Our Savior Lutheran Church May • Volume 76 • Issue 5

The Holy Trinity at Vatopedi Monastery

Trinity Sunday May 27, 2018

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Continued on page 3

“The Roots of Christianity”

Beginning Wednesday, April 25th 7:00 pm we’ll start a new Pastor’s Class on “The Roots of Christianity”. I have often said that there are not hundreds or even dozens of different versions of Christianity (despite the existence of hundreds of de-nominations in America alone!). Actually, there are two rivers and five streams of Christian tradition which all flow from the headwaters of the Apostolic Church of the first centuries. Our class will be tracing these different streams back to their roots in the apostolic church of the first four centuries. There is no text, nothing you have to read. I’ve been working on a book that will deal in part with this topic and I want to try out some unpublished material on you. Not that your guinea pigs or anything… though, uh, well, er, uhm. OK. If you come you’re kind of a test market. But it won’t harm you permanently. I’m pretty sure. And your feedback could help make my book so much better! Hopefully the topic and the relative lack of published material on the subject will be incentive enough to take the risk and attend - and no homework! No advance reading (although if you’re a very brave soul and not afraid at all of “difficult literature” you could read Rowan Williams’ “Arius: Heresy and Tradition” and/or Henry Chadwick’s “The Early Church”). The class will be way better than a podcast because you can ask questions and detour me down little side-streams that seem more interesting to you personally. I love a good detour and am very much concerned for your personal hap-piness as well. Here’s a basic overview to further whet your appetite: The two rivers which flow from the apostolic church are Institutional Orthodox and Indie-Catholic (my own terms. I think there’s a great deal of overlap, but not perfect agreement between Institutional Orthodox and “Roman Catholic/Eastern Orthodox Church” and between Indie-Catholic and “Protestant Church”). My quibble with the Catholic/Protestant naming is that there were catholic churches in the first 5 centuries that existed quite apart from the institu-tions that would become, in late Roman antiquity, The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. Also, those institutions will change a great deal from the 7th to the 11th century AD, and Rome will change even more dramatically from about the 13th-16th centuries. So, when you say “Catholic” and “Protestant” you’re really only considering how these two rivers diverged from the 16th century on. And some of the tendencies doctrinally and practically that divide “Catholics” and “Protestants” in fact go back to the earliest centuries of the Church’s existence. So that’s one thing we’ll talk about and flesh out the similarities and differences between Institutional Orthodox and Indie-Catholic churches. From the two rivers (Institutional Orthodox and Indie-Catholic) the following 5 streams flow: 1) Roman Catholic 2) Eastern Orthodox 3) Evangelical-Catholic (aka “Lutheran) 4) Calvinist groups 5) Arminian groups. Rome would define her catholic heritage as that endorsed by the bishops of Rome - especially the popes of the last 200 years. Eastern Orthodoxy attempts to freeze theology/practice with the 7th ecu-menical council in the 8th century and to insist on this consensus among her bishops which serve as a loose college of appeal in difficult cases and to insure conformity to this tradition. Evangelical-Catholics reacted against the scholasticism/legalism of the Western (and to a lesser degree Eastern) Catholic Churches, seeking to return/maintain the doctrine and practice of Scriptures as consistent with the orthodox church/creeds of the first 5 centuries. Calvinism thinks scholastic rationalism wasn’t so bad and that the sacraments are a little too spooky-magical for their severe tastes and

From the Pastor Pastor Kevin Martin

kmartinnc@gmail.com

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From the Pastor

reforms the church around a late-modern rationalism that departs in many significant points from the incarnational Christology of the early church (Presbyterians, Reformed Christians would be Calvinists). Arminians (Methodists, most nondenoms, the Wesley Brothers and Billy Graham most famously) thought that Calvinists were too rationalistic and severe, though they did think they were right about the sacraments being too spooky-magical in catholic teaching. They sought for a religion of the heart, of a senti-mental attachment to Jesus that transformed lives into holy living. We’ll look more closely in the class at the similarities and differences between the 5 current streams of Christian teaching/practice to see how they’ve ended up this way and to try to demonstrate which of the 5 (if any) are actually closest to Scriptures as the early church received them. Hope you can join us!

