September 2019
What's happening this month
Sunday school returns on SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 8TH.

Whether you can only come to 1, come to all, speak every week or sit in the back in silence, everyone is welcome!
Little Lambs Preschool Sunday School will be offered in the nursery for children aged 2-5, from 9:15 - 9:40 am. Short, simple bible lessons accompanied by a craft/activity and/or song will help our youngest disciples get to know their friend, Jesus.
Kids Sunday School will be using Group's Buzz curriculum framework with supplementary enhancements including a take-home family devotional, The Big Book of Questions and Answers , and additional make and take hands-on projects. From September through December, we will be exploring the Bible theme of God's loving justice . 

Sunday School will be offered to Grades K-5 in a mixed-age setting beginning on September 8. Class begins at 9:15 AM and ends at 10:20 AM.


TEENS

Confirmation (starts back Sept. 15th with a special theme)
6th-8th graders will meet on Sundays at 9:30 AM in the library. Confirmation class will consist of a combination of hands-on, community and classroom participation.

Senior Youth
More details coming soon for our older teens.

Adult Bible Study will resume Sunday, Sept. 8 in classrooms 1 & 2 from 9:20-10:15.


You don't need to read the books to join the discussions. All are welcome!

Interested in sponsoring Adult Bible Study supplies? Speak with Peggy Benson on how you can get involved.


Interested in volunteering to help out with Sunday Fundays? Please contact Tiffaney Flack or click HERE .


Join us after worship for our first
SUNDAY FUNDAY
on September 15th!

Back To School-A school cafeteria-style lunch and water balloon toss contest! We will be collecting school supplies for the teachers at Southern Pines Primary and Elementary. Your entrance to the event is a school supply donation. Lunch is free! If you have kids that want to be in the balloon toss, make sure they bring something you don't mind them getting wet in.

Come remember what it was like to wait in that lunch line for pizza Friday or chicken fingers Tuesday!

We need volunteers to help make this a fantastic event!




Give us a little of your time to help make a great event for the congregation!

Event is sponsored by the Hospitality Team.

Join us for the OSLC BLOCK PARTY
Saturday, September 14th 5:30-8:30 PM
FREE EVENT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Bring your lawn chairs, pack a picnic or enjoy the Market place food truck and Railhouse Brewery. We'll have a bouncy house, mini golf, and lawn games for kids and adults. LIVE MUSIC from some amazing local artists and a silent auction with everything from a family membership for a swimming pool next summer, to guitar lessons, to art work and more!

Are you interested in volunteering? Have an item to donate for the silent auction? If you have a business or have an item you'd like to donate, please do! Silent auction proceeds will be split between Matthew 25 and the OSLC Preschool. Please contact Aimee Haley or drop it off at the church.

BRING EVERYONE WITH YOU!! FUN FOR ALL AGES.
Click image above to sign-up to help!
FUN ON FRIDAY
LET’S GO TO THE BEACH!!!

On Friday, September 20th we will be going to
 Broadway at The Beach in Myrtle Beach, SC for the day.

Broadway has many attractions:
An Aquarium, shops and more shops, Hollywood Wax Museum, Zip Line, Beach Rider Jet Boats to ride, Fountains, Dinosaurs Exhibition, restaurants galore and we will be eating at Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen . 

We will leave the church parking lot at 7:00 am (so bring a blanket and pillow to take a snooze along the way). Lunch is at your expense. Bus Ride will be $5.00. Come join the fun and fellowship. Sign ~Up at the Welcome Center or call the church office at 692-2662.
 
Join us Wednesday, September 25th, from 6:30-8:30 PM at the Sly Fox Pub , 795 SW Broad Street, Southern Pines. Casual bible study, discussion topic, and order food and drinks! Childcare provided at OSLC. Click the image above to sign-up and let us know you are coming.
Are you musically gifted? Do you love to sing?
If so, become part of the choir, bell choir or praise band!

ADULT CHOIR The adult choir at Our Savior sings at the big services throughout the church year. They sing all styles of music from the serious to the joyful. Members of the adult choir also offer small group songs and solos. If you are interested please contact our Minister of Music David Lussier at dlussier@oslcsp.org

BELL CHOIR The bell choir at Our Savior rings at the big services of the year. The group offers music as a ensemble as well as accompany congregational singing. Members of the bell choir offer small group songs as well. Basic music reading will help you. If you are interested please contact our Minister of Music David Lussier at dlussier@oslcsp.org

CHILDREN'S CHOIR The children's choir at Our Savior sings many Sundays throughout the church year. They sing all styles of music from the serious to the joyful. The group is open to age 8 through grade 8. If you are interested please contact our Minister of Music David Lussier at dlussier@oslcsp.org

