Holy Week Worship

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Before we move too far into this special week, I want to remind you of the worship opportunities before us as we observe and celebrate the holiest of weeks:

MAUNDY THURSDAY (March 20) – St. Paul Lutheran Church (Wayne Ave.)

6:00 p.m. – dinner in the fellowship hall (upstairs)

7:00 p.m. – service of Holy Communion, the sharing of our last "faith story" (mine), and music from the combined chancel choirs of St. Paul and Our Savior

GOOD FRIDAY (March 21) – Lutheran Church of Our Savior

7:00 p.m. – Good Friday liturgy with reading of the Passion Narrative

HOLY SATURDAY (March 22) – Lutheran Church of Our Savior (in the chapel)

5:30 p.m. – Taize' Prayer Service for Peace and Healing of the nations

EASTER SUNDAY – March 23 – Lutheran Church of Our Savior

9:30 a.m. – Easter Egg Hunt (those hiding eggs are to gather in the parish house meeting room at 9:00 a.m.)

10:30 a.m. – Festival Celebration of the Resurrection, with special musicians, celebration of Holy Communion, and reading of the Easter story

Following worship, those who ordered lilies are invited to take them home.

May God bless you and your family with the faith, courage and wisdom to reserve and spend some of your time in worship and prayer this week. May the Lord of Easter new life breathe new life and joy into you! And, remember – someone you know may be waiting to be invited to attend church on Easter, so invite them to come with you!

In Christ's peace,

Gary

Wednesday Lenten Services; Transportation

Wednesday Lenter Services continue tomorrow, February 13, with a service at LCOS at noon (followed by a simple lunch) and a joint service with St. Paul Lutheran Church (downtown Dayton) at 6:30 p.m.

The evening service at St. Paul will be preceded by a fellowship and refreshments starting at 6:00 p.m. Next week's service will be at LCOS. (Click this link for more details and the schedule for the weeks to come.) Each of the evening services will include the Holden Evening Prayer service, and a member of one of the churches will share with us the member's faith story.

If you do not like to drive after dark, we will be glad to provide transportation for you to the evening Lenten services, both at LCOS and St. Paul – just call the church office and ask to be placed on the list. You will be called by your “driver” prior to being picked up. And for those driving to St. Paul, the congregation has plenty of well-lighted parking. We suggest carpooling from the LCOS parking lot. Direction sheets are available in the office and narthex.

A Message From Our Pastor

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Our worship theme this weekend, grounded in our lessons, deals with our response to God's call to obedience and servanthood. We have the opportunity to reflect on our own responses to God's call as we hear in the Gospel lesson the account of Jesus calling his first disciples to follow him. This is big stuff, and demands that we dream big!

It's here! The "Hearts for the Lord's Will" All-Congregation Birthday Celebration will be held this Sunday, January 23 11:45 a.m. in the fellowship hall. If you have forgotten to make your reservations, not to worry. The Evangelism Team says come on - just bring a covered dish to share (something other desserts, please – from the reservations, it looks like we'll have plenty of sweets!). Not only does this promise to be an exciting event, it also promises to do a great job of "setting the table" for our Annual Meeting, held the following week! We hope you will be with us. Nursery care and activities for children will be provided.

Looking Ahead:

- Annual Meeting - Sunday, February 3, 11:45 a.m. Catered lunch, followed by meeting to act on the proposed budget, celebrate last year's ministries, and act on a Local Benevolence proposal
- Ash Wednesday observance - February 6, 6:00 p.m. dinner; 7:00 p.m. worship (sanctuary). This will be a traditional service using the liturgy for Ash Wednesday from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, including the imposition of ashes.

The volunteers who work at the New Hope Food Pantry have expressed their gratitude to the members of LCOS for their generous support. The food and money you send does make a difference, and is greatly appreciated. Last month, they provided assistance for over 300 people, and they couldn't have done it without us. You've probably read that food pantries and food banks around the country are experiencing shortages of food. While the shelves at the New Hope Food Pantry aren't empty, they are very low. Particular needs right now are for canned fruit and fruit juices (keep in mind that people on blood pressure medication can't eat grapefruit); rice; and high-protein foods such as canned salmon and tuna, beans, prepared dinners, stews, "chunky" soups, etc. The collection point for donations is the kitchen in the parrish house.

Parting thought: the late Episcopal theologian Henri Nouwen once wrote, community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another. Community is the fruit of our capacity to make the interests of others more important than our own (see Philippians 2:4). The question, therefore, is not, "How can we make community?" but "How can we develop and nurture giving hearts?"