Our Savior Lutheran Church, Raleigh, NC Vicar Berett Steffen and wife, Carryn

Home congregation: Redeemer Lutheran Church, Willmar, MN

We look forward to welcoming Vicar Steffen and his wife, Carryn, into the OSLC family beginning August, 2018.

OSLC’s own, Timothy Sheridan, has been assigned to Trinity Lutheran Church and School in Reese, Michigan.

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Date Service of the Church Year

Service Time

Order of Service

Cantors Instrumentalists/

Vocalists

Organist

5/6/18 8:30

11:00

DS - 3

Beth Hallowell

Debbie Roseman

Beth Hallowell

Debbie Roseman

Noël Hamm

5/13/18 Ascension

Sunday

8:30

11:00

DS - 3

Beth Hallowell

Choir

Beth Hallowell

Choir

Russell Wilcox

5/20/18 Pentecost

Sunday

8:30

11:00

DS-3

Choir Choir

Choir OSLC Orchestra

Noël Hamm

Russell Wilcox

5/27/18 Holy Trinity

Sunday

8:30

11:00

DS-3

Kerri Martinsen

Choir

Jubilate Ringers

Choir

Noël Hamm

Russell Wilcox

Russell Wilcox, Music Director/Organist Noël Hamm, Handbell Director/Organist

Russell Wilcox: music@oslcraleigh.org Noël Hamm: noel2bach@yahoo.com Worship & Music

Sunday May 13, 9:30 May 20, 9:45

Jubilate Ringers Rehearsal Mondays, 6:30 p.m. May 14 and May 21

Thank you to all of the OSLC musicians for their generous gifts of time and talents throughout the Lent

season, Holy week services and Easter Sunday. Thanks to all the Cantors, Choir members, Sunday

School Choir members, Orchestra members, Handbell Ringers and their directors,

Noël Hamm, Kerri Martinsen, and Russell Wilcox

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Education

All Sunday School students 3 years old to adult will meet in the Fellowship Hall following the 8:30 service. The children will be dismissed to the

undercroft to sing and then on to their class.

MayTeachers Preschool: TBA

K/1st grade: LeAnn Hirt 2nd/3rd grades: Trevor Hirt 4th/5th grades: Faith Orr

6th - 8th grades: Karl Abbott 9th - 12th grades: Maureen Costello

Sunday Mornings Genesis Dr. Ridgeway is teaching on the book of Genesis in the Conference Room (9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.)

Pastor’s Class Adult Bible Class with Pastor Martin will continue the study of Gospel of Matthew.

Tuesday Mornings Weekly Lectionary 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. This class meets on Tuesdays in the Conference Room. Pastor provides an in-depth look at the up-coming lessons for the following Sunday. Wednesday Evening Pastor’s Class - Wednesday, April 25th 7:00 pm we’ll start a new Pastor’s Class on “The Roots of Christianity”.

Sunday School Lessons for April Sunday, May 6 - Isaac and Rebekah Genesis 24

[Lesson 9] Sunday, May 13 - Jacob and Esau Genesis 25:19-34; 27:1-40

[Lesson 10] Sunday, May 20 - Jacob’s Dream Genesis 27:41-28:22

[Lesson 11] Sunday, May 27 - Jacob’s Family Genesis 29:1-30:24

[Lesson 12]

Sunday School Teachers Meeting 12:30 Sunday, May 27

Pastor Martin will review the upcom-ing lessons for May for those teachers scheduled to teach

for the month. Lunch will be provided.

Summer Sunday School Teachers

are needed! Please sign up in the

Fellowship Hall for the dates you are available

to help out!

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Staff and Council

Our Savior Lutheran Church 1500 Glenwood Ave.

