Pastor Mark’s Retirement Ceremony Slideshow

On August 29th, a celebration was held at Our Savior’s in honor of Pastor Mark’s 30 years of service as a U.S. Naval chaplain. View a slideshow of photos from the event:

Choir Starts September 13th

Calling all members! Senior Choir begins on Sunday, September 13th at 8:00 am in the Choir Room. Our temporary choir director is Mary Ender Stutesman. All members are welcome!

Fall Rummage Sale is October 15th and 16th

Items can be brought to the church starting October 10th. Set up days are October 12-14th. Sale times are 8 am – 1 pm Thursday and Friday and 4-7 pm on Thursday.

We need help on Sunday, October 11th to clear the Fellowship Hall and again on Friday to haul unsold items to Goodwill.

Thank you!

Wisconsin Council of Churches Weighs in on Health Care Reform

Let your voice be heard on health care reform! “Health care is not an optional commodity. Health Care is a fundamental good grounded in the fact that each person is endowed by God with transcendent value.”
With this statement on health care reform, the Wisconsin Council of Churches (WCC) is asking for your help in keeping “moral and religious principles in view” as Congress and the Administration hammer out national health care legislation.

Visit the WCC new web page, “People of Faith and Health Care Reform,” for more about faith principles for health care reform, resources and further info.

Catholic Charities Asking for School Supplies

It’s back to school time! Each year Catholic Charities gets requests from families who cannot afford school supplies for their children. When you’re out shopping, please consider picking up some extra pens, pencils, crayons, colored pencils, markers, glue, glue sticks, notebooks, filler paper, folders, and backpacks.

Please drop off items at Catholic Charities, 3710 East Avenue South, Monday-Thursday. Thank you!

AMOS Meeting on September 1st

The Food Insecurity Task Force of AMOS (formally known at the Hunger Task force of AMOS) will hold
their monthly meeting on Tuesday September 1st at 6:30 pm in the fellowship hall of OSLC. We will be discussing a possible organic/natural food banquet and a forum involving area “food issue” groups.

This meeting is open to anyone interested in helping with food concerns in the community.

Our Savior’s at Oktoberfest USA Heritage Night

On Wednesday September 30th, OSLC will be serving Norwegian Lefse Wraps (meatballs, mashed potatoes and gravy wrapped up in a lefse) and pieces of lefse with butter and/or sugar at the annual Oktoberfest USA Heritage Night held at the La Crosse Center. The cost will be $4.00 and $1.00 respectively.

This year, Oktoberfest will NOT be requiring a button to get into this event. Please come and help support your church! The proceeds will go to the Come For Supper program to help fund on-going food purchases and supplies.

LC/NA to Sponsor Retreat at Holden Village

“Behold ! I Make All Things New…” is a weekend retreat which will explore the Renewing Power of God’s Grace with Pastors Ruth Frost & Richard Andersen of Third Act Ministry. The retreat, sponsored by Lutherans Concerned/North America, will be on October 9-12, 2009 in Holden Village, Washington.

The retreat will be an opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered Christians and friends to gather as a community to explore the renewing and transformative power of God’s grace. The retreat is is open to all who seek spiritual healing and community. The program will include presentations by the retreat leaders, group discussion and daily worship. There will also be plenty of free time to get to know one another, do some hiking, read a book or enjoy the sauna. We will also have a dance as well as a time of sharing music, art and poetry. Information regarding registration, program, schedule, costs, transportation, Holden Village, Third Act Ministry, and the retreat leaders can be found at the Holden Village LGBT Retreat website.

October’s Book Club Selection: Peace Like a River

Set in the Minnesota countryside and North Dakota Badlands of the early 1960s, Peace Like a River is a moving, engrossing, beautifully told story about one family’s quest to retrieve its most wayward member. Reuben Land, the novel’s asthmatic and self-effacing eleven-year-old narrator, recounts an unforgettable journey riddled with outlaw tales, heartfelt insights, and bona fide miracles. Born without air in his lungs, Reuben is keenly aware of the gift of breath—and, by extension, the gift of life. Time and again, both gifts are bestowed on Reuben by his father, a gentlemanly soul who works as a school janitor and has the power—and faith—to bestow true miracles. When the family is threatened by two evil high school boys, events escalate and their lives seem to have worsened beyond the aid of miracles. Or have they? When the family set out on their journey, the reader eventually witnesses rivers, plains, and city lights unseen by mortal eyes. Equal parts tragedy, romance, adventure yarn, and meditation, Peace Like a River is an inspired story of family love, religious faith, and the lifelong work and trust required of both.

The Book Club will meet to discuss this captivating book on Monday, October 19th at 6:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.

Book Club Meeting on September 15th

The OSLC book for September is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. Christopher Boone is the autistic 15-year-old narrator of this revelatory novel. When his neighbor’s poodle is killed and Christopher is falsely accused of the crime, he decides that he will take a page from Sherlock Holmes (one of his favorite characters) and track down the killer. Solving the mystery leads him into an odyssey to find his place in the world where he must fall back on deductive logic to navigate the emotional complexities of a social world that remains a closed book to him. Though Christopher insists, “This will not be a funny book. I cannot tell jokes because I do not understand them,” the novel brims with touching, ironic humor. The result is an eye-opening work in a unique and compelling literary voice.

We will meet on Tuesday, September 15th at 6:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall to talk about this curious book.

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