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Ways to Serve at Our Saviors
During the year, the Social Ministry Board undertakes three Lutheran World Relief projects. They are Health Kits, Layettes and School Kits. At various times during the year, kits (zip lock bags with lists inside) are available in the green crates in the Narthex. Pick up and kit and fill it with the items requested and return it to the green crates.
- Layettes are wonderful gifts of Christian love for new mothers all over the world. Our knitters make sweaters for the kits each year and we complete the kits with diapers and pins, sleepers, undershirts, washcloths and soap.
- Health Kits are given out in many situations – earthquakes, floods, refugee camps, and war torn countries. Often these people flee their homes with nothing more than the clothing on their backs. These kits contain a wash cloth and hand towel, soap, Band-Aids, comb, nail file, toothbrush and toothpaste.
- School Kits are made up during September. Lutheran World Relief uses these kits that contain notebooks, ruler, pencils and pencil sharpener, erasers, crayons to help school and adult literacy programs. Members of the Social Ministry Board sew the canvas bags for the school kits.
A free meal program was started in 1997 for people in our community and our congregation. It is open to all who come. We started out serving 50-60 people a week and now serve 150+ a week. There are many opportunities for service with this group – you can cook, serve, clean up, sit and visit with our guests, or whatever you are comfortable doing.
The Women's Clothes Closet was started as a project by a student social worker at UW La Crosse. Its mission is to provide up-to-date clothing for women entering or re-entering the work force. Our Savior's has been operating the Clothes Closet since 2000. The Women's Clothes Closet Advisory Board has sorting parties and clothing drives to keep the Clothes Closet orderly and functional.
Kits for Kids gives duffel bags to children who are entering foster care for the first time. This project is coordinated through La Crosse County Social Services. Kits include a T-shirt, a sweat suit, hairbrush, toothbrush and toothpaste, a stuffed animal, a night-light and a special book about foster children. At any given time, La Crosse County has 150
children in foster care. Many of these kids have their meager belongings in a grocery sack or a garbage bag. These kits help them and their foster parents get through the first night with necessities.
There is a blue bucket in the hallway for new, wrapped soap. As you travel and gather soaps, shampoos, etc. place them in the bucket. They will be separated with the soap going to Lutheran World Relief and the other toiletries will be distributed by the Women's Clothes Closet.
Every year at Christmas, there is a tree in the Narthex with gift ideas for women and children who are residing at New Horizon's. We typically have 150+ gift tags on the tree. This generous congregation undertakes a huge commitment to New Horizon's and we do it faithfully year after year! The heart warming thank-you's we receive let us know how much our gifts are appreciated.
Our neighborhood school is Hamilton Elementary School. We honor the teachers and staff during the school year with lunches, small gifts and notes thanking them for taking care of our neighborhood children.
We have three prayer chains (daytime, evening and electronic) operating at Our Savior's. Prayers can be requested by calling the church office. The electronic prayer chain is conducted through e-mail. When you receive a call you simply take a moment to pray for the person and then make your next phone call. If you are on the electronic prayer chain, you take a moment to pray when you get the e-mail and you don't have to pass it on. You can be part of the e-mail prayer chain by emailing
Pastor Mark Jolivette
Prayer shawls, loving crocheted and prayed over, are given out by our pastors to our members who are ill, recuperating, or in need of prayer and support.
On Tuesday mornings you will find a small group of dedicated quilters sewing, cutting and tying quilts for Lutheran World Relief. These busy ladies make over 175 quilts every year! One Sunday in the fall, we drape the pews with all the quilts they have made in the past year. They are dedicated, prayed over and packed up to send to Lutheran World Relief.
Three or four weeks during the year, Our Savior's takes care of delivering Mobile Meals in the community. Mobile Meals are delivered 7 days a week, year round.
A phone call, a meal, a ride are some of the ways members can help members. This new ministry is being organized by the Social Ministry Board.
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