Even before there was “look both ways before crossing the street” there was “What do you say?” That was my mother's question when, for example, the pastor’s wife gave me a cookie (totally unexpected by me) and I took it greedily and was about to take a big bite. "What do you say?" THANK YOU, of course. That’s your job when you are on the receiving end of things.

Since we are all on the receiving end of things when it comes to God, we have a very big job of saying THANK YOU. He gives gifts big and small, expected and unexpected, asked for or a surprise. We are to have grateful hearts and say the expected words. That’s one very good reason to attend the 10 AM service on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24. We will say THANK YOU and then listen to God’s response. Can you guess?

Bring canned goods and other non-perishables for the hungry as a small way of sharing your bounty. If you are having company, invite them to begin the feast with you by joining you in church.

(In addition, the Altar Guild will be beautifying our altar once again with a cornucopia of fresh fruit and vegetables. If you would like to contribute to our Thanksgiving service in this way, please bring your fruits and vegetables to the sacristy by Tuesday, November 22.)

Marriage Anniversary Celebration

It is our tradition at Our Savior to recognize those couples having wedding anniversaries that are divisible by 5 at the Thanksgiving Service. Let us know at the church office (447-1246) if your wedding anniversary should be included in the Thanksgiving Day bulletin. We should praise God and give thanks for all those who have mastered the art of making a marriage work, especially in these days when there is so much pressure on any couple. Let us in on your celebration, please.

I’m tempted to just repeat last month’s newsletter since it was about Pr. McNamara and what he would be doing with our Call to be our resident Sr. Pastor and we still, at this writing, do not have his response. I’m praying that he accepts our Call and that he will arrive in Livermore soon because it would be good to have the interim period behind us. If he turns us down, we will just have to go on from there as we rely upon the Call Committee to do the hard work that needs to be done to offer us two our three other candidates to talk with so that we can decide on who should receive our next Call.

Meanwhile the ministry goes on. The Ministry Wing is a major topic of concern and is the reason for lots of action. The first committee looked into the possibility of adding six classrooms for Jr. High and a Youth Room to the second floor. Now a new committee has been appointed to polish up the design with the goal of presenting the plan to the congregation on Sunday, Nov. 20, when we will be having a Stewards' Meeting. That should result is a building that serves us very well now and will continue to do so for years to come.

Body Building is still a major concern of mine as we move closer to bringing on a new Sr. Pastor and starting construction on the Ministry Wing. Our Savior Lutheran Ministries needs the good support of each of us in order to meet the challenges of the months ahead. The good news is that we have ended the first quarter in good shape. The even better news would be to build upon a good beginning and to be in a position to help with the purchase of a house by the new Sr. Pastor as well as servicing our debt and moving on with our Serving with Joy at OSLM.

Hats off to Glenna and helpers for making this newsletter even better and making it even more accessible by sending it directly to your email address! You can still go to the newsletter and The Green Sheet on our website, of course, but this direct service should make it even easier for you to read OSLM news that is fresh and timely.

November means Advent and Thanksgiving and the beginning of the holiday season. How quickly the year has gone by and what blessings we have received!

Blessings to you and yours!

Richard Brewer, Interim Pastor

Several people have asked for a regular Lay Governing Board article in the newsletter to keep them up to date on developments. This column needs a good name (I am open to suggestions), but the purpose is to keep you in the loop, so that is where we will start.

The Lay Governing Board (LGB) represents the Stewards (you) in the strategic direction and oversight of OSLM. This includes all kinds of OSLM ministries and activities, but also includes a set of special initiatives that are defined as Critical Targets. To refresh your memory, the Critical Targets this year include:

• PASTOR: Installation, and complete assimilation, of a new Pastor into Our Savior Lutheran Ministries by May 1, 2006
• MEMBERSHIP: A 20% increase in the active membership by July 1, 2006
• COMMUNICATIONS: Every person in our “community” is fully aware of events and activities that are of interest to them. Our leaders know the opinions and feelings of those in the “community” with regard to our ministries
• STEWARDSHIP: A 10% increase in the General Giving for ’05-’06 versus ’04-’05
• MINISTRY WING: Stewards’ approval to proceed with construction by July 1, 2006

Pastor Brewer, the Ministry Staff, and many of you invest time and energy towards meeting these targets, and I will try to write about these topics and other items in future newsletter articles. However, for now I need to give you an update on the Ministry Wing.

