In this space, we will be sharing stories from our congregation. Some will be short, some will be a bit longer. Some will be about struggles, some will be about simple joys. But they will all be reminders of how we encounter God as we go about our daily lives.
This week’s story is “Love One Another” by J.L.
I stop by a local Wawa a few times a week for a coffee at the start of my 5:00 a.m. commute. I find it buzzing with people starting their workday. There are landscapers, road crews, construction workers, nurses, fuel haulers, business professionals, and many more. Their clothing ranges from worn work-boots and stained coveralls to fresh scrubs and white-collared shirts. Some are in their 20s grabbing some Gatorade, others are in their 30s ordering a burrito, some are over 60 picking up a sandwich while balancing a cup of coffee.
These patrons span all political, economic, social, cultural, racial, educational, and religious backgrounds. And if you believe the pundits, these patrons should be shouting at each other with disdain. But what I have experienced (100% of the time) are kind greetings, doors held for others, offers to jump-start dead batteries, and goofy workday cliches delivered with a smile.
So why am I writing this? Because I want to share with my church the positive human interactions, signs of decency, and caring humanity displayed by a group of strangers who share a few things in common: 1) they are all awake way too early, 2) they all have a tough workday ahead, and 3) they understand that everyone around them is in the same boat. Recognizing what we have in common, in any setting, makes following Jesus’ command a little easier.
John 13:20 20 Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”
30 Fast Hours 2025
Thank you OSLC, family, and friends for supporting us! From noon on March 7 and continuing through March 8 at 6:30pm, 8 OSLC youth and 5 adults fasted for 30 consecutive hours in order to raise funds for ELCA World Hunger. The Story: Our youth began seeking pledges to support their fast in April, along with items to create kits. On March 7, they began fasting at noon, then came together at 6pm. They did service project, studied Bible texts,…
Twelve Days Later Was Great Fun!
Twelve Days Later, written and directed by Pidge Luper Church, was performed at Our Saviour over the weekend of February 7-9, 2025. The audience had almost as much fun as the cast! The story of the magi following the star to find the child Jesus, and the Holy Family’s subsequent escape to Egypt. We are also excited to say that donations of $600 were gathered for 30 Fast Hours, which will go toward feeding hungry people. What a generous audience!
OSLC Youth and Young Adults Attend 2024 ELCA Gathering!
On July 15, 2024, 5 high school and 2 young adults left for New Orleans to participate in the ELCA Youth and Young Adult Gathering. What a week it was! In addition to the many engaging activities provided by the gathering staff, there was much time for fellowship, silliness, and growth. The theme of this gathering was Created To Be, and it featured many powerful speakers. Through their stories they reminded us that we are all made exactly the way…
2023 Blessing of the Quilts!
This Year’s Blessing of the Quilts was a joyful event! This month’s “We Are the Virginia Synod” video focuses on Our Saviour’s Quilt Ministry. It is a wonderful piece, and includes images of our church on September 24. There is an interview with Andrea Mutterer, the leader of this ministry. The Virginia Lutheran can be found here. This is a direct link to the video itself. The amazing Quilt Ministry here at OSLC is hard at work every week of…
Team USA Rides in the Quad Tandem Bike World Championship for
The 2023 Quad Tandem World Championship was a tremendous success! Team USA members Jude Rittenhouse, Zac Moylan, Colin Ashby, Sam Paccassi, and (alternate) Drew Dove proved surprisingly adept at riding a four-person bike, despite not even getting to see one in person until two days before the event started! They certainly showed they could learn on the fly as they conquered the perils of mountainous terrain, highway riding, and even gravel roads over the course of their 8-day, nearly 500-mile…
2023 Hurley Mission Trip
On July 9, ten youth and adults from OSLC headed to Appalachia for a week of learning, helping, worship, and fellowship with the people of Hurley, Virginia. During the week, we built walkways, porches, and stairs in order to help make homes safer and easier to enter and exit. We loved getting to know the homeowners and the full-time volunteers at the Hurley Community Center. They taught us all many new skills and became good friends! We aso had lots…
Vacation Bible School 2023
What a great week we had at VBS this year! Over 30 students and nearly as many youth and adult volunteers participated in Stellar: Shine Jesus’ Light at OSLC June 19-24. They learned about how Jesus loves us and helps us to shine his light for others. There were all sorts of fun activities, music, lessons, and story time. And of course, there was time for tasty snacks and play, too! Many thanks to all of our hard-working and dedicated…
