OSE-news: Happy Fall!

First Monday of Fall Greetings!  Did you feel a little hint of coolness in the air this morning?! Ahh…nice time of the year.

 

On our first weekend of Fall we heard Jesus speak to his disciples about true greatness in our Gospel reading.   How great it was to have the children gathered around for that reading as Jesus said, "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcome me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."  May we all have eyes and hearts made new, which see in the lowly ones, Christ himself present.  That is the beginning of true greatness.

 

As people called to have new eyes and new hearts, here are some ways to live out and nurture that new way of seeing and living.   

 

Coming up, the first weekend in October (6-7) will be "Blanket Sunday".  This is a great time to bring in those blankets or quilts that are just taking up closet space, but which could be put to good use in our community among folks who could use them.  

 

For your information, this coming Sunday, September 30, you might want to tune in (5pm Eastern Time) to "The Intersection of Church and State" on the Fox Business Channel.  The program is a production of "The Lutheran Hour Ministries".  This program spends an hour exploring the give-and-take relationship shared by church and state in this country. Expert commentary from clergy and government officials, lawyers, educators and social service providers offer insights and depth to the historical background and ongoing conversation of this relationship.  

 

Looking a little further ahead, Wednesday Night Dinners Return!

Due to popular demand . . .

Dinners will resume on Oct. 17th at 6:00pm in the Fellowship Hall.

These dinners are for everyone; a wonderful chance to have dinner together as church family once a week.   The dinners are home cooked by volunteers and a free-will offering is taken to cover the costs.   Volunteering at the dinners is fun and you can sign up for whatever you are able to do--once a month, only set up, only clean up, etc. And many volunteers are needed to feed 100 hungry Lutherans each week. So if you are able to volunteer, call Judy Kloski at (772) 713-8103 or 589-2696.  Or see the sign up sheet on the table in the lobby, across from the coffee and cookies table.

 

Also, that same night, Oct. 17, at 6:30 we will have our first of 3  "Information Gatherings" for anyone interested in learning more about Our Savior Lutheran Church or wishing to become a member of Our Savior.  The following 2 gatherings will be on Sunday, October 21 during the Sunday School hour, then again on Wednesday October 24 at 6:30pm.  It would be best to come to all 3 gatherings if possible.  New Members will be received on All Saints Weekend, November 3-4.  

 

The following is not something directly related to life at Our Savior, but something I have to share.  Monday thru Wednesday noon during this last week of September is always the annual Conference on Ministry for all Pastors and Rostered leaders of the Florida Bahamas Synod.   We all meet at a conference center in Leesburg for workshops, presenters, worship, etc.  This year, both the opening and closing Eucharist services have been put together, and will be led by our own Ryan Hostler.  Since Ryan has been a teacher the past 10 years, he’s never been able to go to these, but this year, since he is now here with us, the Bishop said he’s been waiting for years to have Ryan do this!  On top of that, the preacher for the opening worship will be the Bishop, but the preacher for the closing worship will be Pastor Shelly!  I can’t tell you enough how blessed we are to have these two young gifted leaders in the church here at Our Savior. I’m feeling very much like a proud Dad!  J (Yes, they are both young enough to be my kids.)  J   

 

Finally, you might want to check out our new website at:  www.oursaviorelca.com .  (Same web address as before.)   A huge thanks to Johanna Jones for many hours and sharing her expertise in putting this together.  It is a fresh new look and will be a "living, breathing" site offering ongoing updates on life at Our Savior.   Just another way to stay connected, and nurture the New Life that God in Christ breathes into His people.  

 

See you in church!     Most Gratefully,    Pastor A.C. 'Jack' Diehl III +   

 

God can use what?

 

I think most of us aware that God can use our gifts and our strengths for some wonderful purposes.  That’s often how God is at work in the world.  “God’s work; our hands”, as the saying goes.  And how great it is when God does that and we get to be those hands, lifting up, caring, comforting, correcting, directing, etc!    But God can also use our brokenness, our weakness.  Really?   Yes, for it is in our brokenness, our weakness, our need, that God often does his best work.  It is in those times and places where God’s healing, life giving, strengthening presence makes itself known, both in our lives and through our lives, as Pastor Shelly reminded us yesterday.  So, a good question to ask yourself is not just what are my strengths or gifts that God might be able to use, but where am I hurting, what is broken, where am I weak? It’s often in those places where God can make his comforting, healing, strengthening presence known…to me, and through me.

