Easter Sunday
April 8, 2007
Worship at
9 a.m.

Parallel to the physical construction underway at Our Savior are other areas of transformation. One of those thoroughfares is "Sequel" as mentioned in the Semi-Annual Report.

Sequel Workshop is the next step from Worship Workshop where we have been studying the Bible and experiencing the use of contemporary music and media for a Divine Service. Beginning on Sunday, April 22, “Sequel Workshop” will offer a “real” worship opportunity at 11:15 a.m. in the Sanctuary. It is called workshop for now because we need to “work the kinks out” (pardon the cliché) by just doing it. To accommodate this experience, Sunday School and Adult Bible Study will start at 10:15 a.m. and release at 11:00 a.m. beginning the Sunday after Easter, April 15. We will continue on that schedule through the summer. The intent is to make a public and “official” launch of Sequel in the fall of 2007.

A less “tangible resurfacing” that is critical to the immediate future of our mission is our “mode of operation.” For several months, we have been considering how we need to have the same commitment to completing the transition of the roles of Pastor, Staff, Boards, and Stewards (Members) to be consistent with the kind of mission and ministry this congregation has chosen. (See The Vineyard, March 2007 at www.oslm.net.)

Again, The source of the following information is, “Mission Moments” from the Center for U.S. Missions, [LCMS], Irvine California; Following Jesus into the U.S. Mission Field, Size Matters: Mission, Ministry, Boards and Staff, October-November 2006.

In review, 63%, or approximately 3,100, congregations of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod are either a Family Church (50 or less), or a Pastoral Church (50-150 members). In addition, 37%, or approximately 2,000 congregations of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod fall into one of these next two types. (Bear in mind that only 10%, or about 50 of our congregations, worship 300 or more each week.)

The Program Church—Active Membership 150- 350
For many years, Our Savior has operated this way. Trained leaders and staff engage in spiritual roles and relationships once filled by the pastor. They participate in conducting ministry, teaching Bible studies, etc. In this environment, the pastor spends more time in relationship with those who execute ministry:

"The pastor's role is one of vision casting, training, equipping, encouraging, evaluation, planning and program oversight. His interpersonal skills must now be focused on shepherding the programs of the church. Functionally, much of his time is spent in keeping consensus on mission, leading toward attaining goals and motivating leaders.”

To reap the blessings of this kind of mission, the pastor and congregation need to become comfortable with delegation, without micro-managing. Thus the council, or managing board, shifts from decision making to setting direction and evaluation, while the pastor and paid staff handle the day-to-day operations.

Making the transition from Pastoral Church to Program is “one of the most difficult. It’s not surprising, therefore, that most churches remain Pastoral churches."

The Corporate [Large Groups] Church—Active Membership 350+
This congregation has been on the brink of this category for many years now.

“At this size, the pastor relates largely to multiple staff members who oversee the execution and delivery of ministry. The role of the senior pastor is to pastor the staff, who in turn oversee and/or deliver much of the ministry the senior pastor once supervised directly. The pastor spends a significant portion of his time on staffing issues, making sure the right people are in place and doing the right things to achieve the goals set by the board.”

For very practical reasons, the members have a less significant relationship with the Senior Pastor. There will be many he does not personally know as well. In exchange for closeness with a pastor, the congregation focuses on providing variety and quality to build a greater relationship with one another (large group).

For those who value that closeness with the pastor, this can be very uncomfortable. At the same time, this provides greater opportunity to discover the spiritual blessings of the larger body of Christ. If it serves the purpose of inspiring more people to believe in Jesus, then it is a transition worth making.

His is Risen!
PS+

You may remember that back in January we asked you to fill out a survey during the worship service. The main purpose was to get feedback from you on a set of goals for OSLM that had been proposed by the Lay Governing Board. There were also some open-ended questions about what you most appreciated about OSLM and what you would most like to change. Well, we got a lot of responses – 141 of them, to be exact – and they provided us with a lot of good information. Thank you for your cooperation. We’ll try to put some copies of the survey results in the back of the sanctuary soon, so those of you who are interested can check them out.