Raleigh, NC 27608-2338 Phone: (919) 832-8822

FAX: (866) 251-6054 (toll free) Web site: www.oslcraleigh.org

Pastor kmartinnc@gmail.com Reverend Kevin Martin

Office secretary@oslcraleigh.org Maureen Costello

Music Noël Hamm noel2bach@yahoo.com

Handbell Director/Organist Russell Wilcox music@oslcraleigh.org

Music Director/Organist

FINANCIAL REPORT As of 3/31/18

Budget $ 113,229.00 Income $ 101,632.93 Expenses $ 108,139.39 Net $ (6,506.46)

Church Council 2017-2018 President: Chris Nack Vice President: Matthew Cox Secretary: Todd Howell Treasurer: Sandy Ange Financial Secretary: Steve Schammel At-Large Member: Dave Dickmander Elders Chairman: Darwin Roseman

OSLC has purchased and installed an auto-mated external defibrillator (AED).

It is located in the Church Office in the First Aid cabinet [above the mail boxes].

The doors are clearly marked.

A CPR class will be held at OSLC on Saturday,

May 19, 9:00 - 1:00.

The cost is approximately $45.00/per person.

It will include CPR and use of AED and a certification card.

The class is limited to 9 per session.

An additional class will be scheduled for Thursday, May 24

A sign up sheet is available in the Fellowship Hall.

Please contact Janet Dickmander with any questions - 919-773-2033

Please remember to contact the Church Office as you need additional Offering envelopes. Our newly implemented system allows us to resupply

members easily as it is warranted. If you are interested in direct deposit giving, please contact the Church Office for the necessary paperwork. As always the continuing prayerful generosity of the OSLC family is greatly appreciated.

Voters Meeting Sunday, May 6, 2018 Immediately following

the 11:00 service. Lunch will be provided

Please plan to join us.

OSLC will serve as a polling place on Tuesday, May 8. Please be aware of the possibility of increased traffic in and around the building on that day.

The Long Range Planning Committee has been very pleased with the high level of participation from the congregation, and your valuable feed-back will greatly assist future planning efforts. If

for any reason you were not able to complete the survey, please come and take part in one of the focus groups and let us know what you think. We will be conducting small focus groups throughout May - varying dates to accommodate

as much participation as possible - while we maintain group of no more than 12-15 people. Sign up sheets will be made available prior to the events.

The Southeastern District has an executive position open for the LCEF District Vice President and District Chief Financial Officer. The position description is on the SED websitewww.se.lcms.org/

Those interested should state their intent in the form of a letter and an updated resume'. Both documents may be sent by email to Sally Hiller at sjhiller@se.lcms.org and Ryan McIvor at ryan.mcivor@lcef.org.

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Celebrations

Hannah Schwartz Jackson Williams

Luke Woods

Tami Maes Fragedakis 5/1 Sharlene Slothower 5/1 Bailey Wagner 5/1 Peter Estes 5/2 Ethan Mize 5/3 Chris Roseman 5/3 Alison Nack 5/5 Tom Hayakawa 5/6 Joe Hayes 5/6 Jill Touchberry 5/6 Cherie Langley 5/7 Cynthia Nelson 5/8 Nicholas Hayakawa 5/10 Tom Baden 5/11 Hampton Cooper 5/11 Wanda Dahl 5/12 Jackson Williams 5/15 Mack Brown 5/16 Marilyn Dixon 5/16 Janice Weiss 5/17 Susan DeKarske Hannum 5/18 Kurt Saylor 5/18 Danna Markoff 5/19 Andrea Lapp 5/21 Debbie Roseman 5/23 Devyn Roseman 5/23 Courtney Schammel 5/24 Jerry DeKarske 5/26 Sharon Long 5/26 Nathaniel Cooper 5/27 Tim Orr 5/29 Dave Dickmander 5/30 Christopher Martin 5/30

Mark your calendars ...

10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Crafters Group Tuesday, May 1 11:45 a.m.

Breakfast Bible Study Thursday, May 3

9:00 a.m.

Chrismon Group Tuesday, May 8 11:45 a.m.

Game Night Friday, May 25

6:00 p.m.

Sunday, May 27 12:30

Lunch provided

Plan now to join us for VBS every Sunday in August!

