January 2010 Informer

January 2010 Calendar

December 20,2009 Sidelites

The Gospel of Mark

     The gospel for the year ahead will be Mark. So, what is unique about Mark’s gospel? Mark is the shortest gospel and practically all of the content in Mark’s gospel can be found in Matthew and Luke.  Mark is fast paced. One of the most common words in Mark is the word, “immediately.” Conflicts are common in Mark and Jesus is the immediate cause of the conflicts. Jesus is in conflict with authorities, political & religious. Jesus is in conflict with the disciples and even evil spirits.  Mark challenges his readers to understand that faith and living the faith go together, you cannot understand the faith and not take up your cross and follow Christ.    

     Theme of Mark: A journey with Jesus and the disciples to the cross and empty tomb and on that journey we learn what it means to die and live. 

     I challenge you to read Mark through in one sitting. It will take an hour fifteen minutes. But this will give you a great overview and understanding of the Gospel.

     Keep in mind these two questions as we hear Mark’s gospel read in worship: “Who is Jesus and what does it mean to follow Him?”

The gospel of Mark does not end. We are caught up in the drama of Jesus’ death and resurrection and are challenged to go and tell and not remain silent about our faith. Let the journey with Mark begin!!!

     May this be our prayer as we together hear God’s call in Mark’s gospel: 

Father in heaven, our hearts desire the warmth of your love and our minds are searching for the light of your Word. Increase our longing for Christ and give us strength to grow in our faith.  Amen.

–Pastor Joyce

Stewarding God’s Gifts

Dear Discipleship Diary,

            In the midst of the uncertain financial picture which faces us as we journey through the current recession, I have been wondering how the Bible provides encouragement for us Christians to use and share the gifts God has given us. Often in the midst of uncertainty we tend to develop a mentality of scarcity, which is shaped by what we do not have rather than a mentality of abundance which is shaped by what we have been given. When we read the Bible, I believe that we are pointed in the direction of taking on an attitude of abundance rather than one of scarcity.

            The apostle Paul, in writing to the Christians at Philippi, seeks to direct their attention to God’s abundance. In the 4th chapter of his letter the apostle Paul writes, “I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (v. 12-13) Here Paul recognizes that a trust in God’s providing hand allows us as individuals and as a church to do all things, and that with God anything is possible. This stands in interesting contrast to the attitude of our times and attitude which:

• settles for “good enough” rather than seeking to do the best of God’s kingdom
• gives in to the pressures of the day which say “your contribution doesn’t matter”
• invites us to be critical of others rather than be a critical part of the solution
• causes the church to chose maintenance over mission

The answer to such an attitude seems to be boldly holding on to the promise, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

            The second thing Paul tells the Philippians is “God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (v. 19) All too often we forget that God is a loving God who will take care of all of our needs. As a result, we hold on tightly to what we believe is ours rather than open our hand to share what God has given us to give to others. We simply need to see and hear that God will fully satisfy our every need.

            In times like this we become fearful, an attitude of scarcity tends to do that to us. Paul addresses this too by saying, “The God of peace will be with you.”(9) Thus, our giving is a matter of trust, trusting God’s guidance and trusting God’s peace. Trusting in God will dispel our fear and bring us to peace.

            Finally, Paul encourages the faithful of Philippi to rejoice! And we should rejoice! Because God is good. God provides gifts for giving. God strengthens us to open our hands. God satisfies our every need. God’s peace dispels our fear. So as stewards of God’s riches we are called to rejoice!

            Discipleship Diary, I pray that I might live an attitude of gratitude and see God’s abundance in all that I am called to do and to be. 

Soli Deo Gloria!

Pastor Todd

T.I.M. – Together In Ministry

The church is a community. We are one with God and with each other. T.I.M. allows us to use our gifts of welcoming others, ushering, reading the lessons, and working with setting up Holy Communion or cleaning up following the service. Thanks for your part in serving the church!

T.I.M. sign-up sheets are posted on the bulletin board in the social hall. Please sign up to be a servant to others.

