,

F O C U SOur Savior Lutheran Church

January 2007 Vol 22 No. 1

Mission and Ministry: The Big QuestionRev. Larry E. Thomas

As one year ends, and another begins, people and organizations often take time to stop, look and listen; to evaluate, to take stock; to look back, look around, and look ahead.

As Our Savior Lutheran Church looks for-ward to God’s future for mission and minis-try, we are taking time to take stock; to stop, look, and listen.

As of this writing, members of our church council, committee chairs, congregational servant leaders and staff members have met twice with our consultant Pamela Nel to explore how we can maintain current mis-sion and ministries even as we explore new directions for our life together in outreach and service to God and others.

This work is important as we prepare to begin the call process for a new Associate in Ministry or pastor and the search process for a new director of music. It will enable us to know what leadership gifts, skills, and talents we will need for the work ahead. We hope to complete our work with Ms. Nel in January.

We have been working on a compelling mission question that Ms. Nel has posed to our work group: “Who does God call us to

be and what does God call us to do, in this place, at this time?”

That’s a pretty good question when you stop and think about it…

Sisters and brothers of Our Savior, mem-bers and friends, join us in prayer and reflection on this question. Discuss it with others. Share your thoughts and insights with myself and/or staff and church council members. We want to get it right. We want to discern how best to follow our Lord’s lead-ing. We want to be responsive to God’s call to live God’s love here, now, faithfully.

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A Special Congregational MeetingSunday, Jan. 7, 2007, 9:45 a.m.The purpose of this special congregational meeting is threefold: 1) To update the congre-gation on the state of our finances for the first five months of the 2006/2007 fiscal year; 2) To approve a motion from the church council to begin a call process for an ELCA rostered Asso-ciate in Ministry or an ordained pastor. In or-der to consult with the bishop and to organize a call committee we need the approval of the congregation; and 3) To complete the election of 2007 church council vacancies. Please plan to attend this special meeting.

Advent of GraceAdvent has come and passed, but the Advent of Grace lives through the year. Sadly, the Christ-mas concert by that name was cancelled due to weather and loss of power situations. All of the musicians at Our Savior spent a lot of time pre-paring their gifts, and it is unfortunate that you may not have heard all of the glorious music. Each group offered their music at various wor-ship services, and hopefully you heard some of it. Many thanks to all that worked to put it to-gether, Shane Lynch, Leotagail Kramer, John Laux, Bill Bergsma, Chancel Choir, Children’s Choir, Memorial Bells, String Quartet, Vern and Jeannie Lindquist, Sarah Fletcher, Mark Mum-my and the Brass Ensemble. We all had a great time listening while we worked. In the spirit of Advent, we must prepare a way for we know not what lies ahead. We will prepare again for next year!

Please remember to welcome visitors by wearing your name tag!

Assisted Listening DevicesAvailable for Worship ServicesIf you think that a personal assisted listening device would improve and enhance your ex-perience of worship, please contact the church office at (425) 392-4169. This new system has been provided by gifts from anonymous do-nors.

Treasurer's ReportNovember, 2006

We have received YTD (40.84% of budget) ....................$197,610.00We have received rent YTD ..............$5,000.00We have spent YTD (35.41% of budget) ....................$175,794.00We have received more than spent YTD ....................................$26,816.00

We are trailing YTD budget giving by ....................................... $6,979.00

We received in November ...............$43,512.00 vs. budget of ................................$37,220.00

We are five months (41.67%) through our year.

Respectfully, David North, Treasurer

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XYZ (Xtra Years of Zest)Calling All SeniorsSundays, Jan. 14 & 28If you are a Senior Citizen, you are invited to enjoy the fellowship of the XYZ group. We are reading and talking about the book, Tuesdays With Morrie, by Mitch Albom. The conversa-tion may be enlightening and the fellowship is refreshing. In January we meet on two Sundays, the 14th and the 28th, at 12:15 p.m. (following the second service) in the church library. Contact Pick Pickering at (425) 432-8390 or marpick@comcast.net for additional information.