Over the past few months Brett Bortnem, Dennis Dirks, Jim Handrock, Theresa Rajczyk, Joe Ryno, Linda Schumacher, and Glenn Strahl explored the feasibility of moving quickly to build out the Ministry Wing. I would like to thank them for their hard work and helpful findings, and would like to single out Dennis and Joe for special thanks for chairing the committee. Dennis, Joe, and Glenn briefed the LGB early in October, and their committee has since disbanded.

To take the next steps, we have set up a special Design Task Force to draft a proposal for the LGB to take to the congregation at a Stewards’ meeting on November 20. The proposal will address financing issues and include a new draft floor plan. Assuming the congregation approves, we will then form a building committee to work with the architect, finish the design, retain a contractor, and start construction. The sanctuary use permit from the city requires that we start some amount of work on the Ministry Wing by the end of April, so this effort is on a really challenging schedule.

Please pray for the Design Task Force as they move forward under such a tight deadline. Task force members include Beth Young (chair), Carol Clobes, Janet Connolly, Bob Edmeyer, Jim Handrock, Glenn Strahl, and Jacki Shotts. The Task Force and the LGB would value your suggestions, input, and especially your prayer support. Thanks!!

Thank you for your prayers. Knowing you were praying for my safety was very comforting. The Lord kept me safe and helped me to minister to the families of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. While in Texas, I ended up having two entirely different experiences.

The first two weeks I was at Reliant Park, initially on the fifth floor of the Astrodome and later at Reliant Arena. I had very little contact with the “guests”. I worked mainly with local volunteers in the data entry center. I trained new volunteers on two different databases that were used to input the information on the registration forms and the exit forms. With my accounting background, I was very comfortable training and supervising the area.

On September 22, because of Hurricane Rita, I was evacuated from Houston to San Antonio with the Red Cross. When I walked through the door at the shelter on Kelly Air Force Base, I saw the computer area. I found my comfort zone, but God had something else in mind for me. That area also had the information desk, and by the end of the day I was working with the evacuees. SURPRISE! I learned something about myself. I thoroughly enjoyed the challenges of working one on one with the shelter residents.

The spirituality, friendliness, and politeness of the people from New Orleans and Texas impressed me. One instance was when I carpooled from Houston to San Antonio with a young gal from South Carolina who was a new Red Cross volunteer. We stopped at a Denny’s at 5:30 a.m. to figure out where we were, to grab a cup of coffee, and to locate gasoline. We had been on the road for five hours and discovered we were only fifty miles from where we had started. Two men helped us out. Before we left, the one said, “I hope you don’t take this wrong. May the Almighty God bless you and keep you safe.” I thanked him and told him that I had a whole congregation praying for me.

My prayer for each of you is that the Lord would bless you and keep you safe.

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

Women's Ministry

The Wednesday Evening Women’s Bible Study will meet on November 9 and 23 at 7 p.m. at the home of Dee Christopher. Please call the church office (925- 447-1246) for directions.

Men's Ministry

• Men’s Breakfast Bible Study will takes place on Fridays at 6:30 a.m., November 4, 11, and 18 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

• November 1, 7 p.m.: Dinner and Devotions at the Bortnem Home
• November 4, 9:30--11:30 p.m.: Help out with High School 5th Quarter Event
• November 20: No Bible Class
• November 20, 12 p.m.: Congregational Meeting
• November 22, 8 p.m.: Thanksgiving Dinner at the Bortnem Home

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, October 11 from 7—9 p.m. in Room 18. Come and join in the fun!
• Christian Reading Club will meet on November 15 at 7 p.m. in Room 8. The book is 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper, Copyright © 2004, ISBN # 0- 7394-5393-9. Join us!

