The - Holy Week & Easter April 2022 - Our Saviour Lutheran Church
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MESSENGER
The
OUR SAVIOUR LUTHERAN CHURCH ✚ WARRENTON, VA
Holy Week & Easter
April 2022
2
1
WEEKEND WORSHIP SCHEDULE
• H.S. Youth Group (Saturday at 4:00 pm): "Sun-
day School" for High School Youth.
• Saturday Night (5:30pm): A relaxed and joyful
celebration of God’s presence among us.
• First Light (Sunday at 8:00am): Our Saviour’s
early morning service is short and meditative,
with music played on organ, piano, cello or even
flute.
• Sunday School for Children and Adults (Sunday
at 9:00am)
• Holy Communion Class (during Lent) Sunday
at 9:00am
• Organ & Choir (Sunday at 10:30am): Our fullest
and most popular service.
Easter
Sunday
is April 17.
2
WORSHIP
EVENING PRAYER AND SOUP SUPPER
Wednesday, 6 April at 6pm
We will share a simple meal and then worship together. Pastor
Michael will offer a meditation on poetry and prayer.
HOLY WEEK AND EASTER SCHEDULE
April 10-17
Palm Sunday (9-10
April, Saturday and Sun-
day services)
Jesus enters Jerusalem
Maundy Thursday
(14 April, 7pm)
A celebration of the Last
Supper & Communion
Class Blessing
Good Friday (15 April,
Noon and 7pm)
Spoken prayer at noon,
and the Service of Dark-
ness in the evening.
The Great Vigil of Easter (16 April, 5:30pm)
A journey through the history of salvation.
Easter Sunrise Matins (17 April, 6:30am)
As the sun rises in the east, we rejoice in the rising of Christ.
Easter Communion (17 April, 8 & 10:30am)
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
3
EASTER: The
EASTER SUNDAY SOCIAL HOUR
Please join us for a Special Easter Sunday Social Hour, be-
tween services on April 17 from 8:45am-10:15 am. You
supply the food and we'll provide the fun and fellowship, as
we celebrate the Risen Christ together. No need to RSVP;
just come and bring your favorite finger food to share. The
Fellowship committee is looking forward to seeing everyone
there!
EASTER EGG HUNT
And Activities for the Children
On Easter (April 17), the Sunday School will have an Easter
Egg Hunt for the children along with other Easter related ac-
tivities from 9-10 am. The egg hunt will take place outside if
weather allows; if inclement weather, the egg hunt and other
activities will be held indoors.
4
Feast of New Life
THE EASTER MIRACLE PLAY
A Youth-Led Event on April 23-24
To enhance our worship as well as allow our youth to grow and
shine, we are offering a new opportunity for youth to lead the
church: a dramatic presentation of the Passion and Resurrec-
tion of Our Lord on April 23-24.
Our youth in 6th-12th grades are preparing a dramatic reading of
the story of the suffering, death and rising of Jesus. They have
written and will perform a paraphrase of the biblical story accord-
ing to St. Luke at the 5:30 pm service on Saturday, April 23 and
the 10:30 am service on Sunday, April 24. (This will not replace
our traditional reading of the passion according to St. John dur-
ing our Tenebrae service on Good Friday.)
The play is inspired by the medieval tradition of parish “Miracle
Plays,” fun-filled local festivals in which the Bible stories were
enacted for a popular audience.
This is an excellent time to invite friends, so it helps us spread
the good news of God’s love to our community.
This is also an exciting opportunity to develop new leaders
among our youth, as well as to help the entire congregation dig
deeper into the story of Christ.
For more information or to help in any way, contact Pastor Terri
at pastor.terri@oslc-warrenton.org.
5
SPIRITUALITY
A BREATH OF FRESH AIR…
BY TINA KORTE, CERTIFIED SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR
Last night, Doug, the local weatherman predicted “warm dry
winds are coming in from the West.” He continued, warning
us “don’t be surprised if the warm moist humid winds ap-
proaching from the South, take over.” So go the winds sur-
rounding us.
Is the fresh air in our lives in the hands of the trained mete-
orologists?