Saturday MorningMen's Study GroupJan. 20, 7:15 to 8:15 a.m.

Pastor Thomas is leading a study/fellowship group for OSLC men. The focus of the study is the book, The Truth About God: The Ten Com-mandments in Christian Life by Stanley Hauer-was and William Willimon. We will read chap-ter eight, “The Eighth Commandment,” (pages 117 to 128) for our January 20 meeting at Star-bucks by QFC on Gilman Boulevard. Join us!

Tuesday Morning Prayer and Study GroupThe Life You’ve AlwaysWanted StudyBegins Jan. 910:00 to 11:15 a.m.The Tuesday Morning Prayer and Study Group will begin a new video/discussion study based on John Ortberg’s book, The Life You’ve Always Wanted (Zondervan) on Tuesday, January 9. The Life You’ve Always Wanted is an exploration of the ancient path of spiritual disciplines. In the book and video, Pr. Ortberg presents read-ers with what it means to live as Jesus would on a day to day basis–a life filled with mean-ing, hope, change and grace-filled intimacy with Christ. Partricipants are encouraged to purchase a copy of the book from local or on-line vendors. The prayer and study group meets in the church library beginning at 10:00 a.m.

Thursday Morning Bible StudyThe Letter to the Hebrews10:00 to 11:15 a.m.Participants in the Thursday morning Bible study are reading, studying, and discussing the Letter to the Hebrews. Pastor Thomas is lead-ing this class which meets at 10:00 a.m. in the church library. The text is Hebrews For Everyone by Tom Wright. Our first meeting in the new year is January 4.

Midlife Spirituality Gets PoliticalJan. 7, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.The next book for the Midlife Spirituality group's study will move us into the corporate and political dimensions of our faith. The book is God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It, by Jim Wallis. We meet on Sunday evenings, usually every other week, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The first meeting to dis-cuss God's Politics is on January 7 at the home of Bev Geary and Mark Mummy. That evening we'll discuss Part I (chapters 1-3). Interested in joining us, or want to know more about it? Call Mark Gravrock, (425) 467-8497.

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There will be no Logos for Kids classes on Janu-ary 14 due to the Martin Luther King, Jr. holi-day.

2006-2007 Teacher Roster and Room Assignments:PreSchoolKiersten Johnson (Trinity Lutheran College stu-dent) ................................................... Room 14Kindergarten-1st gradeChristine Fry & Christina Cummings............................................................ Room 152nd-4th GradeMatt and Christine Woodward .......... Room 17 5th-8th GradesDan & Ginger Grette .......................... Room 11First Sunday Monthly Gatherings ..... Room 18

JavaTalk is for senior high youth and meets between services at a local coffee house. The forty-five minute discussion is an opportunity for youth to enjoy community and conversa-tion based on the week’s Gospel (or other) les-son. Rather than being a lecture, JavaTalk is intended to cultivate group discussions that in-corporate personal experiences, concerns, view-points, and faith issues.

Adult Logos ClassesThemes of the Gospel of Luke, January 21 and 28, February 25, and March 4 and 11, led by Dr. Mark Gravrock, Professor at Trinity Luther-an College. “The spirit of the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. . . .” So begins the Isaiah text for Jesus’ inaugural sermon in Luke 4. The Sunday gospel readings for this year (beginning in Advent 2006) come primarily from Luke. Come and spend five Sun-day-morning sessions exploring together some of the typical themes of this gospel.

Logos at OSLC is our Sunday morning all-ages discipleship learning lab. Anchored in God’s Word, LOGOS offers opportunities for people of all ages to grow in their knowledge and under-standing of the Bible, and in their experience of God’s love for them in Jesus Christ. Childcare is available for infants and toddlers.

