognized and commissioned. This is a wonderful small group ministry at Our Savior. Information about our Christ Care groups will be available at all services.

3) This Saturday morning, November 13, we will have a team walking in this year's "Walk to Remember". So far we have over 15 signed up to walk and it's not too late to join them! The walk supports the local Alzheimers/Parkinsons organization and begins at 8:30am at Riverside Park. For more information contact Penny Dann at gpdann@att.net.

4) Also this coming Saturday there will be a Harvest Block Party at the new Harvest Thrift Center on the corner of 28th Street and US1 from 11am til 2pm. There will be a Bounce House for the kids, face painting, games, raffle prizes, hamburgers, hot dogs and drinks. This is Free to the public. And if you want to do some pre-holiday cleaning out, you can bring something to donate to the Thrift Store, or you might want to do some shopping there!

5) Looking ahead, our "Annual Holiday Festival and Health Fair" will be taking place Saturday November 20 from 8:30am til 1pm. Our Bake Sale chairlady, Barbara Hauser says, let's make this the best Bake Sale ever! You can drop off your favorite pie, cake, cookies or other sweet treats anytime on Friday November 19 between 9am and 3pm or bring them by Saturday morning. Along with the Bake Sale there will be crafts to buy, lunch will be avialable and our Health Ministry Team will be offering flu and pnemonia shots, blood pressure checks, the Bloodmobile will be here, massages, and many other healthy activities and information. Mark your calendars because there will be something for everyone November 20! Proceeds all go to local charities.

Whew! And that's only part of what's going on here among the saints at Our Savior.  Now as you go about this week, in your comings and goings and contact with others, as one of God's saints, remember, you may be the only Bible someone ever reads.

Have a blessed week.

Pastor Jack Diehl

"Welcome back" has been a common greeting around Our Savior these past few of weeks! And it's good to have so many of our seasonal folks returning…at least for a while. For many, it's back north for the holidays, then back again in January. That all makes for a good rhythm to life here in Vero Beach.

Along with many of our returning friends we also had a number of visiting family and friends at the 11am service as we not only celebrated Reformation Day, but also Confirmation Day for six of our young people. Seeing them, and many of their peers, gathered and celebrating together yesterday and the night before at the Youth Group "Marty Party", was a very real reminder of the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit touching the lives of God's people, young and old, and renewing and reforming the church. It was a humbling, inspiring experience.

As this week unfolds there will be a number of opportunities for God's saints to gather and serve. Our popular Wednesday suppers continue with supper served from 6pm til 6:30pm. This has been a great opportunity for folks to visit and have a good meal together, which fits right into the Four Keys for practicing faith: 1) Caring Conversations, 2) Devotions, 3) Service (the supper is prepared, served and cleaned up after all by volunteers!) and 4) Rituals and Traditions.

Following this week's supper, the Lutheran Men in Mission will be meeting in room 4 at 7pm. All men of the church are welcome. The main topic this week will be the Christmas Gift project in conjunction with the Youth Group which includes special refreshments after worship the first weekend in December. More info to come!

On Thursday from 11:30-1:30, some of Our Savior's saints, headed up by George and Lois McAllan, will be hosting the annual "Soup Bowl" supporting the Samaritan Center here in Vero Beach. Our Savior is one of the sites in the community where you can come and enjoy a wonderful soup lunch with various specialty soups donated by local restaurants. Minimum donation: $5.

On Saturday, Nov. 6, "Every Dream Has a Price" will be hosting a fun family day at Dodgertown with activities for all from 11am til 6pm. For more information call Melissa Tripson at 770-9391.

This coming weekend, Nov. 6-7, will be "All Saints" weekend at Our Savior. We will be receiving new members into our congregation at all three services. This is also the time of the year when we remember those saints who have died since All Saints' Day last year and have gone on before us. Along with naming and ringing a bell for those, worshippers will have the opportunity to light a candle for any loved one who has died in this past year. All Saints Day began many years ago as a way of remembering those unnamed martyrs in the early church, but has become a time to remember all those who have gone on before us and to celebrate our being connected to them by the grace of God and by sharing the faith that they had during their life's journey.

Following each service pictures will be taken of our new members and any members or friends who have not yet had their pictures taken for our in house directory.

As this All Saints week unfolds, may you remember that you are numbered among God's saints. That is both a wonderful blessing and a great responsibility. May God give you the grace to accept both of those gratefully.

See you in church.

Pastor A.C. 'Jack' Diehl III

I hope all of you "Proud to be Humble Lutherans" are off to a good start this week, as we head toward Reformation Sunday, next weekend. But before we get there, remember our Wednesday supper at 6pm. Rumor has it that we will be having lasagna and salad. If you'd like to help with set up or clean up, you would be most welcome. Supper is at 6pm, set up happens around 5pm. This is such a good way to share a meal and be connected with others in the middle of the week. Hope to see you there. (The Outreach Team will be gathering to meet and eat together. Look for a designated table somewhere near the west end of the hall.)