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We remember in prayer … Brandon Baden, U.S.A.F., nephew of Britt & Sandi John-

son Lt. Mark Baden, U.S. Navy, VP-30, Whidbey Island NAS Capt. Benjamin Brighton, U.S.M.C., grandson of Erika

Swaim, San Diego, CA Cpt. Joshua Gilreath, U.S.A.F., nephew of Mona & Tim

Potter SFC Ken Martinsen, NC National Guard, 130th MEB, NC Maj. Johnny Sherrill, U.S.A.F., husband of Rachel Baden,

KC-135 Pilot, McGuire AFB Chaplain Greg Todd, U.S. Navy Ken Woods, U.S. Army, brother of Tim Woods, stationed

at Fort Hood, TX Senior Chief Chris Yacur, U.S. Navy, husband of former

member Erin Schmidt Yacur, stationed in GA Justin Zehms, U.S. Army, nephew of Beth and Mark Hal-

lowell

OSLC Members: Chuck Copello, at Hillcrest Bill Fritz, swollen knee Cindy Fritz, osteoarthritis in both hands, severe pain Dorothy Hader, at Hillcrest Ken Hanck, Parkinson’s disease Joe Hayes, at home after a lengthy stay in rehab Tommy Johnson, son of Dennis & Kandy Johnson, contin-uing health concerns Georgia Kebschull, long-term health concerns Heather Whitehurst MacLachlan, recovering from surgery Wayne Nickola, at rehab continuing his recovery Kurt Saylor and family, mourning the death of Kurt’s dad, former OSLC member, Leroy “Bud” Saylor. A memorial service was held in Asheville, NC on April 18. Georgia Kebschull and family, mourning the death of her husband, long time OSLC member, Harv Kebschull. The family is planning a memorial service for later this year.

Congregational Care Maureen Costello secretary@oslcraleigh.org

Coups for Troops Thanks for the donations! We have sent in 395,683 coupons! Keep them coming. Ruth Costello continues to coordinate our efforts to collect manufacturer’s coupons to be donated to military fami-lies. Coupons up to 3 months past expiration date ** can be used by military families. A collection envelope is available on the bulletin board. Pass along the coupons you receive and don’t use to those who can put them to great use.

Thanks to the always generous OSLC family for your donations to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina during our recent food drive. Thanks especially to Mack Brown for delivering our collection of over 240 pounds of items.

Received from Urban Ministries … “On behalf of the Board of Directors thank you so much for your donation to Urban Ministries. Thanks to your gener-osity, we are able to nourish the hungry, heal the sick and shelter the homeless. Your donation blesses many.” Peace, Joelyn Harrington, Board Member

Graduations are coming up soon! We would love to recognize all the graduates in the OSLC family and their families. Please send the graduate’s name, school and future plan information to the Church Office no later than May 15th to be included in the June newsletter.

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This evening is for all mothers and daughters. Even if you are not a

mother, you are a daughter, and this evening is for you. Be sure to

reserve your space by signing up on the sheet in the Fellowship Hall.

Saturday, May 12 5:30 p.m.

Mother’s Day Banquet

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LCEF Sunday May 6, 2018

“Grounded in Faith”

We will lift up the ministry partnership of Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) on LCEF Sunday, May 6. This year’s theme “Grounded in Faith” will highlight the partner-ships that LCEF makes possible by investors just like you. As an example, through a partnership with LCEF, in the inner-city of Baltimore, Md., Faith and Work Enterprises has started a very unique ministry and outreach program of work force development in the form of manufacturing “Be Blessed” chocolate bars. This new ministry as well as

many others, have begun largely with the support of LCEF.

Learn more about LCEF on Sunday, May 6.

Your LCEF Advocate Darwin Roseman, will be available on LCEF Sunday to provide additional details at his LCEF display.

