SUNDAY MORNING ADULT BIBLE STUDY

September 13 to November 8

In the Old Testament there are many accounts of the rise and fall of kingdoms and family trees. How do these thousands of years of history relate to the gospel of Jesus Christ and our salvation? Based on the book His Hand Among the Nations printed by Northwestern Publishing House, Pastor Hintz will lead a discussion about the nations that surrounded God’s Old Testament people. We will see how God’s guiding hand worked for the good of his chosen ones to finally carry out his great plan of salvation for all nations through Jesus Christ. The study will assure us that even in the most difficult days, God’s hand holds onto us and guides us in saving faith along the way to eternal glory with him. This class will be taught in the Fellowship Hall on Sundays at 9:15am.

SPECIAL VOTERS’ MEETING

A special congregational Voters’ meeting was held Sunday, August 30. The Voters approved the following items:

1. Our Lutheran elementary school’s Mission-Vision-Objectives (MVO) document.
2. Replacing our teacherage roof.
3. Funding for the school COVID cleaning plan.
4. Refinance our current mortgage loan to lower the interest rate by 1.45%, adjust the term to 10 years, and add $50,000 to the loan amount.

Continue reading “New this week – September 3, 2020” →

Dear Friends,

A simple request… We seek your continued prayers for our church and school leaders, and leaders everywhere, who continue to prayerfully make decisions for churches and schools while navigating through changing and challenging times. May God grant them wisdom as they wade through varying resources and opinions concerning school openings, worship services, Bible classes and other activities. And may God grant kindness, patience, and Christian love to all those impacted by these decisions. May all our interactions foster unity and encouragement as brothers and sisters in Christ.

*Please note that this is the second of two publications of NEWS TO NOTE in August.

Continue reading “New this week – August 19, 2020” →

Dear Friends,

How richly we value our citizenship! With the Apostle Paul, we can proclaim that “our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ…” (Philippians 3:20). Yes, we value, above all else, the fact that through faith in Jesus we are members of God’s family, citizens of his kingdom! We are members of a kingdom that will never end. Our King loves us perfectly. We, along with all believers, are co-heirs with Christ, awaiting the full glory of our eternal inheritance, which we will share with Christ. We are citizens whose King always wants what’s best for us; He rules for our good. He intercedes for us before our Father in heaven.  Our King died, rose, and ascended for us! Our King saved us!

Let us never stop giving thanks for the blessing of being a citizen in God’s kingdom, living in his grace now and looking forward to experiencing the fullness of his glory later.

The Lord has blessed us with another citizenship; one which we just celebrated a few days ago. May God defend our nation and protect us from all foes who would threaten our land from within and outside our borders.

*Please note that there will be two publications of NEWS TO NOTE in July, this one and a second one in two weeks.

Prayer Requests

Let us know of any special prayer requests for the Prayer Circle or worship services. “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and keep on praying for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18).

“I pray that out of his glorious riches God may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (Ephesians 3:16-17).

With Independence Day just days away, I grabbed a prayer book my grandparents gave me in 1972. What follows are some thoughts gleaned from one of the Independence Day prayers:

• Let us be thrilled as we remember the greatness of our country’s past and give God thanks for the blessings we have enjoyed through the years.
• Let us treasure and appreciate our dearly won liberty, including the freedom of worship, which is the very cornerstone of our country’s glory.
• Let us at no time misuse our freedoms nor neglect to praise God’s holy name.
• Let us appreciate the peace and order maintained by our government.
• Let us be willing to share in the process of this democratic rule, to respect our country’s laws, to work and pray for the preservation of its institutions, and to serve our country wherever possible.
• Let us pray for God to protect us and all citizens from all subversive opinions, and for God to keep our government leaders from falling prey to selfish interests.
• Let us remember that the Lord is ruling the destiny of people and nations and that the future rests in his good counsel.
• Let us and all citizens turn our hearts to that freedom which delivers from sin and death and which only our Savior can give us.

May God bless us and may God bless America!

Installation Date Set

We are thankful that the Lord led Pastor Hintz, Mr. Hahm and Mrs. Gronholz to accept their Calls to serve as Our Savior. Their installation will take place on Sunday, August 2^nd.

Offerings 

Thank you for your financial support of God’s work at Our Savior through your offerings, whether placed in the plates while at worship, dropped off inthe church office, directly mailed from banks, or given online through Vanco or through Vanco’s mobile giving app GivePlus Church.

Prayer Requests

Let us know of any special prayer requests for the Prayer Circle or worship services. “Pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

“We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May you unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you”

(Psalm 33:20-22).

Dear Friends,

King David encourages us in Psalm 34:8 to “Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is everyone who takes refuge in him.” This verse reminds us of the importance of experiencing God’s goodness; and as we do, we will truly appreciate it all the more. Taste and see God’s love as you read his Word and receive his Sacrament. Taste and see God’s mercy as you find refuge in the good news of his forgiveness. Taste and see the goodness of God and live in the joy of his blessings. “O give thanks to the Lord for he is good…” (Psalm 118).

Schedule of Worship and Events

Join us

• Thursday, June 18, worship at 7 pm in our Family Life Center Gym
• Saturday, June 20, at 7 am, men’s Bible study in the fellowship hall
• Sunday, June 21, worship at 8 & 10:30 in our FLC gym and Bible class at 9:15 in the fellowship hall
• We continue to live stream our Sunday morning 10:30 service.

