MARCH – A SEASON OF GROWTH

The signs of spring are starting to be seen. Daffodils are already blooming. The almonds – first to bloom and last to give up their fruit – are living up to their reputation. March is when we should see some green on the vines across the street from the church. Springtime growth has begun.

At Our Savior, this March is a very major month and a time for growth. I’ll underline just two examples – Lent and the stewardship effort.

LENT

Ash Wednesday begins the month and with it the season of Lent. We are invited to devote ourselves to meditation on the Passion of Christ and to spiritual discipline. We will offer special Lenten Vespers on the Wednesdays of Lent at 7 PM. The sermons will take us through the story of our Savior’s suffering as it is told in the Gospel of Mark. A part of the spiritual growth help offered this month is worship twice a week, Sunday and Wednesday. Resolve to be faithful in worship.

Spiritual discipline involves personal decisions about “giving up” something for the season, like sweets or sodas or whatever, or doing something extra like Bible reading and daily devotions. In my opinion, if Lent helps us to do something for healthy living - eating less and exercising more - that too can be part of growth, body and soul. Lent can be ignored in the press of everything we have to do, or it can be a season of great growth. The choice is yours.

BUILDING UP – REACHING OUT

The stewardship effort to help us do the body building we need to do in order to build the Ministry Center and complete our campus goes into high gear this month. You will receive special mailings, some phone calls and lots of encouragement to be more sacrificial in our giving. My energy these days is going into leading the two Bible studies that focus in the Word about our personal stewardship. The first Bible Study will be Sunday, March 19, 6 PM. The second will be after Easter on Sunday, April 30, 6 PM. My prayer is that all of us will be challenged in the best possible way to enjoy the fruits of faith, giving of ourselves in service of the Kingdom.

May God richly bless all of us this month and may it be a springtime of growth for us all!

By the time you read the March newsletter we will be in the thick of the Senior Pastor call process and hopefully preparing for a congregational call meeting. Work on the Ministry Center will be moving forward and we will be in the midst of a Stewardship Campaign to improve our level of stewardship. I can’t predict the details as I write this article, but let me urge you to continue to pray, get involved, and encourage the individuals and groups who are working side by side with you in these efforts for God’s kingdom. And let me also ask you to step back for a moment and think about where our ministry and fellowship could be five years or so down the road.

As I mentioned in November, the Lay Governing Board represents the Stewards (you) in the strategic direction and oversight of OSLM. Part of this task involves prayerfully trying to understand the circumstances and trends that will create challenges and opportunities for OSLM. Some of these trends involve us and some of them involve the community around us. Here are some examples from recent surveys and demographic analysis:

• The population of Livermore is expected to grow by about 8-10% over the next five years
• Single parent households make up about 20% of our community
• The fastest growing racial/ethnic groups in Livermore are Hispanic and Asian; each group is expected to grow by over 20% in the next five years
• Over the next five years the population of Livermore that is 28 years old or less is projected to become about 37-40% of the community
• About half of our community has no reported faith involvement

As you look around you will see trends and needs in your community that the surveys might miss. I would like to invite you to think about the community near you:

• Where do your neighbors and co-workers turn when they have a personal or family crisis?
• What do your neighbors and co-workers worry about?
• Are your friends interested in spiritual things?
• What do they know about Jesus?

God put us in this place and at this time for His purposes. Our community is changing around us, but do these changes present challenges or opportunities? What kinds of long-term trends and needs do you see? Please give it some thought, and then let us know what you think!

We Give God the Glory for:

• Evan Serowoky, Taylor Fleer, and Anne-Marie Connolly for taking 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively in the Art category of our Annual Talent Fair held recently.
• Lauren Parks, Sean Westphal, and Kyle Phillips for taking 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively in the History category of our Annual Talent Fair held recently.
• Daniel Wright, Peter Morrow, and Hannah Tennyson for taking 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively in the Literature category of our Annual Talent Fair held recently.
• Chris Figueiredo & Nick Sansar (team project), Collin Rigby, and Wesley Gong for taking 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively in the Science category of our Annual Talent Fair held recently.
• All the judges for our Talent Fair. They sacrificed a Saturday to critique 130 projects. A massive job and responsibility which they handled marvelously!
• Jaimeson Cortez, Clair Managan, and Lucas Pertica for their work in our MathCounts program. They spent a Saturday, February 11 at the District MathCounts competition. You “gotta” love math to give up a Saturday!
• All the “little lambs” of OSLS!

