Come! Grow with us.

That is the theme for this activity year at Our Savior Lutheran Ministries. I hope that you do “Come!” and be a part of this very fine congregation and “grow with us” in the month of February.

The “Come!” part seems so easy, and yet escapes many, that is, the first move that we have to make to have spiritual growth is to make attendance at worship and other church events an important part of our lives. In order to learn, we have to go to school. In order to develop skills in a sport, we have to show up for practice. In order to advance in our work, it is of first importance that we get to where the work is done. It is no different with spiritual advancement. While it is, in theory, possible to be self-taught, self-coached, self-employed, and to grow in spirituality all by ourselves, it usually just doesn’t happen. So, please, for your own sake, “Come!”

“Grow with us” also takes a certain amount of commitment and desire. Let the Word get through your defenses. Listen to the Children’s Message and the Sermon as being there just for your growth. Go ahead and sing your praises to God even if you do not have the voice of a soloist. Take stock of how you really use the hour you do not spend on Bible Class or Heart to Heart or teaching Sunday School and look for the higher rate of exchange on the investment of that hour. When there is a call for volunteers for something that you can do to serve God and help others, take the risk and enjoy the growth.

May the month of February be a month of growth for all of us.

Yours in Christ,

Richard Brewer, Interim Pastor

Over the next few weeks and months we will make important decisions in two areas that will affect the future of Our Savior Lutheran Ministries. Several years of hard work and God’s blessing have brought us to the point where we are ready to build out the Ministry Center. This versatile facility will provide a home for many areas of our growing ministries. In about the same time frame, the Call Committee will prepare for our next congregational call meeting. The new Senior Pastor that the Lord has in mind for us will lead us forward in the next phase of our journey with God.

Calling and installing a new Senior Pastor and building and occupying the Ministry Center are both complex processes. Success depends on God’s continued guidance; a series of choices by individuals, teams, and the whole congregation; and more hard work. How can you help? How would you like to lend a hand? How would you like to make an impact in our shared ministry?

First and foremost, please pray. James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” Paul’s letters to the churches urge us to pray. Our prayers are a pleasure to God (see Revelation 5:8), and prayer helps us play a role in God’s plans. Prayer should not be a last resort, taken when all else fails. In fact, prayer should be our first step and prayer should be part of each step we take until the end of the road.

But with the congregation facing important choices, what should we pray for? Let me give you a few ideas, and challenge you to spend just five minutes in prayer each day, praying for OSLM and for your role in our shared ministry:

• Our work is ultimately pointless unless it is God’s work (if Ecclesiastes is too much to read, see Matthew 6:33). Pray that God will energize, support, and instruct us, and pray that He will make our effort bear fruit.
• Christ staked his identity on the unity of His followers (see John 17:20-23). Pray that we will work together as a team!
• God will go ahead of us and prepare the way, just as He went ahead of the people of Israel in Exodus. Pray that He will prepare and show us the way.
• God will raise up the leaders that He wants for our congregation (see Ephesians 4:11). Please continue to pray for our Call Committee, and that God will give us the Senior Pastor we need.

I am a slow learner, but I eventually realized that prayerlessness is a subtle claim that I know how to live my life better than God does. This frightening thought is a risk for congregations as well as for individuals. However, through prayer we have continual access to the God who created and rules the universe, and who loves us so much that He sends the Holy Spirit to make our prayers more effective (see Romans 8:26). This is an amazing privilege and blessing! Let’s pray!

We Give God the Glory for:

• Jaimeson Cortez who is the 6th grade Chapter winner in the DAR American History Essay Contest 2005-06. He will receive a $100 US Savings Bond, a medal, and a winner’s Certificate.
• The 7th and 8th grade basketball teams and their coaches. The 7th grade boys and girls teams participated in a tournament at Prince of Peace, Fremont while the 8th grade boys’ and girls’ teams participated in a St. John’s, Napa tournament.
• The opportunity to donate our chapel offerings to “Mission in Africa,” part of the LCMS World Mission Ablaze program. It will specifically go toward the work of Rev. Paul Mueller, who was a former student teacher of Mr. Dirks back in Minnesota!
• Our students in grades 6-8 who completed a project in one of four subject areas – art, history, literature, or science for our annual Talents Day. These projects were displayed and judged on Saturday, January 28th.
• All the “little lambs” of OSLS!

Re-enrollment / Registration

While the first semester of school just ended on January 20th, believe it or not, it is time to register for next year. The school year 2006-07 will begin in just seven short months from now! Registrations for continuing students will be sent home with students on February 3, 2006. On March 1, 2006, registration will be made open to the public on a first come, first serve basis.

