October 2020 Ministry Messenger |
A message from Pastor Kevin
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7 Times A Day
I wonder if you have ever had this experience. You start the day great. You have breakfast with your spouse. You see a hummingbird fluttering around your backyard. You spend some quiet time in devotion with God. There is a passage that really sticks out to you and touches your heart. It is truth that you need to hear for your day. You resolve to keep those words ever before you all day long. You drive to work and get there early because traffic is light. All is right with the world.
And yet… the daily grind and the to do lists and all of the stuff that you are dealing with in life have gotten to you by noon. You find yourself slipping into bitterness and resentment. You begin to see anger and pessimism raising their ugly heads within you. And you catch yourself in that moment, “going whoa! What happened? How did you go from this incredible beginning in which you were filled with the joy and peace of God to a grumpy person that sees the worst in everyone?”
I was reminded of this reality as I was doing my personal devotions this morning. I was reading through Psalm 119 (yes, that’s the really, really, really long one) and I was struck by the words of verse 164:
Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous rules.
The Psalmist talks about 7 times a day taking a moment to stop and praise God. Praise God for who He is. Praise God for His Word and the story that it tells. Praise God for the words that God has given us to guide and shape our lives lived in Him under His grace. Praise God for his grace and gifts that are new to us every morning. I am afraid, so often, praising God is reserved for an hour a week on Sunday mornings, and yet the Psalmist is inviting us to step into a different reality. It’s a different rhythm of life. A rhythm of life that is governed by and centered around praising God not just once a week or once a day but seven times a day.
As I read those words, I couldn’t help but stop and ponder: how would my life look different if I were to set an alarm clock on my phone for 7 random periods in the day and instead of being interrupted by a ding telling me a text message has come or a new email is awaiting my response or a friend has liked my most recent post on Facebook, what if 7 times a day I were interrupted and reminded to take a few moments and ponder the greatness of our God, to ponder His grace and love, to ponder his power and presence. How would taking a moment 7 times a day challenge me and my outlook on life? What would a rhythm of life look like that was centered around 7 moments of praising God?
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Zoom Meeting October 1st 7:00 p.m.
Meeting ID: 844 7168 3362
Passcode: 423352
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A message from Dr. Dave Rueter, Director of Launch & Online Ministry |
Launching into New Ministry in a New Place
Over the first weekend of August, my family and I finished packing up our home and headed north. We began the process of making a new life for ourselves in Livermore at one of the more unusual times that one might imaging doing so. Yet, God has been with us along the way. While we are very much still getting to know the community and the people of Our Savior and Livermore, we are getting settled in.
Reflecting on my first two months at Our Savior, I can easily say that plenty has happened. It is surprising just how many things one can get their fingers into in such a brief time. There are three main areas my position divides into, which will focus my reflection on my start at OSLM.
1) In laying a foundation to provide leadership for OSLM’s ongoing outreach into the community, I have been able to meet with the CEO of CityServe, (who will soon be neighbors across S. Livermore from us), the volunteer relations director of Shepherd’s Gate, and the city director and director of mission for LINC Bay Area. Through connections with the district office, I was also able to coordinate the donation of supplies to firefighters staying at the Hampton Inn. Additionally, I have begun meeting with members of the congregation to learn more of the history of OSLM in order to formulate a plan for the future.
2) In laying a foundation to connect with our elementary school and preschool, I have worked with Sara Agee to develop a daily staff devotional email, sent four times a week, taken on a leadership role pre-recording weekly chapel services, daily assist in drop-off and temp checks, and have made myself available to teachers to lend a hand in religion class and story time. Additionally, I have worked with the preschool to offer a virtual back-to-school night, set up Facebook groups for each of the classes for parents to connect with teachers and one another, and have begun work toward a virtual tour to provide prospective families a view of the preschool.
3) In laying a foundation for online ministry, I have begun managing the weekly emails to the congregation on both Wednesday and Saturday, taken a lead role in website updates and development, begun editing worship services, and initiated a planned approach to social media through a revitalization of the Facebook pages for the church and elementary school as well as the launch of a Facebook page for the preschool and Instagram account for the whole ministry. Additionally, I have lead and participated in online bible studies and discussion groups.
I am still settling in and getting to know my way around. I look forward to seeing what reflecting like this might look like when I’ve been here six months. If we have not meet yet, I’d love to meet with you in person or by video. Please reach out at drueter@oslm.net.