As we prepare to gather for worship and fellowship in our community of faith this weekend, may we come with giving hearts. See you in worship!

In Christ's peace,
Gary

A Message from Our Pastor

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Looking toward this weekend, our lessons for worship remind us that identity is not wrapped up in our answers to the question, "What do you do?", but solely in what God does for us, through Jesus, in baptism - making us children of God. As you prepare to worship together this weekend, I encourage all of us to prayerfully ponder the question "Who am I?", comparing what you "do" with that which God has created you to be.

Tonight (Friday), we will hold another Spiritual Journeys event for anyone who wishes to explore a deeper relationship with God. Meet around the fireplace in the parish house foyer at 10:00 p.m.

Saturday, students in the Confirmation Cluster will gather at First Lutheran Church, downtown, to participate in a service project of feeding the community's poor/homeless.

Looking Ahead:

Next Sunday, January 27, the Evangelism Team is hosting the All-Congregation Members' Birthday Party at 11:45 a.m. in the fellowship hall. Remember to RSVP to your invitations!

Ash Wednesday Service - the start of the Lenten season - February 6. Dinner at 6:00 p.m. followed by the service at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary. This will be a traditional service using the liturgy for Ash Wednesday from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, including the imposition of ashes. We will be joined by members of St. Paul's Lutheran Church (Downtown Dayton) for this service and dinner. I will write to you more later about the Wednesday night services for the remainder of Lent, which will alternate between LCOS and St. Paul's.

Question: Whose life have you improved this week by libing our your faith?

I look forward to being with you in worship this weekend!

In Christ's peace,

Gary

A Message From Our Pastor - Advent and Christmas Events

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

This weekend is the Fourth (and last) Sunday in Advent, and our worship theme centers around the proclamation Emmanuel – God is with us. The Gospel lesson is Matthew's account of the Christmas story, with the focus on Joseph as one who trusted God and "did the right thing." As we frantically prepare for the holiday, we are reminded to trust in God, and not in our own abilities, and do what is the right thing to do – always.

During the 10:30 worship Sunday, the Joyful Noise Children's Choir will present special music prior to the Children's Moment, and the Hand Bell Choir will present music during the offering.

Weekend Activities

Friday Spiritual Journey – 10:00 p.m. in the Parish House foyer around the fire place

Saturday Adopt-A-Family Delivery – 9:30 a.m. The Social Ministry Committee is coordinating this major project that will benefit many children and adults in the Miami Valley.

Saturday Worship – 5:30 p.m. in the sanctuary

Sunday Worship – 8:15 a.m. in the sanctuary
Children's Choir Rehearsals – 9:00 a.m.
Sunday School – 9:15/9:30 a.m.
Worship – 10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary
Sacred Harp Singers – 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. in the Parish House Blue Room

CHRISTMAS EVE SCHEDULE

3:00 p.m. Christmas Pageant Rehearsal

4:00 p.m. Family Christmas Eve Service, with pageant, carols, and celebration of Holy Communion .

10:00 p.m. Traditional Christmas Eve Service, with candles, readings, carols, celebration of Holy Communion, and music presented by the Chancel Choir.


Special thanks to everyone who helped with the decorating in the sanctuary – it is beautiful. And special thanks to everyone who assisted in leading worship last weekend while Debby and I were in Chicago, especially Harriet Uphoff, Ginger and Dan Minneman, and Rachel Spry.

May God fill the remainder of this Advent season with hope, and bring joyous blessings to you all this Christmas!

In Christ's peace,
Gary

Thanksgiving Eve Service and Dinner to be Held Jointly With St. Paul Lutheran Church

If you're looking for a Thanksgiving service to attend in the Dayton area, please consider joining us at the Lutheran Church of Our Savior at 7:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, November 21.

This year, our Thanksgiving Eve worship service will be a joint celebration of praise to God with the members of St. Paul Lutheran Church (downtown Dayton). The service will be a casual one, with the pastors and musicians from both churches participating.

Beginning at 6:00 p.m., dinner will be held for those attending the service. We look forward to spending time with our sisters and brothers from St. Paul Lutheran Church in worship and fellowship, and invite anyone else who reads this to join us.

Visitors are always welcome!

Thanks to "Eternal Peace" Participants

The "Eternal Peace" service last Sunday turned out wonderfully. It was a fitting commemoration of All Saints' Sunday. Thank you to everybody who participated - Chancel Choir members, guest choir members, instrumentalists, readers, Bell Choir members, and communion assistants. It's a real treat to be accompanied by a group of string and brass instruments, and the harp was beautiful.