The survey results indicated that there was strong support for all of the proposed goals, so after carefully examining what you had to say the LGB formally adopted them at its March meeting. At the next regular Stewards’ meeting, we will be sharing the goals with you, along with an overview of the plans that the staff is beginning to develop in order to fulfill them. In the meantime, the goals are listed below. Remember, each of them describes what we would like OSLM to look like in the medium-term future (about 5 years). Of course, writing them down is the easy part; the hard part is turning them into reality.

• Goal #1: The staff of OSLM (both professional and volunteer) has the size, the combination of skills, and the organizational structure that are needed to achieve the Desired Outcomes.
• Goal #2: The Stewards understand the Vision and Mission of OSLM, and they are actively engaged in defining and carrying out the Mission.
• Goal #3: OSLM is experiencing continual year-by- year growth in (1) communicant membership, (2) worship attendance, and (3) people engaged in ministry activities.
• Goal #4: The staff and Stewards of OSLM are carrying out a variety of mission activities here in the Livermore area, in the northern California region, and in foreign countries.
• Goal #5: The physical facilities of OSLM, both on and off the main campus, are being used effectively to achieve the Desired Outcomes.
• Goal #6: The number of active communicant members in the 18-40 age group is growing year-by- year. OSLM is carrying out a variety of ministries aimed at the different sub-groups within this age group, including unchurched families of OSLS students.

We give God the glory for:

• The basketball season, which has concluded and we give thanks for another successful season. We are thankful for our coaches: David Cauthen and John Parker (7th Grade Girls coaches); Phil Acton and Mark Beguhl (7th Grade Boys coaches); Rebecca Rogers and Johann Lotscher (8th Grade Girls coaches); Fred Brauer, Scott Goodell, and Michael Lonsinger (8th Grade Boys coaches).
• Our 7th-8th Grade girls basketball team for winning the Good Sportsmanship Trophy at the Lodi Basketball Tournament in March. Great Job!
• Our Cheerleaders for winning 4th Place in the “Cheer Off.”
• Our 8th Grade boys’ basketball team for winning 4th Place in the Redwood City Roundball Tournament.
• Eight students (with five projects) who presented their science fair projects at the Annual Tri-Valley Science and Engineering Fair (TVSEF) on March 29. This annual event is held at the Robert Livermore Community Center in Livermore.
• All the “little lambs” of OSLS!

RE-ENROLLMENT / REGISTRATION
Believe it or not, it is time to register for next year. The school year 2007-08 will begin in just six short months! Registrations for continuing students were sent home with students. However, on March 1, 2007 registrations became available on a first come, first serve basis. If you would like a registration form, please contact the school office, 447-2082.

PTO AUCTION
Come and spend “An Evening in the Vineyard.” Join us on Saturday, April 28 for this year’s PTO (Parent/Teacher Organization) ANNUAL SCHOOL AUCTION. This is a wonderful fellowship and fundraising opportunity. The evening’s festivities will include a silent auction, full dinner, and wine bar, with the hightlight of a live auction. Tickets for this event will go on sale in early April. More details to follow. For now, remember April 28, 2007 – AUCTION.

CHAPEL
We invite all members to join us for our weekly chapel worship on Thursdays beginning approximately at 8:40 a.m. Our overall chapel theme is, “CrossRoads.” April’s emphasis is “Getting Back on Track.” The chapel speakers and themes for the upcoming month are:

• April 5: “A Terrible Accident or Is It?” (A special Maundy Thursday Chapel!) led by Linda Greenhagen
• April 12: Easter Break – No school
• April 19: “No Doubt About It” led by Pastor Scharnitzke
• April 26: “Back on Track” led by Jayne Managan

EASTER BREAK
Easter Break for OSLS begins on Good Friday, April 6 and continues through April 13. School resumes on Monday, April 16.

ACCREDITATION PROGRESS
Our school and preschool are in the midst of the accreditation process. Using guidelines and requirements from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), we will complete a self-study and submit our report in December. We have requested WASC to schedule a visit by their observation team in February of 2008. The visitation team will make a recommendation to WASC regarding our accreditation based on our self-study report and their observations. WASC will then determine the level of accreditation to grant us, from none to six years with restrictions.

To prepare our report, each faculty member is taking an active role in one of five focus groups or on the leadership team. Along with volunteers from our community - parents, students, and church members – they are taking an in-depth look at our school. As they address and answer questions as required by WASC, they are also gathering proof for each and every response.