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A message from Sara Hall, Preschool Director |
Preschool began the 20/21 school year on September 8. It was so wonderful to see children on campus and hear the laughter of their voices after six long months without them. We have had to change things a bit and are cleaning a lot more, however with all the changes our Hope in the Lord is still strong. Although chapel looks different this year, the children still get excited for chapel days and sing to Jesus in a way that only young children can do. We thank you for your continued prayers for our program and the work that God has us doing for him each day as we share His Hope with our children and their families. |
A message from Sara Agee, Director of Christian Education |
I can’t believe it, but this July I finished my 6th year of ministry here at Our Savior! I have been so blessed to be a part of a congregation that loves and supports both my ministry and me as a person. When I accepted the call to serve as the Director of Christian Education at Our Savior, the congregation was in their second year of a pastoral vacancy. I know none of us predicted the vacancy would continue for another four years. But during that time I served alongside many wonderful volunteers and staff members who helped keep our ministry alive. Praise be to God!
During that four-year period, I wore several different hats and got to be involved in many different areas of ministry for the church, school, and community. It was definitely an exciting time where I got serve in a variety of ways. I also must be honest to say that I was a little burned out. After the arrival of Pastor Kevin (YAY!!!), I spent time trying to find my footing and figure out what my ministry needed to look like. I was also in a place where I was hurting mentally, physically, and spiritually from the loss of my sister. With the support and encouragement of Pastor Kevin and my church family, I was able to get the help I needed to be healthy again. With a renewed energy and sense of purpose, I began to focus my ministry efforts on the children and youth of Our Savior. I want to share with you some of what is happening in these areas.
Over the summer I spent time working on the purpose and vision for Children and Youth Ministry. I also developed a list of core values that will help shape and lead our ministries to young people going forward. Our values are: Scripture, grace, love, discipleship, family, meaningful relationships, and personal experiences. It is through the lens of these 7 values that we are preparing children and youth for a lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ. Although our purpose and values will not change, we have had to change some of our current methods because of Covid-19. These restrictions are confining at times, but they have also opened the door for connecting with children and families in some exciting new ways.
Each week we offer online Bible Experiences for preschool through 12th grade. These Bible Experiences include engaging videos, worship opportunities, family activities, and discussion sheets for parents to continue learning with their children throughout the week. Each age group can access their materials on the OSLM website under the “This Week at Our Savior” tab. For our Middle School and High School students, they have access to our online Discipleship at https://oslm.net/ministries/toolbox. The ToolBox provides them with spiritual disciplines that they can use to grow in the relationship with God.
Our Children and Youth pages also include materials for parents, and links to the Parent Resource Archives which provide extra articles and tools to help families grow together.
While there are many struggles we are facing as a ministry due to Covid-19, a blessing we are experiencing is that children and families from both the church and the school are able to engage with these materials online. Some of the materials are also being used in classes and for weekly school chapel!
Because meaningful relationships are a key value in our Children and Youth Ministry, we want to make sure that our students still know they are loved and cared for by their church family. For this reason, we are sending monthly care packages to the children in our church. We call these packages “Christ Crates” and they coincide with the monthly Bible Experience themes.
Although we cannot meet in person for youth group, we do still meet regularly to make sure that students are able to grow in their relationship with God and each other. We have Middle School Youth Group on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month and High School Youth Group on the 1st and 3rd Sundays. For our Confirmation students, they are able to use workbooks from home to grow in their faith, and we meet monthly online to check in and talk about what they have been learning. Each Wednesday the High School Youth get together online after school. Once a month in our “Let’s Talk” series, we meet to talk about a pressing current event and how we as Christians handle this issue. The other weeks we do a quick 15-minute devotion and prayer time called “Refuel” to get us through the rest of the week.
And on a personal note, I am teaming up with Mr. Sehmsdorf to teach 8th Grade religion this year. It has been a great way to connect with the students and it allows me to use my passion for teaching in a new way.
Although this year has brought many changes that require us to rewrite the way we do ministry, God has helped us to discover creative ways to engage with hundreds of children, youth, and their families. God has also brought us Dave Rueter, our new Director of Launch and Online Ministries, who has helped share all that is happening through the website and other social media platforms.
I am so blessed to work alongside a great team and am honored to serve a congregation that has continually cared for myself and our young people. If you would like to serve in any of these ministry areas, please contact me. And if you would like to give financially to keep these efforts going, we have designated funds that people can donate to. Lastly, I ask that you continue to pray for our school and preschool staff, as they are taking on so much right now and are still finding ways to spread the Gospel to hundreds of families on a daily basis.
Sara Agee
Director of Christian Education
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October Preschool Bible Experience
Singing in the Rain
When we are faced with tough situations, it’s important to think about what is true. The truth is, no matter how big our situation is, God will always be bigger. God is always with us, caring for us, and listening to us when we talk to Him.