30 Fast Hours!
From noon on May 26 and continuing through May 27th, at 6:30, 15 OSLC youth and adults fasted for 30 consecutive hours in order to raise funds for ELCA World Hunger. We raised $4700! The funds were sent to ELCA World Hunger, who will use it where it is most desperately needed. They work all over the globe to provide tools, seed, farm animals, and education as well as emergency resources. Thank you to our congregation, friends, and family for your incredible…
Bluegrass and Bikes Concert
Thank you to all who attended and supported our fundraising concert for the USA Quad Bike Team on March 19, 2023! You made it a great success. We raised almost $3,000! –With special thanks to the band, Dunlap & Mabe, for providing the wonderful music at no cost! A note to our community from the team: Thank you to all from TEAM USA! We would like to extend a sincere thank you…
Easter 2023
OSLC Enjoyed a wonderful Easter together! Thank you to all who participated during Holy Week and Easter for the many things you did to make this a joyful celebration of the Resurrection. We appreciate your creativity, voices, presence in-person or online, enthusiasm, friendliness and offerings of all kinds. You are a wonderful blessing! Easter lasts for 50 days, so there is still lots of time to celebrate with us! Check out the photos below: Sunrise Worship on a chilly morning!…
OSLC Welcomes New Office Administrator!
Welcome to Wil Payton, our new office administrator! We are excited to work with our new staff member, Wil. He comes to us with many skills and lots of great experience. We are also deeply grateful for our wonderful volunteer office staff, led by Carole Zeiher. Thank you to all for your many hours of patience, skilled work, and gernosity! On July 19, a luncheon was held to welcome Wil and to honor our volunteers. …
The Messenger: March 2023
BROKEN AND MADE WHOLE By Pastor Michael Church Adam. Abram. Moses. David. Ezekiel. What do these six Biblical men have in common? At first glance, it is hard to say. Their stories are quite different from one another. But they are the key figures in our Old Testament readings during the Saturday and Sunday services of Lent, and that is no accident. All of them had a close, even intimate relationship with God. Yet every one of the, in a…
2023 Church Council
2023 OSLC Church Council Officers President: Jerry Hoke Vice President: Tom Jordan …
Martha Mae Giles Scholarship Fund for High School Seniors
Calling all youth in Grades 8-12. Accepting applications from mid-December until mid-March
The Messenger: December 2022-January 2023
ONLY CONNECT By Pastor Michael Church Consider, if you will, the humble and familiar Christmas card: a folded sheet of heavy paper, with a picture on the font, perhaps of the infant Jesus, perhaps of happy Victorians tramping through the snow on their way to church, or sometimes an angel, or a garland of holly and ivy. Inside, there are a few printed words – merry, happy, joyous – and the handwritten signature of a friend or family member, often…
Sharing Poinsettias – Christmas 2022
A tradition at Our Saviour, we once again have beautiful poinsettia plants to be sponsored and shared with the whole congregation and visitors during Christmas services. If you so choose, you make take home your plant(s) after the 10:30 am service on Christmas Day, December 25. The plants are $20.00 each and can be sponsored by completing the instructions on the order form found HERE. This order form is a fillable PDF that can be saved to your computer, completed…
Christmas Shoeboxes for Local Children
OSLC and friends have an opportunity to again fill Christmas shoeboxes for children of families who come to Hope Heals on December 17, 2022. (Hope Heals is a non-profit, community freestore located at 606 Falmouth Street, Suite A in Warrenton, VA.) Here’s how YOU can help: Get an empty shoebox (or purchase a plastic shoebox) Decide if your gift will be for a boy or girl and which age category: 2-3 yrs., 4-5 yrs., 6-10 yrs., or 11-14 yrs. (Note:…
Help Replenish Pastors’ Emergency Assistance Fund
As is OSLC’s tradition at the Thanksgiving Tuesday service (November 22 at 7pm), the offering is designated to the Pastors’ Emergency Assistance Fund to help those in our community who have fallen on hard times. Since the world turned upside down in 2020, almost all of the funds have been used to supply $20 gas cards to 20 needy Fauquier residents each month who come to the church and request them. Usually, the supply is exhausted within the first week…
Bring some Christmas Cheer to our Warrenton Manor neighbors
$10 GIFT CARD DONATIONS NEEDED The ECHO (Experienced Christians Helping Ourselves and Others) Ministry invites the congregation to help the senior adults living at the Warrenton Manor apartments celebrate Christmas in a simple way. In addition to hosting our usual monthly event, we want to give every apartment a $10.00 gift card, tucked into a Christmas card from our ECHO volunteers. Could you help? Please purchase gift cards from Giant, Safeway, or Walmart in the amount of $10, and bring…
Remembering Our Saints
