Summer is a time of coming and going in most churches and communities, but especially here in Florida where we have many seasonal friends as well as year-round friends who head off to different parts of the country or the world during the summer. As the summer comes to a close and as we enter the fall it is a joy to be here and welcome back all who have been on adventures over the summer (cross-country road trips); who have traveled to see family (as far off as Germany or Norway); or who have been at their ―up north‖ home. Welcome back!
It is our prayer that in your leave-takings and home-comings you went out in joy and were led back in peace. I mentioned in a sermon this summer that verse from Isaiah and how it aptly describes the worshipping life, the praying life, and the Christian life. For you shall go out in joy and be led back in peace.
And as you are being led back in peace, there is much getting underway here at Our Savior Lutheran. If you were not around for much of the summer you will see some wonderful changes underway as our 50th Anniversary renovation project progresses. As I write this walls are being torn down. When you read it new walls will be going up. It has been exciting to watch this all unfold and see God making new some of our church building here.
Amid the construction and renovation, activities continue as normal. Sunday School Registration Night will be August 31st at 6:00pm for ages 3 to 12th grade. And Sunday School for both children and adults will start up September 11th, the Sunday after labor day. We have some surprises underfoot for Sunday School this year and once again have a strong and faithful team of Sunday School teachers with at least two teachers in each classroom. It is through relationship that we come to know God. So we are grateful for this wonderful group of teachers who share their faith with our children through Sunday School.
In the Christian life we do much coming and going in all sorts of different ways, may you come and go in the joy and peace of Christ,
Pastor Shelly
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
As I write this, fences and temporary walls are going up and in the next few days old walls will be coming down. It is exciting to watch this process get started, and it will be neat to watch it unfold over the next months. When you come to worship this weekend, the signs and walkways will be clearly marked to make your way to the side entrance doors, volunteers in red vests will be there for anyone needing assistance, and you will get to see the changes as you make your way in toward the church building.
As the construction gets going, Wednesday Bible Study, Prayer and Meditation, Wednesday Night Beth Moore Bible Study, Dancing with the Lutherans, and all other activities continue as normal (we are thankful for this!). Youth Group has been on break for a few weeks due to our various camps, but will resume again tomorrow night at 6:30pm in the Youth Room. All youth 6th to 12th grade youth are invited!
We heard in worship last weekend Jesus’ parable of the Sower and the seed and how God is a Sower like no other—he knows that the rocks and thorns can be penetrated. And he is a Sower who has made cracks in the hardest of hearts and brought forth fruit in the thorniest of lives. Come again this weekend to hear another of Jesus’ parables from Matthew 13, and let God’s word grow in you and bear fruit in your life!
See you in church! Pastor Shelly Satran
As the construction gets going, Wednesday Bible Study, Prayer and Meditation, Wednesday Night Beth Moore Bible Study, Dancing with the Lutherans, and all other activities continue as normal (we are thankful for this!). Youth Group has been on break for a few weeks due to our various camps, but will resume again tomorrow night at 6:30pm in the Youth Room. All youth 6th to 12th grade youth are invited!
We heard in worship last weekend Jesus’ parable of the Sower and the seed and how God is a Sower like no other—he knows that the rocks and thorns can be penetrated. And he is a Sower who has made cracks in the hardest of hearts and brought forth fruit in the thorniest of lives. Come again this weekend to hear another of Jesus’ parables from Matthew 13, and let God’s word grow in you and bear fruit in your life!
See you in church! Pastor Shelly Satran
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
50 Years of God's Grace
Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise.. Psalm 84:4
This is an exciting year at Our Savior as we celebrate 50 years since the church was established. It has been neat to see pictures and clippings that people have brought in on the congregation from the past. It is fun to recognize familiar faces in the photos, especially the ones that were the faces of children who are now grown with children of their own. What’s most striking about all these photos and bits of history is the reminder of how God has been at work in the lives of His people. Sometimes that is most evident when you stand back and look at the big picture over time, or said in another way, sometimes that is most evident when you stand back and look at all of the pictures spread out before you.
Many of you know that Zac Barringer, a member of our congregation, is putting together a memory and history book on the church for his Eagle Scout project. As part of this he has been and will be collecting memories and stories that people have shared about the church. We would like to share some of those stories in the newsletter too.
So think about your time here at Our Savior Lutheran Church, maybe you have only been here a few years or maybe you have been here fifteen years, but what stands out in your mind as some of your most significant memories. Was it your wedding here? Your child’s baptism? The way you were surrounded by love at a time of loss? Is it a specific moment of encountering God’s presence? Was it a memory of going to camp with other kids from the church? Is it a memory of something unexpected or funny that happened here?
I have only been here four years and yet many memories fill my mind when I stop and think about it. Here are a few: Our son’s baptism; our daughter being an angel in the Christmas program the first time and belting out “Go Tell it on the Mountain” with all her heart; mourning the death of dear members of the congregation here; singing Holden Evening Prayer each Wednesday in Lent and walking out of the service filled with peace each and every time.
We know God is present in all of these things, our joy, our sorrow, our laughter, and our tears. Let’s share our stories with one another about how God has been present to us in and through this church. Write down your memories, whatever comes to mind, a paragraph or two, then bring it in to the church office, or email it in, and we will share them over the coming months in the newsletter. It will be one more way to share and tell God’s story with one another.
Grateful to be living out God’s story with you here at Our Savior,
Pastor Shelly
This is an exciting year at Our Savior as we celebrate 50 years since the church was established. It has been neat to see pictures and clippings that people have brought in on the congregation from the past. It is fun to recognize familiar faces in the photos, especially the ones that were the faces of children who are now grown with children of their own. What’s most striking about all these photos and bits of history is the reminder of how God has been at work in the lives of His people. Sometimes that is most evident when you stand back and look at the big picture over time, or said in another way, sometimes that is most evident when you stand back and look at all of the pictures spread out before you.
Many of you know that Zac Barringer, a member of our congregation, is putting together a memory and history book on the church for his Eagle Scout project. As part of this he has been and will be collecting memories and stories that people have shared about the church. We would like to share some of those stories in the newsletter too.
So think about your time here at Our Savior Lutheran Church, maybe you have only been here a few years or maybe you have been here fifteen years, but what stands out in your mind as some of your most significant memories. Was it your wedding here? Your child’s baptism? The way you were surrounded by love at a time of loss? Is it a specific moment of encountering God’s presence? Was it a memory of going to camp with other kids from the church? Is it a memory of something unexpected or funny that happened here?
I have only been here four years and yet many memories fill my mind when I stop and think about it. Here are a few: Our son’s baptism; our daughter being an angel in the Christmas program the first time and belting out “Go Tell it on the Mountain” with all her heart; mourning the death of dear members of the congregation here; singing Holden Evening Prayer each Wednesday in Lent and walking out of the service filled with peace each and every time.
We know God is present in all of these things, our joy, our sorrow, our laughter, and our tears. Let’s share our stories with one another about how God has been present to us in and through this church. Write down your memories, whatever comes to mind, a paragraph or two, then bring it in to the church office, or email it in, and we will share them over the coming months in the newsletter. It will be one more way to share and tell God’s story with one another.
Grateful to be living out God’s story with you here at Our Savior,
Pastor Shelly
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
