Tuesday, July 25, 2017

"Come and See "
   

Dear Members & Friends of Our Savior's Lutheran Church,
  
Last Fall I spoke to you about the importance of the biblical invitation to "Come and see."The disciples - and even Jesus himself - would extend the invitation to others who were interested or seeking to find out more about Jesus and what he taught. Sometimes words fail us and we just have to show others why we love Jesus or what it is about our church community that we love. We did that on Sunday afternoon - in a very public setting - we extended the "Come and see" invitation to all at the annual Stillwater Lumberjack Days parade. If you haven't seen photos of the event yet, check out our church facebook page.
 
Thanks to OSLC member, Dan Stoffer, and his many helpers, we had a beautifully decorated float with live music from our praise band, along with a lot of candy, freezies, water bottles, and post cards to hand out to parade-goers. Most importantly however, we put on display the community of faith that OSLC is. Sixty members of OSLC walked and/or rode in the parade, wearing matching blue t-shirts with the word "COMMUNITY" boldly displayed as the cross-section of a cross made up of words used to describe Our Savior's. Three large banners were displayed in the front and on both sides of the float with the written biblical invitation to "Come and see."
 
If there were seekers among the crowd on Sunday, I think OSLC made an impression. I thank all who participated in any way to make that bold witness possible on Sunday. I encourage us all now to look for those who may actually "come and see" what this OSLC community of faith is all about and to warmly welcome, love and receive them.
 
This Sunday we continue to celebrate Summer with worship at 8:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Our Vacation Bible School volunteers will be prayed for and blessed at our 9:30 a.m. service. We are grateful for the dedication and service of so many in our community that make OSLC what it is.
 
Lastly, please keep our program staff in your thoughts and prayers as we gather this week (Tuesday) for our annual planning retreat. It is a day that we look ahead at the entire next year of mission and ministry at Our Savior's and consider events for all ages to do again or perhaps new events to introduce. There will be team building, devotions, scheduling, planning, praying, eating, and even a little boating on the river. Thank you for your prayers as we seek to do God's will in the upcoming year!

See you in worship,

Pastor Dale Stiles
Summer Worship & Music This Week
   
Sunday, July 30, 2017
Sermon by: Pastor Dale Stiles     

Summer Worship Times 8:00 & 9:30 am

8:00 am Traditional Worship in the Sanctuary
(7:50 am Hymn Pick Prelude)  
Special Music: Rolf Larson
 

9:30 am  Blended Worship in the CLC 
Special Music: Sabrina Herder   
  Childcare available at 9:30 am service     


From Ray Valley, Church Council President

 
Ecumen Update: Another hurdle cleared, perhaps the tallest remains

Perhaps you have heard that OSLC's joint application with Ecumen for a Planned Unit Development (PUD) passed at the July 12th Planning Commission meeting by a vote of 4 to 2. This is good news, but what was approved was only the concept that Ecumen COULD build IF several conditions were met to the satisfaction of City Council through the Special Use permitting process.  There were a few letters of support for the project but also several of our neighbors on Deer Path voiced their opposition to the project. Many issues (regardless of legitimacy) were discussed by the commission related to these concerns but perhaps what swayed the majority of the Commissioners was the belief of the true need for Senior housing in Stillwater and the lack of viable alternative building sites in Stillwater proper.
 
But I stress that the concept passed the Planning Commission, but the City Council has the up/down vote on whether Ecumen can move forward with a project that meets Special Use conditions. The Ecumen application will be heard at the next City Council meeting at Stillwater City Hall on August 2nd beginning at 7 pm. If you are a Stillwater resident who supports the project, we strongly encourage you to write an email or letter to your Council Member or City Administrator, or show up at City Hall on August 2nd.  The Council listens to their constituents and are pragmatic. We've come a long way with the Ecumen project motivated by the conviction that it will serve a great need for our seniors and be a boon to our community.  We need to push this to the finish line and ask for your help! 