It is our goal to have the rough draft of the self-study completed by the end of this school year. We are well on our way to accomplishing this. The first section of the study, which is the student/community profile, is just about complete. This section contains the statistical information related to the school and the data to support it.

The second section or chapter of the study contains the expected schoolwide learning results (ESLRs). The Leadership Team, under the direction of Mr. Dirks, worked hard on developing the ESLRs and has completed this chapter. The ESLRs are used to determine whether or not all of the criteria in the self- study have been met.

The third chapter of the study is a progress report on what has been accomplished since the initial visit by WASC. The Leadership Team is in the process of completing this phase of the study.

The largest portion of the self-study is the findings being prepared by the five focus groups. The section regarding the organization for student learning has been completed and submitted to the Leadership Team for approval. The section on support for student personal and academic growth is just about finished and will be presented to the Leadership Team in April for approval. The sections on curriculum and instruction and resource management and development are in the fact finding stage.

As the sections are completed, each focus group will make recommendations to the Leadership Team for action items resulting from their findings as a part of their report. Action items are areas that need to be addressed for the improvement of the school. The Leadership Team will select some of these as our official schoolwide action plan. This plan is the final chapter of our self-study. The visitation team will also make recommendations for the action plan that will be a part of our accreditation.

The faculty and many volunteers are to be commended for the work they are doing. We are well on our way to becoming an accredited institution.

Schemes, suspense, humor and wonderful music are all present in the spring musical presented by our children’s choirs! Don’t miss Kings, Dreams and Schemes: the Story of Daniel, on Sunday April 29, during the Sunday School time. Young people from all of our children’s choirs have been hard at work preparing this delightful and uplifting musical, and they would love to present this message of God’s love to a full house! Join us in the sanctuary from 10:15-11:00; save the date NOW!

• Blood Pressure Monitoring will be offered in the Family Room after the worship service on the first and third Sundays of each month.
• Pinochle Club—This group meets on the second Tuesday evening of the month. Everyone is invited to come out for a game of cards on Tuesday, April 10, from 7—9 p.m. in Room 18. Come and join in the fun!
• The Christian Reading Club of Our Savior meets on a monthly basis to share insights and reactions to a monthly reading assignment. The book for this month is The Last Sin Eater, a novel by Francine Rivers. This book is available at www.amazon.com. We’ll meet for our discussion time on Tuesday, April 17, from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. in Room 8. Call Steve Christopher at 447-1246 ext. 228 for more information.

Upcoming Event
Plan to attend Our Savior's children's musical on Sunday, April 29 during the Sunday School/Bible Class Hour. This year's musical is "Kings, Dreams, and Schemes," based on the biblical account of Daniel.

CLIMB (High School Youth)
Like the idea of ice hockey without skates? Then you will love broomball! Broomball is a game played on the ice in your sneakers. (Don't worry - the ice is chopped up and snowy so you can run on it.) You play with short broomsticks and a small rubber ball. Ice hockey goal nets are used. We will meet on Friday, April 27 from 10:45-11:45 p.m., at Sharks Ice at Fremont, located at 44388 Old Warm Springs Blvd. Fremont. (We will meet there at 10:30 p.m.) Everyone going will need to sign a waiver form to participate. To obtain a form, see Timothy Potthoff.

FISH (Junior High Youth) and CLIMB
Your help is needed to put on the Easter Egg hunt on Saturday, April 7 at 10 a.m. Contact Timothy if you can help and to find out what is needed.

Jesus said, “You are my friends.” John 15:14

The children in the ECDC learned the above in March. We learned how Jesus loved Zacchaeus and called him His friend, even though he was not very nice. We thought of things that we might do that are not so nice and how God still loves us and calls us His friend. I believe that Jesus is using the story of Zacchaeus as a lesson to us. Jesus wants us to try be like Him. Now comes the hard part: There are people in our lives that are not so nice or do things that we do not think are right. If we try to be like Jesus, we will try to love those people and to call them friends. Our prayer for you this month is to take time to pray for those people that we have a hard time calling friends and to look for Jesus in each one of them. Pray that Jesus makes them our friends just as he called Zacchaeus His friend.