INSTRUMENTALISTS and COMPOSERS If you are an instrumentalist on any instrument or compose for choir-bell choir-praise band-congregation and would like to contribute to the worship at Our Savior please contact our Minister of Music David Lussier at dlussier@oslcsp.org.
MAH JONGG MANIA
Monday, October 28th
9 AM in the Fellowship Hall

Call or email Rita Cioppi at RandClar1225@nc.rr.com or 910-684-8741.
Sewing Camp was held at Our Saviour the second week of August for 3 rd thru 8 th graders. They learned to sew on machines and the week included projects they made for themselves, as well as projects they made for others. In September we will bless Backpacks, Pillowcase Dresses and Stuffed Owls for Lutheran Services of the Carolinas and Pillowcases for Doctors without Borders. A special thank you to the parents of the sewing campers for sharing your children with us for the week! It was a great week made possible by these dedicated leaders: Evie Brassie, Marian Cornell, Joyce Grau, Cindy Novesel, Patty Peeples, Sandy Zimmer and teen counselors Julianna Paris and Rachel Board. 

We are so happy to be back at preschool for the 2019-2020 school year. Our Saviour Preschool welcomed 56 kiddos through the front doors of the church on Wednesday, August 28th! We have 41 families attending our preschool, as well as 11 staff members including 3 church members. What a wonderful ministry of Our Saviour Lutheran Church!

Thank you to all the members and families that helped with the Christmas Dinner. The preschool was able to purchase an awesome laminator to help preserve preschool items. It has been a huge help to our teachers getting ready for this school year! Thank you again!!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I write to highlight to you all upcoming important dates in the life of OSLC.
First, Beth Kennett with the Center for Congregational Health will present her report to the Congregation, Sunday, September 15, 2019 immediately after Worship. Beth is the consultant who was retained by the Congregation pursuant to the June 23, 2019 Special Congregational Meeting. Her report and its recommendations will be based upon the Listening Sessions that were held in July.

Thank you to you all for your participation in the Listening Sessions! Nearly every session was full to capacity. Beth has also requested that should you have any questions or wish to speak with her further you may email her at beth.kennett@healthychurch.org . If you contact her, please place “Our Saviour Lutheran” in the subject line.

If you have not already joined the $12.38 club, please consider making an additional gift to the general fund in that amount, or more, to cover the cost of the engagement of Beth and the Center for Congregational Health. Thank you in advance for your generous support of the consultation process and your financial support of OSLC.

Second, please make yourselves available for an OSLC Budget Retreat beginning at 9:30 and continuing until noon, Saturday, October 5, 2019. The purpose of the retreat will be to discuss and take a close look at the expenditures of the Congregation. Additionally, we will speak about faith-based budgeting for churches to use as a focus in our budgeting decisions. The Council desires to engage the Congregation in setting budgeting priorities for the upcoming year and your participation in this event is vital to assist the Council in making its recommendation to you for next year’s spending plan.
Third, the annual meeting for the Congregation will be held in November with a date to be announced. Please keep a look out for this date. The purpose of the meeting is to approve next year’s spending plan and to elect Council members. If you have an interest in serving on Council, please contact me or another member of Council.

Lastly, please join me in thanking and celebrating Pastor John Nagle’s ministry at OSLC. Pastor Nagle initially agreed to assist OSLC for a six-month term but we have been very lucky to have him to assist us for the last fourteen months. Pastor Nagle has announced his last Sunday with OSLC to be September 22, 2019. His guidance and his ability to invoke personal reflection of our faith and community together will be greatly missed. Please take a moment to individually thank Pastor & Mrs. Nagle for their time with us.

Yours in Christ,
Bill Van O’Linda
There are several different styles of preaching. Topical preaching investigates one or more words like grace or love or kingdom of heaven and examines the many times they appear in scripture. Expository preaching looks at a piece of scripture and examines it verse by verse by verse. I happen to like narrative preaching, a telling of shared stories.

Do you have a story? Of course you do. It may be general, it may be specific. It may be happy, it may be embarrassing. It may be complete, it may be still unfinished. But it’s your story and yours alone. And like you, I have my story too—or more actually have a collection of stories. But it’s when your story and my story connect, overlap, come together that something important happens. There’s a sharing there. An awareness, even a bonding. When our shared stories have common elements, we know a bit more about each other, and we can understand each other’s thoughts and feelings—and maybe even offer advice and support. The sharing of your story and my story is important and worthwhile and significant. But there’s a third element that makes it all even more important and worthwhile and significant. When your story and my story overlap, not only with each other’s, but also with God’s story—expect something to happen! Expect some clarity. Expect some hope. Expect some community. Expect some assurance. Even expect some joy.