 

Since we are back into our regular schedule, there are plenty of opportunities to worship, learn, serve, grow, be fed, etc.  Along with having 3 worship times again and a great Sunday School beginning for our young people, there are also two wonderful adult Sunday School classes.  If you haven’t tried any of these out, feel welcome to jump in anytime.  It seems every Saturday and Sunday something really good happens which makes me think,  “Oh, I wish this person or that person would have been here to hear that or see that.”  God really is alive and at work through His Word and the Sacraments.  It’s very humbling to be a part of that.  Like the first disciples said,  “Come and see.”  

 

As this last official week of summer ends (first day of Fall this coming Saturday, the 22^nd) may you be blessed and be a blessing to someone.

 

Gratefully,     Pastor Jack Diehl +          www.oursaviorelca.com

 

Wow....and baseball caps.

First, the baseball caps.   Next week 2 of our own, Barbara Russell and Ben Smith are both going off on 2 different mission trips. 

 

Ben is going to Suriname to help at an orphanage for 3 months, which will include, when he first arrives, helping shop for the backpacks you all helped provide ($2500 worth, which includes school uniforms and school supplies!), then delivering them to the orphanage as he begins his work there.  

 

Barbara is going on a shorter trip to Cuba.  This is where the baseball caps come in.  One of the things folks often do on mission trips is bring gifts for the people they will be visiting.  Along with some fishing hooks and line, Barbara would like to bring baseball caps, with names/logos of professional baseball teams.  Those kinds of caps are very popular in Cuba.  If you have one or more baseball caps with a baseball team’s name or logo that you could part with, please bring it to church this weekend and Barbara will bring it with her on her Cuba trip.  Just one more little way of spreading good will and peace in a world where there is a great need for both.  Thanks!

 

OK, now the Wow part!   This past Monday I sent out an email with a “work in progress” possible “Welcome” greeting for our church brochures and website.  What a wonderful response we’ve had!   But before that, let me give some background.  A form of this “Welcome” has been floating around for some years now in various Roman Catholic and Lutheran Churches (maybe others…but those are the ones I’ve heard of).   There is no “copyright” on it, as it has been adapted for the various settings where it’s been used.  I talked to a Lutheran pastor in Colorado who has used this for several years.  He said they have had very positive responses to it.  The statement that was in the last email was an adaptation to our setting, which your council has been working on.   

 

First, here are a couple of really touching responses from two of our young members who grew up here at Our Savior, who are on our email list, and who are off to college doing post graduate work.  

 

“Pastor Jack, I read this email because I needed a pick me up right before bed.  I started reading the welcome statement and just started crying.  I think it is perfect.   In a world where so much is messed up it reminded me that all that truly matters is Jesus’ love for each and every single person that has ever been or will ever be on this earth. It’s an honor to call OSLC my church home with a statement like that.   L.A. “   

 

  “I really like the welcome statement. I’ve always felt that OSCL was very welcoming to people and it took a few years after leaving Vero to learn that other churches aren’t.  I was surprised to learn that some churches try to influence the political decision making of their congregation and I’m still infuriated to know that some churches tell groups of people that God hates them.  Keep up the good work.   A.B.” 

 

Along with these responses, we have received many really kind words and helpful suggestions and ideas.  So, this work in progress will continue, and there will be an official “Welcome” statement coming soon.   A sincere thanks for all of your thoughts, comments and suggestions.   It’s so wonderful to have so many involved in something like this.   And that is so good, because the statement does begin….”WE welcome you….”.  And that “WE” includes all of you!

 

Gratefully,       Pastor Jack Diehl +              www.oursaviorelca.com

OSE-news: 9/10/12

 

We're back to our regular schedule with worship at 6pm Saturday and 8:30 and 11am Sunday with Sunday School at 9:45.  And you could tell, by the buzz of activity and kids everywhere!  In fact, it looks like we might be moving the one adult class from room 4 into one end of the Fellowship Hall, since both that adult class and the next door kid's class were both so crowded.  Just watch for signs and announcements next week.  In any case, it was a great start to the Sunday School year.

