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Connections In This Issue:
Meet the New Council
Members
New Year Preschool
Adventures
Caring Through
Cooking
Preparing Our Hearts
For Lent
Winter 2016
QUARTERLY
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” was
performed by students of al ages
from Our Saviour’s. See article
inside this issue of Quarterly
Connections for more details.
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Worship Services Our Saviour’s Campus 815 S. Washington St., Naperville Saturdays at 5:00 pm, Sundays at 8:00, 9:00, 10:30 am Celebration Campus 919 S. Washington St., Naperville Sundays at 10:00 am This is the NEW Quarterly Connections. We are testing changing Monthly Connections to Quarterly Connections. By doing this we will be bring you more devotional information and complete stories in one quarterly issue. Look for more stories on an on going basis in Weekly Connections, e-connections and on Facebook. If you are currently not receiving the e-connections email, and would like to do so, please contact Michelle Hamilton at 630-355-2522 or at [email protected] so we can get your email address. We are always looking for stories and devotionals about our authentic, caring faith community. Please contact Jean Jepson at 630-281-4225 or at [email protected] any questions or stories.
“Knowing Jesus" goes hand in hand with "Making
Jesus Known". The more we know Jesus, the more
we are anxious to share the good news with others.
And the more we share the good news of Jesus through
our words and actions, the more we know Jesus.
During Advent and Christmas, we have been celebrating the love that is
revealed through Jesus, who came to Earth many years ago and continues to
come to us today. We have been focused on "Knowing Jesus".
Beginning on January 6, we move into the Epiphany season. In this season,
we focus on our response to this good news. How do we live in response to
the amazing love that God has given us? How do we reflect God's love to
those around us?
The wise men are major players in the Epiphany story. Sometimes we forget
that they were outsiders, foreigners. Was the good news for them, too?
Indeed it was. Is the good news for us, too? Indeed it is.
The Wise Men received the gift of the baby Jesus and they also came bearing
gifts—gold, frankincense, myrrh. We receive the gift of Jesus in our lives and
we also are given gifts to share—our time, talent, and treasure.
As Christmas has filled us with the joy of Jesus, may we now live each day
reflecting that joy. As we know Jesus, may we give ourselves away making
Jesus known. And that will help us know Jesus more and more.
Blessed Epiphany!
In Christ, Pastor John Gerike
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Thank You to All and to All a Happy New Year!!
Thank you ALL for a wonderful Christmas here at Our Saviour's. We had so many people walk though our doors
both at Celebration and at Our Saviour’s. Christmas Eve was filled with joy and excitement at the Good News that
was coming our way. We truly could not have done it without all of you and your support and service. From
beginning to end, your smiles and welcoming presence were a sight to behold. It truly is a wonderful life!
Happy Birthday Jesus, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to all.
News from Council Written by Lane Lewis
Happy New Year! The Nominating Committee that you elected at the June Annual Meeting
has put forth a slate of Candidates for Council. The slate included returning Council
Members Christine Robinson and John Updegraff and new members Steve Spayer, Graham
Brenna and Susan Miller. The slate was approved.
Council took action at our most recent meeting to insure that 100% of all Debt Free contributions will go 100%
towards principal reduction for the balance of the Debt Free appeal period (June 2018). This is made possible by a
committed contribution from the Mae Frutchey Estate that will cover interest. Additionally, the Finance Committee
has developed a financing option through Thrivent that will enable us to realize a lower interest rate on a portion of
the loan balance, saving interest and further accelerating our pay down. Thank you to all members who have
contributed to the "Debt Free, to be..." appeal. Together we continue to move closer and closer to being debt free!
Our Saviour’s would like to thank Lane Lewis for serving as Council President over the past few years. Lane
has been a strong leader for our faith community during a time of transition. We would also like to recognize
Cindy Huenecke and Julie Michael for all their contributions to council over the past few years. All three of
these council members have finished their time on council this January, and new member have stepped on
to the council team.
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John Updegraff and wife, Kristin
Reenstjerna, have been members at Our
Saviour's for 11 years. He has been
actively involved in the Career Transition
Workshop, volunteers as an Usher,
member of a great Bible and Wine small
group, PADs, and Feed My Starving
Children.