We had a great time in preschool during the month of March. We were able to celebrate National Lutheran Schools' Week with many other schools across the nation. We had crazy hair day, sports day, Hawaiian day, hat day and School Spirit day. We enjoyed joining the K-8 school for a wonderful celebration on Monday as the week began. It is truly awesome to see over 500 children gathered in the sanctuary singing praises to God! We celebrated the fact that we are in a school that can sing about God’ love. We held our annual Spring Book Fair and enjoyed reading some wonderful new books. Our teachers joined with the K- 8 school staff as well as other Lutheran Teachers in our area for a Teacher In-Service on Monday, March 26 learning how we can become better leaders for our children as well as our parents and staff. We are anxiously waiting for April, as we have the opportunity to share the joy of Easter with the preschool children and their families.

Loan documents from Lutheran Church Extension Fund were signed on March 29 and recorded on March 30 by the title company. Overaa Construction will be on site as of April 2, with construction trailers arriving the following week. It’s been a long time coming, so “let us rejoice and be glad!”

Don't forget to make your appointment for our new pictorial church membership directory! Not only is this a great opportunity to have professional family portraits taken, but the directory will be a great tool to help us get to know each other better in our "faith family."

Each participating household will receive a FREE 8 x 10 portrait and a directory – no purchase necessary. You will have the opportunity to view and purchase additional portraits at reasonable prices.

The dates and times for photography (to take place in the ECDC) are listed below. If at all possible, please sign up for the earlier times on weekdays, to leave the popular times available for working families. NEW this year is the capability of scheduling your own appointment on-line. Please go to our website www.oslm.net, and follow the instructions for scheduling. For those who wish to schedule an appointment in person, sign-up after church on April 1. Following are the photography dates:

• Thursday, April 12, 2 - 9 p.m.
• Friday, April 13, 2 - 7 p.m.
• Saturday, April 14, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Sunday, April 15, 12 - 6 p.m.
• Monday, April 16, 2 - 9 p.m.

If you have any questions, please contact the church office, 447-1246.

Please click here for the Financial Report for February and also the Fiscal Year-to-Date Report.

The mission pledge is current and all expenses have been paid.

General Giving for February is DOWN 18.9% from projected giving but part of this may be from members who have redistributed funds to the school in order to obtain matching funds from Thrivent and plan to catch back up during the current fiscal year. Given this fact we are also DOWN 6.9% YTD; however, this difference should easily be made up by fiscal year- end.

Balances in our checking and savings accounts total $295,683, which includes $57,246 in the Building Up – Reaching Out fund. The Church’s portion of the mortgage as well as architectural fees are being paid out of this fund. Monthly pledges needed to make the mortgage payment are $22,000. In January, we received $22,583.

The Thrivent GivingPlus Matching Funds program will generate $3,118 for the benefit of the Ministry Center based on member contributions to the School and ECDC in the amount of $6,235 YTD.

Coming in May and June – two events you won’t want to miss!

Thursday, May 24 – The handbell choirs of Concordia University, Irvine, in concert at Our Savior. Evening concert, time TBA. Everything we have heard about these groups says they are absolutely fantastic! We’ll need housing for these college students – this could be a great way for your high school student to learn first hand about one of our Lutheran universities.

Sunday, June 3 – 3:00 p.m. concert presented by Our Savior’s very own musicians. You’ll hear some great voices, hot lips, nimble fingers, and more, as we sum up the year and get ready for SUMMER! This is an hour of wonderful music followed by fantastic food! And to think that it’s all free – what more could you ask!

Again this year, we will be having an Easter Brunch following our Easter Service on Sunday, April 8. This event will be held in the gym and begin around 10:15 am. And again this year, the men of the congregation will be preparing and serving this special meal on this special day! Mark McDonald will serve as our “head cook” in the kitchen.

We are looking for men who can volunteer to do everything from set-up, cooking, serving, clean-up, and decorating! The men will do it all!

If you are interested in helping out in any way, please show up at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 7, in the gym and you will be put to work! We will also need some guys for serving and clean-up duty on Sunday following the meal. To sign up to help, please call Steve Christopher in the church office, 447-1246, ext. 228, or e-mail him at schristopher@o slm.net.