Remembering Our Saints We at Our Saviour have felt the loss of many of the saints important to us through this past year, and over these years of pandemic. All of our charter members have now died and are at rest from their labors, and many of us mourn for someone whose light shines in our memory, especially those who entered life eternal this year. Following the sermon at each service this weekend (November 5 -6), worshippers will be able…
The Messenger: November 2022
GRIEF, GRACE AND GROWTH By Pastor Michael Church Pastor Terri and I went to the beach with a hundred of our dear colleagues last month. We did not go swimming or sunbathing though, since it was October. Instead, we listened to a woman with incurable cancer talk about her faith. In 2008, Deanna Thompson was a wife and mother, as well as a professor of religion at Augsburg College. After her back began to ache, she was found to have…
The Messenger: October 2022
BUILDING THE BODY OF CHRIST About Membership The doors of Our Saviour are open to everyone. You don’t have to be a lifelong Lutheran to worship with us. For that matter, you don’t have to be a Lutheran at all. The grace of God is poured out abundantly on all people. Still, membership does matter. It is a sign of your commitment to this particular expression of God’s worldwide community – commitment to Our Saviour, and the other people who…
The Messenger: September 2022
WORSHIP AND LEARNING Two Sides of the Same Coin Could there be any greater joy than to stand and sing in the presence of the Lord? That is, after all, how the saints in heaven are described in Revelation. But on the other hand, could there be any greater joy than to sit at the Lord’s feet and learn from him? That is precisely what it means to be a “disciple,” or student of Christ. Worship and learning are among…
We Mourn the Passing of Bill Werre
A funeral will be held on Saturday, April 2 at 11:00 am
Sunday School is in Session (2022-2023)
Find out more about our Sunday School program including how to enroll HERE. Join us for Sunday School Rally Day, as we begin a new year of fun & learning! We can’t wait to see you here! When: August 28, 9:00-10:15 AM Where: We will begin in the nave Who: All preschool-twelfth grade students What: Meet your teacher, see your classroom, play games outside, & enjoy…
Saying Goodbye to the Fauquier County Food Distribution Coalition
Many in our community have helped feed our hungry neighbors through the Fauquier County Food Distribution Coalition, but now it is time to say goodbye. This vital ministry, a partnership of many area churches (including ours) and community agencies, has given out boxes of food — both shelf-stable and fresh — from the back door of Warrenton United Methodist Church, on the third Saturday of every month for 19 years. After many long hours of deliberation, they have decided God is…
The Messenger: July-August 2022
View the entire July-August 2022 newsletter
The Messenger: June 2022
EASTER IS NOT JUST A DAY. It is a season. The Fifty Days include seven Sundays, each with its own quaint name (“Like Newborn Babes” is the first). It remembers the forty days that Jesus spent on earth after his Resurrection, and then ten more until the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost. Notice that Easter is ten days longer than Lent. This is a reminder that fasting, like other human observances, will pass away, but the Feast of the…
The Social Ministry says THANK YOU!
The Social Ministry would like to thank the congregation of OSLC for generously supporting this year’s donations to the Culpeper SAFE House. Your donations were delivered Wednesday, May 18th to a resounding “THANK YOU” from the SAFE House manager on duty and a volunteer who helped unload the many cartons and packages. Over and over again they said “THANK YOU very much”. OSLC members and friends continue to respond with open wallets and donations every time they are asked. Praise…
Fellowship Committee Call for Help
The Fellowship Committee is looking for people interested in participating in fellowship at OSLC. We plan and participate in, among other things, special events and the Sunday Social Hour. We especially have a need for folks to help with the Sunday morning Social Hour. We are always looking for ideas for ways to bring meaningful fellowship to our congregation. If you are interested, have any questions, or would like to volunteer, please contact Jana Frieslander through the church directory or…
Social Ministry – Summer 2022 Project
Children’s Summer Meals At last report from Department of Social Services (DSS), over 3,000 Fauquier County children receive breakfast and/or lunch through the School Nutrition Program. While on summer vacation, there may be NO(!) program. Please help for the months of May, June and July by purchasing some or all the items listed below, placing them in a bag marked “Children Summer Meals”, and dropping them off at the church starting now until mid-July. Additionally, you can donate money and…
The Messenger: May 2022
EASTER IS NOT JUST A DAY. It is a season. The Fifty Days include seven Sundays, each with its own quaint name (“Like Newborn Babes” is the first). It remembers the forty days that Jesus spent on earth after his Resurrection, and then ten more until the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost. Notice that Easter is ten days longer than Lent. This is a reminder that fasting, like other human observances, will pass away, but the Feast of the…