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October Elementary Bible Experience
Offstage
God desires for us to be honest and have integrity in all situations. And who we are in private should match who we are in public. This month we will be learning about how God helps us to take off our masks and be truthful in whatever we
say and do. We can be "the real me" because God loves us
for who we are.
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Middle School and High School Series on Family
Our Middle School and High School students are going through a 4-week study on family. Sometimes family can be messy, but through God’s grace he uses them and us for His good. Check out the materials for the weekly Bible Experiences at
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Quilting Corner--In Need of Backing Material |
Quilters Kris, Cathryn, and Donna need your help to produce Lutheran World Relief Quilts. They are running out of backing material. Please search your homes for material in modestly good shape such as clean sheets, large table cloths, or fabric you are not going to use, and also ask your neighbors and friends to search for fabric too. Please drop off any material at the church office and they will call us to take the fabric to room 19. This is a great mission opportunity to get more quilts to cover people in God’s love!
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Lutheran Women’s Missionary League |
With all the natural disasters, Coronavirus threat and isolation, our minds can turn to fear based thinking. More than ever we need to turn from fear to focus on Christ and his word. Here are some ideas for keeping us focused. I hope you will try some of these.
The Lutheran Women’s Missionary League has a free App available in the Apple App store. You can download the app to your phone. Then you will have a little purple icon on your screen that you can press to enter. You can hear a portion of the Bible, allowing you to meditate deeply on what God’s word is teaching, and of course, there is LWML news available, including information and prayer ideas for national mission grants. The podcasts that are available and are thought provoking, and can be listened to when you are doing handwork, or just want to close your eyes and rest in the word. You can even download whole bible studies, like “Whatever – Keeping Your Heart in Tune with Whatever Life Brings” by Anneke Hudson, based on Philippians 4: 8-9.
Additional Resources
Have you heard of 1517.org? Joe Robb, Mission Leader, assistant to the President of LCMS CNH, has hosted several interesting webinars recently and one of these was on the 1517 organization, which references the beginning year of the Reformation. Many LCMS pastors are involved in the project, which includes free podcasts, articles, and academies like “Christ in the Old Testament”. They will host a free Conference called “Here We Still Stand 2020” on October 16 and 17, which will be streamed live. Sign up for it at 1517.org and scroll the menu to Events and sign up to be notified when it starts. Check it out now!
Are you accessing Lutheran Hour ministries as well? The resources are awesome. Inspirational messaging is available on SENTradio. There are podcasts, materials to share, more than 30 video-based bible studies with discussion guides and resource links. And THRED has resources and discussions of life, faith and Jesus. For men, there is the Men’s network, with solid Christian content, including bible studies.
Another helpful tool is The Bible App. This can also be downloaded in the Apple App store. If you open the app you can click “plans” at the bottom and then choose from many different devotional plans. There are some based on your mood, struggles you might be facing, different topics, and sections of the Bible. Some plans are a few weeks and some can even take you through the Bible in a year. Each plan includes a daily devotion and scripture passages to go along with the reading. You can even invite friends to do the plans with you.
Whatever you do, don’t miss this opportunity to spend time learning and praying the Scriptures, praying for others, and getting to hang out with Jesus as he continues to reveal who he is and what he is doing in the world today. May Our Lord and Savior keep your focus on Jesus as you go about your daily activities.
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LWML CNH District, Zone 7 Fall Event
Clothed in Christ
"for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves in Christ." Galatians 3:27
Saturday, Oct 3, 9am to 12:30pm Via Zoom
Cleaning Out My Closet
Speaker:
Denyse Blasdel
Certified Christian Image Consultant
Getting my clothes organized so the REAL ME can shine through!
In Addition:
A Short Bible Study – by Pastor Teller, Zone 7 Pastoral Counselor and Pastor at Our Savior, Pinole
Business Meeting – Hear what Zone 7 is busy with and election of officers. Contact Cherylene Brueckner, Zone 7 President for information
Once you have registered, an email with the zoom address will be sent to you. $10 will provide a donation to be evenly split between CNH Mites and CNH District Disaster Relief Fund (for N. CA Fires)
** If you donate, your name will be entered into a drawing for 1 hour of
Denyse’s consulting time ($80 value)**
Sponsored by the ladies of St Philip Lutheran Church, 8850 Davona Dr. Dublin, CA / 925-828-2117
~ Come and invite your friends ~
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Board of Directors Meeting Recap |
Engage Encourage Equip Launch |
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