If you would like a registration form, but did not receive one, please contact the school office after February 3. Please check out the OPEN HOUSE information below if you want more information about OSLS!

OPEN HOUSES COMING!

While you may not be thinking about it quite yet, it is the time for us to begin developing plans for next fall’s (2006) enrollment. We will be conducting several Open Houses for new students, continuing students, area preschools, etc.

• There is a OPEN HOUSE on February 7th from 6:30-8:30 p.m. (in the gym). This is the open house where we are looking to inform students new to our school for next year. This would be a great time and place to invite neighbors and friends to “take a look” at OSLS! They will have the opportunity to visit classrooms, talk to teachers in smaller groups, and talk to other parents about our school.
• An OPEN HOUSE is planned for February 15th from 4:00-6:00 p.m. This open house is intended for continuing students. It is a chance for parents of current students to look ahead to the next grade level, talk to teachers, and other parents. There will be “root beer floats” for students and parents and a good time by all.
• A final OPEN HOUSE will be in April or May. This is still in the planning stages but will be “aimed” at inviting area realtors to learn about our school and perhaps let their clients know about OSLS!

Accreditation Progress

Our Accreditation Team is moving along strongly. We are planning to have the final visitation for accreditation completed in the spring of 2007. Focus group committees are being formed as we evaluate our school in various areas. As a reminder, our school ESLR’s (Expected School-wide Learning Results) are:

• Kids of the King walk like Jesus.
• Kids of the King are avid learners.
• Kids of the King develop important life skills.
• Kids of the King enhance their lives with enriching activities.

PTO AUCTION

Set aside the date of April 29th for the Annual PTO Auction. In the past this fundraiser (besides being a great night out!) has purchased playground apparatus, backstops, computers, digital cameras and projectors, etc. We have numerous suggestions as to what can be funded for this year. But it all starts with YOU being at the Auction. Further information will be coming your way soon, but keep this date clear: April 29, 2006 – AUCTION.

We just wrapped up another Youth Worship service and as you may remember, “Something New!” was the theme. In about a month, we are beginning “Something New” in our Jr. High & High School programs called CONNECTIONS. This high- energy, interactive, and small-group based model will feature a worship band, a talk by an adult leader, occasional testimonies, small group time, and lots of chances to learn about God in a little different way.

This is totally something that you can invite your friends to! You won’t even think about skipping out on Sunday School anymore... because this is nothing like “school!”

CONNECTIONS will take place in the gym starting March 5th. If you have any questions, talk to Brett by giving him a call 447-1246 ext. 261 or emailing him at brett@osyouth.com .

Click on www.osyouth.com for information about upcoming Youth Events!

Go to www.osyouth.com for all the Youth Ministry information!

Women's Ministry

• New Day for Women's Bible Study group which will meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday night of each month at 7 p.m. at the home of Dee Christopher. Please call the church office (925-447-1246) for directions. This month, the group will meet on February 7 and February 21.
• The Women's Retreat will take place on February 10-12, 2006 in beautiful Santa Cruz at the Villa Maria Del Mar. Pray for this group of women as they explore God's Word, that God would bless their study and fellowship time.

Men's Ministry

• Men’s Breakfast Bible Study will take place on Fridays at 6:30 a.m., February 3, 10, 17, and 24 at Baker’s Square, 1116 Stanley Boulevard, in Livermore. The topic is “Men of the Bible: Peter.”
• Men’s Open Gym Basketball on Mondays from 7:30—9:00 p.m. Come out and enjoy some good competition and fellowship.

Young Adult Ministry

Visit http://yam.osyouth.c om for more information about Events & Activities for Young Adults!

Ongoing Events

• 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, February 14 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. In February, we’ll be reading “The Four Loves,” a classic by C. S. Lewis, ISBN #0-15-632930-1. This book is available at local bookstores or at www.amazon.com. We’ll meet for our discussion time on Tuesday, February 21 from 7:00-8:30 pm in Room 8. Call Steve Christopher at 447-1246 ext. 228 for more information.

Upcoming Events

• High School Youth Silent Servant Auction, during the Fellowship Hour, beginning Sunday, February 19, though Sunday, March 5. Help the Youth raise funds for their summer mission trip!
• Mark your calendar for the Spring Musical, "The Rockslinger and His Greatest Hit," April 30 at 10:30 a.m.!