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Campaigning!! The Hope Begins with a Home annual spring campaign is in full swing and we are making great pro-gress as we have raised about $80,000 as of mid-April! We want to say “thank you” to our teams for all their hard work and to all who have donated so generously so far! Between now and May 31st, your contribution can be matched through our Stewards Fund Matching Grant so please give now to have an even greater impact on children experienc-ing homelessness. For those who have contributed, thank you for helping us expand our work in the community to end home-lessness for families with children. Visit the campaign web page at https://familiestogethernc.org/hope/ for more infor-mation. Your church team leads are working hard. Please help reach your team’s goal! OUR SAVIOR TEAM LEADER: Karl Wagner (kfw0614@gmail.com) Come Fly With Us! Join us for the First in Flight Face-Off & Happy Hour on Tues-day May 8th from 5:30 to 7:30 at Trophy Tap and Table as we work to end homelessness in Wake County. Each ticket buys you either one of your favorite Trophy Brews or a 3-selection flight to explore, as well as delicious appetizers from the Tap + Table kitchen. We’ll also hold a First In Flight paper airplane contest during the event. Have fun while you connect with other community members that want to make a difference! Register for tickets here: https://familiestogethernc.org/event-registration and if you get them ahead of time you will save $5. Proceeds from this event benefit Families Together during our Hope Begins With a Home campaign.

Stories of Hope Your support has a life-changing impact on children right here in your community. Here’s one example: Sasha was in her 7th grade class when her mother suddenly pulled her out. The car was

packed and her two sisters were inside. Her father’s violent out-bursts had gotten worse at home and Sasha worried it would come to this. Her mom had grabbed what belongings she could and they were leaving that day for good. Approximately 25% of the families served by Families Together are fleeing domestic violence situa-tions. FT partners with a local domestic violence shelter to move women and children into safe affordable housing that they can sus-

tain. Sasha is now on the college track in high school and dreams of being a surgeon one day. There are more stories of hope like Sasha’s here: https://familiestogethernc.org/hope-stories. Needs We are always grateful for the kind gifts that our supporters bestow upon the families we serve. Our af-ter school program pantry is running low. Donations of non-perishable snacks and juices for the children would be greatly appreciated. Also, our backpack and school supply drive for the children who are cur-rently in our program, and those who arrive throughout the year will be happening in June. We need backpacks and supplies for the full range of age groups. Lastly, there are two families who are having transportation issues due to not having child safety seats. They are in need of a 5 point harness car seat and booster seat. Contact Meghan Olesen, Community Engagement Coordinator at (919) 307-1892, or by e-mail, meghan@FamiliesTogetherNC.org.

Please keep in touch with Families Together by liking our Facebook Page (facebook.com/

families2gether), Twitter (@families2gether). When you share our story, the whole community

benefits. Thank you again.

PLM - Families Together

LETS PUT A ROOF OVER EVERY CHILD’S HEAD

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LWML Debbie Roseman

droseman@bellsouth.net

LWML LUNCH BUNCH – TUESDAY, MAY 22, 12:30 p.m. For our last luncheon before summer break we’ll be meeting at Brio Tuscan Grille at Crabtree Valley Mall. Be ready to suggest your favorite res-taurants for next year! For those that are interested in carpooling, please indicate that when you sign up on the LWML bulletin board in the lobby. MITE COLLECTION - SUNDAY, MAY 27 Support the ongoing efforts of the LWML to serve people around the world by filling a mite box with your change. Last summer the delegates to the national LWML convention voted to fund 22 grants for a total of $2,075,000 during the 2017 -2019 biennium. So far the following grants have been paid in full!

Mercy House for Women and Children Franklin Avenue Mission, Flint, Michigan $100,000 Tanzanian Sewing Center Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania $25,000 Current Missionary Need LCMS Intl. Mission $100,000 Completion of Lukonda Lutheran School Buildings, Uganda Lutheran Church, Uganda $48,000 Prison & Jail Ministry Synodical Convention 2018 $36,500 Mite boxes are available on the console beneath the LWML bulletin board in the lobby. Return them by placing them on the console or in the basket on the shelf below or by giving them to Debbie Roseman. MITE COLLECTIONS Mission of the Quarter #1 - $42.00 March Mites - $35.00

