Easter Continues!

The Easter Celebration continues, and in a grand way this past weekend at Our Savior as we celebrated 5 Baptisms: 3 siblings, Lydia, Logan and Evelyn, at the 6pm service on Saturday, and at the 11am service on Sunday, twins, Julianna and Noah.  Also at the 11am service 4 of our young members had their first communion.  All happy and important milestones in the lives of these children and their families…and also for our congregation.  In the middle of life’s struggles, and all the bad news that we continued to be bombarded with on a daily basis, the Easter message of God breathing Life and Hope and Peace into our lives and into the world through the Risen Jesus shows itself in ways like this. That’s why this season is filled with “Alleluias”!

 

For anyone interested in learning more about Our Savior, there will be a gathering this Wednesday evening, April 18, at 6:30 in the Quiet Room off of the narthex.  This is an informal gathering of sharing, asking questions and learning more about Our Savior and each other. 

 

This coming weekend Our Savior’s Parish Health Ministry Team will be doing blood pressure screenings after the 6pm and 11am services, and BEFORE the 8:30 service, all in the Quiet Room.

 

For more information about the life and ministry of Our Savior, please visit our website at:  www.oursaviorelca.com. 

 

And finally, here’s some information about our favorite four legged friend, Goldie, who has been a part of Our Savior this past year.  

Many of you have come to know Goldie, a Southeastern Guide Dog puppy being raised by one of our members, Colleen Heagy. He has attended the 8:30 service regularly and has been serving as the Sunday school mascot. You may have even seen him playing with the kids in the nursery or singing with the primary class before Sunday school.

 

Soon it will be time to say good-bye to Goldie as he will be returning to “Canine College” in Palmetto where he will learn 40 commands and how to become a guide dog for a visually impaired person.

 

Southeastern Guide Dogs, Inc. is a non-profit organization. They never charge the visually impaired recipient any money for a guide dog. They provide the guide dog, equipment, single-room lodging, all meals, outings, instruction and post-graduation support completely free of charge, thanks to the generosity of important contributors.
The average working life of a guide dog is eight years, and the majority of graduates obtain multiple guide dogs from Southeastern Guide Dogs.

The process of developing and serving a successful guide dog team takes an average of ten years (two years of training and eight years of post-graduation services) and approximately $60,000. 
Paws For Independence, like all programs at Southeastern Guide Dogs, receives no governmental funding. They rely solely on the generosity of people like you.

The Sunday School offerings this year have gone to support Southeastern Guide Dogs.  If their total offering comes to $3,500,  the kids will get to sponsor and choose a permanent name for the puppy.  (I don’t have the total amount raised so far, but it’s quite a ways from $3500 at this point.) Sponsorship supports the care of the puppy from 9 weeks and continues until the puppy returns to campus for formal harness training at 14 - 20 months.
They will receive two photos commemorating these events: one at 9 weeks and one upon its return to our school for harness training.

We are planning a farewell party for Goldie on May 6 after all services. Special breakfast treats will be provided and we hope that we can count on your support to help the puppy sponsorship.  You can mail a check made out to OSLC and mark it “for Guide Dogs” or “for Goldie”.       For more info, you can visit the website at:  www.guidedogs.org.   

Have a blessed week!  See you in church!