Begin your Christmas season at Our Saviour Lutheran Church by attending the three Wednesday Advent Services "filling yourself with God's Word.

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1 PARISH NEWS Our Saviour Lutheran Church Advent/Christmas Issue November-December 2012 What is Advent? The word "advent" is from the Latin word for "coming." During the weeks before Christmas called Advent, we look forward with hope and expectation of the coming of Christ, not only celebrating the child in a manager, but even more to Christ's coming in glory at the end of time. Advent begins the church year. Next comes Christmas, which is about His birth; then Epiphany, about His miracles and ministry; then Lent, about His mission; then Easter, about His resurrection, then Ascension and Pentecost, with the sending of the Holy Spirit. Use of the Advent wreath started in Germany as a symbol of the waiting and hope of the return of our Lord Jesus. The circle represents the eternal victory over death through Jesus, the evergreens are a sign of God's faithfulness, and the lighted candles are a reminder of the light Christ brought into the world. We light an Advent candle each Sunday in Advent as a symbol to remind us of God's promises. The blue candles are to signify hope, the pink one, rejoicing, and the white candle in the middle is the "Christ candle." In this issue: Pastor's Corner... 2 Movie Night... 3 Council Retreat... 3 Constitution... 3 Fall Festival... 4 Treasurer's Report... 4 Ladies Guild... 5 Trustees... 5 Young at Heart... 5 Endowment Fund... 5 Christmas Events... 6 It is so easy for Advent to get lost in our harried preparations for Christmas. But Advent tells us that this world's treasures are temporary. Advent tells us that we are empty, hungry sinners and that the One who can fill us will soon appear, but we must wait. What we truly want is a Savior; and while we wait for Him, we fill ourselves with His Word. Begin your Christmas season at Our Saviour Lutheran Church by attending the three Wednesday Advent Services "filling yourself with God's Word." Angels: God's Special Servants; Our Mighty Friends "What Angels Are" Dec 5, 7 p.m. Psalm 104:4 "What They Do for God" Dec 12, 7 p.m. Psalm 103:20 "What They Do for Us" Dec 19, 7 p.m. Psalm 91:11 We invite you to come early (6 p.m.) for soup and sandwiches with us. Worship Services Worship Service Sun.@ 10:15 am SS & Adult Bible 9 am Devotional Service 7 pm Holy Communion 1 st, 3 rd, 5 th Sundays Our Saviour Lutheran Church 6770 Monaco St. Commerce City, CO Rev. Charles Westby, Pastor Church Phone: pastor@oursaviourlcms.com Web site:

2 Page 2 Dear Friends in Christ, The Season of Advent is upon us once again. This means our Christmas celebration is right around the corner. Can you believe it? Sometimes I wish I was a kid again when it seemed to take sooooo long for Christmas to come. Although, it was agony then how long it took, now time flies by so fast it makes my head spin. What does Advent/ Christmas make you think of with respect to our relationship with God? Here are some things on my mind: blue, evergreen, lights, hope and anticipation, angels, time, promises, God s faithfulness, deep wonder and mystery at what God has done. Blue is a liturgical color of royalty (Jesus is king) and hope and anticipation (Jesus is coming). Evergreen is the Christmas tree which symbolizes Jesus being our life, that He is indestructible life, and that in Him we also have the promise of living forever in peace and joy in Him because He died for us and rose again into immortality. Lights remind us that Jesus is the Light of the world and that the darkness of sin and evil is dispersed by Him. Time and promises go together. The One true God acts in history, our history. On one day He promised Christ would come. On another He came. He fulfills His promises. He is faithful. He does what He says. Angels: we are going to talk about angels in the Advent Midweek Services this year. They are God s Special Servants and our Mighty Friends, though we do not see them, worship them, or pray to them. It is interesting, however, how prominent angels are in the promise of Christ s coming and the fulfillment of that promise. I hope that we gain from talking about angels the richness of God as our creator, particularly that not everything that exists is that which can be perceived with the senses. I also hope we gain a comfort knowing that God provides some really cool fellow creatures to us to help us as God determines. Many of us may attest to how God has used angels in our lives to protect us and help us, because there is no other explanation for certain things that have happened. This makes us thank God for another example of His love and faithfulness to us. Deep wonder and mystery brings us to the heart of it all; the birth of Jesus Christ. Think of it; the Creator becomes creature. The one who is infinite and eternal is now found in the finite man and born in time. The One who is beyond all suffering and need becomes a human being subject to experiencing good and bad. He suffers physical pain and gets hungry. He suffers the sting of death as we humans feel it in our hearts; His friend Lazarus died. He bears His own wrath against our sin, the Holy One becoming sin for us in our place so He could free us from His own judgment against us. This is the power of love revealed by Him who is Love, for we, if we were of such high estate, would never conceive of undertaking such humility for others. But this is our God revealed in Jesus. This is what Jesus the Son has done for us. Advent and Christmas call us to believe and trust this One, through whom God created all things, who was born as an infant small that day so long ago, who grew to be a man who would redeem us in His death and resurrection, and who now sits at the right hand of God, interceding for us. God s richest spiritual blessings to you this Advent and Christmas season as we thank God for and worship this One, whose Name is Jesus. Blessings in Him, Pastor Westby