Smokey, smelly, hot, muggy, foggy, hazy, or stale, we dwell
in this world with whatever weather we are given. It follows
us no matter where we go. Unless we dare to move and
take our chances somewhere colder, hotter or dryer. We re-
alize we are exposed and vulnerable at times. And we can’t
change the fact that living with the weather pattern is one of
the most fragile parts of our lives.
Or are we?
“You know well enough how the wind blows this way and
that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no
idea where it comes from or where it’s headed next. That’s
the way it is with everyone born from above by the winds of
God, the Spirit of God.” In John 3:8 Jesus teaches Nicode-
mus about the weather of the Kingdom.
We are no strangers to this breath. It is the core of our life.
Reread Genesis 2:7. We are filled with the wind of the Spirit.
It turns out our bodies, minds, souls and spirits were formed
from the dust under our feet and the breath of God.
6
Whether this air around us is forceful, gentle, breezy, blow-
ing, pure, clean, quiet, all of the above*, forecasted or not,
we embrace it firmly. “Come Holy Spirit” is on our lips as we
take in the fresh air of the Holy Spirit moment by moment.
Prayer: God, the winds are blowing around me. Spir-
it Wind. Fresh Air. Bring peace to our world. Help me
ride out and survive the hurricanes present in my life.
Holy Spirit, you’ve promised joy in the morning air. As
I breathe in and out, in this moment give me fresh
winds for the day. Amen.
HEARING GOD
By Troy Stansell
“Do you hear God?” “Where do you hear God?” Questions
that were posed in a recent Bible Study. I suppose the easy,
first answer in my mind is the Bible. As I got to thinking
about this more, I was struggling with trying to make God
one dimensional. I see and feel God more than I can say
that I physically hear him with my ears. If we open our
hearts, ears and eyes, it’s easy to see him communicating
to us in so many ways.
Whether it’s the nudge we feel to go hug a stranger because
we see them crying or we offer our water bottle to someone
who is clearly in need of water. Maybe it’s seeing someone
smile back to you after you make eye contact and wish
them a good morning, and then get blown away when they
hand you the largest sand dollar you have ever seen so that
your daughters “can find it on the beach”.
7
Maybe he’s reinforcing his biblical promises and how he is
the great provider when you are on a cold January sub 10
degree walk and notice the dried berries and crab apples
that are still on the tree that the birds are eating. Wow, what
a grand design this is, that he is “providing for the spar-
rows”!
On a recent run, I was For the first time in
reflecting how for the
first time in a long time a long time, it feels
that it feels good to
dream, to dream about good to dream
the future! Dreaming is
another way I think
about the future!
God speaks to us. My
head was literally stuck in the clouds admiring the birds fly-
ing by, the warmth of the sun and how amazing God is, and
how great it is to dream and look forward!
One thing I learned in a truly epic fashion, though, is that if
you have your heads in the clouds dreaming you should
keep one eye on the road ahead so that you see the speed
bump in front of you! I literally tripped over a random
speedbump that had no business being on this dirt road,
and completely crushed my shoulder when I impacted the
gravel road. Man did that hurt!
But I’m also learning another lesson, sometimes to recover
and move through the pain requires more pain as I’ve been
trying to stretch out and exercise my shoulder. I also think
sometimes God speaks to us through hardship allowing us
to learn and grow.
God is so multi-dimensional, and I believe he is communi-
cating to us all the time. We just have to be open and still to
see, hear, and feel his presence.
8MENTAL HEALTH
PSYCHOTHERAPY AND CONFIDENTIALITY
Psychotherapy is most effective when you
can be open and honest. If you've never seen
a psychologist before, you may have some
questions about privacy.
Will the things I discuss be kept private?
Confidentiality is part of psychology's code of
ethics. Psychologists take your privacy very
seriously.
Laws protect your privacy. The Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA) contains a privacy rule that creates
national standards to protect individuals' personal health infor-
mation, including information about mental health.
Can a psychologist share my private information without my
consent?
In some specific situations, psychologists can share information
without the client's written consent. Common exceptions are:
• in order to protect the patient or the public from serious harm
— if, for example, a client discusses plans to attempt suicide or
harm another person.
• Psychologists are required to report ongoing domestic vio-
lence, abuse or neglect of children, the elderly or people with
disabilities.
• Psychologists may release information if they receive a court
order. That might happen if a person's mental health came into
question during legal proceedings.