This coming Saturday, October 30, at 6:30pm our Youth Group will celebrate Halloween in great Lutheran fashion with a "Marty Party"! The party will be in the Fellowship Hall where the kids will be brought back to 16th Century Germany at the time of Martin Luther. Great fun, food, and a wonderful learning experience in the process. Adults are welcome to peak in and get a taste of the cool things our Youth Group is up to. What a great way to celebrate Halloween!

This coming weekend we will celebrate the Reformation at all of our services, and the confirmation of six of our young people at the 11am service. This is one of the great festival days of the church year as we remember and celebrate the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit renewing and reforming the church. The color for the day is RED!

Looking ahead, Saturday November 20 will be our annual WELCA BAZAAR and HEALTH FAIR!

Here's a message from this year's Bake Sale coordinator, Barbara Hauser:
Mark your calendars, dust off your favorite pie, cake, cookie, sweet treat recipe for the best Fall Bake Sale ever!  Plan to drop off your goodies anytime Friday November 19th between 9am and 3pm, and so help the women of the ELCA support Our Savior and many community needs with your generosity and tasty treats!

Along with the Bake Sale there will be crafts and lunch in the Fellowship Hall, but NO GRANDMA's ATTIC/Rummage Sale at this time. That will be at a later date. So, if you have anything you would otherwise donate to the rummage sale we suggest you bring those items to the new Harvest Food and Outreach Thrift Shop on the corner of US1 and 28th Street, or any of a number of good Thrift Shops in our community.

The HEALTH FAIR part of the bazaar will include flu and pneumonia shots, blood pressure and blood sugar checks, massages, the Bloodmobile, and much more.

So mark your calendars for Saturday November 20 for all of the above!

As this week unfolds, may we all humbly recognize our need for God's grace and mercy every day, and be open to opportunities where we can be vehicles and agents of God's grace and mercy to those around us. When that happens, each of us can be, in the best sense of the word, "Proud to be a Humble Lutheran" as my bumper sticker says. :-)

(P.S. When Garrison Keillor comes to Ft. Pierce in December, I will be giving him one of those bumper stickers, since he partly inspired it.)

See you in church! 

Pastor Jack Diehl

Today, October 18 is the day set aside in the church calendar to commemorate St. Luke, Evangelist. Since Luke was also a physician, this past weekend's worship took the form of a healing service. Several years ago we began offering this kind of a service. At the time it was a little foreign to some of us Lutherans, but what we realized yesterday was that we have come to appreciate such a focus in our worship and be comfortable with it. It really was a moving service as we gathered, recognized our need for healing in all kinds of ways, prayed for others who need healing in their lives, and looked to God as the Great Physician and the one who truly makes us whole.

At the 11am service we had a special guest, 47 year old Rob Gilbert, one of our members, whom earlier this summer doctors thought would likely be a paraplegic the rest of his life. But he walked into the chancel to share his story and his gratitude to God, to the congregation and others who have prayed for him and supported him and his family through this. While the journey and therapy continues for him, Rob's life and attitude are a very real witness to God's loving presence and healing power at work.

In keeping with the theme of God being at work among us to keep up whole and healthy, our parish nurse, Bonnie Lanyi resumes her very popular exercise class tomorrow, Tuesday October 19 at 10:30am, "Stretch and Pray". This is especially helpful for seniors with various degrees of abilities. "Stretch and Pray" is based on a book by Rev. Murray Finck, bishop of the Pacifica Synod and former classmate of mine! :-) This is good stuff!

Our Wednesday suppers continue this week with supper served at 6pm. (Sorry, I haven't heard the menu as of this writing, but I guarantee it will be good!) These suppers offer a great time to be together and better connected with each other here at Our Savior. There is no set charge, but an offering basket is available to help cover the cost.

A gathering for anyone interested in learning more about Our Savior or becoming a member of Our Savior will take place following the supper at 6:30pm in room 4. This will be the last of 3 of such gatherings, but if you didn't make the first one or two, you're still welcome to this one. New members will be received the first weekend in November, All Saints Sunday.

As this week unfolds, may you find wholeness and healing for whatever your need may be, in body, mind or spirit. And may you know that in all things, God is the Great Physician and a good and loving Father.

See you in church!

Pastor A.C. 'Jack' Diehl III

This news will be coming to you on Tuesday, October 12, but it's being written Sunday evening, 10/10/10, so I couldn't resist dating it as such. :-) You don't see a date like that very often!

As the 10th leper in today's Gospel, and Naaman in today's Old Testament reading had their eyes opened to God's grace at work in their lives, may our eyes be open to God's presence and activity in our lives and in the world around us as we enter another week.

One way to see God active among God's people is to join us Wednesday evening for supper at 6pm. Through an all volunteer staff we get to eat together (pulled pork and all the fixins') and enjoy some good conversation with each other. A donation to cover the cost of the food is all we ask. If you'd like to help with any of the setting up, serving or cleanup, give the office a call, or email us as such. Eating together is so Biblical!

Following the supper, at 6:30, anyone interested in learning more about Our Savior, or in becoming a member of Our Savior is invited to meet in room 4 for about an hour.