2006-2007 Parish AdultEducation CalendarJan. 7 Congregational Meeting; Logos for

Kids; No Adult Logos; High School Youth Snow Retreat

14 No Logos–Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend

21 Themes of the Gospel of Luke led by Dr. Mark Gravrock

28 Themes of the Gospel of Luke led by Dr. Mark Gravrock

Feb. 4 No Logos – Women’s Retreat weekend 11 All-Church Global Missions Sunday 18 No Logos–Issaquah Winter Break; Mid-

dle School/High School Ski Retreat 25 Themes of the Gospel of Luke led by

Dr. Mark Gravrock Logos for Kids Kids in preschool through eighth grade are invited to come join us for Lo-gos for Kids. Classes are held downstairs during the Logos hour from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. In Janu-ary, we will use the winter quarter materials of the Life Together curriculum. Our First Sunday gathering will be held on Jan-uary 7 in room 18 for preschool through fourth grade. During this time, we will learn and have activities about Epiphany.

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Annual OSLC Women's RetreatYou Gotta Have HeartRainbow LodgeFebruary 2 to 4, 2007The deadline date is coming—Jan.21, but there is still time for you to sign up to attend this year’s women’s retreat featuring popular speaker and author, Barb Boswell. Barb inspire us through sessions: I am the Vine…, You Gotta Have Heart, and Grandma’s Hankies.

Back by popular demand is our Talent/No Talent Show. Get your act together. You can go solo or invite some friends to join you in a humorous or serious skit, reading, musical number, poetry, etc.

The costs are as follows: $100 each for 2 or more in a room; $125 for a single room—limited to the first 5 people who request it with deposit. Register by mail or in the narthex on January 7 or January 14. Call registrar Gwynn Wilkinson at (425) 392-1893 or e-mail her at GwynnWilk@comcast.net with questions.

Don’t miss this one!

ALPHAReturns to OSLCMarch, 2007Alpha is an opportunity for anyone to explore the Christian faith in a relaxed setting over ten thought-provoking weekly sessions, with a day away session that will bring you closer to Jesus and His reality in your every day life. Why not take this opportunity to explore the meaning of life? Alpha is perfect for anyone with an inquir-ing mind and a huge heart. Our introductory session will be on March 15, 2007 at OSLC. We will celebrate with a welcoming dinner and a discussion on Christianity today.

Please watch for upcoming announcements and registration information. You can contact Judi Russell for more on this exciting offering at critterbug8@hotmail.com or call her at (425) 657-0864.

OSLC Prayer Shawl MinsitryJan. 14, 9:45 a.m.Our next meeting is on Sunday, January 14 at 9:45 a.m. between services. We'll meet at the knitting storage closet in Anderson Hall to bless completed shawls, take inventory of available shawls and update our journal. All knitters are welcome to join us. Yarn is available for those who would like to knit prayer shawls. If you know of someone who would be comforted by a shawl, please notify Karen Han-sen at (425) 392-2198 or hansenkl@comcast.net, or Sigrid Flatness at (425) 391-3708 or Sigrid777@

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Middle School EventG.O. NightFri., Jan. 12The Middle school youth will be taking part in G.O. (the greatest overnighter) Night on Friday, January 12. We will be going all night from activity to activity with about two-hundred other Lutheran youth from the synod. If you are a middle school youth, put it on the calendar and look for sign up details in early early January.

High School EventsSnow RetreatJan. 5 to 7Our annual senior high Cascade Meadows Snow retreat for ninth to twelfth grade youth is scheduled for January 5-7. Call Janet to sign up or for further information. You are welcome to bring a friend.

Coffee & ComplineSt. Mark's CathedralSun., Jan. 14, 7:30 p.m.The senior high youth will be going out for Coffee and Compline at St. Mark’s Cathedral on January 14. We will be leaving OSLC at 7:30 p.m and returning by 10:45 p.m. There is no school on the 15.

by Janet Cederberg,Associate in Ministry

Director of Youth Ministry(425) 392-4169, ext. 104

(425) 417-4442 cell

ConfirmationPrayer Partner ChapelWed., Jan. 24, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.The Confirmation students and their prayer partners are invited to participate in the Prayer Chapel on January 24. The Prayer Chapel will be open from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Contact your prayer partner and schedule a time to meet for the prayer chapel. You will want to plan for an hour for your prayer chapel experience.