Christine Robinson is serving her second
two year term on Council. Christine and her
family have been members since 1996. She
has been actively involved in communion
serving, greeting, hospitality team member,
CARE Moms Women’s Ministry, and a
small group.
Steve Spayer is new to council in 2016.
Steve and his family have been members
since 1997. He has been actively involved
as a Junior High Youth Mentor, Marriage
Mentor, Stephen’s Minister, Prayer
Minister, Visioning Committee, a recent
Call Committee, Transition Committee,
PADS, Garage Sale and Men’s Ministry.
Graham Brenna is new to council in 2016.
He has been a member of since 1992.
Graham served as a mentor for the Junior
and Senior High programs, been part of the
Slovakia mission team, the website team,
and the IT Geek team. He was on staff as
the Media Director .
Susan Miller is new to council in 2016. She
and her family have been members since
2007. Susan has been actively involved
with the Bach Ringers, the Altar Guild,
CARE Moms, Buds, Suds, N Grub, the
Celebration Clinic and the African Summit.
Neil Springer and his wife, Janet, have been
members for two years. Neil has been
involved with PADS, Celebration Clinic and
Feed My Starving Children.
.
Ruth Nelson and her husband have been
members since 2002. She has been actively
involved in the Garden/Columbarium
Committee, Pastor Call Committee, Human
Resource Committee, and Bright Stars of
Bethlehem.
Jennifer Schuler and family have been
members for the past 16 years. She has
been involved in Church School, VBS,
Meals for Moms, Pastoral Call Committee,
and Baby Care Kits.
Greg Nasman and his family have been
members for 19 years. Greg has been active
as a Church School Teacher, served on Fair
Way to Heaven Golf Committee, PADS, and
worked as a Celebration Clinic Volunteer.
Meet Our Saviour’s Council Members The Our Saviour’s Council is here to help lead our faith community. We encourage you to get to know them, and to share
your thoughts and ideas with them and the Our Saviour’s staff.
For more information about these council members, check out our website at oursaviours.com
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Written By: Allison Tupek,
Communications
Last month, we featured an article about the ways in
which God’s love is revealed through Jesus’s birth at
Christmas. As a follow-up to that topic, this month we
will explore ways that we share Christ’s love inside and
outside of OSLC. Pastor Brian has once again agreed
to share his insight on how we make Jesus known!
Pastor Brian and his wife, Mandy, immediately felt a
warm welcome from our congregation. We take
hospitality seriously, and it is one of the strongest ways
that our community has revealed God’s love. Pastor
Brian even conducted an experiment in order to
determine just how serious we are about hospitality.
Pastor Brian and Mandy had some close friends visit
the two campuses and refrain from sharing that they
knew them. They were pleased to discover that their
friends received the same warm welcome as they did,
which shows that we are genuine and authentic in our
caring community (and that we weren’t trying only to
impress the new pastor and his wife)!
Hospitality is one of the ways we reveal Christ’s love to
each other, but we also reveal His love to others beyond
our church walls. Pastor Brian has observed this love
shared through the Children’s Center Preschool. “Did
you know that our preschool is composed of only 11%
of our members? That means that every day we are
ministering to Naperville families. The majority of them
do not belong to our church, yet they are coming
through our doors, walking our halls, loving the care
they receive, and sharing news of this awesome
ministry with others,” remarks Pastor Brian. “I love the
work that is being done at the Children’s Center. The
staff begins each day with prayer, which really
impresses me. Every morning, they ask for God’s
blessing and guidance - even before they welcome
these families, enter their classrooms, and preach
God’s love to the children.” Pastor Brian also
appreciates that he’s had the opportunity to visit
different classrooms and become acquainted with the
students. “The kids know me and they know my puppy!
It’s during these times that we are building relationships
together that we have an opportunity to express God’s
love. I am very thankful for the ministry that the
Children’s Center provides on behalf of OSLC.”