A number of people also worked behind the scenes, and we also appreciate their work. Thanks to those who helped assemble bulletins, decorate the sanctuary, prepare and serve the reception, open and close the building, and (the least glamorous job) clean up.

Special thanks to Ginger Minneman, our Music Director and the Dirctor of the Chancel Choir. The service was Ginger's conception. She chose and arranged the sequence of all of the readings, hymns, and anthems. Her creativity and talents are greatly appreciated.

Thanksgiving Eve Service and Dinner to Be Held Jointly with St. Paul Lutheran Church - All Visitors Welcome!

This year, our Thanksgiving Eve worship service will be a joint celebration of praise to God with the members of St. Paul Lutheran Church (downtown Dayton). The service will be held at Luthern Church of Our Savior at 7:00 p.m. in the chapel. Thanksgiving Eve this year is November 21.

A dinner will be held for those attending the service, beginning 6:00 p.m.

We look forward to spending time with our sisters and brothers from St. Paul Lutheran Church in worship and fellowship, and invite anyone else who reads this to join us. Visitors are always welcome!

More details will be announced soon.

From Our Pastor: "Eternal Peace" This Sunday Evening; Fish & Crackers Collection Extended; Spiritual Journeys; Change Your Clocks!

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

WORSHIP THEME for this weekend:
In Saturday and Sunday morning worship, our Gospel lesson is the very familiar story of Jesus meeting Zacchaeus, and inviting himself into the tax collector's home. It is a story of undeserved grace(!), which is at the core of the Good News of God in Jesus. I am reminded of the old Sunday School song many of us learned about Jesus calling the little man out of the Sycamore tree. My confirmation classmates (in Brecksville, Ohio) and I had way too much fun driving our pastor around the bend as we sang our own words to that song! It was only by grace that we made it through "every-Saturday" confirmation!

ETERNAL PEACE: A SERVICE OF HOPE AND REMEMBRANCE
Led by our Chancel Choir and special musicians, we will celebrate the Festival of All Saints this Sunday night, 7:00 p.m., in our main sanctuary. Traditionally a time to give thanks and praise to God for the gift of family and friends who died during the last 12 months, our gathering on this night will also celebrate God's gift of healing our grief and the promise that we will one day be reunited with those no longer with us. I hope that you will carve out time in your weekend to gather together for this special Service of Hope and Remembrance.

FISH AND CRACKERS
In case you forgot to bring your fish (or any canned meat) and crackers last weekend, you are invited to do so this weekend – let's fill the grocery cart for our monthly delivery to the New Hope Food Pantry.

SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
This Friday, November 2, 10:00 p.m., is the next Spiritual Journey gathering. We will either be in the chapel or the prayer labyrinth, depending on the temperature! You are invited to journey with others as we venture to deepen our faith.

2008 FLOWER CALENDAR IS UP!
The new year is just two months away, and you are invited to sign up to provide flowers on the altar for worship in the new year. The calendar is in the narthex: sign up on the line by your chosen date, and then complete the information page in the accompanying book. The cost is $30 per vase, and you will be billed directly by the florist.

HELP NEEDED!
We are seeking individuals, couples, and/or families to serve as USHERS and GREETERS during 10:30 a.m. Sunday worship. If you are interested in serving in either or both capacities, please contact Terri Balsom (Church Office Manager) at the church. Thank you!

CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS
That's right! It's time to reserve your Christmas poinsettias, which will be delivered on December 22 for our Christmas Eve services. This year, the Worship Planning Team has ordered white poinsettias to create a "sea of white" (the church color for Christmas and also the color used to symbolize peace, our church-wide theme for this year and next) to enhance worship. "Reservation Forms" begin appearing as inserts in this weekend's worship bulletin. Cost remains $7.00/plant (4-6 blooms), and you are asked to submit $ with your reservation form.

REMEMBER TO CHANGE YOUR CLOCKS THIS SATURDAY NIGHT!!!!
It's the best Saturday night of the year – get your extra hour of sleep, and I'll see you in worship on Sunday!

In Christ's peace,
Gary

"Eternal Peace" - A Service of Hope and Rememberance - All Saints Sunday - November 4th at 7:00 PM

On Sunday November 4th at 7:00 pm the Chancel Choir (Ginger Minneman, Director) will lead "Eternal Peace," a special service in observance of All Saints Sunday. They will be assisted by organist Rachel Spry as well as instrumentalists and vocalists from the Wright State University Music Department.

Please plan to attend this beautiful and meaningful service as we remember with thanksgiving those whom God has taken home and we celebrate the hope of the resurrection for all of God’s children. The service will include several movements from the Fauré Requiem, as well as other inspirational music, hymns, and readings.