Do you have an overgrown lawn? Or is it time to leave the kids with a babysitter and go on a date night? Beginning on February 19th during coffee hour, the students attending the mission trip to Cuba, NM in July will be auctioning off various services to the congregation. We invite you to participate in this Silent Servant Auction through 10:30 a.m. Sunday March 5th.

Our goal through this fundraiser is to raise $3000.00, which is about $100 per person going on the trip. Come out and support the youth on February 19th!

Jesus said, “Come, follow Me.” Matthew 4:19

What powerful words—“Come and follow Me!” In preschool this month, we learned that God really has a plan for us. He wants us to follow Him. It doesn’t matter what we do for a living. Whatever we do, He wants us to follow Him. I hope that you are following Him. In the busy lives that we live, we often forget to slow down and follow Him. There are often times in my life that I let the world get to me when all I really need to do is pray and follow Him. The preschoolers do it so easily! They pray to God when they fall and get a “boo boo,” and they pray to God when they start and finish their day. We need to remember how easy it was in Preschool and learn from them to simply follow Him. He will lead us where we need to be.

We had fun celebrating with the wise men and following the star which led us to the manger and the Bible that we follow today. We enjoyed seeing Jesus in the temple as a boy, just like us. We had the opportunity to learn about the wonderful animals God gave us as pets and enjoyed bringing our stuffed animal pets to school for a pet show. We ended the month having fun saying Nursery Rhymes. We look forward to Valentine’s Day and celebrating God’s love.

Our prayer for you this month is that you find Jesus’ love in your heart and truly follow Him with the love of a child.

Please click here for the Financial Report for December and also the Fiscal Year Report for July 2005 to December 2005.

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

Income is slightly off due to tuition payments not being processed until January because of Christmas vacation, while expenses are below planned budget due to:

• No mortgage payment due in July of $43,220
• Contingency/benefits/salary/costs under projected plan

The negative net income of $43,511 year to date is due to there being three payrolls in December and as you can see, we actually planned on being negative $114,245.

Balances in our various checking, savings and stock accounts total $569,290 which includes $164,700 for the Ministry Center. The pledges for the Ministry Center totaled $137,248.

Pledges for the continuation program totaled $706,284, of which $566,958 has been received. Monthly pledges needed to make the mortgage payment are $22,000. In December, we received $32,221.

Discipleship Component #6 = Interactive

We continue with our series on the key components of discipleship as discovered by noted church researcher, George Barna, with this month’s topic on the subject of interactive.

“Don’t just sit there, do something!”

How many times did you hear this expression as a child growing up? Have you ever said these words, or something similar, to a child in your family?

These kinds of statements are meant to be motivational. They are intended to get someone “off the dime” and get them doing something worthwhile! Behind these kinds of statements, as awkward as they sometimes are, are good intentions. There is hope that a person who hears such encouragement will get going and do something good and experience something good in their life. Behind such statements is the belief that we are better off being with other people, and that we are enhanced through interaction with others.

This is not just a pop-psychology ideal that sprang up in the 60’s and then morphed in popularity through self-realization programs. It’s not meant to be a short-lived “shot in the arm” for the relationally challenged among us. This idea has been around for a long time and has its roots in the Holy Scriptures and practices of the early Christian Church.

Consider these examples from Scripture on the idea of being “interactive” with others in the community of faith:

• And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the day approaching. - Hebrews 10:24-25
• Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. – 1 Thessalonians 5:11
• Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. - 1 Corinthians 12:27

These are just a few of the many Scripture references that speak to the importance of interacting with others as we go about living the Christian life. God is all about building us up through His Word, through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, and through the gift of each other.

So, what does this mean for you and me as disciples of Christ here at Our Savior Ministries? Here are a few ideas for all of us as we attempt to be more “interactive” as followers of Jesus here in our congregation and in our community:

• Try to get involved in a church-sponsored group and do something other than just coming to church on Sundays.
• Think about inviting a person from church to lunch, or over to your house for dinner so that you can get to know them better. You could also sign up for Diners' Club!
• Actually volunteer to do something that is advertised in the Green Sheet.
• Get to church early some Sunday and talk to someone new!
• Call a friend whom you haven’t seen in church for some time.
• Sit someplace different in church some Sunday and get to know those people!

May the Lord continue to bless us all as HIS people as we interact with each other and build one another up as the Body of Christ!

Your committee has met with the architect every two weeks to refine our plans. We have also had meetings with our project manager from Overaa Construction and with representatives of the City of Livermore and the Church Extension Fund (CNH District). As of this writing (mid-January) we are preparing our presentation for the Stewards' meeting on January 29, at which we will ask for authorization to expend funds for the initial work This work will consist of part of the seismic upgrading of the old building.