Pastor Brian hopes that our church will continue to
create a loving community that is focused on sharing
God’s love in simple ways. “I have a new theme/motto
in life: Keep It Simple,” he states. “When church and/or
life become too complicated, people stop getting
involved and participating, and I can’t blame them.
Jesus showed us simple acts of sharing God’s love
through water, wine, and bread. Jesus teaches us to
love Him and others and to do it is as often as we can.”
“I have been thinking and praying about the ways that
our church can continue to be connected when we are
apart,” says Pastor Brian. “The most popular way to
connect is through social media. Hashtags (#) are used
to bring together certain topics in the virtual world. For
instance, everyone who watches the Bulls game on TV
might write on Facebook and/or Twitter, #GoBulls. It’s a
way to collect the same topic by everyone using an
identical hashtag. What if OSLC used a hashtag when
they experience God throughout the week? I believe
there are times in our lives when we are handed love
notes from God. Maybe it’s a beautiful sunset or maybe
it’s through a loving message from your child. I have
invented the hashtag #FG2U (From God to You); so (for
example) when you see a random act of kindness,
experience an amazing small group moment or mission
meeting, we can post a story or picture on social media
with #FG2U. This could be OSLC’s official hashtag to
share God’s love with the world!”
John 13: 34-35 states, “A new command I give you:
Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must
love one another. By this, everyone will know that you
are My disciples, if you love one another.” Pastor Brian
has experienced our church truly living out our motto of
Knowing Jesus and Making Jesus Known, and thus
revealing God’s love. As we begin the new year, let us
commit to revealing Christ’s love to one another, inside
and outside of our church community!
God’s Love Revealed, Part 2
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New Year, New Preschool Adventures Written by Kelly Gilligan
Happy New Year!! At The Children’s Center Preschool we are
happy to be back at school after a long Christmas break. In
December, we celebrated Christmas Around The World by
visiting different classroom “countries” and doing activities that
they would do in their country to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
We highlighted five different countries that have Christianity!
One of our favorite countries to visit was Australia. Here we
sang Christmas carols with Pastor Brian while holding glow stick
“candles.” Pastor Brian even played the didgeridoo. This is a
special hollow instrument carved out of wood, standing five feet
tall, that the Aborigine people of Australia play. We then
stamped our passport and traveled to the next country. We
even got to travel around the world in our pajamas! It was a
great way to end our busy month of December.
During this cold January month, what better way to warm up
than with a good book? So we are once again starting our
Grandparent Reading Program that will run from January
through May. Are you a Senior who enjoys reading and
spending time with preschoolers? Have you always wanted to
be an invited guest of The Children’s Center but just didn’t have
a reason? If you answered YES to either of those questions,
you might be just the candidate for our Grandparent Reading
Program that will return in January. Each month we will have
guest readers in our preschool classrooms. You don’t have to
have a grandchild in our preschool program. You don’t even
truly need to be a grandparent to participate. If you, or someone
you know, might be interested in reading, please contact Eileen
in the preschool office at [email protected]. We
will provide you with a classroom and a picture book and will get
you on the schedule. Please come share your time and talents
with the preschoolers.
Finally, registration for the 2016-2017 school year is well
underway! We welcome church members to come take a tour of
the preschool and find out about our program and curriculum.
We want you to be part of our Children’s Center Preschool
family. Hurry and secure your child’s spot for next school year!
Come learn and play with us! Call Kelly at 630-281-4300.
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How do we Make Jesus Known
to others?
Written by Janine Norgaard
Knowing Jesus and Making Jesus Known takes time. On
Saturday, December 10, Family Time Christmas was enjoyed
by children of all ages.
Using the four faith practices of caring conversation, devotion,
rituals, and traditions and service, the families got to know
Jesus and each other a little better.
Families enjoyed a Nativity challenge game, hearing the
Christmas story, making an Epiphany picture for our senior
lunch guests, making a Nativity silhouette and enjoying some
cookies and conversation.
How do you make Jesus known to others? By making time to
be together, by listening to God’s stories, by serving others,
and by sharing and celebrating God’s love for each one of us.
And not just at Christmastime, but throughout the year!
Who is missing?