We Mourn the Passing of Jeanne Lavonne Doenges
In the sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life won for us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we remember before God our sister Jeanne. Please pray for her husband Bob, their daughters Rachael, Amanda and Eliza, and other family and loved ones. Funeral Service* Thursday, April 7 at 5:00 pm Our Saviour Lutheran Church 6194 Dumfries Road, Warrenton, VA 20187 Funeral Meal* Thursday, April 7 in the church Fellowship Hall following the service. * Request for…
Interment Ceremony for Ralph F. Agavino
Interment Ceremony for Ralph F. Agavino December 8, 1928 – September 5, 2020 Our beloved brother in Christ, Ralph Agavino, who entered the Church Triumphant in September 2020, will be laid to rest with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. The congregation of Our Saviour Lutheran Church is invited to attend the grave-side interment ceremony on Thursday, April 14 at 3pm. Please be sure to arrive 30 minutes prior, and let Pastor Terri know if you are planning to attend. Need Directions? View Map
The Messenger: April 2022
View the entire April 2022 newsletter
Quilt Ministry Spring Fundraiser
WIN A HANDMADE QUILT! Get tickets while you can for this awesome 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 services 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 participants can bid…
Social Ministry Project in April 2022: Collection for SAFE
Social Ministry is collecting cleaning supplies, personal hygiene and baby items, and other essentials to be provided to the residents of SAFE (Services to Abused Families Inc) in Culpeper VA. The current Wish List is as follows: Cleaning products: Disinfectant Spray Bleach Dish Detergent Laundry Detergent Dryer Sheets / Laundry Softener Trash bags Paper products: Toilet paper Paper towels Hygiene products for women and men (full size and unused): Shampoo and/or conditioner (or 2-in-1) Hand Soap Body Wash Deodorant /…
We Mourn the Passing of Jim Wood
A funeral will be held on Saturday, April 2 at 11:00 am
New Drama Opportunity for YOUth
Check “Upcoming Events” for the latest on presentation dates and times! Parts Assigned THIS Weekend (3/19/22)! 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 of Our Lord on April 9-10. All Youth are invited to read for speaking parts this Saturday (March 19) at 3:30 pm. Our youth will prepare a dramatic reading of the story…
Fauquier County Food Distribution Coalition Needs Your Help!
THE NEED IS 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 Directors. 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…
The Messenger: March 2022
Pray ☩ Fast ☩ Give The Disciplines of Lent What Is Lent? Pray, Fast, and Give: But Why?Lent is a season of forty days, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends with the Great Vigil on Holy Saturday. Lent comes from the Anglo Saxon word lencten, meaning “lengthen” and refers to the lengthening days of spring. The forty days represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry. Lent is a…
2022 ELCA Youth Gathering – Canceled
Calling all youth in Grades 8-12. Registration forms will be due by January 16
Holy Communion Classes
Holy Communion instruction, the time when many children will be excited about celebrating their Holy Communion. After a lot of time and devotion in preparing for this most special occasion, they’ll be ready to receive Christ with open hearts. As parents, it’s a beautiful moment to witness in your children’s lives. OSLC will begin instruction of Holy Communion class to all 5th grade students. Students in 6th grade that were not able to attend our instruction during the previous years…
The Messenger: February 2022
Change Your Life This issue of The Messenger is packed with ways to change your life! View the entire February 2022 newsletter
Registration Open for 2022 Youth Gathering
Calling all youth in Grades 8-12. Registration forms will be due by January 16
Martha Mae Giles Scholarship Fund for High School Seniors
Calling all youth in Grades 8-12. Registration forms will be due by January 16
Hope Sighting
Virginia Synod – ELCA Facebook Post December 21 at 5:00 am Each Tuesday in Advent, one of the Virginia Synod Council members shares a “hope sighting,” a place where they have seen God’s hope in the world around them. This week we hear from Dave Raecke of Our Saviour, Warrenton “This week’s lectionary reading from Micah says: Bethlehem, you’re not very important, but someone who will rule in Israel will come from there. He has existed from the beginning.…
We Mourn the Passing of Judy Jones
A funeral will be held on Friday, December 17 at 11:00 am
The Messenger: December 2021
Advent + Christmas “The Advent of our God shall be our theme for prayer.” So begins an old French hymn, often sung in Lutheran churches. But what, really, IS the season of Advent? Liturgically, Advent is a wintertime parallel to Lent: a season of fasting and prayer in preparation for the great feasts of Christmas and Easter. Spiritually, though, Advent has its own unique focus upon waiting with patience and hope. This spiritual focus has two parts: first, waiting to…
We Mourn the Passing of Richard Baker
Visitation will be Friday, June 25 from 5-7pm. Funeral Service will be Saturday, June 26 at Noon.