City Contact Information:
Mayor Ted Kozlowski, 651-300-4993, tkozlowski@ci.stillwater.mn.us

Council Members:

Ward 1: Doug Menikheim, 612-382-4929, dmenikheim@ci.stillwater.mn.us
Ward 2: David Junker, 651-755-3644, djunker@ci.stillwater.mn.us
Ward 3: Tom Weidner, 651-271-7346, tweidner@ci.stillwater.mn.us
Ward 4: Michael Polehna, 651-439-8952, mpolehna@ci.stillwater.mn.us

Announcements

Grocery Shopping for Seniors

 
Amy Sievers is volunteering to take seniors grocery shopping. She will
pick you up, shop with you and get you home and groceries unpacked. There is no fee for this service and all payment transactions at the store
will be handled by the senior. Amy is a bargain hunter and excited to provide this service to the OSLC senior community. Please contact Parish Nurse, Jean Pottratz or call 651-439-5704 ext. 24. The information will be passed on to Amy and she will contact the senior. Thank you Amy. 
Bible Study in the Park
 
Tuesday, August 8, is the next Bible Study in the Park. It will once again be held at Valley View Park at 9:30 am. Our Youth Director, Chad Larson, will lead this study which was written by Kelly Fryer. A description from the author - "Upending the tables - What is our responsibility when the very systems that have been put in place to protect people and make sure justice is done become tools to oppress? Do we just stand by and allow injustice to continue?" There will be a continental breakfast as well so bring a friend and join in for a good study and good fellowship.

A BIG Thank You!

 
Many thanks to everyone who helped make the OSLC float and participated in the parade for Lumberjack Days. -- It was a BIG SUCCESS! Particular thanks goes to: 
  • Dan Stoffer for organizing all aspects of OSLC's participation for this event!
  • Bruce and Sheri Ohland - Making the beautiful crosses that went on top of the float and will be used to decorate our sanctuary for the Lent and Easter Season.
  • Shelly Hill - For designing our Parade T-Shirts and for designing
    our banners that hung on our float. Also for helping decorate and
    undecorate the float.
  • Dave and LaVerna Schultz - For supplying the truck, trailer, generator, and helping construct the safety railing and structure that banners hung from.  Also for helping decorate and undecorate the float.
  • The Band - For supplying the great music along the parade route.
  • Kathy Newton - For creating and designing the informational handout that we used along the parade route, for communication emails, for ordering float supplies, for collecting candy.
  • Jon Hill - For helping decorate and undecorate the float.
  • Parade Participants - For giving us part of their day to spread the word of Jesus to our community.
  • To all who donated treats - For giving us many pounds of candy to throw to the kids along the route.  Also for those who gave freezes and water!
  • Cub Foods and Target - For giving us money to purchase candy, freezes and water!
  • Menards for donating the green carpet for the float
  • Non-members --- Mark Oltman for donating the white paint and for Journeyman Carpenter Josh Molgren for constructing the Safety Railing, Safety Toe Boards, and structure that hung our banner.
  • For everyone who supported us by coming out and cheering us on! 
 
Children, Youth & Family Ministry!

VBS begins Monday, July 31 - August 4!   

Pray for our VBS volunteers and all the kids attending, that it will be one of the best weeks of their summer teaching and learning about Jesus and his love.

Ministry Opportunities!
Request for Prayers and Support
 
Everyday joys and sorrows...Once in a lifetime joys and sorrows. Your brothers and sisters at Our Savior's want to support you. Email or call Pastor Dale Stiles or our Parish Nurse, Jean Pottratz, with any of your needs.  

Giving Opportunities

Simply Giving

A more convenient way to give! In a few short minutes, you can make a one-time gift or set up a donation that will process automatically on a recurring basis. Recurring donations are convenient and provide our church with much needed consistent support throughout the year.   To give online, visit our church's website and get set up!   
 
Stewardship is about love:
serving others through our time, talent, and treasure.