June 2020
  Our Savior Lutheran Ministries




 
Ministry Messenger
June Edition

 
Pastor Kevin's Letter
Dear Friends in Christ,
 
This last Friday, I shared an update from Our Savior about our response to what is happening in our community and world with this global pandemic caused by the Covid-19 virus. I'd like to share with you here some of the highlights from that update. But first let me share how thankful I am to each and every one of you for your love, support, and grace over the last 2 ½ months. You have been awesome. Thank you! I know this has been a long and unsettling season of life that disrupted just about every rhythm of life and activity that we are used to doing. I know that it has been difficult and from what I am sensing right now patience is wearing thin. Take heart and remember this too shall pass.
 
Over the last week, I have received many calls, emails, and had many conversations all surrounding one question: when will the church reopen? Some are asking because they feel like it should have never closed in the first place and feel our rights as Americans are being trampled upon and this whole thing is not as big of a deal as some are making it. Some are asking because they are fearful to come back and fear that we as a church are going to rush back putting people's lives and health at risk and don't want to see anyone hurt or put in harms way. Many are somewhere in the middle on this one.
 
Let me just offer this observation: the church has never been closed. Our campus has been closed for about 10 weeks now, far longer than any of us imagined when this thing first started. But the church has been open the whole time. Worship has been happening. You have been active caring for and loving and supporting one another even if it be through social distance and phone calls and errands. For you see not even the Corona-virus can close the church. For the church is not bound in a building or on a property somewhere. The church is the people of God wherever they are being his hands and feet to serve and to shine the light of Jesus in the midst of darkness. The reality is ministry has continued and God has done powerful things. I've heard stories from many of you of how God has used this time to bring you closer to Him and some have even shared that they feel closer to Our Savior than ever. We have been experiencing more people log on to our services than we would have normally on a Sunday morning. We've had people joining us online for Bible Study from around our state even from different countries. The campus may be closed but ministry has continued in awesome ways. This doesn't mean that this time has been without its challenges whether it be not getting communication in the ways that we are used to, not receiving hugs or handshakes from friends, not being able to share coffee and a donut or not receiving communion.
 
I believe that it is important for us in this moment to not rush back the second that we are cleared to do so, but to move forward strategically and intentionally. We need to ask some really big questions and reflect upon their answers. Questions like:
  • What lessons have we learned in this last season of life? (This question is relevant and important both personally and as a ministry.)
  • What are some of the things that we should take with us that we have learned or tried during this time away from our campus?
  • What are some of the things that we were doing before all of this started that this time helped us to realize maybe wasn't as important or necessary as we thought?
  • What are some of the things that we are grieving right now? (Anyone who has dealt with serious grief will tell you that before you can begin to move forward or deal with grief, you first must acknowledge it.)
I know these are hard questions and may even be uncomfortable for us to ponder, but if we are going to learn from this season that we are in and emerge better for it we truly need to lean into and grapple honestly with these questions.
 
There are a couple realities that we need to acknowledge:
  1. Our methods of doing ministry may change but our mission remains the same. During this time away, I've been rolling out this idea of four words: Engage, Encourage, Equip, and Launch. Whether we are doing ministry onsite or online, we want to be about these 4 things: Engaging people with a great God. Encouraging people within the context of community. Equipping people for lives of following Jesus. And launching people into lives of mission and ministry. How we do these four things may look very different during different seasons and in different contexts. This is a fact, but the mission remains the same. We are about proclaiming Jesus and sharing God's heart and mission of making disciples of all nations as we engage, encourage, equip, and launch.
  2. Things will not be the same when we come back. I know this may be part of the grieving process or something that we haven't come to grips with yet, but church, society, our community, even people will not be the same after what we have just walked through together. This may not be something that we like or want to hear, but it is something that we have to acknowledge as reality.
 
With that said, I'd like to share with you 7 guiding principles or questions that have guided us through this process and will guide us as we follow God into the future.
  1. We are not led by fear but by love and prayer putting our full faith, hope, and trust in God. 2 Timothy 1:7
  2. How do we best love God in this moment?
  3. How do we best love our neighbor in this moment?  1 Corinthians 10:23-24
  4. How can we best do ministry in this new season? Not how do we return to what was but how can we best and most effectively do ministry today, tomorrow, and the days to come?
  5. Online ministry is here to stay.
  6. This is not a time for the church to retreat or go into a cocoon hoping that we can emerge and return to what was. I believe with all of my hear that this is the time to reposition ourselves for a new season and advance.
  7. Safety matters!
Those were the 7 principles that have and will guide us as we think about how to respond to this season of ministry that we are in.
 