3 Page 3 Secular view of Reformation contrasted with the Church's Those attending Reformation Movie Night on October 31 watched the documentary "Empires: Martin Luther." Pastor led an interesting and informative discussion afterward. This documentary presented the Reformation from the modern rationalistic view showing Luther as a rebel and revolutionary. It depicted him as standing up against the powers of the world and for individual freedom. What was missing from this account: theology and the Gospel. Luther came to realize that the Gospel means that Christ Himself is the righteousness between us and God that makes us holy. Salvation is not mediated through the church per se as an institution but through Word and Sacrament Christ has placed in the church. We reviewed the three pillars of Lutheran understanding: Sola scriptura: "scripture alone; " Sola fide: "faith alone;" Sola gratia: "grace alone." We took a fun and interactive quiz (written by Pastor). Stacey Spitzer won first prize and Randy Ristau won second for most correct answers. Carroll Harr said that we were all winners because we learned more about Martin Luther and the Reformation. Trusting Jesus Eleven members of Boards attended the Council Retreat on September 15 at the Harr's in Georgetown. As Scott Howell commented, "We had a great time of fellowship bringing light and salt into our serving." Paul Frank gives his impression of the day: "Council Retreat was another triumph of the truth of God's Word as Pastor Westby teased out of the Scriptures a clear picture of how we come to know Jesus and how Jesus comes to us through Word and Sacrament. In keeping with our new mission statement, 'Trusting Jesus, Helping Others,' we found that our Congregation promotes 'Trust in the Word' in many ways. Examples include Bible Class, Confirmation, Sunday School, VBS, Advent and Lenten Services, Prayer Chain, and parents talking with their children as well as to friends during their busy day. We found that Jesus comes to strengthen our faith in Church." We closed the day with a discussion of how we might include our youth more in the life of the Church. Board members agreed that this should be an annual event. Constitution Updated The Constitution Committee completed its task and presented their recommendations to a Special Voters' Meeting in October and the congregation approved both the Constitution and the By-Laws. A draft of the revised Constitution was presented at the Annual Voters' Meeting in June and a draft of the By-Laws were presented to the Congregation in September. A final finished copy is now available to members. The Constitution and By-Laws will be submitted to the Rocky Mountain District by January 1, 2013 to be approved by the Board of Directors of the District.

4 Page 4 Fall Festival Due to the weather (very cold, foggy, threat of snow), the car show was almost cancelled this year. However, we carried on with 10 cars in the show. There were five categories of cars and winners: Post-1949 Classic & People's Choice Ron Hensel, owner Treasurer's Report Fiscal Year July 1, June 30, 2013 Monthly Offerings FY 2012: (Monthly Budget=$9,623.48) % of Budget July $7, % Aug. $6, % Sept. $8, % Oct. $5,717 59% 1959 Chevy 1955 Custom Chevy Pickup 1 Hot Rod/Customized & Pastor's Choice Bill & Dixie Conway, owner Pre-1949 Classic, 1932 Ford Edward Gardner, owner Thank you to local businesses and individuals for many nice donations for prizes: Ace Hardware, Wells Fargo (Commerce City), Wells Fargo (Reunion), Bear Car Wash, The Man Cave Detail Shop, Esther Hall, Marjorie Buschman, and Hester Bonnell. Youth Group managed the kitchen this year. Dusty Sandoval, Hannah Morris, Jamie Herron, and a friend sold hamburgers, brats, hot dogs, chips and drinks. Since all were forced inside due to the cold, there was more opportunity for conversation and getting to know the participants. It was a fun day in spite of the weather. "Banana Ladies" continue an OSLC tradition The fourth Wednesday of every month members take bananas to Woodridge Nursing Home along with words of friendship and comfort. Thrivent funds this project with $400 to purchase bananas, cards and birthday gifts for the residents. King Soopers has been very generous in selling us bananas this year for $12 instead of $24, which allows us to purchase more gifts. Thank you, Marjie Buschman, for coordinating this project. Balances for FY (since July 1): Thrivent Choice $332 Pastor's Salary Reserve $6, CONGREGATION OFFICERS President... Carroll Harr Vice President... Vacant Secretary... Barb Clark Treasurer... Dolores Harr Financial Sec... Debra Bullock BOARDS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS Elders... Paul Frank Trustees... Dana Wood Education... Stacey Spitzer Outreach... Debra Bullock Stewardship... Barb Clark Endowment... Paul Frank 3-year-old Reese : "Our Father, Who does art in heaven, Harold is His name.. Amen."