Looking ahead to next weekend, as a way of commemorating St. Luke the physician and evangelist, our worship will take the shape of a "Healing Service". There will be opportunity for worshipers to come forward for prayers and anointing with oil, and/or to offer prayers for others. Our parish nurses will be participating in various ways in the service.

As this week unfolds, may God give us clear eyes to see ourselves, our neighbors and God's creation in the light of God's grace and mercy shown to us in Jesus.

Pastor A.C. 'Jack' Diehl III

Today, Monday October 4 is the day set aside to remember Francis of Assisi, who died in 1226. But his influence continues yet today as the order of the Franciscans still share the gift of hospitality in a most gracious way, and his love of nature and God's creatures continues to be reflected in events like we had yesterday in "The Blessing of the Animals". Our Fellowship Hall was jam packed with cats, dogs, a beautiful big Macaw and all of their caring owners and friends. And once again, amazingly, all critters were together in a wonderful kind of harmony…no fights, no bloodshed…reminding me of that Scriptural image of the lion laying down with the lamb…the place to which God would one day bring his creation. It was all a "grace place" for that time together. And once again, the owners of some of the more "rambunctuous" critters were amazed at how they all got along. Francis would have been pleased, and I can't help but think that God was smiling on us all. :-)

That same space (our Fellowship Hall) will be a "grace place" again this Wednesday evening as our Wednesday suppers continue. This week there will be an "Oktober-fest" theme with brats, sauerkraut, German chocolat cake, homemade potato salad, applesauce and rumors of accordion music!?! There is no need to sign up. Just show up. If you'd like to volunteer to help set up or serve or cleanup, please call the church office (or reply to this email) and we'll plan on you helping. A jar for an offering is available at the dinner to help cover the cost.

Looking ahead, since it is October, the Youth Group will be having a "Marty Party" (in honor of Martin Luther) on Saturday evening, October 30, the evening before Reformation Day and Confirmation Day for six of our young people. Lots to celebrate!

As we head into the week, may we go with the grace that Francis both experienced and also shared with God's creatures, and, like we heard in worship yesterday, may we be "Mustard Seed" kinds of Christians, both nurturing the seeds of faith that have planted in us and spreading those good seeds of faith into whatever little corner of God's creation we have been placed.

See you in church!

God's work; our hands.

Pastor A.C. 'Jack' Diehl III

Here at Our Savior we operate out of an understanding of five principles for passing on faith. The first one of those principles is: "Faith is formed by the power of the Holy Spirit through personal trusted relationships--often in our own homes." In subsequent e-mails to come, I will speak of the other 4 principles, but for now, this one. As a way of helping to nurture "personal trusted relationships" and give the Holy Spirit room to work, and so help to pass along the faith, one of the things that is resuming again this coming Wednesday, Sept. 29, are our "Family Night Suppers". The menu this week is: breaded Haddock, home made mac and cheese, stewed tomatoes, cole slaw and cherry cheesecake! Wow! I can't wait! This is an opportunity to come with your family and/or get together with other members of our church family, build relationships, and be a part of the Body of Christ alive and at work here in this place. The whole dinner is put together by volunteers, so if you'd like to be a part of helping with that, whether it be cooking, set up, clean up, shopping or whatever, let us know. Eating together really is a wonderful way to build relationships and get to know each other. Eating together is also a Biblical image of heaven…the wedding banquet, the feast of victory! So, along with Holy Communion being a foretaste of that feast to come, in some ways, our Wednesday church suppers can also be a kind of foretaste of that feast to come. If you'd like to help, call the church office, or put your name on a list in the narthex or let us know Wednesday evening at the supper. There will be a basket available for a donation to help cover the cost of the meal. Your generous support of this will be much appreciated.

And speaking of good fellowship, this coming Sunday, October 3 at 4pm, we will have a "Blessing of the Animals" in the Fellowship Hall. This is always a wonderful event as we come together to ask God's blessing on those very special creatures in our lives. Dr. Linda Aiken will be here to share some words about her calling as a veterinarian in caring for God's creatures. This is a great opportunity to invite a friend, neighbor or fellow animal lover for this special service.

As this week unfolds, in light of yesterday's worship and Gospel reading about the rich man and poor Lazarus, may we especially be aware of anyone "at our gate" who may be in need of a tender touch or a kind word or some reminder of God's grace. Have a blessed week.

God's work; our hands.

Pastor Jack Diehl

Do you know anyone who has had a pig valve put in his or her heart? Do you know anyone who has or has had breast cancer? I'm thinking just about everyone can say yes to either of both of those questions. Both of these topics are directly related to the study and work of genetics. Or how about genetically engineered food? That’s in the news and on our tables more and more everyday.

Because this issue is before us everyday in different ways, our church, the ELCA, prompted by it's members in assembly, is undertaking a study on genetics. Just like there was a study on human sexuality which came before the greater church in the summer of 2009, this study will be coming before the ELCA in assembly in Orlando next summer. Input on this study is welcome and invited. For a copy of the initial statement, there is a hard copy in the church office, or, you can go to either the ELCA website (http://www.elca.org/) or our Florida/Bahamas Synod website (http://www.fbsynod.com/) to find it. Our synod website also has a great power point walking through the study. Your thoughts and input are, as I mentioned above, welcome and invited. And it can all be done on-line. What a world we live in!