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A Charlie Brown Christmas was a Joyful Success!! Written by Terry Thompson
On Sunday, December 20, A Charlie Brown Christmas was presented with nine of our middle school students in
the lead roles. Under the direction of Ed Perry and Terry Thompson, they learned and memorized the show in
eight short rehearsals! The story, based on the classic animated television special, A CHARLIE BROWN
CHRISTMAS, reminds Charlie Brown, Snoopy and all of us about the true meaning of Christmas. It was a
powerful night as they shared the Christmas Story! The show was a part of the Youth and Family Potluck and
Caroling!
Cast and Crew:
Megan Neville - Lucy
Andrew Felbein - Schroeder
Matthew Felbein - Charlie Brown
Eleanor Schuler - Sally
Kayla Licitra - Linus
Nick Bollendorff - Snoopy
Ryan Anderson - Pig Pen
Lauren Gilfillan - Violet
Kaia Lacombe - Frieda
Susan and Kayla Gere on Sound/Lights
Chris Brown -Technical Director
Paula Felbein - Set & Props
This summer there will be a Summer Theater Camp for Junior High and High School
Students. This is a great a opportunity for student to try acting and creating stage
props in a smaller setting. Watch for more details in March about the summer
program, along with other opportunities for summer camps for students of all ages.
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Love Revealed though Our Saviour’s
Youth:
Eagle's Wings High School Choir spread Christmas Cheer at
Tabor Hills by caroling
Junior and Senior High Youth wrapped presents. Thanks to a
grant by Thrivent, all donations went to support the Baby Care
Ministry.
Junior and Senior High Youth brought in a lot of warmth to share
this holiday season: 34 pairs of mittens or gloves, 75 hats or ear
muffs, and 5 Scarves.
Senior High Youth made fleece blankets and no-sew hats for
homeless and Christmas cards for the elderly.
40 plus High School Youth and mentors combined their money
to go shopping for presents for Toys-for-Tots!
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Caring for Our Saviour’s Community through Cooking
Written by Janet Pivarunas
A new small group ministry has been formed with the intention of easing some of the strain for those individuals or families who would benefit from a little extra kindness in the form of a meal prepared with love in the Our Saviour’s kitchen. A dedicated group of women have been meeting once a month to prepare and freeze meals that can be delivered by our parish nurse. The meals are delivered to Our Saviour’s members who are ill, who have had surgery, who are caregivers themselves or to those who need a little meal assistance. Since September 2015, over 40 meals have been made and delivered to our community. It has been a win-win for this community. The small group is blessed by sharing God’s work and growing in faith together. The Our Saviour’s community recipients benefit by receiving meals that have been prepared and prayed over by fellow church members. God’s spirit is at work in this small group ministry that feeds the heart, mind and body.
“Our whole family enjoyed it (casserole) very much tonight! Your kindness is very much appreciated!...Thank you for thinking of us and making my day! “
“...It all truly WAS made with love! Thank you all so much! Your thoughts and prayers are in our [hearts]!”
“Please pass this note on to your newly formed Casserole Kitchen Crew! The chicken divan was delicious and we got two meals out of the dinner! I think this committee will be a wonderful enhancement to all the caring groups we have at Our Saviour’s. I'm so blessed to belong to such a thoughtful, caring congregation! If I was their "guinea pig" tell them all how I most appreciated a good meal during my confinement! Keep up the good project!”
“What a thoughtful and caring way to send prayers. Thank you.”
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Preparing Our Hearts for Lent
By Pastor Al Creighton
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in
love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant
offering and sacrifice to God.” ~Ephesians 5:1-2
“I hate you!” An ugly remark but it expresses the spirit of many
in our modern world. Almost equally unpleasant is “I ignore
you.” This is the attitude of unconcern, of I-couldn’t-care-less,
which has become the norm of a large percentage of society.
Obviously, neither “I hate you” nor “I ignore you” should
characterize the Christian. Rather our approach should be
summed up in three words – I love you. The only problem is
how do we learn to love? How do we learn to love protestors,
terrorists, nasty neighbors and boring relatives and all the other
trouble-makers in today’s world?