This article is excerpted from the website of the American Psychological Association
(www.apa.org/topics/ethics/confidentiality). For a more complete picture, please visit
the website directly.
9YOUTH & CHILDREN
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL IS BACK!
Vacation Bible School at OSLC will be June 6-10, 2022. Due to
the current times, there will be some minor changes or accom-
modations from previous years.
Classes will be for children who will enter kindergarten through
fifth grade in the 2022-2033 school year.
A special preschool will be limited to younger siblings, children
and grandchildren of OSLC VBS staff.
Protocols will be in place to assure health and safety measures,
which may include limited class sizes, as many outdoor activities
as possible, cleaning protocols, etc.
More information to follow soon, including the theme, registration
link, training events, and more.
Your help is needed and most appreciated! Please consider vol-
unteering for leadership opportunities and/or support staff.
~ Debbie Henson
HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH DARK-GAMES NIGHT
High School Youth Dark-Games Night – Date & Time TBD
Youth in grades 9-12 and their friends are invited to hang
out at Our Saviour for an evening of fun and games—mostly
in the dark! This event will pull out some old favorites and
introduce some new ones. Look for more news to come on
the church website (And for the light-up Easter Eggs when
you get here!)
10LEARNING
WEEKLY CHRISTIAN EDUCATION OFFERINGS
• Ladies' Bible Study Tuesdays at 10:00 am in the church li-
brary — all ladies of the church are not only invited but en-
couraged to join. “What’s said at Ladies Bible Study, stays at
Ladies Bible Study!”.
• Dave's Thursday Morning Class – Thursday at 10:00 am.
The class will meet using a hybrid method – both in person at
the church (Rm.#6) and on Zoom. See our website for more
information and link to join class online if that’s what you so
choose.
• Pr. Michael's Thursday evening Bible study at 5:00 pm via
Zoom. The link is at the event post on our website for Zoom
link, or write Pr. Michael at prchurch@gmailcom.
• High School Youth Group Saturdays at 4:00 pm "Sunday
School" for High School Youth in the church’s youth room off
the fellowship hall.
• Sunday School for all ages Sundays at 9:00 am in-person
at the church and via Zoom.
• Communion Classes for 5th-6th Grade
• Sunday School for Children & Youth
• Adult Sunday School: Witness to the Cross
NEW Adult Sunday Study: “Ever Ancient, Ever New.”
Based on the book by Winfield Bevins
Led by Pastor Michael
Young Evangelicals are seeking Christian traditions rooted in
the historic faith – the liturgy, the creeds, the patterns of the
Christian year. Can the Lutheran Church offer what this gen-
eration of seekers is looking for, or have we ourselves lost sight
of why tradition matters? Let’s talk! (Begins April 24)
11SERVICE
SOCIAL MINISTRY ACTIVITIES
February-March 2022
Bags of Food: 7 (Feb)
Bags of Cleaning & Personal Items: 9 (Feb)
Gas Gift Cards: 12 (Feb)
Fauquier County Food Distribution Coalition:
• 95 households
• 145 individuals:
o 128 adults
o 17 children
• 15 boxes of food were delivered to local motels
People Helping People:
• $ 14,825 for rent, mortgage, motels, and utilities
• OSLC volunteer hours — 59 (Feb)
• Other information not yet available
April Activities:
(1) Collection for support of Culpeper
SAFE House;
(2) Fundraising for OSLC’s Quilt Ministry.
Check for notifications in the weekly announcements and on Our
Saviour’s website for more info on activities listed above or other
activities not listed above.
12THERES’S STILL A
NEED AND IT’S STILL
URGENT!
The Fauquier County Food Distribution
Coalition has been giving away food since 2003 but can no
longer continue without new volunteers and a new Board of Di-
rectors.
The Food Distribution is a 501(c)3 non-profit. It has been one of
OSLC’s community ministries since its inception.
Help is needed once a month at Warrenton United Methodist Church:
• Week before Sat. distribution: Order food from Blue Ridge Area
Food Bank and submit monthly reports.
• Thursday, 10am-noon (before the third Saturday): Strong backs to
unload food truck, separate food items and bag produce.
• Friday, 4pm (before the third Saturday): To box up food and set up
for Saturday.