We solicit and appreciate your prayer support for this endeavor.

The season of Lent is nearly upon us. As is tradition here at Our Savior, we will offer a “First Communion” Class for children. The purpose of this course is to offer some basic teachings on the topic of Holy Communion to youth (and their parents) in grades 5- 8. This time of instruction will help both students and parents determine whether a young person is ready to begin communing at our Lord’s Table. This year’s schedule will be as follows:

• Dates: Wednesdays—March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 and April 5
• Time: 7:45 – 8:30 p.m. (following Lenten Service)
• Location: Room 17 (Mrs. Greenhagen’s 5th grade room.)
• Class Instructors: Pastor Brewer and Mr. Steve Christopher
• First Communion: Maundy Thursday Worship, April 13th, 7:00 p.m. There will be a special welcome to our Lord’s Table and recognition of these new communicants as they partake of their First Communion on this sacred evening in which our Lord first gave us this Holy Sacrament.

A letter of invitation will be sent out to all eligible youth of Our Savior congregation in grades 5-8. For further information, please contact Steve Christopher in the Church Office at 447-1246, x 228.

Hearts and flowers (virtual, of course, since this is on the web!) this month to some special helpers around Our Savior. Did you know that there are several folks who come down every other Monday morning to help spruce up our site with Ken Girardin’s direction? Thanks to Bill Wills, Harold Pfeifer, Jack Hitchcock and Paul Heppner for their faithful commitment and elbow grease in the "Willing Hands" endeavor. (Also, special thanks to Bill Even for making sure that the weeds don't get too big!)

Speaking of endeavors, nobody could be working harder for Our Savior and for his Savior than Jesse Yow! Being chair of the Lay Governing Board is no small task, but adding the responsibility of chairing the Call Committee to that can be nothing less than overwhelming! Our prayers and support are with you!

Mark your calendars now for Sunday, April 30, at 10:30 a.m., when the children’s choirs of Our Savior will present this musical version of the Biblical account of David and Goliath. Any young person in first through eighth grade is welcome to join one of our choirs SOON to participate in this fun presentation of God’s help in times of trouble. Our choirs include members of Our Savior, children from Our Savior School, and anyone else who likes to praise the Lord in song. Join us! Call Christa Even at 447-1246, ext. 231 with any questions.

Following is a list of free presentations at the Robert Livermore Community Center. Call (925) 373-5700 to register.

Identity Theft

• Wednesday, February 8, 2006 10:30-11:30am
• Reservations preferred by 2/1 (Reservation #8032)

Crime Lab

• Wednesday, May 24, 2006 10:30-Noon
• Reservations preferred by 5/17 (Reservation #8033)

These events are sponsored by the City of Livermore Police Academy Alumni Association and LARPD Senior Services.

The Book of Job: A Drama About Unjust Suffering – taught by Norman Back, Room 17, Starts on Feb. 12

A recent best-selling book asked why bad things happen to good people. This is a perennial question, which almost all of us have asked at one time or another. The Bible deals with the question in the book of Job, in which the title character is an upright and God-fearing man who is suffering horribly for reasons he does not understand. Come to this class and join us as we work through these issues along with Job and his friends, and as we get some insight into how to live as faithful Christians in difficult times.

The Jesus Habits – taught by Steve Christopher, Room 18, Starts on Feb. 26

What if you could shadow Jesus for one month—go where he goes, see what he sees. What do you think would impress you the most? His mercy? Compassion? Love? Care? What would capture your heart? What would capture your attention? This class will explore some of the specific habits displayed by Jesus in the Gospels with the hope that we might gain insight and application of these habits for our continuing walk of faith.

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.
• Informal Worship: 10:30 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 is installed and competently fulfilling all the obligations of his position by May 1, 2006.
• Membership: There is a 20% increase in active membership by July 1, 2006.
• Communications: Every person in our “community”—in the church, in the school and in the area—is aware of events and activities that are of interest to them. OSLM’s leaders know the opinions and feelings of those in the “community” with regard to our ministries.
• Stewardship: There is a 10% increase in General Giving for 2005-’06 versus 2004-’05.
• Ministry Wing: The Stewards give their approval to proceed with the construction of a Ministry Wing by July 1, 2006.

Mission Statement

Our Savior Lutheran Ministries’ Mission is to:

• Proclaim salvation through God’s grace in word and song
• Build Christian relationships
• Care for the people of the community
• Equip God’s people for Life in Christ