The answer is that we must learn from Jesus. As we enter Lent
perhaps we can spend some time each day learning how to love
as Jesus has loved us. I think we can practice this discipline by
three simple steps.
We begin with God loves me. This may seem a roundabout
way to get to it but it is absolutely necessary to begin with the
idea that God is the source of love and that God created us
within this source. Jesus makes this idea so clear. His lived his
whole life in the revelation that God loved him. Everything he
spoke and did, including his death on the cross, showed this
love.
Next, God loves not only me, but rather God loves all people.
Jesus prayed for all people, including his enemies. This is a
hard step to grasp.
We like to think of love as something deserved, something
earned. But God’s love, as demonstrated by Jesus, is pure
grace – God’s unmerited, undeserved love for all of us.
Finally, we must love all people. If God loves us and he also
loves all others, then we must love them too. It would be
difficult if not impossible for us to accept the forgiveness and
peace brought to us by Jesus and at the same time deny this to
others. Even when people attack us, or ignore us we must
remind ourselves that Jesus died for love of them too.
This love, then, must become a way of life. Love is not a matter
of pious phrases, but of action.
Our Saviour’s mission is Knowing Jesus and
Making Jesus Known. Our 2016 vision to
help us focus on our mission is Live It Out,
as an authentic, caring community. Being an
authentic, caring community helps us build
relationships both within our faith community
and beyond. As part of our faith community,
what part of being an authentic, caring
community will you live out?
Authentic
When we look at the definition we see
words like real, genuine, true and
worthy of acceptance.
What does it mean to you in our faith
community?
How can you become part of an
authentic community?
Caring
Some synonyms for caring are kind,
warmhearted, tender; more concerned,
attentive, thoughtful, considerate; loving,
understanding, and compassionate. Do
you remember hearing “and they will
know we are Christians by our love”?
How will you care for and show others
love in this faith community and
around the world?
Community
Being a community means that there
is a feeling of fellowship with others, as a
result of sharing common attitudes,
interests, and goals.
How can we all work together
to have all those who walk
through our doors feel
part of this faith
community?
Special thanks to Kelly Gilligan, Greg Nasman and
Lisa Hamman for their input on the vision.
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Teaching and Reaching Others The following is a letter from a new friend, John Bartko, a man from Pennsylvania who joined The Luther Footsteps
tour last year, and it shows how this ministry is helping people grow in their faith.
Dear Members of Our Saviour’s,
The Center for Christian Education (CCE) is a project I learned about via, what else but the internet, when I was searching for mission and volunteer opportunities in the Slovak Republic. My father came from Slovakia, and before my trip with Our Saviour’s in 2014, I had visited Slovakia on six previous occasions, which included visiting cousins, being on organized tours and one summer of language school in Bratislava. I have a good command of conversational Slovak, which has served me well in my visits.
Via the CCE website, I learned of a number of USA Lutheran churches which support the CCE with summer work and teaching programs. I contacted some of them, but for various reasons, coordinating with their trips did not materialize. But when Our Saviour’s announced the Luther/Slovakia Insight Trip in October-November 2014, I leapt at the chance of joining you all. Graciously and perhaps courageously, Don Swanson and Gail Jernberg took a chance on an unknown living in Pennsylvania and agreed to my joining the trip.
I met the group at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, and they were welcoming right at the onset. Bohdan Hrobon, the director of CCE, met us at the airport and remained with us for the duration of the trip. We traveled to Luther sites in Germany, then on to Slovakia, Martin and the CCE, and then on to Nitra, the sister city for Naperville. The Luther sites strengthened and educated me further in my Christian beliefs and my Lutheranism.
Having visited communist Slovakia in the seventies and observing the devastating effect it had on Christianity, I was so moved by the steadfast courage of Bohdan in working almost feverishly to rebuild Lutheran Christianity via the children. We visited CCE classrooms and had slide presentations and discussions about the current status of the CCE and its further developmental plans.
Without exaggeration, the stunning, emotional, hard-hitting moment for me came when Bohdan, at his great-grandfather and grandfather's church, displayed a 400-year family Bible and declared that he was willing to part with it to the highest bidder to further support the development of CCE. With that kind of feeling emanating from Bohdan, how could I not feel otherwise moved?