Re-enrollment / Registration

Believe it or not, it is time to register for next year. The school year 2006-07 will begin in just six short months! Registrations for continuing students were sent home with students. However, on March 1, 2006 registrations will be made open to the public on a first come, first serve basis. If you would like a registration form, please contact the school office.

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.

March 5-11, 2006: National Lutheran Schools Week

The 2006 Theme – “A Great Place to Grow” - is based on the following Bible verses:

• Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16
• Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:15, 16
• Sub Theme for 2005-06 is “Developing Disciples” and is based on John 13:35: By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Schedule for National Lutheran Schools Week

Sunday, March 5

• Special Church Service with student participation
• Student choirs (Kindergarten and Preschool)

• Theme for the Day: “Crazy / Plaid Day”
• Meet in playground area for opening devotions/prayers at 8:40 a.m. (In the event of rain, we will meet in the gym.)

• Theme for the Day: “Sports Day” (Wear clothing/colors of your favorite team)

• Theme for the Day: “Hawaiian Day”

• Theme for the Day: “Dress Up Day” (wearing nice clothes)
• Special Chapel for NLSW
• OPEN HOUSE

• Theme for the Day: “Spirit Day – Purple and Gold Day”

We are beginning “Something New” in our Jr. High & High School programs called CONNECTIONS on Sunday March 5th. 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 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. 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 March 14 and March 28.

Men's Ministry

• Men’s Breakfast Bible Study will take place on Fridays at 6:30 a.m., March 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31 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, March 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 March, we’ll be reading “The Present Future,” by Reggie McNeal, ISBN #0-7879-6568-5. This book is available at local bookstores or at www.amazon.com. We’ll meet for our discussion time on Tuesday, March 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, 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? March 5th is the last Sunday to bid on students during coffee hour to help those attending the mission trip to Cuba, NM in July. They are auctioning off various services to the congregation. We invite you to participate in this Silent Servant Auction at 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. Thrivent will match the funds we raise up to $1600.00! Thanks Thrivent! Come out and support the youth on March 5th!

God cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

One of the stories that we learned this month at the ECDC was how Jesus fed 5,000 people. The children were amazed how Jesus could take five pieces of bread and two small fish and feed more people than we have at our school—wow! God truly cared for those people and how awesome it is to think that he also cares for us in the same way. He provides our daily needs and gives us so much more, with us doing nothing in return. It makes us want to go and share that fact with others! God has given to us so freely! This month, our challenge to you is to see how many people you can tell that simple fact—our God is awesome, he will “care for us!”

We had a busy month at the ECDC. We learned how God gives us firefighters and police to take care of us and keep us safe. We were able to see some real live firefighters and check out the big fire truck. The Police Officers came and showed us how they use a police dog to keep us safe. We were able to learn about our teeth from Dr. Marcel. We even delivered mail like the mail carriers as we celebrated Valentine’s Day. We were able to share our love with others as we sang for our parents at chapel in the big church. We hope that your month was filled with God’s love, as it is all around.

Our month has been filled with many visitors as we have begun to register students for next year. If you know of anyone with preschool-aged children, we hope you will send them our way. Now is the time to come and check out the ECDC and register for next year. Please keep us in your prayers as we plan for next year and enjoy the rest of this wonderful year in which God has blessed us.

Please click here for the Financial Report for January and also the Fiscal Year Report for July 2005 to January 2006.

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

Income is ever so slightly off budget (2%); however we are in the black year-to-date (GOOD NEWS)— while expenses continue to be under plan—again GOOD NEWS! This is typical and we should continue to show positive balances.

Balances in our various checking, savings and stock accounts total $621,550, which includes $160,007 for the Ministry Center. The pledges for the Ministry Center totaled $137,248.

Pledges for the continuation program totaled $706,284, of which $579,858 has been received. Monthly pledges needed to make the mortgage payment are $22,000. In January, we received $12,900, so I encourage you to remember this very important part of our stewardship.

Discipleship Component #7 = Multifaceted

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 multifaceted in our walk of faith.

We live in a busy world. It is a fast paced society in which we spend a lot of time just trying to “keep up with it all.” One of the ways in which we attempt to maintain a sense of balance is by employing the popular idea of “multi-tasking.” This recent term describes the ability to attend to many activities simultaneously, in a balanced and effective manner. We applaud those who are proficient in this skill and many of us desire to grow in our ability to multi-task.

