Friendship Club
Joanne Haase will be the guest presenter at the March Friendship Club. She will share many of the services offered by the Goodwill Organization of the Great Plains, including work training, support services, youth services, compassionate adult day programs, secure document destruction, and retail sales. Bring a friend or two to Friendship Club on Tuesday, March 21, at 10:30 a.m., in the Friendship Room, followed by lunch in The Gathering Place.

Health Ministries
Our Savior’s has a number of ongoing health ministries that meet on a weekly or monthly basis. Feel free to join any of the following sessions. For more information, contact Michelle Anderson, Faith Community Nurse, 336-2942, ext. 48, or mianderson@oslchurch.com.

Footcare Clinic
Cost is $25 per person. Wednesday, March 1, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Call the Church Office, 336-2942, to schedule your appointment.

Hope for Living with Illness or Cancer
Every Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. in the Friendship Room. People and their families who have or are experiencing the challenge of cancer are welcome. If you cannot attend, but would like to be on our prayer and devotional mailing list, contact Michelle Anderson, Faith Community Nurse, 336-2942, ext. 48, or mianderson@oslchurch.com.

Knitting/Crocheting Ministry
Learn how to knit or crochet prayer shawls (to be given to people to remind them of God’s presence and love in their lives) and mittens and scarves (for missions).
Wednesdays, March 8 and 22, 9:30 a.m., Sonshine Rm.
2nd Saturday Knitters, March 11, 9:30 a.m., Sonshine Rm.

Good Grief
Every Thursday at 10:00 a.m. in Room 103. Offers support to anyone dealing with loss and crisis in their lives.

Pickleball
OSL-sponsored Pickleball: Mondays, 8:00 a.m. to noon and 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Tuesdays, 8:00 a.m. to noon
Wednesdays and Fridays, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Thursdays, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Memory Care Support Group
Saturdays, 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., Friendship Room or Chapel. For caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s and dementia, the group is a place for caregivers to share and to receive understanding and empathy. Contact Michelle Anderson, Faith Community Nurse, 336-2942, ext. 48, or mianderson@oslchurch.com.

Stephen Ministry
As Christians We Are Blessed and a Blessing, by Margot L. Nelson

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What does it mean to be blessed? The Oxford dictionary includes these definitions:
• Made holy; consecrated
• Endowed with divine favor and protection
• Bringing pleasure or relief as a welcome contrast to what one has previously experienced.

In a recent sermon, Pr. Randy challenged us to consider what it really means to be blessed. I offer a multiple choice question for you to consider. Would you say, “I am blessed because:
a. “I am healthy, wealthy, and/or enjoy privilege and success in this life,” or
b. “In Christ I am loved, chosen, redeemed, forgiven, freed, sanctified, and promised an eternal inheritance?”

Clearly, there would appear to be a correct answer—b, right? Another question we might ponder is, Are some of us more blessed than others, as reflected in the Beatitudes:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure of heart,
for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
(Matthew 5:3–10)

The first answer suggests that we all are blessed by God’s grace, an unearned gift. The Beatitudes suggest that some among us merit special blessing. Since blessing is a gift, another way to consider our life together as Christians is to think of ways we can each be a blessing (a gift) to others. Personally, I have chosen Stephen Ministry and singing in the Senior Choir as ways to be a blessing to others. Of course, I have to admit that I reap blessings for myself from those choices in at least equal measure. As Christians, we have the privilege of claiming both our blessedness and the opportunities to be a blessing to others.

In recognition of St. Patrick’s Day, I close this reflection with an Irish blessing, courtesy of Deb Harlan:

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

OSL Women of the ELCA
Christian Faith and Christian Freedom: Heirs of the Promise,
by Tami Skorczewski

“Because you are children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.”
Galatians 4:6–7

Bible Study. For Paul, Jesus Christ is both the cause and the center of the Christian family. In Christ, we become daughters and sons of God. (Source: gathermagazine.org.)

Our Purpose. As a community of women, created in the image of God, called to discipleship in Jesus Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves to grow in faith, affirm our gifts, support one another in our callings, engage in ministry and action, and promote healing and wholeness in the church, the society, and the world.

Membership. All women of Our Savior’s are welcome to be part of Women of the ELCA (WELCA). No membership application is required.

What We Do
• Bible Study: We currently have 12 circles that meet monthly, at various times. Our resource is Gather, the magazine of WELCA (gathermagazine.org).
• Experience the Joy of Giving: We annually support a variety of charitable organizations and have a different Unit Wide Mission Project each year, which we support with different fundraisers. For 2017, the Unit Wide Mission Project is “OSL WELCA Has It in the Bag.”
• Community Building and Fellowship: Through three luncheons each year, we gather together to give thanks and support OSL’s Community of Women. Our first luncheon will be the annual Mother/Daughter Luncheon, on Saturday, May 13, at 11:00 A.M., in The Gathering Place. Put that date on your calendar, and watch for additional details in the bulletins and upcoming issues of The Intercom.

Blessings,
Tami Skorczewski
OSL WELCA President

“As individuals, we are strong. Together with God, we are unstoppable.”
—Rosemary M. Wixom

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