Prayer Chain

The "Prayer Chain" is one of the many ministries you can be a part of at Our Saviors. To pray for the needs of others is truly a gift……for the pray-er and for the recipient of the prayer. It is a support to anyone who has a concern. God has promised to hear our prayers so that is why we pray. Many have told me that they feel a peace knowing others are praying for them.  To put a prayer request on the "Prayer Chain" call me at 354-2996.  If unable to reach me our pastors welcome your requests. 

Marlys Zetah

Men’s Bible Study Opportunities

Saturday Morning Men’s Bible Study
8:30-9:30  

Starting Saturday, September 12th

All men of Our Savior’s are invited to gather together Saturday mornings at 8:30 in the lower level multi-purpose room for a study of the upcoming Sunday Scriptures. This is a great way to get to know other men in our congregation.  Bring your Bibles; bring a friend. 

Joe On The Go!
A men’s gathering that meets Monday mornings at Cornerstone Coffee from 7:00-8:00.  At Joe on the Go we focus our attention on the Daily Text for the Day and examine how God’s Word for the day shapes our daily lives. All men are welcome to come and join us for a cup of Joe as we take the scriptures to go.

If you have any questions about either of these Bible study opportunities please feel free to speak with Pastor Todd.

How spiritually fit are you?

No matter where you turn or what you are watching it seems like the theme of physical and emotional health are being talked about. Exercise programs, healthy eating programs, and talking things out are all important. A good physical trainer will encourage people to begin where they are at and to begin a fitness plan with achievable goals. Start now and be consistent and faithful to follow through are themes that are important for physical health. Well, the same is true for spiritual health. But how is your spiritual health? That is something we don’t think about too often. What are the disciplines to think about in our spiritual life? As Stephen Leaders here are a few we think are important and that we are working on:

1. Spiritual Discipline of Prayer. Establish a consistent time and place. Perhaps a favorite chair or place in your home. The very act of naming a place for prayer acts as a reminder every time you pass that place. Don’t think that you will pray for 20 minutes if you do not have a routine. Start out with two or three minutes. Start by giving thanks and naming people who have needs. Prayer is simply that reminder that we are asking God to journey with us and that our life is a gift from God. It is good to set aside a specific

time each day. It is easy to say, “Oh, I will pray later.” But our days get filled and soon we find the day is over.

2. Spiritual Discipline of Daily Bible Reading. 

Begin by spending five minutes reading a chapter a day. The Book of Faith Initiative that we provide each week is a good place to start.  

3. Spiritual Discipline of Meditation. Meditation is simply reading a passage of Scripture and pausing, being still, and thinking about that passage. 

4. Discipline of Worship. Attending weekly worship and being part of the body of Christ reminds us that we are made to live in relationship with one another and we experience the presence of God through fellowship, music, the word, prayer, and Holy Communion.

5. Spiritual Discipline of Journaling. Begin by writing down the events of the day and how you felt about them. Write down one example of how God provided for you on that day. 

6. Spiritual Discipline of Christian Music. What do you listen to? What we listen to shapes our thoughts and attitudes. Listening to Christian music is time to transition from the cares of this world into the presence of God. Listening to music can also lift up our spirits. 

Thank you for your support and prayers. We ask for your continued prayer as we work on the above spiritual disciplines. Use the following prayer to pray for us:

God, you give your people spiritual gifts to serve you. Bless the Stephen Leaders. Give them the faith and the humility to follow Jesus’ example of caring servanthood, and the love they need to care for those who are burdened. Amen. 

Carla, Deb, Kathy, Pastor Joyce

Please Notify Us

If you are hospitalized, ill, injured or have suffered a loss and would appreciate a visit and prayers, please notify the Our Savior’s at 233-4430. Due to current health privacy rule, hospitals are no longer able to provide this information without patient consent. By contacting the church, we are able to provide pastoral care and comfort in your time of need.

REMINDER: Please help reduce postage costs
by checking your church mailbox. Thank you!

Please Feed the Food Shelf barrel

(located outside the church office)

Items needed include:

canned fruits, cake mixes, pancake mix, pancake syrup, pork and beans

(Thank you to the volunteers who deliver the items collected to the Food Shelf!)

Brown County Energy Assistance fact sheets, application forms, and general information are available at the information desk in the social hall.