Our Savior's Lutheran Church
January 20, 2022
Newsletter
Coming This Sunday
January 23, 2022
The Third Sunday after Epiphany

LIVESTREAMING 9:30 A.M.
(No In-person Worship this Week)
Scripture Readings for January 23

Unity and Diversity in the Body
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
Church Council News
January Fellowship Forum
Join us January 23 on Zoom at 10:30 a.m. for the monthly Fellowship Forum. We will acknowledge January birthdays, hear what progress the Transition Team is making, and receive an update on church activities including the status of
in-person services.

Here's the Zoom link for the Fellowship Forum:
Join Zoom Meeting


Meeting ID: 899 5416 9939
Passcode: 505200
From the Interim Pastor's Desk
God is on this Journey with Us
More than a year ago, maybe the summer of 2020, I read an article about the challenges of living in a time of stress when we don’t know how long the stress will last. If we have an idea of when the stress is going to end, we unconsciously pace ourselves to endure the stress until that time arrives. For example, when we are traveling, we know when we expect to arrive at the destination. As that time approaches, we might feel more and more weary. As the last stage approaches, we begin to think that we won’t be able to hold on; but we grit our teeth and the relief comes just before we collapse. However, if the anticipated relief does not come, or if we don’t know when it is coming, it becomes much more difficult to cope. The point of the article was that we do not know when the pandemic is going to end, so we don’t know how to pace ourselves.

When the pandemic began, during Lent of 2020, many of us thought it might be possible to be back inside church buildings for a typical Easter worship service. Of course that did not happen. Then the hope was that the change in seasons might bring relief. It did not. The arrival of the vaccines did provide some relief, but due to a high number of people not receiving the vaccines, variants started appearing that made things worse again. We are living in a time of great uncertainty, a time of stress.

This is nothing new, really. When we look at Biblical history, we see a lot of times of stress and uncertainty. Whenever we see the number “forty” in relationship to time, it’s a way of saying “a long time”. It is not literally the number between 39 and 41. It’s an expression: an expression of uncertainty. It is used deliberately. After all, the people of Israel who followed Moses out of Egypt and wandered around in the wilderness knew how many years passed. Children were born
and the passing years were marked. But when the stories were told, they were told from the perspective of experiencing those years. As they wandered in the wilderness, they had no idea how many years would pass before they settled into the land of the promise.

We don’t know how long it will be until the covid pandemic becomes an endemic, like the flu or the common cold. As long as variants are arising so quickly that there are surges in case numbers so that health care systems are overwhelmed, we are still in a time of pandemic. Even though so many of us feel like we cannot endure it any longer, we can’t just pretend that it doesn’t exist. We must continue to take precautions for the sake of the health of the whole community. And we can remember all the examples from history when people were enduring uncertain, confusing, stressful times and remember that God has always been faithful.

We feel exhausted and overwhelmed, but we can remember that God is with us. We feel confused and anxious, but we can remember that God will bring good out of every situation; this is not to say that all things are good, but that God’s love can transform everything. We might find ourselves feeling lethargic or irritable, we might neglect things we know are healthy for us or we might find ourselves snapping out at others. Let us be gracious to one another. Let us seek patience and understanding. If we hurt someone with a sudden flash of irritability, let us acknowledge that and seek forgiveness and strive to do better. If we realize that our minds or bodies need peace and rest, let us be gentle with ourselves and listen to what God may be saying.

We are on this uncertain, confusing journey together. And God is on this journey with us, for God is always with us. We don’t know how long this journey will last, but we do know that God will never leave us. Be at peace. Pray for one another.

Pastor Sue
Transition_chart1_Jan_2022
From the Transition Team
We are meeting weekly, via Zoom, each Tuesday evening. Our first two meetings were spent with Pastor Sue introducing the team to the tools and processes we will be using as we look to better understand who we are as a congregation and where we want to go. Our goal is to connect with everyone in the church, either individually or in small groups to hear what you all are thinking. This will be a bit challenging with the pandemic but collectively we will find a way.

The transition process, while focused on bringing in a new pastor, will provide many additional benefits. After the last two years of masks, social distancing, online services and the loss of members, taking the time to conduct an extensive self-evaluation of who we are and where we want to go will bring huge benefits.

We will strive to keep you informed as we proceed on this adventure.
Your Transition team: Pastor Sue, Jeff Hook, Don Hook, Murt Bickett, Karen Sykes, Mike Carmichael, Joe DeBlois, Phil Fischer, June Hensala, Lisa Sindlinger, Ron Grewenow, Patti Ryall, Becky Brown.
Letty Owings Thank You Card 2022
Thank you from the Letty Owings Center
Throughout 2021 we have enjoyed partnering with the Letty Owings Center as the young women and their children work toward a better way of life.

Using funds allocated to LOC by the Mission Team, we were able to give each resident a Mother's Day gift card. We were also able to get the ladies some things like shampoos, lotions, etc. as well as some educational movies for the kids. LOC also received a grant from the OSLC Foundation for cribs and children's beds. The Quilters continue to provide a beautiful quilt for each lady who graduates from the program as well as some children's quilts.

LOC received Giving Tree donations for play equipment. Many people donated an array of good things to the ladies and kids. For all of this, the ladies are very grateful. They worked hard to make us a beautiful thank you card/poster. The picture doesn't quite show how nice it is. The ladies also wrote notes to us-here are a few...

"Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Thank you all so much for being so kind and thoughtful!"
Khanna & Classen

"Merry Xmas! We all appreciate your love and support! God Bless & Happy New Year!"
❤Marisa & Kristian

Thank you for everything you all do for us. God Bless.
Sincerely, Tiffany, Natalia and Giovanni

"You are much appreciated! Thank you so much."
HaKayla

-Karen Sykes
Good Samaritan Mission Report
OSLC Missions supported the Good Samaritans Family Camp in 2021.

Good Samaritan Ministries has been hosting Family Therapy Camp since 1978. Last month, they had their first family therapy camp since the COVID outbreak, and were blessed to see so many families go out of their way, face the difficult challenges, and drive up to the Christian Renewal Center for a weekend of intense family training. Everyone who went to camp this year was touched by God's great grace, and we were moved by the vulnerability and openness everyone shared.

-Don Wienk
2021 Contribution Statements
Your 2021 Contribution Statement were emailed or mailed via the Post Office on Friday, January 14. Please contact the office if you have any questions.
Free At-home COVID-19 Tests Available
Have you signed up for your free at-home COVID-19 tests? Do it now so that you have the tests available when you need them. Each household is entitled to four tests; if you do not think you will need yours, there are other households who would appreciate your generosity, so sign up! It takes about one minute to complete the form at this link: https://www.covidtests.gov/
Links to Online Services
The easiest way to watch the Livestream of upcoming services is to go to the OSLC YouTube page and click on the red SUBSCRIBE button. There's no cost, it's free! When new livestream videos begin, you'll receive a notification to click on and enjoy the live service. Recordings of the livestream will be available afterward.
Jan 16, 2022, Our Savior's Lutheran Church Lake Oswego

Jan 16, 2022, Our Savior's Lutheran Church Lake Oswego OR, Online Church Service.

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Our Savior's Lutheran Church
15751 Quarry Rd/PO Box 1548 Lake Oswego, OR 97035 | 503-635-4563 |