From The Pastor...

We are a caring family of God’s children growing in faith, spreading His word, and doing His work in the community and beyond.


“Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

~Proverbs 29:18

Recently I had a vision. It came to me in a dream and it has been haunting me ever since. It is a dream for Our Savior’s. Here is what I dreamed. I was standing in the middle of the church, the carpet had turned to lush green grass and everywhere I looked there were people smiling and laughing. It was wall-to-wall people all participating in different things. Some were praying, some were reading the Bible, some were singing, others were visiting and drinking coffee, while still others were playing games. I looked outside and I saw people getting into vans and on buses, others boarding planes (you know how dreams go) they were headed out to serve the world in various missions. After I woke up I felt as if God had spoken to me, saying “Jamie... this can be the church!

If my dream is to become a reality, it will not be an easy task. The statistics right now are not in our favor. Churches are closing all around us. Young people are not attending and joining like they did twenty and thirty years ago. According to the Alban Institute, 70% of Americans do not attend a church. Of that 70%, just 35% attend more than once-a-month. The Institute also reports that Sunday has now become the busiest day of the week for families with activities such as: hockey, skating, karate, basketball, and dance, not to mention shopping and outdoor recreation. What are we to do?

Here is my vision, my plan, my strategy. It’s called H.E.S. It is an acrostic which stands for these three Biblical principles:

“H” Hearing. The Word of God has to reach people in order be “heard”. The Word reaches people in a variety of ways. It can be spoken, it can be modeled, it can be through actions...it can use many methods just as long as it gets out there and is “heard”. Therefore, we will be working on a variety of ways, methods and means for getting the Word out there to the public in this complex and busy society we live in today.

“E” Equipping. Worship will begin to become more prescriptive rather than descriptive. In other words, instead of describing what Jesus and his disciples did, we will be prescribing what Jesus is calling us to do in our time, in our place and in our lives. The direction will be focused more outwardly so the Word might be more clearly “heard” in our families, with our neighbors and in our neighborhoods.

“S” Serving. Jesus called us to “love God and love our neighbors”. An effective way to do that is three fold: Members-we will love those next to us in times of joy and in times of crisis. Community-we will love and serve those in our Devils Lake Region by feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless and striving for justice. Country and World-we will continue to send people and finances to places like New Orleans to re-build broken communities and to Mexico to aid and give hope to the poor and to our companion synod the Central African Republic to dig wells to provide them with clean water.

Hear. Equip. Send. I believe this is a good vision God has given us. Now comes the question I have for you: “Will you join us?” “Will you commit yourself to a five year H.E.S. strategy?” “Will you support the vision of Our Savior’s with your presence, time, and finances?

In 1967 Our Savior’s began with a vision. A vision to reach out to this community and beyond with Jesus’ Gospel of acceptance, forgiveness and love. Today He is calling us again. Let us continue our forty-three year old mission to reach out to our hurting world in the name of Jesus. Come and join us as we make a difference in this world in the name of our risen Lord, Jesus Christ.

God’s hope and peace,

Pastor Jamie



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JANUARY NEWS

We Salute You
All of the volunteers who help with the newsletters and other bulk mailing: Don & Rubie Brintnell, Dolores Stenseth Bev Bonzer, Jackie Froehlich, & Gordy Schmid.

SPECIAL MUSIC >>

Memorials:

Ellen Wilhelmi

By: Sylvia Conlon

Leroy & Diane Rice

Dr. Harold & Susan Bergquist

Newton & Karen Lindseth

Joellen Roller

Ron & Berta Soper

Eugene Keller

By: Paula & Gordy Schmid Family

 

BAPTISMS
Daylan Rae Straus ~ Daughter of Andrea & Brandon Straus
Raiden Adams Bradley ~ Son of Greta & Ryan Bradley

2012 Calendars If you have any extra 2012 calendars that you would like to donate to the nursing home, please place them in the box under the coat rack. Thank-you!

Esther Circle Esther Circle will meet on Thursday, January 12th at 2:00p.m.

Address Change If your mailing address or telephone number has changed, please notify the church office so that we can update our records.

2012 Offering Envelopes
Don’t forget to check your mailbox at the end of December for the new offering envelopes for 2012. If you do not have a book assigned to you, please stop in the office and Paula will make sure that you get one. Thanks!

Eighth & Ninth Grade Confirmation It is time for the eighth and ninth grade students to begin their confirmation classes. These classes are scheduled to begin on Wednesday, January 11th at 7:00p.m. The classes will run on January 11th, 18th, 25th and February 1st, 8th & 15th from 7:00p.m. until 8:30p.m. Please mark these dates on your calendars so that you can attend all of the classes with your classmates.

Our Savior’s Financial Picture

2011 Budget $ 181,000.00

Needed Monthly $ 15,083.00

Given Month of Nov. $ 13,042.35

Needed by Nov. 30th $ 165,917.00

Given by Nov. 30th $ 129,552.00

Under Budget $ 36,365.00

The Largest Baby Shower Celebrate Sanctity of Human Life during January…be part of ‘The Largest Baby Shower’. NEW baby items are needed for FirstChoice Clinic’s ‘Earn While You Learn’ parenting program: diapers (size NB,1, 2, 3,4), wipes, clothes (0-18 months) crib sheets, baby books, toys, bibs, pacifiers, bottles, baby brushes, combs, thermometers, and gift cards. Drop offs are at Leever’s County Market and Wally’s Supermarket and St. Joseph’s, River of Life, Bethel Free Churches in Devils Lake. Sponsored by KFNW Life 97.9 and Faith 1200 and FirstChoice Clinic. Questions? Call FirstChoice Clinic – 701-662-2229 or go to www.teamfirstchoiceclinic.com.

Annual Meeting Our Savior’s Annual meeting will be held on Sunday, January 22nd at 11:00a.m. There will one worship that Sunday at 10:00a.m.

2012 Calendars If you have any extra 2012 calendars that you would like to donate to the nursing home, please place them in the box under the coat rack. Thank-you!

Book of Faith

The book of faith is back! Come join Pastor Jamie Sunday January 15th through February 12th at 9:45 am in the “Fireside Room” for a five week study on the book of I Corinthians. For many of us, our encounter with Scripture is limited to excerpts that are read on Sunday or Wednesdays during worship. Many of us and many of our neighbors don’t know the Bible real well and are unsure about how to engage ourselves with Scripture. The book of faith approach is from a Lutheran understanding that addresses the experience and power of how Scripture can directly affect our daily lives. Each participant will see the Bible through four various reading lenses; devotional, historical, literary and Lutheran theological. Come join the pastor on this five week adventure into opening up the Scriptures beginning Sunday January 15th at 9:30a.m.

Thank-you Thanks to everyone who took an angel off of our Angel Tree and purchased a Christmas gift for a needy child. Your generosity helps make the holiday season a little brighter for these children.

 

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