Middle & HighSchool YouthMission Ridge Ski &Snowboard RetreatFeb. 18 to 20Yippee for the snow! Middle and high school youth and families are invited to go over to Mission Ridge in Wenatchee. We will be head-ing for the slopes on Sunday, February 18 and returning on Feruary. 20. We will ski or board on Monday and Tuesday and will be staying at Grace Lutheran Church. Put it on your calendar and look for further details in the mail. Call Janet with your questions or to sign up.

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Youth Ministry ScholarshipPizza FundraiserIt is pizza time again. The middle and high school youth of OSLC will be making your piz-zas on Sunday, January 28. Use the order sheet on page 10 or look for one in your Sunday bul-letin on January 14 or 21. The money raised will go toward scholarships for youth ministry events throughout the year. Thank you for your support and for loving those pizzas.

Senior High SummerMission TripChiclayo, PeruInformational MeetingJan. 14The senior high youth are scheduled for our fourth mission trip to Chiclayo, Peru and will be having an informational meeting for potential participants and their parents on January 14 during the Logos hour, 9:45-10:45 a.m. We will be going for two weeks at the beginning of July (depending on flights and loss of school days!). Look for your reminder postcard in the mail and call Janet if you have any questions.

Middle School Youth Summer Mission TripYakima Indian ReservationJuly 22 to 27The Middle School summer trip will be to the Yakima Reservation and we have spots reserved through Youthworks for July 22 to July 27, 2007. The sign up will be in February. I hope this will work with your summer cal-endar. Call Janet with your questions.

Our Savior LutheranPreschool Enrollment forFall 2007Priority registration for preschool of Our Savior Lutheran Church members begins in January. If you have had a sibling attend the preschool, you may register your preschool child during the first three weeks of January. If this is your first child to attend the preschool, you may reg-ister the last week of January. We accept chil-dren who are 3, 4 or 5 years old by August 31, 2007. Registration in Our Savior Lutheran Pre-school is open to people of any faith.

If you know of parents looking for a quality preschool, please pass on our name and phone number.

To schedule a tour, get printed information and registration forms for the preschool, please call Connie at (425) 392-1201.

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All Church RetreatLabor Day WeekendAug. 31 to Sept. 2, 2007Lake Camp Retreat andConference CenterPastor Lowell Stime, SpeakerMark your calendar and plan to attend the All-Church Retreat scheduled for Labor Day week-end, August 31 to September 2, 2007, at Lake Retreat Camp and Conference Center. Pastor Lowell Stime from Trinity Lutheran College will lead us on a "Walk Thru the New Testament" on Friday evening and Saturday morning.

Monthly Opportunities Available at OSLCThere are many opportunities throughout the month to join in fellowship, service, and study at OSLC. Here are some of these opportunities:

Mission Quilters, Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m., Anderson Hall (help make quilts–no experience or sewing skills necessary).

XYZ (Xtra Years of Zest) Study Group, sec-ond and fourth Sundays, monthly, 12:15 a.m., library.

Hope Circle, third Friday monthly, 9:30 a.m. and Faith Circle, third Monday monthly, 7:30 p.m. These two women’s groups meet for Bible study in members’ homes. Contact the church office if you’d like more information.

Global Missions Committee meets monthly in the homes of OSLC members and welcomes all those who are interested in what God is doing around the world and how they can be involved. Please contact the church office at (425) 392-4169 for more information.