Looking ahead, a week from tomorrow, Wednesday September 28, our Wednesday dinners resume! Dinner will be served beginning at 6pm. What a great time to come together with the church family, have a nice meal and share in some good conversation. In our increasingly technological world, as evident above in our genetics study, with all the benefits that brings, one of the downsides is a lack of face to face contact with others. So, come, have a good meal and experience community together in the middle of the joys and sorrows, celebrations and struggles of living in today's world.

Have a blessed week!

Pastor Jack Diehl

Sunday School got off to a wonderful start yesterday. You could feel the buzz (and hear echos of "The Chicken Dance") all morning. It's a wonderful thing to be a part of the learning and growing of faith that goes on in Sunday School for both our children and adults.

And speaking of beginnings, this Wednesday rehearsals begin for both the Handbell Choir and the Chancel Choir. Handbell practice is in the church and meets from 5:30-6:30pm. The chancel choir meets in the choir room, and begins at 7pm. If you are musical in any way, you'd be most welcome to be a part of our music ministry.

Looking ahead, a number of people are interested in becoming members of Our Savior. In October, we will be having some new member gatherings both on Wednesday evenings, around our Wednesday evening suppers which will soon be starting, then again on Sunday mornings. Exact dates will soon be posted. At this time we are planning to receive members into our congregation on All Saint's Weekend, Nov. 6-7. If you have any questions feel welcome to talk to either of the pastors.

Finally, the Space Coast Conference will be having a Fall Gathering at Advent Lutheran Church in Palm Bay on Sunday September 26 at 4pm. We'd like to have some of our members join us for that gathering. A potluck dinner will follow the meeting. This is a great way to get to know other folks in our conference and be a part of the bigger church at work. If you are interested, please contact Pastor Jack.

As this week unfolds, may all we say and do be in the light of God's presence and God's promises to us. Only then can we become the kind of people God made us to be.

Pastor A.C. 'Jack' Diehl III

I hope all had a good Labor Day weekend! As of this past weekend we are now back to our regular worship schedule (Saturday 6pm, Sunday 8:30 and 11am). This coming weekend (Sept. 12) our Sunday School resumes with Sunday School beginning at 9:45am. This first Sunday will be "Rally Day" with all children meeting in the Fellowship Hall for special activities and to learn more about this year's focus and service project. (Did I hear something about the "Chicken Dance"?) Sounds like a great year in the making. As some of the first disciples said to the others, "Come and see!"

Thrivent Members you may have gotten in the mail recently (I just did) a letter entitled ("Help choose where Thrivent Financial gives back". This is about your "Thrivent Choice" options for where you'd like Thrivent to designate some funds. You can choose "Our Savior Luthernan Church" or "Lutheran Outdoor Ministries of Florida" or any of many options. I did mine by a simple, quick phone call. For other Thrivent information you can call our local Thrivent Representative, Sam Lyons at 772-453-5688.

Tomorrow night, Wednesday Sept. 8, Youth Group meets from 6:30-8:30. For part of that time Pastor Jack will be there with his old Geo Tracker to teach any new drivers how to drive a stick shift.

Singers and Musicians! Next Wednesday, September 15 rehearsals begin: Handbells at 5:30pm, Choir at 7pm. Music is such a wonderful gift…it's too good not to share. If you have even a little bit of that gift, come and share it. It's good for the soul…both for those giving and those receiving.

Now, as this short week unfolds, and as we bask in the refreshing rain (I can hear almost our plants and grass say "ahhhh") may all you do, whether resting or working, be done, as Pastor Shelly reminded us yesterday, S.D.G.! (Soli Deo Gloria…to the Glory of God alone!)
S.D. G.!!

See you in church!

Pastor Jack Diehl

In the church we celebrate a number of seasons throughout the year, liturgical and otherwise. In the liturgical year we are a little more than half way through the longest season of the church year, the season of Pentecost. But in another way, we are at the beginning now of a new season, re: the switch back to our regular schedule of worship and the beginning of Sunday School. Starting this coming Labor Day weekend, the first weekend in September, our regular worship schedule resumes with worship at 6pm on Saturday (that happens year round) and back to worship at 8:30 and 11am on Sunday. Sunday School will resume, as usual, the week after Labor Day, this year September 12.

In preparation for that, all are invited to our Sunday School Registration/Get Acquainted Open House/Pizza and salad night this Wednesday, September 1 between 6 and 7pm. Please plan to join us to register your child for Sunday School and/or confirmation classes and get to meet the teachers and other Sunday School families. It really will be a fun night with activities for the kids and did I hear something about the "Chicken Dance" ?!? Come and see! :-)

As this week unfolds may our lives be shaped by being at God's table of Grace. When we take part in that banquet, when we taste and see the goodness of God and experience God's welcoming presence there, nothing or no one looks quite the same after that!

See you around His Table!