Since that visit I am proud to say that I have made a commitment to support the CCE, financially and otherwise. I am so pleased that pathways have opened for Bohdan to embark on further capital expansions into adjacent buildings. Thank you again, Our Saviour’s, for allowing me to travel with you. The spiritual rewards cannot be expressed in words.
God Bless one and all,
John Bartko
First Lutheran Carlisle, PA, December 11, 2015
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Water for Africans
Written by Anne Wentz
In May of this year, my husband, Bill and I went on a
safari in Africa. We were with a wonderful tour
company and had a total of 13 people in our group,
from Texas, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Massachusetts.
We visited Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. We had
wonderful sightings of lions, elephants, giraffes, hippos
and even a pangolin (rarely seen).
One of the most interesting things about this kind of trip
is meeting the local people and learning about the
cultures of their countries, which are so different from
ours. Our guide, Luke, is a 40-year old man who lives in
a little village of about 500 people in Zimbabwe. There
is no electricity or well water in his village or the two nearby villages. They get all of their water from a
nearby polluted river. The villagers live a subsistence life, growing vegetables, owning a few chickens,
building their dwellings with termite dung, wood, and roofs of thatched grass. They cook their two meals a
day over a fire outside their dwellings.
When we talked to Luke about his dreams for his village, he said he wished for a well. He said the cost for
the borehole would be about $2,800, a price beyond what the villagers could ever imagine affording. As we
talked to others in our group, we all agreed that if we all contributed, it was a small cost to each of us but had
the potential for a huge impact on about 1500 people in the three villages.
So we decided to build a well in Zimbabwe. Understand that Zimbabwe is a very corrupt country, and we had
no guarantee that any money we sent there would actually get to the intended destination. And we were
depending on Luke to be our “man on the ground” to connect us with a reputable drilling contractor and
oversee the process. Bill set up an account here, all the tour members sent their checks to us, and we have
now wired money three times for the survey, drilling and partial payment of the pump. The drilling was done
on Thursday, November 5. The well is 40 meters deep and has good water flow. People from three villages
will benefit from this well. We look forward to the installation of the pump and pictures of flowing water.
Dear Anne,
I cannot thank you enough for a great job you did for me and my community. You have changed our lives.
When the borehole was drilled I was right there but unfortunately I could not communicate with you since
there is no internet in the village. I have to go to town which is a good two hour walk plus a 25 minute bus
ride. Yes three villages will benefit from the borehole but some people are about 5km away. A big thank you
to you and all the folks that contributed. Now we are only waiting for the bush pump (hand pump). At the
moment there is a pipe sticking out that we covered with a drum so that cows or donkeys do not run into it.
Thank youuuuu!!!!
Regards
Abiot
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Praying for Each Other
Life brings ups and downs for each of us times of praise, and times of
sadness. Being part of a faith community praying for each other is something
we can offer, especially when we don’t seem to have the right words to say to
someone during the highs and lows. In addition to praying for each other, we
have several prayer options here at Our Saviour’s.
Prayer Chapel - There is a small, intimate prayer chapel located at the end of
the hall near the Bach Room at Our Saviour’s Campus. This room has soft
lighting, and a beautiful stained glass art piece, which is the perfect setting for
personal prayer, or to pray with one or two other people. The prayer chapel is
open for anyone who would like to have personal prayer time. Pastors can be
available to pray with you upon request.
Worship Prayers - These are the names read aloud when the Prayers of the Community are read during worship.
Because of many privacy issues, we must ask permission of the person for whom we are praying to say their name
aloud. If that person is unable to give us permission, we ask a spouse, parent, or other relative for permission.
Because such investigation takes a while, we may not be able to get the name into the prayers on the following
Sunday. It is also helpful to know how long they would like to be in the prayers. Usually the name is submitted
because of some critical situation and the length of time is one or two weeks. The Care or Pastoral Teams will
follow-up with the person to continue personal ministering that may be needed.