OSLC LibraryAn Invitation Just for You!A few months ago a new ministry team came together at OSLC, a group of women with knitting or crocheting skills who wanted to put their skills to work creating shawls or lap-robes to comfort others. Over these first few months this group has already knitted, blessed and presented several shawls to those in need of comfort due to illness, grief, or loss. These special shawls also can be presented at the happy occasion of marriage or a new baby or to those simply in need of a hug. Two books to facilitate this group have just been added to our library. They are:

Knitting into the Mystery; a Guide to the Shawl-Knitting Ministry, by Susan S. Jorgensen and Susan S. Izard (247), discusses the history of the ministry, basics including knitting alone or with others, giving away and receiving a shawl, preparing a knitting journal, along with stories of actual shawl giving and prayers The Prayer Shawl Ministry; Reaching Those in Need, compiled by Leisure Arts (247), a real “how-to” book, it contains eight shawl pat-terns to knit or crochet, instructions on the stitches themselves, as well as several prayers and the meanings of colors

Look for these now in the new book section in the library, just inside the door to the right. Later, these can be found in the non-fiction section under the Dewey decimal number of 247. Perhaps you are a member of another ministry team or group, Logos, stewardship, evangelism, volunteerism, choir—the library has much to offer these and other groups. Watch for book suggestions to facilitate these groups in future Focus articles.

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CheesePepperoni

VegetarianPineapple & Ham

Combination . . . the works!

Help us strengthen the scholarship fund for senior and middle school students for events such as • Confirmation camp • Middle school retreats • Senior high retreats • Summer activities.

Pizzas made fresh and available for pick-up on Sunday, January 28.

Place your orders now!

Our Savior Lutheran Church Youth MinistryPizza for Scholarships

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Our Savior Lutheran Church Youth MinistryPizza for Scholarships

This year your assistance is needed to strengthen the scholarship fund for Senior and Middle School students for events such as • Confirmation camp • Middle school retreats • Senior high retreats • Summer activities.

Please order several of our 'youth-made' pizzas. They're great pizzas and you'll help our youth!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *All Pizzas are 12 inches in diameter and made fresh. Bake immediately or freeze them for later. Pizza Type Price Cheese .....................very cheesy ...............$9.00 Pepperoni ................many little circles .... $10.00 Vegetarian ...............nuevo-healthy ........ $11.00 Ham & Pineapple ....aloha! ..................... $11.00 Combination ...........the works! .............. $13.00

*All Pizzas to be picked up at OSLC on January 28 (see below).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Name __________________________________ Phone (______) ____________

# of Pizzas Type Price Cost ________ X Cheese ...........................................$9.00 = ________ ________ X Pepperoni .....................................$10.00 = ________ ________ X Vegetarian ....................................$11.00 = ________ ________ X Ham & Pineapple .........................$11.00 = ________ ________ X Combination ................................$13.00 = ________

Make checks payable to OSLC Youth Group TOTAL = ________

*Two Pick-up times available. Please select one:Sunday morning (after the 1st service)- Jan. 28 9:30-10:00 a.m. ______Sunday morning (after the 2nd service)- Jan. 28 noon-12:45 p.m. ______

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Claire Moore, Dylan Jonas & Catina Piliaris, all baptized on November 19; Dawson McKay Loudermilk (son of Chawn & Amanda) bap-tized on November 26.

We pray for our missionaries and glob-al missions partners: Henrik & Patty Christopherson in Peru; Rwanda Partners; Sister Congregations: St. Catherine’s Lutheran Church in St. Petersburg, Russia & Mekelle Lutheran Church in Mekelle, Ethiopia; for the congregations in Chicalyo, Peru: Pepe at Las Brisas, Merci in San Antonio & Harold at Las Lomas. MaaSae Girls Lutheran Secondary School in Monduli, Tanzania.

Prayer is putting our faith into action, and prayer is pleasing to God. Link up with our prayer chain if you have a need or if you want to share a thanksgiving or praise.Call Jill Naegle at (425) 392-0116

PrayersWe remember in prayer OSLC members: Pastor Peter Anderson; Pearl Beach; Ila Bombyk; Bill Evans; Mary Fricke; Frank Kleingartner; Strykar Korsmo; Harry & Eileen Lucia; Anna Njos; Samantha Papp; Colleen Petersen; Lucille Sanderson; Bob Schlemlein; Rebecca Shure-Reinhart; Pam Travis.

