OSLC Blast for April 27, 2020
Calendar of this weeks events:
Wed, 4/29 @ 1:00 pm —– Bible Study
Thurs, 4/30 @7:00pm—–Choir Meeting
Sat, 5/2 —– Synod Assembly, digitally
Sun, 5/3 @ 9:30am —– Worship Service
Sun, 5/3 @10:30——Coffee Hour
Message from Pastor Marty
Hey All,
I just wanted to let folks know that council voted to call a congregational meeting on May 6th at 6:00 pm. We need to take a vote on the fixing of our roof, and have a discussion about our worship and community goals and boundaries. Council will be sending a more formal description of the issue and why we need a congregational vote next week. The roof was damaged by a hail storm a year ago, and we received some money to fix it, but will need to pay our deductible to begin the process. Basically, the amount of money we need to approve this project is larger than council is able to approve without a congregational vote. Folks can discuss this further at the meeting if they have questions.
Also to be discussed at this meeting is a general discourse about how we are going to be in contact and connection with each other, and some specific boundaries about our mission and how we can best work together for the foreseeable future. Bishop Gonia recommends we don’t meet until June at the earliest now, and I think that trend may continue. So, what are we/ how are we moving forward together? This general discussion will hopefully be helpful in our service together.
Thanks be to God for the worship we have been having online in YouTube and zoom. Yesterday in our coffee hour discussion we began to ask if we were leaving people out with our zoom services. The simple answer is yes. We are about half of the digital worshiping community when we are live streaming zoom. More people are accessing YouTube than zoom. With this reality, I wonder about doing an every-other-week zoom worship or something like that. We are all just trying to make our way during these days, so thanks for bearing with us and being part of the conversation on May 6th.
I will be focusing on Synod Assembly this week as we are gathering digitally on Saturday in the most unprecedented assembly ever! Please keep Linda Carlson, Dan Baack, and myself in your prayers as we engage this year’s Assembly as representatives of OSLC. I will see some of you on Wednesday at Bible study too.
Have a blessed week everybody! And may the Peace of Easter be with you. Christ our Lord is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia!
Peace, Pastor Marty
This ‘n’ That
Congregation Meeting. Mark your calendars for a special Congregation Meeting of Wednesday, May 6, at 6:00pm. Agenda items include roof repairs and worship/community goals.
Care of Creation. From Pastor Kent Mueller, Asst to the Bishop for Leadership Support
The 50th anniversary of Earth Day this week provides me the opportunity to share ten things I do to try and live more sustainably by reducing waste, reusing, and recycling. Quite honestly, none of these, alone, will make a dent in the world’s problems without nations, coalitions, governments, and businesses making changes on a systemic and foundational level. For that, advocacy and policy change are essential. Nevertheless, I try to make choices that match my values. (FYI, I am including a few links, but I’m not endorsing products here.)
- My favorite summer beverage is peach iced tea. I make my own without buying it in plastic bottles. Brew 2 or 3 quarts of iced tea using 3 or 4 family size tea bags, add a 12 oz can of peach “nectar” juice and stevia (I like Sweet Drops liquid stevia and use 1 tsp for 3 quarts of tea) or sugar to taste. Recycle the aluminum can.
- Recycle cereal boxes, but keep the plastic bags inside that held the cereal and use it again.
- To reduce plastic waste, purchase yogurt in a 32 oz glass jar and add fruit jam from a glass jar or fresh fruit to it.
- Use cloth cleaning rags rather than paper towels.
- Use washing machine detergent in sheet form rather than those huge plastic bottles of laundry detergent.
- Use reusable straws rather than plastic. I’m a fan of glass straws and like the wide ones best.
- I’ve opted into the City of Denver’s composting program, keeping yard waste, kitchen scraps, and discarded tissues and paper towels out of the landfill.
- Shampoo is now readily available in bar form. Opt for that rather than plastic bottles. For that matter, use bar soap whenever possible.
- Liquid hand soap and other cleaning formulas are available in tablet form that dissolve in water. I’m using all four of the Blueland products and they work well. I am using my own old plastic spray bottles for the cleaning solutions rather than purchase theirs. Their liquid hand soap bottles are glass.
- Finally: Bike more. Drive less
Readings for Sunday, May 3 – 4th Sunday of Easter
Acts 2:42-47
Psalm 23
I Peter 2:19-25
John 10:1-10
Mission Statement
Our Savior’s Lutheran Church connects people to God and Each Other. We embody this mission through Word and Sacrament Worship, Music, Faith Formation, Service, and Authentic Community.
