Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church Newsletter backtotop

JULY 2020
Strengthen Faith, Build Hope, Share Love in Christ Our Savior 
Pastor Andy Writes...
Andy
Pastor Andy Keltner
You're Welcome

Maui is a demigod from the Disney movie "Moana". Moana,the hero of the story, goes to find Maui in
order to get him to right a wrong. Maui sees Moana as way he can escape exile. During their first
meeting Maui believes that Moana is awestruck by his greatness. He believes she is there to thank and praise him for all the wonderful things he has done for the seafaring people. Maui is wrong. Moana did not come to thank Maui. She came to insist on his help.

Paul in Philippians chapter 4 verses 4 through 7 writes: 

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be 
known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication 
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of 
God, which surpasses all understanding, 
will guard your hearts and your minds 
in Christ Jesus." 

Many times, we stand before our God and ask for his help. I dare to say that sometimes we demand his help. We are anxious and concerned and we cry out to God for deliverance. There are examples of prophets crying out to God in the Old Testament. Reading their words, we see that as they cry out to God, they begin to recount all the times God delivered his people. The prophets speak to God and they remember all the magnificent deeds he has accomplished. The cries of want turn into hymns of praise and thanksgiving. They look forward with confidence trusting that God will deliver his people.

In the Disney movie, Moana is justified in her skepticism toward Maui. Still she believes she needs his help. We come before God with questions and challenges. God patiently listens to our concerns and questions. He answers our prayers. We are foolish children. God's ways are beyond our understanding. God's message is always: 

"Trust me. I have this situation well in hand. 
I will deliver you. I am strong to save." 

He demonstrates this truth on the cross. God sent his Son to die for our sins. Jesus rose from the
dead. We are victorious in Christ. 

Paul says we should present our requests with thanksgiving. We learn from the Old Testament prophets that no matter how bad things are, God is with us. He will deliver us. He richly and daily provides for us. Therefore, we thank, praise, serve, and obey him. Come to God with thanksgiving in your heart. Give God a reason to say. You're Welcome.
Community Prayer
The Ministerial Alliance is asking all Louisburg residents to come together and pray for the community. July 11th at 7 PM the community is asked to gather at City Hall, from there the community will walk and pray for everyone in Louisburg.   
The Worship Word   
Council President, Janie Ott
Change is Never Easy

The novel coronavirus has inflicted change upon us.  Our lives were busy, busy, busy and we couldn't breathe on any given day.  Now "work from home" is a common practice in many households.  Families are both united and divided right now.  How I clean my house has even changed.  And oh how I miss shopping!  Everything is so different now, but one must remember that everything is part of God's plan. 

God knew this would change our world, but have we asked ourselves what the lesson is we are supposed to learn? What is it that we need to understand about this time in our lives? What changes must be embraced and made permanent?  

Many things are better, and many things are not.  It pains me greatly that I can't visit my Mom in long term care.  When I think about her life span, I feel like I am losing valuable time with her and it doesn't seem fair.  But this too is part of God's plan.  I can't begin to understand that part but I know, this is where faith kicks in.  

We have made many changes at church.  It has been a learning opportunity, trying to find creative ways to serve and worship God.  It's always sad to see the things we enjoy most change especially due to an illness. But change offers us the opportunity to create new ways of connecting with others. Online services, daily web devotions and drive in communion are just a couple of ways that we've come together as a church family. I have enjoyed several phone calls and collaborations with people that might not have occurred without Covid. And technology has brought about a better work/life balance with Zoom meetings, which allow our council members to travel and meet distantly.

We have heard over the years "the only constant is change" and "change is good".  Change is a verb, synonyms are the following:  convert · transform · make · adapt · modify · rebuild · reconstruct · refashion · remake · make over · restyle.  Over the past few weeks, I have written newsletters for work, church and other events and I have used any one of these synonyms.  As I started writing this news article it was to be all about change and as the article took shape, I asked myself what is one thing that hasn't changed because of Covid?  Because truly on any given day it feels like everything has changed.  This is what hasn't changed :  God's faithfulness. It never changes.  God is the same today as always.  May we learn to embrace change but stay firm in his salvation.
Julie Herl
It is with great sadness I announce that Julie Herl's term has expired as secretary.  We of course tried bending her arm to stay and in the end, she wanted to step down. We respect her decision. Serving on the church council is a job that requires commitment and like all things sometimes you just need a break. And the joy of a break is often rejuvenates one enough to return, we will always welcome back the leaders who have served! 
 
Julie is so amazing; she is delightful and always has a smile for everyone.  When I came on as president, she showed me all the kindness in the world, and I will never to able to thank her enough for that. She hasn't missed a council meeting that I know of and she tracks our church business impeccably. Her service to our church and our God will not be overlooked. God is smiling on Julie and her kind heart.
 
Julie's hard work, dedication and devotion is beyond measure. Thank you, Julie, for your contributions to our church! 

Christine Fauss
Christine Fauss has requested to step down from her Board of Caring seat on the church council. When I think about the title "Board of Caring", Christine is the picture that comes to mind. 