We pray for the safety of OSLC members and friends serving in the military here and abroad.

We ask for peace and comfort for those mourn-ing the death of loved ones: Mabel Woods (Margot Inman); John Korsmo, Sr. (uncle of Sigrid Flatness); David Boyce (Georgia North); Deputy Steve Cox (Georgeanne Park); Kathy Ramstad (Beth Garrison); Robert Hannemann (father of Jo Shoemaker); Lois Campbell Farthing (Janet Heck).

We pray for expectant mothers: Lisa Kramer (daughter-in-law of Gordon & Leotagail Kramer); Kristina Silberschlaag (Paulette Claver); Natalie Howe (sister-in-law of Shelley & Mark Howe); Christie Shimizu (Monroe Family); Amy Nelson (Janet Heck); Kelsey deVeer (daughter-in-law of Roger & Marilyn deVeer).

We offer thanksgiving to God: for Jan Setterlund’s healing and recovery; that Cheri Crowe’s (aunt of Jennifer Tolo) cancer is in remission; for Chris Kramer’s (son of Gordon & Leotagail Kramer) synod approval for ordi-nation; for the joyous birth of Megan Keener Stuvland (daughter of Jason & Julie and grand-daughter of Jerry & Linda Nack). We pray for OSLC Preschool, Teachers, Students, and Parents.

We promise to nurture new members received on December 17: Joseph & Lucy Acker; Sandy Aldworth; Ann Byar; Donald and Jean Chaney; Debora Coles; Barbara Extract; Edward and Sandra Fish; Catina Piliaris; Sharyn Winters. We promise to nurture: Pamela, Callan &

Habitat for Humanity Thanks YouOn December 9, Habitat for Humanity, in con-junction with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Social Concerns Ministry, dedicated the two homes OSLC helped build at Snoqualmie Ridge. Over one-hundred people attended the rainy day ceremony, where the keys for the homes were presented to the two families. OSLC Quilting Ministry provided two beauti-ful quilts to the new homeowners. These hand-made works of art had stamped designs hand-painted by the preschool children at OSLC.

This monumental day was made possible by the many hours of labor supplied by the sev-enty-plus individuals at OSLC who participated in the builds during 2006. We look forward to increasing OSLC involvement with Habitat in 2007.

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDIssaquah, WAPermit #27

Our Savior Lutheran Church745 Front St. SouthIssaquah, WA 98027

Return Service Requested

Larry E. Thomas ..........................................Pastor ext. 106 lethomas@oslcissaquah.org Eldon Pickering ............ Interim Visitation Pastor ext. 111 marpick@comcast.net Shane Lynch ................... Interim Choir Director ext. 103 lynchs2@u.washington.eduJanet Cederberg .................. Associate in Ministry Director of Youth Ministries ext. 104 janetc@oslcissaquah.orgJanet Heck ...........................Parish Administrator ext. 100 janeth@oslcissaquah.orgEj Giberson .........................................Bookkeeper ejgiberson@hotmail.com

Vern Lindquist .............................Parish Organistvernlindquist@msn.com

Becky Mogensen ...Bulletin Publication Assistant ext. 111 beckym@oslcissaquah.org Debbie Sladek .................................... Focus Editor debsladek@impressionmediagroup.com Sabrina Wick .......................... Nursery AttendantPaul Anderson ..... Lutheran Counseling Network (425) 455-2960Connie Van Houten ............... Preschool Director

(425) 392-1201preschool1201@hotmail.com

The Focus of Our Savior Lutheran Church is published monthly. All information is due by noon on the 15th of each month, unless noted otherwise. Please email items to Debbie Sladek (see below).

OSLC Staff

Our Savior Lutheran Church745 Front St. SouthIssaquah, WA 98027Phone: (425) 392-4169 (see extensions below)Fax: (425) 392-2946Website: www.oslcissaquah.org

Sunday worship services: 8:30 & 11:00 a.m.

LOGOS hour: 9:45 to 10:45 a.m.

OSL Preschool: (425) 392-1201