Christmas Shoeboxes – Making it Local This Year
Fauquier County Food Distribution Coalition is again filling Christmas shoeboxes for children of families who come to the December 18, 2021 food distribution. Here’s how YOU can help: Get an empty shoebox (or purchase a plastic shoebox) Decide if your gift will be for a boy or girl and which age category: 2-3 yrs., 4-5 yrs., 6-10 yrs., or 11-14 yrs. Fill your shoebox with a variety of gifts* and then wrap the shoebox in Christmas paper. Attach a label…
November 2021 Congregational Meeting
Mark your calendars for the annual November Congregational Meeting on Sunday, November 7, from 12:00-1:30pm. (Note the earlier week than in recent years and that it is the Sunday of the Fall Back time change.) This is an important milestone in the church year in which we set the future direction of Our Saviour Lutheran Church. The focus of the November meeting will be centered around voting on the 2022 Ministry Spending Plan, elections for the Congregation Council, a Trustee, and other committees.…
The Messenger: November 2021
All Saints “For all the saints,” we will sing on the weekend of November 6-7, “who from their labors rest / Thy name, oh Jesus, evermore be blessed.” For more than a thousand years, November 1 (or the Sunday following) has been set aside to remember Christians who have “walked the walk,” living and dying as a testimony to God’s grace. Some of them are martyrs, like St. Stephen; others are teachers and preachers like St. Augustine. Many of the…
Are You a College-Age Adult Interested in Group Activities with Your Peers?
Are you interested in doing something with a group of peers? How about a trip to a haunted trail or to see a couple of your younger friends in the Fauquier High School play? We will schedule around your commitments, but the play runs through 29-30 at 7pm. Bring your friends! We can do dinner before or after somewhere nearby. If interested, contact Betsy Wilco through the church office.
Share Your Faith Story With Your OSLC Family
When we belong to the same family (OSLC), we want to hear each other’s stories. That is what we have done in past issues of the church’s monthly newsletter, The Messenger, and would like to continue as it was well received. For some of us, talking or writing about ourselves is easy. It gets harder when it is that sacred dimension, a most precious part of our lives. If your heart is willing to share but you can’t find the words,…
The Messenger: October 2021
Revival ◊ Renewal ◊ Renaissance ◊ Restoration ◊ Rebirth Our church has gone back to its old ways – and at the same time, it is all new. That is the whole point of the Reformation, which we celebrate each year in October. Under Luther’s guidance, Christians went backwards, to their roots in Scripture and simple faith. But at the same time, they moved forward into a new and modern world. It…
School Kits for Lutheran World Relief
Imagine going to school without paper or a couple of pencils. That’s a daily reality for children living in poverty or emergency situations all over the world. You’re all familiar with LWR personal care kits (soap, towel, comb, etc.) that we collected last month. Those kits and school kits are the top 2 kits that LWR distributes throughout the world. This year, LWR is trying to make up for a shortfall of kits caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In their…
We Mourn the Passing of Melvin M. Giles
Visitation will be Friday, June 25 from 5-7pm. Funeral Service will be Saturday, June 26 at Noon.
Notice of Constitutional Changes for 2022
This is to advise the Congregation that there will be several changes to the OSLC Constitution for the year 2022. These changes will be introduced and voted upon at the congregational meeting on November 7, 2021 to advance them to the February 2022 meeting for a vote of final approval and inclusion in the official Constitution. The changes consist primarily of restructuring and simplifying the Constitution document itself as some of the policies (recently adopted and new) are so large…
Disaster Relief for Our Hurley Virginia Friends
Storms on August 30, 2021 did serious damage to our longtime ministry partners in Hurley, Virginia, a rural community in the far southwest of our state. Torrential rains led to mudslides and flooding. Hundreds of people have been rendered homeless, power and fresh water have been disrupted. Key roads have been rendered impassible. After years of collaboration, we at OSLC must not abandon our friends now. We are gathering funds to send to Hurley Community Development, the local relief…
The Messenger: September 2021
Revival ◊ Renewal ◊ Renaissance ◊ Restoration ◊ Rebirth It is time to come home. We have been apart too long. It is time for God’s People to gather in community, to worship, learn and serve. That doesn’t mean the pandemic is over, or that we should throw caution to the winds. We still need to protect our children, and those adults whose immune response may not be strong. But anybody over…
Personal Care Kits for Lutheran World Relief
When natural disasters or political conflicts strike, families have little chance to gather belongings before fleeing the danger. They arrive in a refugee camp scared, vulnerable, and dirty from travel. The fresh scent of soap and softness of a towel are reminders of someone’s concern for them. We will collect items for the kits during September. Please bring your items to the church by September 26 to be assembled into kits. To make up a full kit, please provide all…
Go Deeper With Jesus . . . Consider Teaching Sunday School
Would you like to help deepen your own faith in Jesus while supporting our Sunday School or other education programs? There is a wide range of opportunities and time commitment levels to fit both your needs and our ministries, working with young, old, and everything in between. We are seeking leaders who are older youth, young adult, parents, seniors, single adults and more. Whether you are called to teach or tech support, financial support or mentors, or something you never…
The Messenger: August 2021
Revival ◊ Renewal ◊ Renaissance ◊ Restoration ◊ Rebirth It is time for a change. COVID-19 forced many unwelcome changes upon people of faith. Gatherings have been difficult and rare. Although we at OSLC have managed to continue the bare bones of our ministry — weekly worship, community service, even some Bible study — this has been a dark age for our church. But after the darkness comes light. As vaccination rates…