Upcoming Events

• The 5th Annual Talent Show and Ice Cream Social is on Sunday, November 6 at 2 p.m. in the gym. Join us!
• The Craft Boutique will be held in the gym on Saturday, November 12 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Advent Services will be held at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary on Wednesdays, November 30, December 7, 14, and 21.
• Women's Retreat, February 10-12, 2006 at Villa Maria Del Mar in Santa Cruz. Registration forms are available in the church office.

November arrives with its cooler weather, and we realize that we can’t even pretend it’s summer any more! I don’t know about you, but as soon as our celebration of Reformation passes, the holidays seem to be immediately upon us. Sometimes everything becomes such a blur of preparation (musical and otherwise) that I don’t take time to reflect as much as I should. When our children were younger we would go around the table at Thanksgiving dinner with our list of what we were thankful for, but we haven’t done that in a few years. So even before this season begins I’d like to give some thought to what /who I am really thankful for at Our Savior. There’s so much! Maybe I’ll limit it to my thankfulness as Director of Music. Here goes:

• Sunday morning singing – when I can hear the congregation really singing out over the organ or contemporary ensemble, I know we are filled with the Spirit!
• The opportunity to help others lift their voices/instruments in praise to God.
• The budget – it allows us to purchase licenses for printing newer songs/hymns and to buy some of all the exciting and diverse choral and instrumental music available.
• The wonderful sanctuary that God has allowed us to build and enjoy each week.
• Instruments – a pipe organ that can fill our room with glorious sound, a fine piano to lead some of our singing and accompany musical groups, and all the instruments members utilize in worship.
• The people of God – we come in all shapes, ages, and sizes. Some of us have gifts of music and the willingness to commit to rehearsal time preparing songs of praise. Others support the music ministry with words of encouragement or their financial gifts. Still others sing heartily on a Sunday morning or encourage their children to offer their gifts in one of the musical groups available to them. Thanks to the young people for their faithful participation, too.
• Our God – who created us as musical beings and gave us our real reason for singing praise, the gift of his Son!

May our great God bless your Thanksgiving celebration and give all of us the willingness to share what we’ve been given with others.

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15

Fall has come to Livermore with the cool mornings and warm afternoons. With fall comes the gathering of pumpkins and preparing for Thanksgiving. Whether you are preparing the meal or visiting with family, Thanksgiving gives us that moment that we really should take daily to look at all that we have and thank God for all he has given to us.

The ECDC had a wonderful October, hunting for pumpkins and playing pretend at our Fall Fantasy Parade. As November begins, we will learn of Fall and how the world around us changes with the season. The second week of November, the ECDC will have smells of fall with bread baking. We will learn that when we work together (as Chicken Little and her chicks did), we end up with great things. The ECDC will be ending the month by celebrating Thanksgiving with a school feast and with Chapel, praising God for all that he has given us.

Our prayer for you this “holiday season” is that you take time out to thank God, and that it becomes a habit that stays with you all year. For God’s gifts are indescribably great, especially the gift of His Son.

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

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

Income and general giving is right on plan – thank you very much – while expenses are under plan due to:

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

Balances in our various checking, savings and stock accounts total $619,705 which includes $140,512 for the Ministry Center. The pledges for the Ministry Center totaled $137,248.

Pledges for the continuation program totaled $706,284 of which $493,045 has been received. Monthly pledges needed to make the mortgage payment are $22,000. In September we received $15,785.

It is important that income for the Brick-By-Brick continuation program continue to be received as pledged. We are $9,000 short fiscal year to date. These are the funds we rely on to use for the mortgage payment without having to use other program funds.

Discipleship Component # 3 = Maturity

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 maturity.

It’s a compliment. It’s a positive description. It’s a goal that parents have for their children both physically and emotionally. It is also a goal that God has for us spiritually. Maturity is about becoming complete, growing to achieve one’s full development, be it in body, mind or soul.