As always, visitors are welcome. Please invite your friends and neighbors to join us for this special event.

Worship Committee Meeting on September 29

The Worship Committe will hold a meeting on September 29 at 10:30 a.m., after the Peace Committee meeting. Anticipated topics of discussion:

• The special evening service that will be held on All Saints' Sunday, Nov. 4
• Worship Schedule for the weeks of Christmas and New Years
• Support of the "Spiritual Journeys" gatherings (see posts below for discussions of these gatherings)
• The experiences of congregation members at the recent 24 hour prayer vigil for peace and what this might mean going forward for us
• Handicap access to the Memorial Prayer Labyrinth and chapel
• Settings of the Communion Service for the remainder of the year

Easter Pictures 2007

Thanks to everybody who helped make our Easter service special this year. All four choirs participated, and four brass players added to the festivity. Many people helped decorate by putting up banners, pew candles, and the lillies on their stands. A number of families volunteered to create floral arrangements along the windows.

Pictures from Our Good Friday Service

It's become our tradition at LCOS to light votive candles in the shape of a cross at the end of our Good Friday service. These are pictures from our service earlier this evening.

One Service on Easter Weekend; Holy Week Services

We will be gathering the entire congregation together for one service on the weekend of Easter. The service will be at 10:30 a.m. on Easter Sunday, April 8. This will be a festival service, including brass players and special music by the choirs.

There will be no 5:30 p.m. Saturday service on April 7 and there will be no 8:15 a.m. service on Easter. If you regularly attend one of those services, please join us on Sunday at the 10:30 a.m. service.

Services during Holy Week:

Saturday, March 31 - 5:30 p.m.
Passion Sunday - Sunday, April 1 - 8:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
Maunday Thursday - Thursday, April 5 - 7:00 p.m.
Good Friday - Friday, April 6 - 7:00 p.m.
No service on Saturday, April 7
Easter, the Resurrection of Our Lord - Sunday, April 8 - 10:30 a.m. (no 8:15 service)

We will use traditional liturgies for Passion Sunday, Maunday Thursday, and Good Friday which appear in Evangelical Lutheran Worship. On Easter, we will use Setting Four from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, which is taken largely from Setting II in the Lutheran Book of Worship.

Please join us for all of the Holy Week services if you are able. Going to church on Passion Sunday AND Maundy Thursday AND Good Friday AND Easter seems like a lot, but these services all work together, and if you miss a piece of it, you will be missing something.

A Message From Our Pastor

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Our Mid-Week Lenten Services for this week will be held tomorrow (Wednesday, March 14), at noon and 6:45 p.m. in the chapel, with meals served in the fellowship hall at 12:30 and 6:00 p.m. Tomorrow's worship theme is based upon the Old Testament story of God's testing of Abraham. As we continue our journey through Lent to our Easter Celebration, I invite you to join us tomorrow and for the other Wednesdays in Lent. Special craft activities for children are held during the evening worship time.

This Sunday, March 18, at the 10:30 a.m. service, we are receiving new member disciples into our fellowship, and we hope you can be with us to welcome them into our community of faith. We will also provide opportunity for prayers and anointing for healing during the communion celebration at the late Sunday service.

Scripture Thoughts for Lent:
"Be still, and know that I am God!" (Psalm 46:10)
1. Do you have a time that you set aside each day to "be still" and be with God? What I mean is, do you take time each day (however long or short) from your busy schedule to just spend time with God in prayer?
2. If so, think about how spending time with God impacts your life, and ultimately, impacts the lives of those around you.
3. If you do not have a time (or take time), what is keeping you from doing so? What gets in the way? Ask God to help you make room in your life to spend time with God, because not spending time with God also impacts your life and the lives of those around you.
4. Give thanks to God that our Lord always has time for you!

And . . . another thought:
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I hope to see you in worship this week!

In Christ,
Gary

Tomorrow's Lenten Services

A message from our pastor:

Tomorrow (Wednesday), we will hold our Lenten services (noon and 6:45 p.m.), with lunch at 12:30 p.m., and dinner at 6:00 p.m. Meals are in the fellowship hall, and services are in the parish house chapel. This week’s theme involves the ancient “flood narrative”. I hope you will find time in your busy schedules to deepen your relationship with God by joining us in worship and fellowship.

Ash Wednesday; Lenten Wednesday Services & Meals

We will have two services on Ash Wednesday, February 21, at noon and at 6:45 p.m. The services will be traditional, including the imposition of ashes, and will use the liturgy appearing in Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Both services will be in the sanctuary, and the Chancel Choir will sing at the 6:45 service. Lunch will follow the noon worship service, and dinner will precede the 6:45 p.m. worship service. Visitors are welcome at the services and meals - there is no need to make reservations.