Prayer Line - Our Saviour’s is blessed with Prayer
Ministers whose ministry is to pray for people regularly and
to be a presence during worship services for people who
would like a private word of prayer and/or share a concern.
Names can be given or submitted to a Pastor or a Care
Team member or to Judy Healy (Prayerline coordinator)
without needing permission since most of these prayer
requests are for name only. Once a month the Prayer
Ministers meet for a time of review, sharing of concerns,
and a time of prayer for each other and those in need of
prayer.
Prayer Ministers - Most services there is a prayer minister
that is available during communion. The prayer minister will
pray with individuals regarding anything you want to pray
about. This could be prayers of celebration, concern or for
those in need. The prayer ministers are located at the back
of the worship space at both campuses and are available
for anyone in need of this type of prayer.
Prayer Shawls - A prayer shawl is intended to be a reminder of God’s ever present love which is as near to you as
your own body is to your spirit. This prayer shawl has already helped one person, the knitter, to be open to the
presence of God. When you receive or offer this gift, know that someone prayed during its creation. May you
experience comfort and peace in the loving presence of God. Prayer shawls are available through our Parish
Nurse, Dawn DeBoer. Donations are always welcome so that we can continue to purchase yarn.
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Winter Sports and Brain Injuries
Submitted by Dawn DeBoer, Parish Advocate Parish Nurse
Winter sports, such as ice skating and skiing are a great way to keep active during the colder months. But
these sports can also put you and your family at risk of traumatic brain injuries (TBI). In fact, the American
Academy of Neurology states that 20,000 of the 300,000 brain injuries that occur each year happen while the
sufferer is participating in winter sports. TBIs can occur when someone falls and hits his/her head or is struck
in the head by an object. Head injuries should never be ignored, and children and adults who suffer a head
injury should seek medical attention immediately. TBIs can have a long-lasting impact on a person’s health
and, in serious cases, can lead to permanent impairment or death. Special care should be taken when
participating in winter sports. Both children and adults should wear a protective helmet, and, if it is damaged
during an accident, they should replace it with a new one. People who exercise outside should also be
careful as sidewalks and streets when slippery increase the chance of falls for walkers, runners, and cyclists.
Resource: Advocatehealth.com •
Births and Deaths
We celebrate with:
Sarah and Brandon Jagneaux at the birth of their daughter, Kensley; grandparents are Pete and Sue Harvey, great grandfather is Roger Modder, aunts are Rachel, Emily, and Grace Harvey.
Kristina and Ernie Sessa on the birth of their daughter, Nicole Rose; big sister is Ashley Rae and proud grandparents are Donna and Delane Finke.
We lift up in prayer:
The family of Dave Planting, brother-in-law of John Uhrich, as they mourn his passing.
Lu Koerper and family at the death of her brother, Ken Weber.
Patrick and Suzanne Hughes at the death of Pat’s father, John Hughes.
Sandy Henrichs and family at the death of her brother-in-law, Howard Henrichs.
John and Laura Stout at the death of his uncle, Gary VanBuskirk.
Rick and Alison Lebeck and family at the death of his mother, Dorothy Lebeck.
The Prayer Wall - This wall is to the left of the
Fellowship Center as you leave the worship space. If
you wish to write a prayer, paper and pen are available
on the shelf below the display. Prayers are written,
paper folded, and prayer inserted into the slot on the
wall. Names do not need to be added. This form of
prayer will remain on the wall until the one who placed
it there removes it. We encourage you to write your
prayers and offer them up to God.
If you or someone you know is in need of prayers,
please contact Pastor Al at [email protected]
so that we can help
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Our Saviour's Evangelical Lutheran Church 815 S. Washington Street Naperville, IL 60540 Phone: (630) 355-2522 Fax: (630) 355-2553 Web site: www.oursaviours.com
Will you help us tell the stories of God’s love
and the love of other?
How have you experienced an authentic, caring
faith community at Our Saviour’s? Share your
stories about how God is working in your life
and the lives of others! All articles for the
Spring Quarterly Connections are due by
February 28, 2016. Please submit all articles and
photos to Jean Jepson at