 

 In worship this past weekend we heard about "Insiders" and "Outsiders", and how the world likes to make those distinctions.   But we also saw how God's mercy is big enough to break down those kind of barriers and make insiders out of outsiders....insiders of God's New Day, the Kingdom of God unfolding around and among us.   In addition to that, our reading from James was about not showing favoritism or making distinctions among ourselves.    In that light, the staff and church council are working on a "Welcome statement” to be used in our church brochures, which are placed in local Motels and on our website.  This "Welcome statement” is what I shared at the conclusion of yesterday's sermon.  We received many favorable comments about it and requests to see it in writing.  And we do invite your thoughts and input...be it grammatical or content wise.  After all, if this is put in our brochures and on our website, it will be something that comes from YOU, the people of Our Savior, for it begins, "WE welcome you....".    So, here it is:

 

We welcome you to Our Savior Lutheran Church.  We extend a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, gay, filthy rich, dirt poor, black, brown or white.  We extend a special welcome to those who are crying newborns, squirming children, and frazzled moms and dads.  We welcome you if you can sing like Andrea Bocelli or like some of us, who can't carry a note in a bucket.  You're welcome here if you're "just browsing", just woke up or just got out of jail.  We don't care if you're more Lutheran than Martin Luther, or haven't been in church since little Joey's Baptism.  We extend a special welcome to those who are over 60 but not grown up yet, and to teenagers who are growing up too fast.  We welcome starving artists, tree-huggers, latte-sippers, vegetarians and junk-food eaters.  We welcome those who are in recovery or still addicted.  We welcome you if you're having problems or you're down in the the dumps or if you don't like "organized religion", we've been there too.  We offer a special welcome to those who are left-wing, right-wing, or middle of the road.  If you are only here because you are visiting grandma and she wanted you to go to church with her, we welcome you.  We welcome those who are inked, pierced or both.  We welcome those in flip flops or three piece suits.  We offer a special welcome to those who could use a prayer right now.  We welcome vacationers, snow-birds, year-rounders, seekers, doubters....and you!  We welcome you to Our Savior Lutheran Church, because we are a place of saints and sinners of all kinds who are here by the grace of God.

 

And speaking of being a place of saints and sinners of all kinds, we're calling all musical saints and sinners to gather this Wednesday evening.  Handbell practice begins at 5:30pm and choir practice at 7pm.  At both gatherings there will be conversation as to the best meeting times, so come with your thoughts and your musical gift, however big or small it may be.  Or, if you have a musical gift that might not fit into a handbell or other choir, give Ryan, our minister of music a call, and see how your gift might be shared.  He has a wonderful way of putting all of our musical gifts to use!  

 

On Thursday at 6:30pm our Health Ministry Team will be meeting.   If you have any medical background, or would be interested in what that team is about and what they do, please join them.  They are always open to new members and ideas. 

 

And speaking of open to ideas, the new adult Sunday School class on Ethics wanted me to ask the question, “How do you live ethically every day?”  They would love to have you join them (in the Quiet Room off of the narthex during the Sunday School hour, beginning at 9:45am) or reply to this email and we’ll pass your reply along to the class.   Thanks.

 

For more information about life at Our Savior, please visit our website at www.oursaviorelca.com  (and watch for a new website that is presently in the works....coming within the next several weeks.)

 

Have a blessed week, and be a blessing to someone!       Pastor A.C. 'Jack' Diehl III  + 

 

Labor Day 2012

 

What a wonderful weekend in worship, as so many wore their ‘work clothes’ and put their business cards on the bulletin board in the chancel.  It was a great celebration of who we are and what we do during the week.  The bulletin board will be hanging in on the north wall in church for the rest of September, if you’d like to add your business card, or just go see who does what.  After that we hang that board in the church office until next Labor Day.  That way, if someone calls and asks about a plumber, or lawyer, or fishing captain, we can go to our board and see who does those things.   Many thanks to all who were a part of that today.   The whole day gives special meaning to “God’s work; our hands” out in the world. 

 

As the week unfolds, the church office will be closed on Labor Day Monday.  Hope everyone has a good first holiday of the school year/ending holiday of “summer”….even though it will still feel like summer here in Florida for several more weeks. 

 

On Tuesday evening at 6:30pm in the new ‘Quiet Room’ off of the narthex, a new group, “Run for God” begins.  This group will include Bible study and actual running (or walking) depending on one’s capabilities.   

 

On Wednesday, a ‘Prayer and Meditation’ group meets at noon in that same “Quiet Room”.   (The time had ‘fallen off’ the page in this past weekend’s bulletin.)

 

Next weekend we return to our regular worship schedule (6pm Saturday, 8:30 and 11am Sunday) and Sunday School resumes with classes for all ages (including 2 adult classes) at 9:45. 

 

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

 

May you all have a safe and blessed Labor Day and first week of September.    See you in church!     Pastor Jack Diehl +