5 OSLC Ladies Guild hosts LWML Fall Rally P. (Praise), R. (Remember), A. (Ask), Y. (Yield), E. (Excitement), R. (Rejoice) was the theme for this year's LWML North Central Zone 2012 Fall Rally held at OSLC on October 20, Author and artist, Ronda Palazzari, spoke about the importance of prayer in her life and guided us in making a prayer journal. Barb Clark, Dolores Harr, and Stacey Spitzer were elected to serve on the Nominating Committee for next year. Thanks to all the ladies from Our Saviour who provided a salad luncheon. Ladies Guild sends gift cards to Seminary students After sponsoring two door offerings and two bake sales, Ladies Guild is happy to send gift cards for Christmas to the students at Ft. Wayne and St. Louis Seminaries worth over $650. Sales totaled $414 and Thrivent will match the first $250. Thank you so much to the people with a sweet tooth and the generosity of our members. Dana Wood, chairman of the Trustees, is happy to report that replacement and repair of the Church and Fellowship Hall roofs is complete. We thank Rocky Mountain Construction for a job well done, especially for removing the cross, painting it, and replacing it at no cost. Also, the two rusty doors on the east side of the Church have been replaced. Thank you, Trustees. Young at Heart Parish News The Young at Heart group held a "Leftover Thanksgiving" dinner and invited the entire congregation. They feasted on creative dishes using turkey leftovers and played dominoes into the night. Well maybe not that late, but fun, mixed with a little competition, was had by all. Memorials encouraged by Endowment Fund Committee The Our Saviour Endowment Fund was set up when the property behind the church was sold. The income from that sale has provided additional funds to our congregation for unexpected opportunities to expand Outreach. Currently the interest from OSLC Endowment Fund is providing the funds to pay for the loan for improvements to the property. The OSLC Endowment Fund could provide even more funds if there was more capital to generate that income. Increasing the capital of OSLC Endowment Fund is done by designating donation or memorials directly to the Fund. The Fund has not grown very much because there have not been very many donations to it. The list of donors or those for whom memorials to the Fund have been given is on a plaque in the narthex of the Church. These are living memorials which continue year after year to provide support to God's endeavors at OSLC and Commerce City. As of June 30, 2012, the balance of the Fund is $307, Page 5

6 Page 6 The Youth Group keeps busy The Youth Group sold food at the Fall Festival to raise funds for the trip to LVR next summer. Due to the weather they only made about $100 profit, but still had lots of fun. They went with Pastor and Tawnya to the corn maze on October 28. The weather was beautiful and they were able to have a picnic lunch at the corn maze as well. On December 15, Pastor and Tawnya will be opening their home once again for the Youth group Christmas party. The Sunday School Christmas program will be on December 23. Practice will begin Saturday, December 1, at 11:00 a.m. and on December 8, 15 and 22, practice will begin at 10:00 a.m. The Youth Group is planning a fundraiser spaghetti dinner in April 2013 to raise more money for the trip to LVR next summer. "One particular four-year-old prayed, 'And forgive us our trash baskets as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets.'" Christmas Events and Services Ladies Guild Christmas Party, Monday, December 10, 6 p.m. New this year: We will give to Lutheran Family Services in addition to the traditional $5 gift exchange. Children's Christmas Program, Sunday Worship, December 23, 10:15 a.m. The children and their Sunday School teachers have practiced every Saturday to bring the Christmas Story to life. What a joy they are for our congregation. Advent Services, Wednesdays, December 5, 12, 19, 7 p.m. (Remember: Soup Supper at 6 p.m.) Christmas Eve Service, Monday, December 24, 7 p.m. Christmas Day Service, Tuesday, December 25, 10:15 a.m. Note: There will be no New Year's Eve or New Year's Day Service this year. Also, there will be no Wednesday Devotional Service on January 2, Pastor Westby will be on vacation from December 26 until January 2.