SAVE THESE DATES! Carolinas District Retreat August 17 – 19, 2018 Camp Linn Haven Linville, NC It’s the Eastern Zone’s turn to host this annual district event held at Camp Linn Ha-ven in the beautiful North Carolina mountains. Rev. John Drosendahl, Carolinas District Jr. Counselor, will be the dean. Check in will be Fri-day afternoon and the weekend ends with lunch on Sunday. Camp fees of $95.00 for room and board are payable upon arrival. Saturday after-noon is free time for you to explore the mountains and all they have to offer or rest in camp. Maybe some reading, a nap or enjoying fellowship with your LWML sisters in Christ is just what you need. Consider escaping the summer heat and heading for camp for a relaxing and fun-filled weekend. Carolinas District Convention September 14 – 15, 2018 Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center Lake Junaluska, NC A beautiful setting has been chosen for our next district convention. Set aside the dates so that you can enjoy the lake and the mountains while you participate in the convention. You might want to go up a day early just to enjoy this beautiful re-treat center. More details will be in the next edi-tion of the Carolinas Cross Connection. LWML ONGOING COLLECTIONS Travel size toiletries Used eyeglasses Don’t forget to collect travel size toiletries as you vacation. The toiletries are given to the Matthew Ministry at Jordan Lutheran Church. Teams from Jor-dan hand out these items to the homeless in downtown Raleigh twice a month on Saturdays. You will find collection baskets for these items on the shelves of the console beneath the LWML bulletin board.

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LWML

www.lwml.org

Quilt and Kit Shipping Fund Lutheran World Relief

$80,000

Three women from the Lamjung district who survived the spring April 2015 earthquakes in Nepal hold LWR quilts for their families to help them through the cold nights in tem-porary shelters.

ANERA staff sort quilts shipped by LWR for Palestinian refugees

from Syria in camps across Lebanon (January 2015).

Every year, many Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML) groups and individuals join their hearts and hands in sewing mission quilts, mak-ing blankets, and assembling personal care, ba-by care, school and fabric kits to be distributed to people in need through Lutheran World Relief (LWR). Delivering these materials to people in need is a long and sometimes complex process, involving trucking and rail transportation, ware-housing, processing, and overseas shipping. This grant to LWR’s Quilt and Shipping Fund en-sures the ability to deliver more than 35,500 quilts each year to our neighbors in need throughout the world and sustains the ministry that so many LWML members have been a part of for generations.

We Pray Together … Precious Heavenly Father, fountain and the origin of all goodness, we give you thanks for daily providing us with all that we need to support our body and soul. Help us to give generously to provide for the Lutheran World Relief project to con-tinue providing families with quilts and the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we always be content at the foot of the cross, trusting that you will always provide for our needs. In Jesus Name, we pray Amen.

For more information, questions, or to learn about us: 1-800-252-5965 www.lwml.org

WHEREAS, Our Lord Jesus Christ, being above all, cared for the poor and fed the hungry, and that God, our Creator and Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit fill us with the desire to care for the hungry, those who thirst and those with nothing; and WHEREAS, For over 70 years, LWML and Lutheran World Relief have worked together in Christian love to provide for the needs of people worldwide with hand-made quilts and kits; and WHEREAS, These gifts of faith provide Lutherans of all ages a hands-on way to reach out and share the love of Jesus with their furthest neighbors, and in do-ing so grow in their faith while offering new hope for families worldwide; and WHEREAS, The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless (Ps.146:9), and we follow by giving them first priority in receiving these gifts as the intensity of humanitarian needs in-creases around the world; therefore be it RESOLVED, That the delegates gathered at the 2017 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, vote the sum of $80,000 to fund the Lutheran World Relief Quilt and Kit Ship-ping.

Women and children who are part of LWR's dairy project in Peru receive quilts and kits in April 2016. These basic items help families to reallocate lim-ited funds to other necessities as they work to break out of the chains of chronic poverty.

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May 2018

1500 Glenwood Avenue Raleigh, NC 27608-2338

75th Anniversary 1942 - 2017