In the coming weeks, I will be sharing with you a detailed, strategic, and staged plan for reopening our campus once we have all of the guidelines that will be necessary for reopening our campus from Alameda County. Please know that we are here to walk this road with you and greatly look forward to seeing your smiling faces again soon. Thank you once again for all of your love and patience and support in this process. God is good. God is working. God will see us through. 

May God richly bless you and your family.
 
Pastor Kevin
 

Business Update from Don Young, Executive Director
As you might expect, everything has been very dynamic and quite interesting during this Pandemic Period, but praise God that our situation is very stable right now.  As you will see in the notes below, there have been some challenges and lost income. However, through the PPP loan, the continued generosity of every one at Our Savior, and the continued efforts of our staff to provide a top-quality education in our preschools and school, the overall business and financial outlook for Our Savior is positive.
 
Revenue challenges include:
Tuition:  we recognized there would be financial hardships within some of our school families, making it difficult to adhere to Tuition Agreements.  We provided opportunity for families to request assistance if needed and this has resulted in around $42,000 of tuition forgiveness.  Although this is a revenue reduction for us in the short term, much appreciation for our approach has been voiced by parents and thus, long term loyalty has been earned.  We view this as part of our ministry to these impacted families.  
Extended Child Care:  approximately $40,000 of lost revenue in this fiscal year due to closing as of mid-March.
Planned Preschool Summer Camps:  $5,000 of lost revenue in this fiscal year due to camps not being able to open until at least July (next fiscal year).
Facility Rental: Loss from planned rental agreements:  $14,000 from Young Set Club Summer Camp who were scheduled to for 9 weeks this summer. As well as $4,500 from Joey Travolta Short Film Camp who were scheduled for 2 weeks this July.  These opportunities may resurface in summer of 2021. 
-           Additional costs will be incurred due to needed purchase of supplies required for COVID-19 requirements and safety.
 
As good stewards of our resources, we are reducing monthly spend wherever possible.  Some examples include:
-           Temporarily suspended our professional janitorial services saving over $4000/month.
-           Temporarily reduced our services with Livermore Sanitation resulting in savings of $500/month.
-           Efficiently managing our utility needs resulting in monthly savings.
-           Bundling our telecom services in June, resulting in savings of $700-800/month going forward.
-           Any contracts up for renewal and/or month-to-month arrangements, rebidding and resourcing to secure lower costs and/or higher quality of product/services is a priority.  Over the past year this has included changing gas suppliers, property/liability/worker's compensation insurance companies, new security and fire system provider, reduction of elevator maintenance contract, changing paper products/soap supplier, and new payroll system provider.  Collectively, these have resulted in substantial, ongoing savings for our Ministry.
 
Blessings for which we are thankful:
-           Secured PPP loan that helps cover payroll expenses for a couple months, allowing us to maintain full employment through end of current school year.
-           Church Donations have come in at 100% of budget from March-May (initial Pandemic Period), so we are still tracking to 99.7% for the FY with one month remaining.  Praise be to God and THANKS to all who have been so generous!
-           Viewing of on-line Worship Services has been above our normal Sanctuary  attendance.
-           Great participation in on-line Bible Studies, fellowship check-ins, and general faith-based discussions held via zoom.
-           Health of Ministry Staff:  no known COVID-19 cases since Shelter-in-Place begun.
 
Please be advised:
-           Portals of Prayer are available, just contact Ministry office a 447-1246 to schedule pickup.
-           Scrip is still available to purchase.  Contact Carla Gomes ( cgomes@oslm.net or 447-1246, Ext. 222) to schedule.
-           Fiscal Year 2020-2021 budget will be delayed.  Due to uncertainties caused by COVID-19, we anticipate a delay until we have better understanding of ACTUAL school enrollment for next year.  
 

A note from our Board of Directors
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I hope this message finds you healthy, safe, and in peace amid the craziness that is our world today. Usually, this article would serve as an opportunity to share information about the annual Voters' Assembly, and the upcoming election for the Board of Directors. However, as we all know, these are not usual times. Having said that, I imagine you are wondering when we will meet as a congregation. Unfortunately, at the time of writing this article, we cannot yet share specifics on dates/times. Please know that as a Leadership team, we are continually reviewing our options for safely meeting as a group, for worship, and to conduct business. Behind the scenes we are working together on the next steps of how we will move forward, when allowed to do so. Please know we will continue to act/respond with best intentions for all in mind. We will communicate this information to you, as soon as we can wrap our arms around the plan. Until then, I'd ask for your support and prayer for Pastor Kevin, who is working tirelessly to be proactive and agile, leading us through uncharted territory. In addition, please include the Board of Elders, and my fellow members of the Board of Directors in your prayer coverage. Together, we will not only get through this, but we will Glorify God in the process, and come out stronger on the other side.
 
In His service and yours,
 
Angela Westphal
Board of Directors, Chair