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Welcome to the March 2026 edition of The Salem Story!
Sharing with you how God
is moving among His children in Black Jack, MO!
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Here at Salem we have a story to tell...one of God's grace and faithfulness for over 175 years!
Inside you’ll find: Lent Devotionals, Resurrection Eggs, Cool Crafts and more!!!
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Blessed Lenten Season from Salem!
LENT is the 40-day period before Easter, where we take time to quiet our hearts to reflect on our sin and the awesome gift we have in God’s forgiveness for us. It's a chance to spend more time in prayer and more time serving others rather than ourselves. We just celebrated Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and all the people waved palm branches and laid down their coats as a path for Him. They were singing “Hosanna!” which means “save us.” They cried, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” On Thursday, we celebrate Maundy Thursday, when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper and washed His disciples’ feet, demonstrating the attitude of servanthood we should follow. Friday, we celebrate Good Friday. A hard day for Jesus but a great day for us because He paved the way for our salvation by dying on the cross for every single sin every person in the world has done or will do.
Then we get to break the silence and rejoice on Easter Sunday with wonderful music and the message that “HE HAS RISEN from the dead! ALLELUJAH!” He has conquered every evil by overcoming sin, death and the power of the devil.
We invite you to join us at Salem for Maundy Thursday services at 4 and 7pm, Good Friday services at 4 and 7 pm, and then also join us Easter Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m.
| | Receiving ashes in the form of a cross for Ash Wednesday | | | | The Salem Ladies Aid, with the help a Thrivent Action Team Grant secured by Lisa Briggs, helped make these Resurrection Egg Kits for every student to assemble and then take home. Students listened to the story of Holy Week told by Nancy Joy, our Development Director. Then they filled the eggs with the correct item to tell that part of the story. Now they will take these kits home and share the Easter Story with their family, friends and neighbors! | |
| | 12 eggs tell the Holy Week Story | | | | |
Thank you Salem Ladies Aid
for helping our students with
this project!!
| | Nancy explaining all the pieces that go into the eggs. | | Students filling their bowls with the pieces as ladies explain the meaning behind each piece. | | | | |
Kindergarteners assembling
their Resurrection Egg Kits
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Nora helping a 1st grader
fill up her kit
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Principal Burkee and an
excited 1st grader!
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Kathy with a middle
school student
| | Penny, Pastor and Irene with happy students who completed their kits | | | | |
Eagle Alliance~~ Partner with a Student!
One of the best ways you can assist us in providing an education for students is to contribute to the Eagle Alliance Fund! Tuition covers only a portion of the cost of education. Salem covers the remaining portion with gifts and tithes from members and friends of Salem! Currently $6,000 is the average cost per student covered by Eagle Alliance gifts and congregational tithes. If you get your Bible class or friend group to all pitch in together, it can happen! Just 10 people giving $50/month = $6,000/year.
It's THAT EASY!!
Gather up some friends and share what God is doing at Salem! Contact Nancy Joy at 314-741-0477 or Email: development@salembjmo.org for more details. You can give to the Eagle Alliance Fund by clicking here: Click to donate!
Click to donate a scholarship and more!
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We have chapel every Wednesday and it's great to see how our students serve,
sing, pray and listen to the messages. Their faith in Jesus is growing!
| | Our students help lead their peers in chapel | | They hear Biblical teachings | | And engage in JOYFUL worship! | | |
Pastor Dressler led a chapel on Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of the 40 Days of Lent. He shared about how we are all sinners, and yet God loved us SO MUCH that He sent Jesus to die on the cross for us. On Ash Wednesday we put ashes (made from burning the palm branches used on Palm Sunday from the previous year) on our foreheads to symbolize God’s forgiveness, Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, and to remind us we came from dust and to dust we will return (Ecclesiastes 3:20). While we are here on earth, our job is to tell others about the AMAZING LOVE OF GOD! Click to watch:
Ash Wednesday Chapel Message
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At Salem we LOVE our donors.
We are VERY thankful to all who donate and make our jobs easier
to do here at Salem!
Wish to support us?
Click here to donate!
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St. Paul's Des Peres Lutheran School donated EASTER books for all our students to take home and read! Students were excited to read their own copy of God's love demonstrated to us through Jesus' sacrificial death and powerful resurrection in the EASTER message.
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Click to watch a video on what God is doing through our school. There is a lot of fun, learning, and faith-building going on here at Salem!
Thank you for your support!
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Our Pre-K and Kindergarten classes, led by Mrs. Upchurch, are really learning their
Bible stories, sight words and math skills!
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Mrs. Upchurch makes
learning FUN!!
| | Learning about the letter "O" | | |
Our 1st and 2nd graders are learning to read better, measure, and enjoy
Bible devotions every day with Ms. Osiek.
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Ms. Osiek leading her
class in an Easter devotion and Ms. Lay's reading group
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Working on reading
and writing skills
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Mrs. Pena's 3rd and 4th graders love gym class, reading books together to solve mysteries as a team, and doing STEAM projects to learn science concepts,
Click to watch their magnet experiment and balloon parade: Magnets and Balloons!!
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Solving a mystery together to
figure out "Who did it?"
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Learning about thermodynamics
using a hand boiler
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Middle Schoolers, led by Mrs. Potter, also love doing math, reading books
and getting ready for Holy Week!
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Reading "The Watsons
go to Birmingham"
by Christopher Curtis
| | Rocking their math skills simplifying expressions with substitutions | | Coloring a cross for Holy Week | | We VALUE our VOLUNTEERS!!!! | | |
It's rewarding to work with our students!
Come help them read better... even just once a month helps!