Christine has served countless meals over the years to our congregation, she has spent hours planning and preparing for Easter, Advent, Lent, and many special event meals. Part of what made the meals so wonderful is Christine's sweetness. Her happy heart pours into everything she does. We are grateful to Christine for her years of service to our church. And filling her shoes will be a task that won't come easy. 

Christine, thank you so much for all you have done for our church and thank you for always giving of yourself. WE are grateful to you for your service.  

The Financial 

And my God will meet all your needs according 
to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
Philippian 4:19
 
In our culture, it is not appropriate to talk about finances. However, it has been brought to our attention if the finances are shared, in a venue for all to see, we will become proactive in meeting the churches financial goals and obligations. We have heard from you and want to bring awareness to our church finances. Below are the "highlights". (If you would like a more detailed financial statement you can email the office and one will be sent to you.)

Month
Offerings
Expenses
Difference
May
13879
13505
374
April
16165
17703
(1538)
March
15944
17517
(1573)
February
15968
14171
1797
January
15944
15440
557
Y2D Total
 
 
(386)
 
Progress for the A/C replacement/repair has been great! Thank you for all who helped us meet this need. Your donations are making a difference and are greatly appreciated!! While we have received generous contribution thus far, which allows for one A/C unit to be replaced, we are still striving to cover cost of replacement and/or repair of the second unit. We are only $500 short of our goal. This shows what we as a congregation can do! Thank you.

Also, we want to streamline the emails for COS Finance. The following address will ensure we receive your email. finance@christoursaviorlouisburg.com. Our personal gmail accounts sort various emails to junk and we never want to miss your emails. We want to hear from you and be of service to you.

In This Issue
Pastor Andy Writes...
The Worship Word
THANK YOU!
Birthdays
Anniversaries
In the Military
Altar Flowers
Contact Info
Quick Links



  

Counting Our Blessings...  And Giving Thanks!
Many were instrumental this month and deserve our heartfelt thanks.  

To: Everyone that contributed to the A/C Fund. We really pulled together as a congregation. It's amazing what we can do. Thank you!

To: Janie Ott for the inspirational letters to the congregation and for leading the council during our pandemic days. Thank you.

To: the Chuch council for keeping calm and moving forward in the face of a pandemic. Thank you.

To: Debbie Keltner for all of the "little details" that were often overlooked but so necessary once we opened again. Thank you!

To: Pastor Andy for all of the extra time and effort you expended keeping the congregation connected when we couldn't be together. Thank you. 

July Birthdays

07/01   Conner Marsh
07/01   Bob Rolofson
07/04   Deb Bell
07/05   Koell Smith
07/06   Michael Herl
07/14   Alaina Roth
07/14   Joyce Shaffer
07/18   Cheryl Brown
07/25   Jill Carlson
07/27   Joe Gregar
07/27   Gracie Waite
07/28   Homer Kalinka
07/29   Gloria Rolofson
07/30   Meghan Anderson
07/31   Tyler Roth

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July Anniversaries

07/06   Harvey & Pat Lightner
07/13   Vernon & Lois Rausch
07/29   Jeff & Stephanie Lohse

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Missing: The church canopy

If you happen to run across it while cleaning out your garage/basement/shed will you kindly return it? (We may need it if we ever do another drive-in service.) Thanks!

 
In the Military
 
Military members and friends of our congregation include:  

Colin Alexander  
Dylan Ash  
Jim Buckman
Garret Cline 
Mark Edgar  
Ray Gigliotti  
Thomas Glick  
Maurissa Glick  
Jeremy Howard  
Zac Howard  
Freddy Hurt  
Greg Jeffrey  
Tyler Jordan  
James Keltner  
Tom Moore  
Rob O'Bannon  
Rob Ortman  
D.J. Weaver

flower-bouquet.jpg

Altar Flowers
 
07/05 The Richards
In loving memory of Adelene Richards.
07/12 Sandy Barsh
in loving memory of Bruce Barsh.
07/19    ***
07/26 The Strubbe family for Mathilde's 14th birthday.

Those who have signed up for flowers have two options: 
  1. You can provide you own. They must be at the church before the 8:00 a.m. service.
  2. Sandy can get them for you for $20. (Make checks payable to Sandy Barsh)
Flowers may be taken home after the 10:30 a.m. service. Please return vases to church when flowers are done. You may contact Sandy Barsh at 837-2997 for questions or to fill an open date.

***Dates are available. The sign up sheet is located in the Narthex.  


The following seats are open on the COS council:
  1. Secretary
  2. Board of Caring
We will take volunteers, recommendations or nominations.

Please contact: Janie Ott 417-499-5160 feel free to text, call, or email at  lucindajott@gmail.com   

Or contact the office at 913-837-4502.

God calls us for his service, I would ask you spend time in prayer and if you feel compelled to volunteer, I promise it will be rewarding. We don't promise that it is easy, but we promise that it is fulfilling.


Andy Keltner, Pastor 
5 South 8th Street
Louisburg, KS 66053
 (913)837-4502
Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 
10 AM - 2 PM

Worship 8 AM, 10:30 AM, & 7 PM 
Sunday School 9:15 AM -10:15 AM




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Christ Our Savior Newsletter is published monthly and produced in  email and print versions.

Contact Info 
(913)837-4502

If we've missed your birthday or anniversary co ntact COS Office so we can update our records.