2021 OSLC Directory – with Photos!
The Evangelism committee is adding Household photos to the OSLC directory to help strengthen connectivity and we need a photo of your household! A photo directory helps people put names to faces. No matter a congregation’s size, remembering who everyone is — and who “belongs” with whom — can be challenging. A compilation of faces, names and contact information is especially useful for people who are new to the congregation and learning lots of names is much easier when a…
The Messenger: July 2021
Keeping It Weird Like many Millennials, Rachel Held Evans was raised in the Christian faith; and like many of our children and grandchildren, she abandoned it in young adulthood. Later, when she found her way back, it was not to the Evangelicalism of her childhood, but to a branch of Christianity deeply shaped by ritual and tradition, by sacraments and a sense of mystery. Reflecting on this, Evans wrote: “[A] church can have a sleek logo and Web site, but…
Add Your Voice to VoP for a Summertime Service
Voices of Praise is still hoping to add your voice to our song over the summer months. If you would like to join us for a song or a service, please contact Rhoda Thompson through the church office (540-347-3224 or office@oslc-warrenton.org).
We Mourn the Passing of Margaret P. Werre
Visitation will be Friday, June 25 from 5-7pm. Funeral Service will be Saturday, June 26 at Noon.
Power in the Spirit
Virginia Synod
Power in the Spirit is an inspirational conference for people of all ages who wish to explore God’s call to service through joyous worship, Bible studies, keynote addresses, workshops, games, and fellowship. In addition, congregational leaders—teachers, music directors, choir members, council and committee members, family life consultants, deacons, pastors, and others—will find Power in the spirit nurturing and challenging as they consider their mission and ministry. Check out the upcoming July 11-15, 2021 Power in the Spirit (Online) on our…
The Messenger: June 2021
On the Feast of Pentecost, we heard the wonderful story of the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples of Jesus, and giving them the power to proclaim the Gospel in every language. That story is a sign of the essential unity among all Christians. Whether Greek or Jew, as Saint Paul says – or Phrygian or Cappadocian, or American or Korean, Lutheran or Presbyterian – we are all one in Christ. Over the past year, we have been separated by…
Christian Education Working Group — Forming Now!
Help Plan Our Saviour’s Faith Formation Structure for the Future! As we prepare for the start of the 2021-22 school year, the Faith Team leaders are gathering a few dedicated folks to plan the schedule and programs for faith formation for all ages. If you know someone who would be a good candidate for this project, want to volunteer, or just want to submit some input, let us know. See “Growing Younger—An OSLC-wide Book Study” event here for a broader…
Social Ministry – Summer 2021 Project
Children’s Summer Meals At last report from Department of Social Services (DSS), over 3,000 Fauquier County children receive breakfast and/or lunch through the School Nutrition Program. While on summer vacation, there may be only a limited program. Please help for the months of June and July by purchasing some or all the items listed below, placing them in a bag marked “Children Summer Meals”, and dropping them off at OSLC by Sunday, June 13 AND/OR Sunday, July 11. Additionally, you…
Personal Hygiene Kits as part of Fauquier County Food Distribution Coalition
As part of the food distribution effort for FCFDC, it has come to our attention that the cost of personal hygiene items is not covered by SNAP (i.e., food stamps). This includes daily essential items for basic hygiene such as bath soap, hand soap, shampoo, tooth paste, toothbrushes, etc.—anything that is not food. We are asking folks at OSLC and from other churches in the area to donate these things to be given out at the June food distribution on…
Call for Names of 2021 – AND 2020 – Grads!