In our busy lives, spiritual growth and the goal of spiritual maturity are often overlooked. We like to focus on items that are more tangible, things we can measure. We often focus on physical development, particularly of children, has to how someone is maturing. “He’s tall for his age.” “Well, she’s short right now—but, I’m sure a growth spurt is coming.” We hear these and other comments related to the physical maturity of children on a daily basis, and especially at family gatherings.

Following right behind the physical growth of children in maturity importance is the social or emotional maturity we expect. We are pleased when we can leave children home alone because they have grown to be trustworthy and responsible. We even joke about a person who matures quickly in the social arena of life with comments like, “she’s 12 going on 17.”

One other example is the emphasis placed on financial growth—having a mature portfolio. We can measure our accounts and see how they are doing— how they are maturing. We want to make sure our efforts will continue to serve us well into the future.

What about spiritual maturity? Are we concerned about that? How do you measure that? One’s faith is very personal, and to examine it or watch it might make us appear judgmental. But God wants us to be concerned about our spiritual maturity—our relationship with Jesus. He has given us the potential to grow in the spiritual realm of life and to reach our highest earthly potential. All of those other areas will pass away when we pass from this world. It is our spiritual life that will continue into eternity.

How does one mature? Two suggestions— investment and experience. Just as a stock portfolio will grow with regular investments, so too our faith will grow with the regular investment of attending worship, and communing at the Lord’s table. Reading and studying God’s Word personally and in a group can enrich individual faith that enables maturity to take place. Spiritual conversation with others and with God (prayer) will also bring about growth. And sometimes, simply making it through a tough day, trusting in God to get you through it all, is a significant opportunity in Christian maturation.

Maturity is not so much a destination as it is a process. May you daily walk with our Lord and experience growth each step of the way.

Yes, we are going to McDonald’s—to Mark McDonald’s house for a barbeque dinner, November 13 at 4 p.m. All men of the congregation 21 and older are invited to attend. No set cost—we’ll do a free will offering to help cover the cost of all the food and goodies. In the midst of our food and fun, we’ll take some time to talk about the programs and activities that we would like to have in a Men’s ministry program here at Our Savior.

Call Steve Christopher in the Church Office, 447- 1246 x 228 to RSVP, for directions to Mark's house, or for more information. Hope to see you there!

Take a bit of time from the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations to really prepare your heart! Please accept this gift from so many people at Our Savior who make music to the glory of God. The Christmas concert will be at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 11, and will include music by choirs, handbell and brass ensembles, and strings. We want to share the joy and musical blessings of the season with both those in the Our Savior family and others in the Livermore community. Invite a friend or neighbor! Refreshments and fellowship time will follow the concert.

Continued thanks to our Sunday morning coffee crew – what would we do without the fellowship time and goodies on Sunday mornings? The crew includes Jim and Minnie Boehmke, Kathy and Alex Newman, Becky and Louis Benavidez, and Michael Ferrucci. Thanks for your dedication!

Did you know that we have a behind-the-scenes group that keeps us supplied with our communion bread? Thanks to Rita Ryno for coordinating this group and to all of the bakers who give of their time for our weekly celebrations of the Lord’s Table.

• www.mercola.com/2000/nov/5/victory_ over_sids.htm
• www.healthychild.com/cribdeathproof.htm
• www.Prevent-sids.org
• www.criblife2000 .com
• www.thediaperlady.com/crib- mattresses-and-crib-death.htm
• ww w.babysake.com/campaign.htm
• www.childbirthsolutions.com/articles/news/ cotdeath.php
• www.ba bymattresscovers.com

In October, the Scrip program paid out $1304.63 to PTO and $952.26 to the Ministry Center Building Fund. These funds represent dollars earned through escrip and Scrip sales during the months of July, August and September. Help us make these numbers grow! Register your Safeway and PW grocery cards, Macy’s card and credit/debit cards at www.escrip.com. Stop by the Scrip table in the gym on Sunday morning and check out all of the gift cards/certificates that are available including, our two newest gift cards, Peet’s Coffee & Tea and Talbot’s! Gift cards aren’t just for giving! Use them every time you shop, rent a movie, dine out or go to the movies!