Imagine the wonder and excitement that children will feel as they learn of God’s love on a Quest for Truth! Our Savior Lutheran Ministries is hosting Vacation Bible Camp on July 9—13 from 9:00 a.m.—12:30 p.m. All children, age 3 through those entering fifth grade, are invited to join us for a week filled with music, crafts, and games all centered around our Quest for Truth in Jesus. Stop by the church office to register your child for Vacation Bible Camp or click here for the VBC registration form.

We are looking for volunteers to help share the love of Jesus with the children. Any person entering sixth grade through 100 years of age are welcome to come and join us as we Quest for Truth. There will be a registration table set up in the gym during the fellowship time on Sundays beginning April 15 to sign up as a volunteer.

We are praying that our Quest for Truth will touch the hearts and lives of the children and adults with God’s love as they learn to find, follow, know, believe and share Jesus as their Savior.

As we continue to prepare for our Vacation Bible Camp, our team would cherish your prayers. Pray:

• That God would give us wisdom in our planning.
• That others would be lead by the Spirit to join our team as we share God’s love with others.
• That God would continue to work in the hearts of the people who will attend our Vacation Bible Camp.

Join Michele Scharnitzke and Janet Connolly in a nine- week Bible study starting Sunday, April 15 from 3— 5 p.m. in the narthex. This study, entitled "Believing God," is presented in DVD format by Beth Moore. Beth Moore is a well-known dynamic leader in women’s Bible studies. This study is defined in Christianbooks.com as follows:

Drawing from the "Heroes of the Faith" in Hebrews 11, this study examines the lives of Abraham, Moses and others who believed God. Through their examples, Beth explores what it means to know and truly believe God as described in Isaiah 43:10 and encourages women to deepen their own trust in God and receive a fresh word from Him.

Please contact the church office to sign up as an individual or a group leader. A donation of $20 to cover costs would be appreciated. If you have any questions, please call the church office at 447-1246.

Hey, kids (those in 4th grade and under) - join us for an Easter Egg Hunt at Our Savior on Saturday, April 7 at 10 a.m! The hunt will take place on the grass area next to the ECDC. Please meet on the blacktop playground behind the gym. (In case of rain, please meet in the ECDC.)

A new seminar is beginning which is an interactive discussion of the main teachings of Scripture. This is a great unit for anyone considering membership at Our Savior, or someone who is curious about what we believe, or even someone who wants to "refresh" their memory. This seminar will be lead by Pastor Phil and will include other facilitators as well.

Come to Room 18 at 10:15 - 11:00 a.m. on Sundays, beginning April 22 through June 24. Please RSVP to the church office, 447-1246.

Our Savior Lutheran Ministries is a Christian Community--

• Rooted in Grace
• Growing in Faith
• Serving with Joy

Worship Schedule

• Sunday Worship and Communion: 9:00 a.m.
• Sunday School for all ages: 10:30 a.m.

Critical Targets and Goals

To accomplish our mission and ministry here at Our Savior:

• Pastor: A new Senior Pastor has been installed by October 1, 2006.
• Worship Attendance: The average weekly worship attendance for 2006-07 is 15% greater than for 2005-06.
• Community Awareness: OSLM is making use of all relevant means of communication to make the people of the greater Livermore area aware of our ministries and activities.
• Ministry Center: The Ministry Center is completed by September 1, 2007. Plans have been developed for the full use of all campus facilities to advance the Mission of OSLM.
• New Member Assimilation: At least 75% of new Communicant Members received during 2006- 07 become involved in some group or activity at OSLM.
• Ministries to the 18 - 35 (Young Adult) Age Group: Ministries and activities specifically intended for the 18-35 age group are in place and functioning well. The number of Communicant Members in this age group has increased by 30% during 2006-07.
• Ministries to Unchurched School Families: Ministries and activities specifically intended for unchurched school families are in place and functioning well. These include at least three new approaches for targeted witness to this group.

Mission Statement

Our Savior Lutheran Ministries’ Mission is to carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8) by:

• Proclaiming salvation through God’s grace in word and song;
• Building Christian relationships;
• Caring for the people of the community; and
• Equipping God’s people for Life in Christ.