Pastor Jack Diehl

It used to be that Labor Day marked the end of summer. School resumed right after that. Well, today is different. With the beginning of school today for so many, I think it's safe to say summer is kind of officially over. In that spirit, our "blessing of the backpacks" this past weekend in worship was a great way to end the summer and head into the new school year. It was so good to have so many children, teachers, parents, and others who are involved in teaching our children, come forward in worship for a blessing. Great way to start the new school year!

Friday, August 27, 7pm: Jam in the sanctuary! Several of our resident musicians will be gathering to make music together, enjoy some old music and learn some new music. If you would like to join us please just come by. Bring an instrument or just your voice, or just come to listen. We'll choose the best of what we hear to bring into worship some Saturday or Sunday. We'd like you input!

FREE MONEY!?!? Do you remember matching fund projects from Thrivent? For our Easter Breakfasts and also for our annual Fall Bazaar Thrivent often matched funds raised to help support our camping ministry for our kids and local projects with our WELCA group. Thrivent has changed some procedures so that now we may be able to receive even more money for ministries like those mentioned above. Through a new program called "Thrivent Choice", all Thrivent members are asked to designate where they would like the money generated from their policy or accounts to go. This will not take away anything from the person's account. The Thrivent members of Our Savior alone have policies that generate over $3000 per year, which can be designated as each member chooses. But you have to choose! So, if you are a Thrivent member, please go online, or call 1-800-847-4863. I called last week to designate Our Savior as the recipient of these funds from my account, and the call only took about a minute! This Saturday evening, our local Thrivent agent, Sam Lyons, will be hosting our refreshments and be available to answer any questions you might have.

Finally, looking ahead to Wednesday Sept. 1, mark your calendars for Sunday School and Confirmation registration night! We will gather around 6pm for some pizza and getting connected with new teachers, students and each other. Please plan to join us. And if you haven't yet seen our renovated Fellowship Hall, this will be a great time to do that! What a nice space! You'll be amazed. Hope you can join us!

So, as another season begins, we enter it with hope and courage knowing that God is here among us to lead, correct, comfort, and strengthen us for the journey, so that we might become AAA Christians: Available, Authentic and Affirming for our young people and for each other.

See you in church!

Pastor Jack Diehl

Surrounded and cheered on by that great cloud of witnesses, we head into another week!

Tonight our Long Range Planning Team meets to look at a proposal for expanding our gathering and sending space in the church (the narthex and outside space). Tomorrow night the Church Council meets, looking ahead at upcoming things for the Fall. We'll keep you up to date on what comes from these meetings.

School has already begun for some of our kids (the charter high school for example) and this week school begins for the teachers in Indian River County. With that in mind, this coming weekend, Aug. 21-22, we will have a "Blessing of the Backpacks" during worship. All of our children are invited to bring their backpacks to church for a special blessing as they begin school next Monday. Teachers are also invited to bring their lesson plan books and come forward for a blessing along with the children. Along with those blessings, we will also be celebrating the Baptism of James and Julie Ledlow's new son, Aaron Louis Ledlow. Good, happy milestones for us all to celebrate together.

Also, this coming weekend, former bishop of the Florida/Bahamas Synod, Rev. Lavern Franzen, will be our guest as he will share with us the work of Lutheran Services Florida.

As summer winds down and the new season begins to unfold, may we enter it with hope, faith and the confidence that God is with us and surrounds us with his love, as those people of faith who have gone before us knew and lived out in their lives.

God's work; our hands!

Pastor A.C. 'Jack' Diehl III

This past Saturday the last group of campers returned home from camp. This marked the end of a total of 4 different week long camp experiences for our kids this summer (Daycamp here, Confirmation Camp at Luther Springs, another week at Luther Springs for our younger ones and a week at Lutherock for our senior high kids), plus a 10 day mission trip to Guyana for 2 of our college students and our youth director Jimmy. You'll be hearing more about this in our next newsletter. What these experiences offer to our young people is a bigger picture of the church. In settings like these there is opportunity to experience Christian community, get a taste of that "great cloud of witnesses in a special setting and to get to know other young Lutheran Christians who are also learning and growing in the faith. Many thanks to all who have contributed to help make these camping experiences possible.

And speaking of a "great cloud of witnesses", this coming weekend (Aug 14-15), that part of Hebrews (the 11th chapter) will be before us, as we think of what it means to be surrounded by them and what it means to be numbered with them!

Looking ahead, the following weekend, August 21-22, former Bishop Lavern Franzen will be our guest as he shares with us the work of Lutheran Services Florida. Also, since that is the last weekend before school starts for many we will be having the "Blessing of the Backpacks" for our children and blessing of the lesson plans for our teachers. Mark your calendars, have your children bring their backpacks to church, teachers their lesson plans, and be sure to join us.

It's a real blessing to be numbered with and surrounded by that great cloud of witnesses. Come and strengthen that relationship and be equipped to live that special identity out in your everyday lives.

See you in church!