For example, you experienced a loss. And I have suffered with grief. And God announces that we should never let our hearts be troubled. You were depressed. I wonder about the future. God reminds us of his strong promise of presence that never grows old. You can’t figure out which way to turn. I’m not certain what decision I should make. In scripture, we’re reminded who is the way, the truth and the life. Over and over again, what you and I have in common is colored, enhanced, informed and blessed by God who cares so much about you and me.

So you have a story. Each person who is a part of OSLC has a story. And all those stories that we share with each other are and always must be connected with God’s story, or else why should we bother. The OSLC story in its many parts has been told for 56 years now. God’s story is considerably older! But neither story will fade. Will not fade! Of that I am certain. That’s what we ourselves need to know. That’s what we need to tell each other. That’s a proclamation that finds its basis in God’s Word.  

For the past fourteen months, I have been privileged to share stories with you—sometimes from the pulpit, sometimes on Monday mornings, sometimes in conversations and hugs and held hands. Thank you for the opportunity. I look forward to hearing what the next part of the story looks like and sounds like, how and with whom it is shared, how and how often it points to our loving God.   

10-Jay & Dianne Forsberg, 26 years
16- Shawn & Lauren Davis, 19 years
21- Jon & Amy Paris, 23 years
22- Cliff & Leah Higgerson III, 13 years
26-Dean & Darlene Smith, 37 years




1- Carole Rushforth
2- Florence McCormick
2- Leatha Ferebee
2- Debbie Stephenson
2- Simon Lussier
3- Laurel Stanell
4- Gladys Wade
5- Joan Grant
5- Pam Luntz
6- Aimee Haley
7- Janet Nelson
7- Amber Jensen
10- Shirley Braisted
10- Grace Mataxis
13- Patty Peeples
13- Camden Hooks
13- Madison Ignoffo
15- Lorraine Ton
17- Larry Wilson
22- Owen Holzmann
25- Ed LaForge
25- Rachel Peterson
26- Frank Johnson
26- David Clayton
26- Kelly Thompson
26- Tommy Ransdell
28- Aran Stalls
29- Sandy Zimmer
30-Olivia Johnson


Prayers & Cares


Friends and Relatives
All Military, All who suffer illnesses, Flood, Earthquake, Volcano Victims, Cancer Patients, Bruce Arrendale, Don Barcus,Chelsea Boet, Jim Constantino, Barbara Dice, The George Family, Dale and Dan Gillis, Pam Grupp, Phillip Hause, Tim Locke, Gail Lussier, Joanne Lussier, Jennifer and Scott, Daris Jones, Diane Lewis, Bill Lindau, Drew Morgan, Lloyd Paris, Phillip Paris, Danielle Stefanik, and Paul Zanewski.
 



As a community of faith, we join together in prayer for the needs, concerns, joys and sorrows that we share. Please pray for God’s grace and strength to surround those listed below.
 
 HOME —   Eloise Anderson, Rick Barnes, Polly Bethea, Shirley Braisted, Chuck Crum, Vernon Crumpler, Dorothy Cullen, Jack and Sue Diffily, Leatha Ferebee, Florence McCormick, Leonard Nagel, Joan Nelson, Barbara Reid, Jim Seevers, Jean Sherrill, Bob Stolting
 
In Extended Care — Penick Village Rehab: Barbara Holderby, Pinehurst Rehab: Peggy Smith, Quail Haven Rehab: Paul Halm, Mary McNabb, Barbara Taubersmith, Fox Hollow Rehab: Harris Skinner, Bob Springer, Magnolia Gardens Rehab: Pat Wiggins, Raleigh Rehab: Carol Aitken
 

In Service To Our Country —Sean Barnes, Jon Drew, Pastor Linn Fisher, Ben Flanick, Matthew Hinds, Mark Jennings, Matt Prairie, Amy Ramirez and Sean Ramirez
 
Our Missionary in Costa Rica — Pastor Stephen Deal.
 




Memorariums


To General Fund
In memory of Dorothy Meier
by Robert & Janet Lee





OSLC has a new mobile app! Use the links above to download it on your phone. Access upcoming events, notifications, prayer requests, past sermon notes and so much more! Keep OSLC at your fingertips when you are on the go!
To submit items to be included in the monthly newsletter or on social media, please email Keri Johnson or visit the church social media/communications office across from the welcome desk. All submissions are due by the 20th of the month and are based on approval by the Pastor.

Please email photos from events and church activities to kjohnson@oslcsp.org.