Holy Communion

We have begun to again celebrate the Lord’s Supper during our regular worship services the first and third weekends of the month! We understand that some people many not yet feel comfortable gathering on campus for worship, and that for others it may not be advisable to return to on campus worship at this time. If this applies to you, but you would welcome a member of our pastoral staff to serve you private communion, either at your home or in the church office, please call us and we will arrange a visit. (Please note that some of the care facilities do not yet allow us on site. We must wait until those restrictions have been lifted before we can visit those facilities.)

Call Update

We are pleased to announce that Mrs. Amanda Gronholz has accepted the Call to serve as a part-time teacher in our school for the 2020-2021 school year. We thank the Lord that he has led Mrs. Gronholz, Mr. Hahm (principal) and Pastor Hintz (pulpit assistant) to serve the Lord and his people at Our Savior. Continue reading “New this week – June 16, 2020” →

Dear Friends,

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians (4:4), “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” It sounds like things were going really well in his life. Truth be told, he wrote these words while in prison in Rome and facing an uncertain future. Yet these difficult circumstances could not rob him of joy, joy in Jesus. Are you or those you love facing uncertainty and struggles with health, finances, job, school? Undoubtedly nearly everyone these days is experiencing some sort extraordinary challenge. May our outward circumstances not impact our inward confidence and faith in Jesus, who promises us that his forgiveness, care and love will never fail. God keep you centered and firm on the foundation of his unshakable gospel promises, so that you can join Paul in saying, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Continue reading “New this week – June 10, 2020” →

Dear Friends,

This greeting is a few days late, but, Happy Pentecost! The account from Acts chapter 2 is worth celebrating, a day when believers were gathered together in a place and “all of them we filled with the Holy Spirit…” We often refer to the wondrous love of our Father in heaven and the glorious redeeming work of Jesus our Savior. But what about the Holy Spirit? He creates faith in the Savior, through whom we are rescued from sin and punishment. The Holy Spirit calls us out of the darkness of unbelief into the light of God’s grace and into his family, making us heirs of the best inheritance possible. What we and all believers have to look forward to (our inheritance) because of the Holy Spirit’s work is stated well in the explanation to the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed: “On the Last Day he will raise me and all the dead and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ.” That’s worth celebrating! Happy Pentecost!

Call Update

We are pleased to announce that…

• Pastor Mike Hintz has accepted the Call to serve as our pulpit assistant, and
• Mr. Jon Hahm has accepted the Call to serve as our principal for the 2020-2021 school year.
• Please keep Mrs. Amanda Gronholz in your prayers as she seeks God’s will regarding her Call to serve one year as a part-time teacher in our school.

Offerings

“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and the renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).

Dear Friends,

This last Sunday we sang, “Precious Lord, Take My Hand.” It’s a song that deeply touches the emotions of many people. We are reminded that “through the storm, through the night” our Lord continues to lead us home! And the picture of our precious Lord taking us by the hand and holding us safely in his care “when our life is almost gone” gives us peace and confidence today and when our “day is almost gone.”  May the Lord guide you every day as you live for him who died and rose for you!

Schedule of Worship and Events

Join us

• Tuesday, May 26, online women’s Bible study
• Thursday, May 28, onsite worship at 7 pm in our Family Life Center Gym
• Sunday, May 31, onsite worship at 8 and 10:30 am in our Family Life Center Gym
• All three services this weekend include the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. (Please see the announcement on the back of this letter.)
• We will continue to live stream our Sunday morning 10:30 service.
• Saturday, June 6, at 7 am, men’s Bible study in the fellowship hall

Call Update

• We are pleased to announce that Mr. Jon Hahm accepted the Call to serve as our school principal for the 2020-2021 school year.
• Please keep Mrs. Amanda Gronholz, who was called to serve one year as a part-time teacher in our school, and Pastor Mike Hintz, who was called to serve as our pulpit assistant, in your prayers that the Holy Spirit would guide them to a peaceful decision as to how he would have them serve.

Holy Communion Announcement!

Our congregation’s Board of Elders and ministry staff is pleased to announce that we will continue to gather for onsite worship on Thursdays and Sundays in the Family Life Center gym, and that we will now resume offering the Lord’s Supper beginning this Thursday and Sunday, May 28 and 31. While this is not a regular weekend to offer the Lord’s Supper, the decision was made to include it this weekend, and then get back to the regular first and third weekends in June (beginning June 4/7).

There will be several changes in how the Lord’s Supper is distributed, in an effort to promote safety and the well-being of our church family.

While we won’t list all the adjustments in this announcement, please note the following changes:

• Special measures will be taken which promote health and safety.
• Those who distribute Communion will wear masks during the distribution.
• Wafers will be distributed into the communicants’ hands so there is no personal contact.
• For the time being, we will not be using the common cup.
• Each communicant will grab his/her own individual cup.
• More individual cup trays will be used so that individual cups can be spread out on the trays.
• We will follow the process of continuous communion, which also promotes safe spacing between individual communicants. This will be explained further when we meet for worship.
• We understand that some people may not feel comfortable gathering for worship and may want to wait longer before coming back to church. Please don’t feel guilty about having such concerns for health and safety!
• We understand that some people may feel some of these changes are not necessary or are too extreme. We continue to ask everyone to be patient and loving with one another.
• We ask everyone to be respectful of others and understanding of various perspectives pertaining to these issues and decisions. We are prayerfully assessing information and making decisions to the best of our abilities. Your church leadership team will continue to monitor developments and keep you informed with future updates.
• We respectfully ask that persons who are ill or feeling symptoms of illness continue to worship remotely.

May God keep us growing in faith and secure in his love!