Pastor Jack

Seeing things from a different angle can be quite enlightening! We've just returned from 3 weeks of vacation. It was a great 3 weeks which involved some time here in Vero (consisting mostly of major kitchen renovation at our home and fishing) and some time in Gatlinburg TN where we gathered with our 4 kids, their spouses (minus one who had to work) and 2 grandbabies. It was wonderful all being together as we played games, watched movies, ate, walked in the woods and streams, watched the hummingbirds, saw a couple of bears, etc. It was a real blessing.

And now, it's good to be home and back to work. That's one of the best parts of getting away and being on vacation. The time apart helps you appreciate being back home and back to work. In fact, on the last day day of my vacation I received an article from a friend, via email, about clergy today. The article referred to various health problems, depression, over use of medications, stress, unhappiness, etc. It went on to say that part of the problem is clergy not taking vacations or time away or apart. (I also think part of the problem is a form of arrogance on the part of clergy who act like it's "their church" and not God's! But that might be another conversation.) Anyhow, I very much appreciated the time apart.

What part of being away offered, along with some good R&R, was the opportunity to worship in 3 different congregations, which gave me a view from the other side. It was really nice to get to the church a few minutes before worship began, be able to participate, be fed, and then be able to leave when worship was over! What that perspective did was shoot some real holes in excuses I sometimes hear for people not going to church:

1) Sunday is the only day I have to sleep in. What?? One can still sleep in and get to church in plenty of time if one goes to a later service. Or, come to worship on Saturday evening and sleep til noon on Sunday!

2) Sunday is family time. What better "family time" could one have than some time together in church?! To be able to go to church with your family is a real blessing! The world barrages us daily, hourly, with it's messages of "buy this" or "buy that" or "do this" or "do that" to be happy, fulfilled, or whatever. An hour together in church puts us in a place to hear another Word, a Life giving Word. Just the effort of going, whether the sermon or hymns are great or not so great, tells our children, and each other, that there is a God and there is more to life than what we get caught up in on a daily basis. Then upon hearing that other Word, we can bring something special back into our daily lives.

3) Going to church takes up too much of the day. I've almost fallen for that one before, since for us pastors, we're usually at church between 7 and 7:30 in the morning and don't leave until 12:30 or 1pm during the season, and even with one Sunday service, we're here about 8:30 and don't leave until 11:30 or 12. That is a pretty big chunk of time. But, while on vacation, I realized that going to church was more like an hour, or hour and a half including commuting time! That sure isn't a big chunk of time, (how much more time than that is wasted in front of a TV!) but it sure is an important chunk of time! A lot of the day is left after that! Or if you go to a late service, I've known guys who have gone fishing early Sunday morning and have been in church following that! Really!

So, for me, that view from the other side these past few weeks have shed some new light once again on the blessing, the importance and the wonderful opportunity we all have in being able to gather for worship. Don't let some lame excuses get in the way for you to gather with other folks to hear that "other Word", that Word that gives Life and Hope and that feeds and nourishes us to take on another week.

It's nice being home. See you in church!

Pastor A.C. 'Jack' Diehl III

Mid-summer greetings! For us at Our Savior, especially this year, an important part of summer is church camp. This year Our Savior is helping make church camp experiences available to our kids from 1st grade through college age.

In June, we hosted our annual Lutheran Outdoor Ministries of Florida Day Camp here at Our Savior. This involved kids from 1st grade through middle school, as college age camp counselors came to lead over 70 children from our congregation and the community on a wonderful week of songs, activities and learning in a Christian context.

In addition to this, kind of the next step up, older elementary youngsters and also members of this year's confirmation class will spend a week at Luther Springs, our Lutheran camp in the woods of north Florida, about 1/2 hour east of Gainesville.

Then, yet another step beyond that, some of our high schoolers will spend a week at Lutherock, near Boone, N.C. In all of these settings our young people have the opportunity to "unplug" from cell phones, ipods, TV, video games, computers, etc. and experience Christian community in a special and unique way, with well trained college age counselors who are there to share their faith and give our young people an opportunity for their faith to grow and unfold in a special setting.

The June issue of "The Lutheran" magazine had a number of wonderful articles about church camping experiences and how meaningful and formative they are. If you still have that issue around, be sure to look at it and see what many of our children are experiencing.

As a major step beyond those camp experiences, two of our college students, Libby Anderson and Zach Jedzinak, who have been campers in the past, will be going on a mission trip to Guyana along with Jimmy Smith our youth director and a group from Tampa. This is the first foreign mission trip for our college age students, and we are very proud of Libby and Zach for stepping up to such an adventure.

I share this information about camping ministry to say thank you to all who have helped support our kids going to camp. The challenges of the world today need young people who are rooted and grounded in a faith that will not just sustain them, but which will guide and direct them through their life's journey. The world needs people who can see beyond what the billboards and advertisements say is important in life. The world needs people who have been given hearts that know how to love and trust God. Without that, how can one ever really know how to love and trust another? The world needs people who have been given ears to hear God speaking, in the middle of the cacophony of sounds and demands of the culture, and to hear the hopes and hurts of their brothers and sisters. Church camp experiences help our young people become the kind of people the world needs.