Call Nancy Joy at
314-741-0477 or Email: development@salembjmo.org
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Do you like to read
to children? Teach art, gym or music?
We need volunteers to read to students and help some students learn to read better. Also, if you are a retired music, gym or art teacher and wish to volunteer a few hours each month teaching these subjects, we are looking for volunteers to assist in classes in these areas. We will work around your schedule!
At Salem we are thankful for our volunteers!!! Taylen carried about 100 chairs downstairs for us, and then he and Adisyn painted more egg cartons and put numbered tags on the eggs for our Resurrection Egg Project! THANK YOU!!!
| | | Are you handy? Or do you have extra time? We have many volunteer jobs that need to be done at Salem. Let Nancy know if you can volunteer!! | |
Salem Staff Spotlight
Ms. Osiek is new to Salem and teaches our 1st-2nd graders. Over her career, she has taught all grades from PreK to sixth grade. Ms. Osiek says she loves teaching at Lutheran schools because she can pray with the students, remind them of Jesus' love, and sing songs of praise to God.
She loves hiking, traveling, reading, playing games and the piano. She also enjoys being a choir director.
Ms. Osiek appreciates the warm welcome she received from everyone at Salem Lutheran School. Her class is thriving and learning and having fun!
Her favorite Bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
We are grateful for Ms. Osiek.
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At Salem we LOVE to celebrate Birthdays! Every year is another chance to serve others
and love God with all our hearts. Happy birthday to these amazing students and teachers!
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God has brought us a long way!! | | |
Salem Lutheran School will be celebrating its 165th Anniversary next year. The Alumni Committee is planning an ALL Class Reunion for the fall of 2026. We are currently in the process of collecting contact information and need your help to locate alumni! Are you a Salem School alum? Do you have contact information for other alumni who are not currently members of Salem? Help us round up our former classmates.
Please email alumni information to sbjalumni@gmail.com, or you may bring a list to the church office. Include as much information as you can, such as: Full name (including maiden); mailing address; phone number; email address; class year.
*To volunteer to help with the reunion, please email sbjalumni@gmail.com or you can call/text Kym Webb at (314) 623-2012.
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Have Nancy come speak at your church!
Our new Development Director, Nancy Joy, would love to come and share what God is doing at Salem Lutheran School and how YOU can be a part of our mission! She can speak in your church service, Bible class, LWML or mission group, or share with your students during your school chapel time.
Contact her by calling: 314-741-0477
Email: development@salembjmo.org
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Principal Jeff Burkee and Development Director Nancy Joy had a vendor table at the March Chamber of North St. Louis event, to spread the story of Salem School. We also had an ad for the school in the program to encourage enrollment and donations to Salem. | | | | | | |
A Word from Pastor Dressler:
Greetings in the name of our crucified and risen Savior! Here at Salem, we have been reflecting on the tremendous grace and love of God in Jesus Christ. One of the chapel songs we've been singing throughout Lent makes everything crystal clear. It's based on 1 John 3:16 which reads, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us." Jesus on the cross is love embodied - love for our students, love for you!
And in just a few days we will celebrate the Good News that not even death itself can conquer that love. Rather, God's love in Jesus Christ conquers death and opens the way to resurrection life - for our students, and for you! The Lord bless your celebration of Easter,
the day that makes every day worth living.
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Join us at Salem Lutheran Church for Sunday School and Bible Class at 8:45 a.m. and worship at 10:00 a.m. We are located at 5190 Parker Road in Black Jack, MO 63033. Contact Pastor Dressler at 314-741-6781. We invite you to join us for a Good Friday service here at Salem at 4 and 7 p.m., and join us
Easter Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m.
Click here for The Salem Church Website
| | The Salem’s Ladies Aid helped make Resurrection Eggs for the school students and will come help them assemble the kits. Thank you, ladies!! | | |
This year, we will again host an Easter egg hunt for members and friends on Saturday, April 4, at 10:00 A.M.
The event will feature craft and coloring opportunities and, of course, eggs filled with candy! We will have 3 areas set up to accommodate different ages.
We need:
People to chat with the adults who bring their children.
We will also be collecting small individually wrapped candies that can fit inside the eggs. Small toys/trinkets are also welcome! Donations can be brought to the church office. Questions?
Please contact Elin at 314-741-6781 or egomez@salembjmo.org
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Our Theme
this year
is JOY!
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Enjoy our students and staff singing our theme song of "JOY!" which stands for putting Jesus first in your life, then Others, then Yourself last.
Jesus says we should SERVE ONE ANOHTER!!
Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Click HERE and watch our "JOY" Video!
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We thank you for your prayers!
John 5:14
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
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We thank you for your support of our mission here in Black Jack... and we especially appreciate your prayers. God has a plan for us to reach the lost and to give students an excellent education. YOU are a part of this mission!
Please pray:
* For the Spirit to bless us with ever greater faith, hope, and love so that we may serve God's children according to His will.
* For the Spirit to work in the hearts and minds of the students we teach.
* For family members of students going through health crises.
* That our outreach events touch the hearts of many.
* For strength and energy for our teachers as they give their all to students daily.
* For more scholarships to become available for our students.
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Wish to donate to the school?
We are praying for partners to come alongside to donate scholarships and help replace our school roof and parking lot. Thank you in advance for supporting us!
Click here to support Salem!
Feel free to pass this E-Newsletter along to others who may wish to support us.
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Salem Lutheran Church and School
5190 Parker Road, Florissant, MO 63033
School: 314-741-8220 ~ Church: 314-741-6781
Nancy Joy Email: development@salembjmo.org ~
Pastor Dressler Email: mdressler@salembjmo.org
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