• On the third Saturday 8:15am: Set up computers to input new clients
and check off those who have come before. Need three data entry
persons.
• Also, on third Sat: Need 10 people to load boxes of food onto carts
and take out to client’s cars.
• Clean up and prepare the hall for church the next day.
• Data entry person(s) to collect input from the day and prepare a re-
port to Blue Ridge Area Food Bank in a timely manner.
• Board of Directors consists of: President, Vice-President, Treasurer,
Secretary, and Gift Card Chair; board meets monthly.
If you would like to hear more about the opportunities to serve,
please contact Dave Raecke through your church directory or by
getting his information from the church office.
13WIN A QUILT!
Get Your Tickets
for this Amazing
Fundraiser
To help offset rising
costs of sheets, batting and supplies, plans are underway to sponsor a
fundraiser drawing for two (2) of our beautiful Quilts in April.
Tickets will be available at a table in the Narthex before and after ser-
vices April 9 through April 30 and the drawing will be after Saturday
service on April 30. Tickets will be $5/ticket or $20/5 tickets and par-
ticipants can bid on either one or both of the Quilts.
Our Saviour’s Quilt Ministry serves the mission of Lutheran World Re-
lief, brining help to people in need worldwide.
For any questions or to volunteer to help in this fundraising event,
please reach out to Andrea Mutterer using your church directory or by
getting her contact information from the church office.
HELP THE CHRISTIANS OF BETHLEHEM
Coming Saturday, April 30th and Sunday, May 1st, the Holy Land Chris-
tian Solidarity Cooperative will be with us. They will share their hand-
crafted olive wood carvings, made by our brother and sister Christians
in Bethlehem, for purchase.
For centuries, Bethlehem Christians have been using the olivewood to
make religious crafts. They rely on selling them to Christian pilgrims for
their livelihood. Due to persecution, conflict, and COVID-19, tourism
has plummeted. Unemployment has reached its highest, and Chris-
tians families are struggling to get daily bread. Unfortunately, many
Christians are leaving the Holy Land. For the first time since Jesus’s
resurrection, the Christian population of the Holy Land is less than 1%.
Please join us at the Saturday evening service, with a potluck to follow,
and again on Sunday morning between services, for an opportunity to
support this ministry. For more information about the Holy Land Chris-
tian Solidarity Cooperative visit their website at www.holylandcsc.com.
14UPDATE ON HURLEY, VA
A Note from Betsy Springman
As per the request of information during the February congregational
meeting, I am pleased and proud to report OSLC members donated
$5,575.00 in 2021 for rebuilding after the flooding of that area late Au-
gust 2021. We are still collecting funds via our Sunday School class
and will send that money to them at the end of June 2022.
The director of Hurley Community Center, Teresa Christenson, wanted
to relay her heartfelt and sincere thanks for our generosity.
Also, at this time we are exploring sending a group of members
back to Hurley this June (2022)!!
Anyone who is or will be going into 9th grade and up in the fall, or any
adult, is eligible to go. We would encourage this to be a family event.
All adults are welcome, skilled or unskilled! All you need is a good atti-
tude and a willing heart to help those in need.
If this is something you, your family or youth would be interested in do-
ing, please let the office know and we will determine if this is the year
to continue this life changing mission.
Contact Betsy Springman with questions or to donate.
About Hurley:
Since 1995, Hurley Com-
munity Development has
served the deeply impover-
ished residents of Buchan-
an County, in Virginia’s
southwest Appalachian re-
gion.
Our Saviour has partnered
with HCD for years, and
organized many mission
trips there. We have built
strong friendships while
serving as Jesus taught us.
15CONNECTIONS
POWER IN THE SPIRIT
July 14-16 at Roanoke College in Salem VA
Come to learn about new trends in Christian formation with Dr. Beth
Lewis, the President and CEO of 1517 Media, the publishing arm of the
Lutheran church. Bible studies will be led by the Rev. Dr. Rick Rouse,
and many, many worskshops will be offered.
Power in the Spirit is a 3-day learning, worship and fellowship oppor-
tunity on the campus of Virginia’s Lutheran college. For registration in-
formation, visit vasynod.org or speak to Pastor Michael.