Please share with us who it is that we can celebrate! Our Saviour Lutheran Church wants to celebrate all those who, in the years 2020 or 2021, graduated high school, college, or higher education, as well as those who completed a trade school program or military service. (However, we will use terms traditionally related to graduation and school.) Please use the comments to fill in any gaps or share appropriate information. Click HERE to Submit Name(s) and Pertinent Information. Unless…
Call for Names of 2022 Grads
Please share with us who it is that we can celebrate! Our Saviour Lutheran Church wants to celebrate all those who graduated high school, college, or higher education, as well as those who completed a trade school program or military service in 2022. (However, we will use terms traditionally related to graduation and school.) Please use the comments to fill in any gaps or share appropriate information. Click HERE to Submit Name(s) and Pertinent Information. All information will be used…
Voices of Praise Special Guests
Voices of Praise, the house band for Saturday evening worship, would love to have special guests join them! We know there are musicians among us who don’t have the time to commit to weekly rehearsals. Will you share your talent during a single worship service or a single song? We’ll be your back-up band if you’re a singer! If you play an instrument, play with us! This is a great way to share your talent during the summer without a…
The Messenger: May 2021
YOU ARE WORTHY. That is not a message that the world gives many of us. On the contrary, most of us have been told, in one way or another, that we are not worthy: not good enough, or pretty enough, young enough or thin enough. That, for whatever reason, we do not deserve to be loved. To this message, the Resurrection of Jesus gives a resounding “NO.” “Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain,” we sang on Easter Sunday,…
Social Ministry – May 2021 Project
Social Ministry is collecting essentials to be provided to Fauquier Family Shelters. (See supplies wish list below.) Please bring your donations with you to service any weekend in May to place in the collection tub in the narthex. You can also drop them off during the week Tuesday through Friday between 9:30am and 2:30pm. All collected items will be picked up from the church and delivered to Fauquier Family Shelters on June 5. Please contact Fred Koozer through your church…
OSLC College Student Challenges Bishop
Our Saviour is proud of the accomplishments of all of our children, youth, college students, and young adults as they engage with the world around them. One example came to our attention last week as Bridget Shorey (daughter of Charity and Allen Shorey) challenged the bishop of the Virginia Synod and all pastors, to speak up for the earth. Here’s the news item from the Virginia Synod newsletter as well as her entire letter. Thank you, Bridget, for speaking up…
The Messenger: April 2021
THE TOMB IS EMPTY. This is the first and most basic statement of the Christian faith: that the tomb in which Jesus was laid is empty, because he is no longer dead, but lives. The Cross is easily the most recognizable symbol of our faith – the instrument of death by which Jesus surrendered himself for our sake. But if empty tombs were easier to draw, it is almost certain that we would identify ourselves by drawing those instead. After…
Upcoming Events In and For Our Community
What: Vietnam Veteran Town Hall sponsored by Capital Caring Health Where: Online (http://bit.ly/VietnamVeteranTownHall2021) When: Monday, March 29, 10am-12pm Contact: Corie Bacher at cbacher@capitalcaring.org for questions / additional info Please join Capital Caring Health, The United States of American Vietnam War Commemoration, the Virginia Department of Veterans Services and the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs in honoring and recognizing veterans who served during the Vietnam War — and in learning of the unique health issues and benefits available for those who…
Holy Week and Easter Worship Services – 2021
(See our Upcoming and Past Worship Services page or click on each day below for more information.) Palm Sunday (March 28) We commemorate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem We will gather in our cars at 10am on March 28th, to remember the entry of our Lord into Jerusalem. Park facing the church, and greet your neighbors. If the weather is nice, bring a folding chair. Honk if you love Jesus! (FM station will be announced on site.) Maundy Thursday (April 1)…
OSLC Prayer Shawl Ministry
As our lives slowly return to normal (or something like it!), the Prayer Shawl Ministry is planning to do the same. We are excited to reconnect with existing members and always enjoy welcoming newcomers to the group. The Prayer Shawl Ministry provides handmade blankets and shawls for the pastors to use in baptisms and to give to those in need of comfort during care visits. The knotted or crocheted items are tangible reminders of God’s love and of the recipients’…
OSLC Quilt Ministry Recognizes National Quilting Day
The Quilt Ministry at Our Saviour began in 2007. Since that time our Ministry has completed more than twenty two hundred (2200+) quilts for Lutheran World Relief! The men and women of our Ministry begin anew meeting on the 2nd Saturday and following Tuesday of each month March through September. (So, for March, that’s this Saturday, 3/13 and Tuesday, 3/16.) Come join us for fellowship, fun and a worthy mission. To learn more, click the following link to be taken…
Transportation for Senior Adults in Our Community
Please join the conversation about transportation for senior adults in our community, hosted by the Regional Transportation Collaborative (RTC). The virtual meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 31, from 2-3:30. A variety of links to the event are on this flyer. This is open to community partners like Our Saviour as well as all interested individuals. (click on image of flyer below to access a PDF of this flyer)
The Messenger: March 2021
WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. Not literally, thank heaven, with cars whizzing by at full speed. That’s a scary place to be. We are in the middle of journey through Lent. The middle, that is, of our 40 days of fasting, prayer and alms-giving – a much safer place than Route 66. But there are dangers even for spiritual travelers. As Hebrews says, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”…
Fauquier Habitat for Humanity –
Partnership Applicant Info Session
Would you like to learn how you could own an affordable home or do you know someone in your church, family or neighborhood who may be interested? Fauquier Habitat for Humanity is hosting two applicant information sessions for individuals and families to learn more about our partnership program and receive an application to partner with us on the journey toward homeownership. Participants must complete the Eligibility Questionnaire to receive link to virtual applicant information sessions or call 540-341-4952. Sessions will…
30 Hour Famine
Games, friendship, feast, learning, worship, making a difference, telling the story! 30 Hour Famine is one of the highlights of the church year at Our Saviour. If this were a normal year, we would have already fasted the last weekend in February. World Vision developed an option for a virtual famine and it looked like a good option. However, upon further reflection, because we can’t be together, it seemed best to postpone the famine until later in the year. A date…
OSLC Quilt Ministry – Resuming Activities!
