From the Pastor ….
“I lift my eyes to the hills, from where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth.”(Psalm 121:1-2)
Our Savior’s Lutheran Church is reaching out beyond our church walls. As we offered our first livestream video worship on the internet and over 2,000 people participated. We also shared on ourFacebook page this powerful quote and picture from Fred Rogers. This picture of Mr. Rogers was shared over 145 times reaching well over 24,000+ people and counting. We are living in a momentous time in human history where demonstrating God’s love to all looks very differently than ever before. “Look for the helpers.”
Here are ways that we as an OSLC congregation will deeply love one another and share this love of God with the world:
- Out of deep love and concern for our neighbor, we are transitioning all worship, committees and small groups to a “virtual experience,” using various technologies.
- Worship will be offered every Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM and Sunday morning at 9:00 AM. The technology team is working toward expanding our outreach in these efforts so that everyone may participate in worship virtually: (through computer or phone).
- For those who have Facebook, you may easily access the worship experience live or in an archived way.
- For those who have internet access to our website, after the livestream experience is completed, it will be posted on our Sermons page.
- For those who have no computer, we will offer a conference call opportunity for multi-users to call a certain number and listen in on the worship service.
- We are also working toward enhancing our worship experience to utilize multiple worship leaders through the comfort of their own homes. The technology team is working on this feature that we hope to make available in one week.
- For small groups, committees and other gatherings of church: out of love for their neighbor, we will meet through technology (examples: Zoom video conference, phone call conferences and e-mails).
- We are also exploring other ways to use technology to bring people together, whether this be youth, children, families or others.
You may be wondering, “How can I help?” We will also be offering a “caring tree” where you may intentionally check-in on 5+ members frequently. This includes daily phone calls and discovering if our OSLC friends need any help (groceries, medications, or need for conversation). If you are interested in offering love through the “caring tree,” e-mail the church office at info@oslcstillwater.org. We want to ensure that each member still feels socially and relationally connected, even at this time of physical distancing.
We also ask for your continued financial generosity. During this time of history, we remind you that God promises never to leave us or forsake us. Jesus reassures us by saying, “I am with you always.” (Matthew 28:20) Research shows that even in difficult times, people still give generously to causes they believe in and that they know are making a significant positive impact in the world. Last month our worship attendance was much higher in February 2020 than it was one year ago. Our giving was on target with the approved significant budget increases. God is at work in powerful ways at Our Savior’s as new faces, young families and visitors frequent our doors. Now, our first “virtual church” experience reached thousands, beyond what even an Easter Sunday looks like. On Sunday, I preached that the Chinese symbol for “crisis” holds a two-fold meaning: danger and opportunity. We see the danger in this time. The opportunity remains, trust in the Lord, love God, and love the neighbor in need.
I encourage your strong generosity for the ministry of Our Savior’s during this season. If you’ve considered electronic giving, this is a great time to begin. Please visit our Giving page for more information on giving electronically. If you prefer writing out checks, we will develop a process to safely gather the mail and count these offerings. Jesus has called us to “demonstrate God’s love to all,” for “such a time as this.”
May the peace of God that transcends all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Faithfully,
Pastor Karna