May God bless all campers and counselors this summer, so that they may in turn be a blessing to others. If your child or grandchild hasn't had a church camp experience, start thinking about how to help that happen next summer.

Peace and Joy + Pastor Jack

After a great Fathers' Day weekend at Our Savior, Day Camp began today. This is one of the noisiest, most energetic weeks of the year at Our Savior. About 70 kids from Our Savior and our community gather for a week of singing, activities, games, praying and all kinds of fun. College age counselors, along with our wonderful teenage helpers and AAA adults (Available, Authentic and Affirming) who are support staff (feeding and helping in all kinds of ways) make for a terrific week for our campers and for everyone involved. On Thursday night at 7pm our campers will share some of the songs and other things they've learned this week followed by an ice cream social. Everyone is welcome!

Also, this is kind of the 'kick off' week for camps this summer at Our Savior. This coming Sunday afternoon 8 of our confirmation students will be off to Luther Springs, our church camp east of Gainesville, for a week of confirmation camp. Then later this summer another group of younger campers will be off to Luther Springs and high school campers off to Lutherock, in North Carolina, on Sugar Mountain.

These camping experiences have always been formative, wonderful experiences for our young people. But in today's world, where our young people are so bombarded by electronic media (not just TV, but also ipods, DVDs, cell phones, computers, Facebook, Twitter, and the list goes on) these kind of camp experiences, where our young people get to "unplug" and experience nature and real face to face community, are all the more necessary and valuable. Many thanks to all who support these efforts through your volunteering and financial support. As Garrison Keillor (of the Prarie Home Companion) says, "Whatever you do for a child is never wasted."

God's work; our hands.
Have a blessed week.
Pastor A.C.'Jack' Diehl III

One of the most amazing tools we have available to us today is the Internet. The other day I was listening to an old rock n' roll song from my teenage years and always wondered what one of the phrases was in that song. So I "googled" the name of the song, hit "enter" and there came up the lyrics. I know that for our younger generation that is pretty much taken for granted, but I’m still amazed at what kinds of information is available at the click of a button. (By the way, the song was "Devil with the Blue Dress" by Mitch Rider and the Detroit Wheels and the hard to understand phrase was, "…she's a real humdinger…". :-) For years we tried to decipher what that phrase was, but with a couple of clicks of the computer, there it was. Makes me smile, because I remember my Dad using that term often.)

Anyhow, for all of the useless information available, such as that, and all of the bad stuff available out there on the Internet, there are also some wonderful resources there as well. When the Bible, written thousands of years ago, meets the Internet, we have some wonderful tools available to help us understand what God was and is saying to us in the Bible.

In particular, I refer you to two sites: www.elca.org/bookoffaith and www.enterthebible.org . Both the "Book of Faith" initiative in the ELCA and the "Enter the Bible" resource from Luther Seminary in St. Paul MN, came about to help us understand what God is saying to us through these ancient, yet always new, Scriptures. And it's good to have help like this, because, as you know, over the years the Bible has been used and abused for all kinds of purposes. Christians of all stripes look to the Bible as the place where God speaks to us. Even the Jehovah's Witnesses use the Bible, and the Jehovah's Witnesses aren't even what you could call a branch of the Christian church. So, how do we navigate through the Bible today?

Through the two sites mentioned above, we are given a Gospel centered perspective from which we come to hear and understand what God is saying to us through these ancient Scriptures. In the "Book of Faith" and "Enter the Bible" resources, some of the churche's best teachers and theologians help us read and understand what God was saying to his people then and what God is saying to us today. In addition to those sources, you can receive a daily on-line devotion trough "God Pause", another offering from Luther Seminary. (Google "God Pause, Luther Seminary" for more info.)

So, as this summer unfolds, and as you have the opportunity, check out these websites, with Bible in hand, and be open to what God would say to you today. Our faith is a living faith and God really does continue to speak to us and to our world. Are you listening?

See you in church!

Pastor A.C. 'Jack' Diehl III

www.oursaviorelca.com

News & Notes

The older I get the more I appreciate the many and varied gifts God gives everyone. In our four adult children alone, all of whom grew up in the same house with the same parents and in the same surroundings, I see such varied and unique gifts, interests and abilities! It amazes me.

On a larger scale, I see that in our congregation. During this past Lenten season, Holy Week and now during our ongoing Easter elebration, so many contributed in such meaningful ways to our worship experience: from the lighting (Wesley Dean), to the dramatic readings (so many of our folks, young and old), to the planning (eg. Good Friday, Carole Olsen), to all of the beautiful music, to the beautiful lilies (all who donated and Lynn Sadler and crew who ordered, delivered and set them up), and the list goes on (like the Easter breakfast put on by our Men in Mission). And that's only in the area of worship.

At the same time wonderful things were happening in Sunday School, in our Parish Health Ministry, in our Youth Ministry, and in our community, with so many members involved in a number of local social service ministries and beyond, with our connection with Haiti Partners and the Lutheran Church in Guyana. And the list goes on. So many and varied interests and gifts!