As families, we “multi-task” in the home setting where several projects and plans are often going on at once. We observe mothers of young children showing this special skill in handling multiple responsibilities, mostly out of necessity! Others show forth this skill in the workplace, handling various duties and job functions with amazing balance and focus.

Do we bring this ideal into the service of the church? Do we think of ourselves as followers of Christ in such a way that we see multiple possibilities for serving others? Do we think of ourselves as able to grow in a variety of areas? Some perhaps do, and there may be some among us who feel that they just couldn’t do it.

St. Paul shares with us in 1 Corinthians 9:22b-23: “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”

Paul is saying to us that he is trying to do in whatever way possible, and whatever it takes to bring the message of salvation to anyone. Paul lived in a time and place where there was a mix of many cultures and styles of living, and various belief systems. Paul knew what he was up against, and he didn’t back down from the challenge of taking a “whatever it takes” attitude in spreading the message of Christ Jesus.

How about you? How can you grow in new directions? Can you stretch yourself in new and different ways for the sake of Kingdom service? It doesn’t mean that you necessarily add more tasks to your busy life; just focus in on growing in new ways. It may mean giving up something you have done for some time, for something that is new, something that is needed to extend the work of our Lord in our midst.

May we all grow as disciples in a variety of ways to touch more people with the Gospel!

There is progress toward starting to begin! We have a contract with Overaa for the seismic retrofit work and clean out of the building. By the time you read this, Overaa personnel should be on site. Please be careful to stay clear of the construction site - hazards may be present.

We have presented the exterior plans to the City of Livermore Historic Preservation Commission. We disagree with them as to the proposed treatment of the opening on the north side (facing South Livermore Avenue). We are pursuing resolution of this difference.

As always, your prayers are needed for the timely and safe completion of this work.

Now is the time to join choir for Holy Week and Easter! Our Savior Choir always welcomes new folks, and March/April is a great time to make a short commitment. We practice on Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. and sing two to three times a month. Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter are a big focus right now; we are preparing some GREAT music! Come and help us make a joyful noise to the Lord.

Reserve the Sunday School/Bible Class hour (10:30 a.m.) on April 30th for the musical “The Rockslinger and His Greatest Hit,” a very entertaining retelling of the Biblical account of David and Goliath. Included in this musical are a huge giant, some swaggering Philistines, the cowering Israelites, a puny shepherd hero (David) and some other interesting characters. Our three children’s choirs are hard at work preparing this production for you; don’t miss this opportunity to hear how God is with us through every adversity we face!

Thanks this month to Glenna Sanlis and Lynn Kramer, familiar names and faces in the church office. If you don’t think much about what goes on in the office that’s probably because it runs so efficiently, thanks to these two women! For example:

Glenna keeps us all informed via Pastor’s e-mails twice a week and the monthly newsletter. If you need to reserve a room on site for any reason, come see Glenna – she coordinates facilities’ use for the entire campus. When it’s time to produce printed material for call committees, building programs, or other church-wide events, Glenna puts her editorial and publishing skills to wonderful use! Glenna also volunteers her time singing in choir and on various committees as needed.

Lynn is the other half of our dynamic office duo. Have you noticed how easy our bulletins are to follow and how well the Green Sheet is organized? Lynn does an excellent job of producing these weekly worship folders. She sends out all sorts of reminders (acolytes, Confirmation, etc.) and keeps statistics on attendance. Lynn also donates time to Sunday School each Sunday morning; she unlocks all the classroom doors and makes sure they are locked again. Lynn also sings in choir.

A new session of “Pastor’s Class” taught by Interim Pastor, Richard Brewer, will begin on Sunday, March 5th, and will meet during the education hour from 10:30—11:30 a.m. in Room 18. If you are considering joining our spiritual family here at Our Savior and want to find out more about Lutheran teachings, this will be a helpful class. This class will continue through the next few months, concluding on May 21, with the welcoming of new members at the 9 a.m. service with a reception at 10:30 a.m. in the gym.

Use this class as a chance to reach out to those who aren’t connected with the church and invite them to attend.

For more information, contact Glenna Sanlis, or Pastor Brewer in the Church Office, 447-1246.

Volunteers are needed for this year's Vacation Bible School program. VBS will take place beginning on Sunday, July 31 through Thursday, August 3 from 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. Please click here to help out with this year's VBS, "Treasure Cove."

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