SYNOD GATHERING
A Celebration of Service
In place of our annual business meeting, the Virginia Synod will hold a
Synod-wide gathering this summer, on July 15-16, in conjunction with
Power in the Spirit. We will celebrate ministries of service from around
the state.
Everyone can attend. Unlike an Assembly where the number of partic-
ipants is limited, anyone in the Virginia Synod can attend the Synodical
Gathering. Congregations are encouraged to send at least two leaders,
but anyone who is interested can register.
Registration will open on April 4. The registration website will go live
on April 4 and more information about registration will be shared soon.
If you attend Power in the Spirit, you are automatically registered
for the Synodical Gathering. Everyone registered for Power in the
Spirit (which begins on July 14) will be registered for the Synodical
Gathering.
Be a part of a Festival Worship Service at College Lutheran Church
on Friday, July 15 at 7:30 PM. Even if you aren't registered for the
gathering, you are invited to attend the worship service where we will
also recognize our Serving Boldly Award recipients for 2022.
16FINANCE
FINANCE CORNER
Prior 3 Months 2021/2022 Income and Expenses
(General Operating Budget)
TOTAL TOTAL
OFFERING EXPENDITURES
DECEMBER 2021 $ 54,072 $ 37,816
JANUARY 2022 $ 31,846 $ 35,450
FEBRUARY 2022 $ 28,944 $ 32,189
YTD $ 60,790 $ 67,639
AVERAGE MONTHLY OFFERING NEEDED: $ 37,000. (This amount is
the total MSP for 2022 divided by 12 months.)
In looking back over the last 10 years of income and expenses, only
twice was the income greater than expenses during the month of Febru-
ary! But unexpectedly, we received an unbelievable donation from Melvin
Giles’ will to the Memorial/Endowment Fund of approximately $85,000.
This now brings the balance of that account to ~ $216,000.
Additionally, a grant from the Synod allowed us to upgrade our Member-
ship, Contributions and Expenses software (Shepherd’s Staff) as well as
purchase a subscription to Sign-Up Genius to help committee chairman
with the scheduling of volunteers. As usual with technology, we must be
trained! But as is obvious, God continues to provide!
FYI – Requests for Gas Cards have increased dramatically since the
pandemic began and while the office gives out only 1 card per month to
those who request them, the demand remains high. Offerings from Ash
Wednesday and the 5 mid-week Lenten services have been designated
to the Pastors’ Emergency Assistance Fund to support this community
program.
For those who prefer to give online, Troy Stansell and Sandy Benfit were
able to add a special tab labeled as such to make this donation easier.
As always, thank you so much for your donations.
17COUNCIL NEWS
HIGHLIGHTS FROM MARCH COUNCIL MEETING
Jerry Hoke, President
Renee Breeding, Secretary
At this meeting:
• Bob Springman was approved as the church liaison to
the Boy Scouts.
• A small group is working to complete the Values, Vision
and Ministry statement.
• The date for the November 2022 Congregational Meeting
was set: November 6, following the 10:30 AM service.
• It was decided that future congregational meetings will be
held on the last weekend in February and the first
weekend in November each year.
• Approved a request to host the Holy Land Christian Soli-
darity Cooperative to come to our church for a presenta-
tion on the situation facing Christians in Bethlehem and
to sell items carved from olive wood from the holy land.
• Accepted a report from the group working to hire a sex-
ton or cleaning service. There should be more infor-
mation on this next month.
• Had a discussion on changes to the live streaming of
worship services and technology for live streaming.
• Received the Finance and Treasurer's reports.
18SERVE FAUQUIER
Local churches doing local mission together
Our Saviour is ex-
cited to join with
Warrenton United
Methodist Church
and several other
local congrega-
tions for a local
youth mission
“trip” this sum-
mer!
On June 20th-24th,
middle and high
school youth will
help local agen-
cies such as
Community Touch
and the Fauquier
Community Coali-
tion to serve our
neighbors in
need—and grow
closer to each and God as they do so. The organizers need
a count of participants, funding, and potential adult volun-
teers to help in a variety of ways, including construction
leaders, runners, and meal packers.
Are you or your youth interested in participating? Let us
know! Contact Pastor Terri, Mark Knisely, Betsy Wilco, or
Rick Ducharme for more information. Details to come soon!
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