Beginning on March 28, we will also hold informal services at noon and 6:45 p.m. on each of the Wednesdays of Lent. Pastor Eichhorn will be preaching a series of sermons based on five of the readings from the ancient Easter Vigil. These are five of the most prominent stories that announced hope and salavation to the people of Israel. Lunch will follow each noon worship service, and dinner will precede each 6:45 p.m. worship service. Once again, reservations are not needed, and vistors are welcome.

A Message From Our Pastor

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

As we prepare for worship this weekend, please know that the parking lot is plowed and walkways are shoveled, and we are now good to go!

Due to the projected cold temperatures for tomorrow (Friday), the church office will be OPEN – it was originally scheduled to be closed due to planned electrical work that would shut off the boiler for the day. We'll let you know when the new date is set.

This weekend is the final weekend during the season of Epiphany (Festival of the Transfiguration), and the children/youth SCS classes created banner panels depicting the various names given to Jesus in Scripture. The panels are being sewn into two large banners which will enhance our "season-ending celebration" this weekend. Pictures of two of the panels are in a posting below.

Ash Wednesday is next week, February 21, which signals the beginning of the season of Lent. Literally translated, Lent means "lengthening of days", referring to the transition time between the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring, when the period of daylight grows longer each day.

From a faith development standpoint, the season of Lent is a time for prayerful discernment on the part of believers, attempting to answer the question, "What difference does it make in my life that Jesus is my Lord?" Throughout Lent, this question is lifted up for us in a variety of ways, as we seek the Holy Spirit's guidance in looking for ways to use our Baptismal identity and gifts so as to make a difference in someone else's life. To help, we will again provide mid-week worship experiences every Wednesday during Lent, using the same schedule as that of Ash Wednesday: 12:00 noon – worship; 12:45 a.m. – lunch; 6:00 p.m. – dinner; 6:45 p.m. – worship. I hope you will plan to join us. Activities for children will be available during worship.

I attended the annual summer confirmation camp planning retreat at Lutheran Memorial Camp this past Sunday afternoon through Tuesday noon. It's been many years since I have walked out onto a frozen lake! While I love the camp, especially at this time of year with snow on the ground, it is great to be home – Tuesday's drive to Dayton was an adventure, to say the least!

Thought for the week . . . "Imagination is more important than knowledge." – Albert Einstein

Hey . . . snow or no snow this weekend, let's meet in worship!

In Christ,
Gary

Evangelical Lutheran Worship - Coming to Our Pews This Month

It's been nearly six years since we first heard about the Renewing Worship Project, and the fact that the LBW would some day be replaced. That day is quickly approaching. On Ash Wednesday, February 21, we will begin using the new worship resource Evangelical Lutheran Worship. After the service on Febuary 18, we'll remove the old copies of the LBW and WOV from the sanctuary, and replace them with new copies of ELW. (I think it's going to take most people a while to get used to talking about the "ELW" rather than the "LBW"--I'll bet that before long, many people in most congregations will be just calling it "the red book.")

During Lent, we will use at the Sunday 10:30 AM service a setting of the Communion service from the ELW that was adapted from a setting in the The Service Book and Hymnal. The Service Book and Hymnal was the red hymnal that was replaced by the LBW in 1978. People who were in congregations that used that hymal will remember the melodies of this setting, and others will be able to learn them quickly.

During the Easter season, we will at the Sunday 10:30 AM service be using a setting from ELW that uses the same music as Setting II from the old LBW.

Meanwhile, we are continuing our fund drive to pay for our copies of ELW. Of the 450 copies that we have purchased, funds have been donated for 200 of them. That leaves us with 250 to go. Please consider helping us pay for these copies. Donations can be made in honor or memory of loved ones, pastors, teachers, choir directors, or anybody else who has been a part of your faith journey.

Ash Wednesday; Mid-Week Lenten Services

We will have two services on Ash Wednesday, at noon and at 6:45 PM. The services will be traditional, including the imposition of ashes, and will use the liturgy appearing in Evangelical Lutheran Worship.

Following Ash Wednesday, noon and 6:45 PM services will be held each Wednesday during Lent. These services are informal, and will feature a sermon series on five readings from the ancient Easter Vigil. These are five of the most prominent stories that announced hope and salavation to the people of Israel.

Lunch will follow each noon worship service, and dinner will precede each 6:45 PM worship service.