I share this because Our Savior is about to recognize another way that various gifts and abilities are shared through the church. That is through the office of deacon. Deacons have been a part of the churchmsince Biblical days. In the ELCA a number of congregations are recognizing certain people who have had specialmtraining and who are qualified to hold the title of deacon.

Here at Our Savior, Allan Klotsche is one such person. Having completed a two year diakonia program of education here in our Synod, and having met certain service related requirements, Allan is now ready to be consecrated as a deacon of the church. That will happen on Pentecost Sunday, May 25 at the 8:30 service.

Due to space limitations, I'll just say for now that on that Sunday and in future newsletters we will share more about what this means for Allan and for our congregation. You can also go to our synod website: www.fysynod.com and type "diakonia program" in the select-a-topic" text box for more information.

As this season of Easter concludes on May 16 and as the season of Pentecost begins May 23, may we all recognize the gifts God has given us and be open to using them for the good of all and to the glory of God.

See you in church!
Pastor Jack Diehl

And the world would never be the same.

Since that first Easter everything changed. The authorities, religious and political, thought that Jesus had been silenced, taken out of the picture, finished. Jesus’ follower’s hopes and dreams had come to an end. It seemed the powers of death and darkness had prevailed.

But then there was that open, empty tomb. And then the Risen, Living Jesus talking to Mary and later to the disciples on the road to Emmaus. And the world would never be the same. Because of this Risen One, the Bible would not be read the same either . From that first Easter the Bible would be seen and heard and read in light of that ultimat e act of redemption. There would no longer be Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female; all would be one in Christ. (Gal. 3:28) Even the Biblical Sabbath Day would be changed from Saturday to Sunday, the day of Resurrection, as an ongoing reminder of the Dawning of God's New Day. For God sent his Son
into the world not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him. The Bible isn't just a book of laws and rules. This Risen One, we see, is the focus of the Bible, and the One to whom the whole Biblical story points!And the unfolding of that story continues.
Come and see, not just on Easter Sunday, but on all of the

Sundays of the Easter season and beyond, as the Living, Risen Christ and his promised Holy Spirit continues to breathe life into us and into God's world yet today.
And the world would never be the same.
See you in church!
Pastor Jack Diehl

For the entire month of March we will be journeying through Lent, which began on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17 and ends on Easter Sunday, April 4. So, what does that look like at Our Savior? In addition to our regular worship schedule of Saturday at 6pm and Sunday at 8:30 and 11am, there will be midweek Wednesday Lenten services at 11am & 7pm. The midday service is followed by lunch and the evening service is preceded by a soup & salad
supper at 6pm.

These services and the meals are wonderful times to gather together for some of the "Four Keys for Practicing Faith": 1. Caring conversations; 2. Devotions; 3. Service and 4. Rituals and Traditions. (You'll be hearing more of this language as a result of our Jan. 23 workshop with Pastor Hill.)

But for now, what these mid week services and meals offer are places for caring conversations, which take place at and around the meals provided during this season. In these settings we are able to get caught up on each others lives and share both our joys and sorrows.

The worship then provides a place for devotion as we sing, pray and hear God's Word together. The theme for these services will be "Overheard Conversations by the Cross" as we listen in on conversations that may have taken place between different people who were there during Jesus' last days.

Between the meals provided and the conversations overheard, many members of Our Savior will be providing some wonderful service to us all. (If you'd like to be a part of helping with any of this, talk to one of the pastors.)

There are also some rituals and traditions which will continue for our evening worship. The setting on Wednesday evenings will be Holden Evening Prayer which is becoming a much loved tradition here at Our Savior.

So, as this season unfolds, I hope you can join us on this Lenten journey. This is the bread that feeds our souls and the spiritual exercise that makes our faith strong.

See you in church!
Pastor A.C.'Jack' Diehl III

Not long ago I saw the new blockbuster movie, Avatar. It's 2 hours and 40 minutes of amazing special affects (no, I didn’t see it in 3-D...it was plenty enough for me to see it as it was!) lots of action, explosions, etc. But it was also filled with all kinds of religious and spiritual symbolism.

I found it curious that in an increasingly secular world, and in a world where church membership in general is waning in some areas, there would be so much interest in spiritual things, such as evidenced in this movie and other popular movies today (“The Book of ELI” is another). What this tells me is that the spiritual nature in us is always there and always hungry. There is a part of us that wants and needs more than just the tangible, measurable and/or pleasurable things in life.

As we enter February we come to a time of the year when our different worship experiences can speak to our spiritual nature in different ways. The season of Epiphany comes to a conclusion on Transfiguration Sunday, Feb. 14, as we once again lock away our Alleluias until Easter. Then our Lenten journey begins on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17, as we begin our way toward Easter. During the changing of the seasons we get to hear and experience the different dimensions of our Christian faith.

In the spirit of our Jan. 23 "Vibrant Faith Formation" workshop, these extra worship opportunities are additional times our faith can be nurtured.

Watch for the special presentations and unique worship settings as the season of Epiphany comes to a close and as the season of Lent begins. Come worship and be a part of something that can nurture your faith and your spirit, which movies like Avatar can't really feed.

See you in church.

Pastor Jack Diehl