Our Saviour’s Quilt Ministry is delighted to share that in-person work sessions will be resuming next month (March 2021). In doing so, we ask that the church family lift up in prayer all who participate in this very important ministry — for not only a successful quilting season but a safe and healthy one. Some more good news is that church storage shelves are packed with Quilt tops ready to be assembled thus we’re hitting the ground running! Thanks to…
Thanks Without Ceasing
The pastors and leaders of Our Saviour invite you to join us as we dig deeper in prayer this Lent. We may not be able to have soup together, but we will truly connect over our online Wednesday services with both familiar and unique offerings. The Thrive Team is building a lovely prayer walk in our Fellowship Hall, and they are eager to introduce you to this aid to prayer. Also, take a look in the At-Home Lent Devotional Kits…
Prayer Walk / Labyrinth at Our Saviour
The prayer walk has been set up in the back half of Our Saviour’s Fellowship Hall and will be accessible the following days and hours: Tuesdays 9am-3pm ⁄ Wednesdays 9am-5pm Thursdays 9am-7pm ⁄ Fridays 9am-3pm Sundays 30 mins. before and after service Specifics: It will be available during church office hours, which are Tuesday-Friday from 9am-3pm, and will extend until 7pm on Thursdays in order to accommodate those who need or prefer evening hours. Please note that March 16 and April…
We Mourn the Passing of Rose Flohr
Rose K. Flohr, a Founding Member of Our Saviour Lutheran Church, died on Tuesday, February 9, 2021.
Lenten Wednesdays by Zoom
Although we aren’t able to share Soup Suppers the way we might like, we can join our hearts and voices in prayer at 7pm each Wednesday throughout Lent. Feb 17: Ash Wednesday Feb 24: Commemoration of Elizabeth Fedde, Deaconess Mar 3: Commemoration of John & Charles Wesley Mar 10: Commemoration of Sojourner Truth & Harriet Tubman Mar 17: Commemoration of Patrick, Missionary to Ireland Mar 24: Commemoration of Oscar Romero, Bishop Join 7:00 pm Zoom Session each Wednesday in Lent…
Calendar for January 30-February 12, 2021
Please note that meeting/event may be occurring in person and/or online. Please check to confirm!
Calendar for January 16-29, 2021
Please note that meeting/event may be occurring in person and/or online. Please check to confirm! (Click image of calendar below to be taken to downloadable/printable PDF.)
Calendar for January 23-February 5, 2021
Please note that meeting/event may be occurring in person and/or online. Please check to confirm!
Fearful to Fearless
To kick off 2021, the Mental Health Association and PATH Foundation are partnering to host a virtual community presentation by motivational speaker Darryl Bellamy on Thursday, February 11th from 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. Individuals of all ages are welcome to join us for this FREE virtual event. Darryl is a public speaker out of North Carolina and has analyzed over 50,000 fears from students all over the country. He focuses on helping his audience identify the fears that are…
The Messenger: January 2021
NEW YEAR’S DAY IS A SIGN OF HOPE FOR PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD. That is why we wait with eager anticipation for the clock to strike midnight and the ball to drop; why we kiss with joy and raise a toast when the hour comes: because we need hope to live. Curiously, our church calendar identifies January 1st as a lesser festival dedicated to “the Name of Jesus.” On one hand, it makes sense to dedicate each new year…
Calendar for December 12-27
Please note that meeting/event may be occurring in person and/or online. Please check to confirm! (Click image of calendar below to be taken to downloadable/printable PDF.) Click image of calendar below to be taken to downloadable/printable PDF.
Christmas Message from Presiding Biship Elizabeth Eaton
(click HERE for printable pdf) Precisely in our distress, in our dislocation, the Lord shows up. Emmanuel—God with us—makes his home in the very places we find foreign or isolating. The room was spare and dimly lit. We sat on folding chairs in a circle—young Honduran women and some of us from the ELCA. We had come to Honduras to observe the work of AMMPARO (Accompanying Migrant Minors with Protection, Advocacy, Representation and Opportunities). This is the ELCA’s strategy to…