Friendship Club
Gretta Van Schepen, Augustana Woman’s Softball Coach, will be the guest speaker at this month’s Friendship Club, March 19 at 10:30 a.m., in the Friendship Room. She will speak about her experiences coaching young adults, Augie’s transition to Division 1 Softball, recruiting, coaching at the collegiate level, and much more. Lunch will follow the presentation, at 11:30, in The Gathering Place. Come and enjoy this wonderful time together, and bring a friend—or two!—to Friendship Club!
Walking to the Cross
A walking program has physical benefits, and also may draw us closer to God by adding an intentional reflective or devotional element.
Stepping away from the demands of our daily routines to walk, reflect, and pray reminds us that God created us and wants to come near to us. The spiritual benefits of a walking program include a time to pray, give thanks for creation, share with a companion walker, and gain a sense of stewardship for God’s gift of life. The health benefits of walking include weight loss, stress management, improved mental health, lowered blood pressure, restorative sleep, and cardiovascular health.
This Lenten season, join your OSL friends for Walking Workout Wednesdays, at 10:00 a.m., in Fellowship Hall, beginning on March 13 and continuing through April 10. Using a Leslie Sansone DVD, the group will walk in place with easy-to-follow moves for shaping the waistline, flattening the tummy, and strengthening the back. Following the DVD workout, everyone will be invited on a 30-minute walk around the building—inside, of course!
As the author Butch Odom puts it, “As you walk with Christ through the season of Lent, we pray that you may become healthier in body and spirit with each step you take toward the cross.”
Questions? Contact Deb Harlan, dharlan@oslchurch.com or 336-2942, ext. 48.
Hope for Living with Illness or Cancer
People living with long-term or chronic illness or disabilities come together at OSL on Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. in Caring Ministries to share news, sorrows, and triumphs in a lively, often very spiritual ongoing conversation. The group is open to anyone dealing with long-term health issues, as well as their spouses or other supporters or caregivers. No registration is required. Come participate in this fun and caring group! Questions? Contact Michelle Anderson, mianderson@oslchurch.com or 336-2942, ext. 28.
A Ministry of Presence
OSL Caring Friends are volunteers who reach out monthly to members residing in care facilities in the Sioux Falls area. This ministry program was created as an opportunity to minister to those who can no longer participate in worship and fellowship opportunities, to make them feel connected, and remind them they are a vital part of their church family.
Through phone calls, mail, personal visits, and prayer, Caring Friends extend the Love of Christ to those who may themselves alone or disconnected. This outreach is an essential part of OSL’s mission: Connecting Faith to Everyday Life.
You are invited to be part of the Caring Friends Ministry Team, and serve as a living reminder of God’s presence and love! Contact Pr. Tim Lemme, 336-2942, ext. 19, or tlemme@oslchurch.com, or Deb Harlan, 336-2942, ext. 48, or dharlan@oslchurch.com.
Lenten Recent Loss Series
OSL’s Recent Loss group will meet on Wednesdays in Lent—March 20 through April 10—from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., in the Chapel. You may join the group for soup and pie Lenten supper at 5:00 in The Gathering Place (look for the designated table), and are invited to worship at 6:40 in the Sanctuary. Contact Michelle Anderson, mianderson@oslchurch.com or 336-2942, ext. 28, with questions.
Service of Healing
For anyone who has experienced any type of loss, OSL’s Healing Service offers comfort and support. This year’s Healing Service will be on Tuesday, April 16, at 6:30 p.m., in the Sanctuary. A blessing will be given to those who come forward for individual prayer and anointing.
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 6, 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 Caring Ministries. 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 13 and 27, 9:30 a.m.
Recent Loss Group
Wednesdays, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., in the Chapel. Contact Michelle Anderson, 336-2942, ext. 28, or or mianderson@oslchurch.com, to preregister. OSL Community Supper is available before the meeting, at 5:00 in The Gathering Place.
Good Grief
Every Thursday at 10:00 a.m. in Room 103. Offers support to anyone dealing with loss and crisis in their lives.
Memory Care Support Group
Saturdays, 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., Conference Room. 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.
Men’s Bible Breakfast
OSL’s Men’s Bible Breakfast and Lutheran Men in Mission group meets on the first and third Saturday of each month at 8:30 a.m. in the Conference Room. A continental breakfast is provided by members at each gathering. Men of all ages are invited to attend this one-hour Bible study when it meets on March 2 and March 16. For more details, contact Pr. Tim Lemme, tlemme@oslchurch.com or 336-2942, ext. 19.
It Pays to Check!
This comes from OSL member Marilyn Anderson:
Last November, Our Savior’s partnered with Sanford Health to offer vascular and heart scans to the congregation. I decided to do both vascular and heart, and asked my husband, Richard, to go with me. At first he declined, but after thinking about it for a couple of days, he decided he would have both scans. Richard’s heart scan was 1400: it should have been under 200.
The following week Richard saw a cardiologist to have a stent put in, but the blockages were too significant. Within a couple of hours, he was talking to a cardiac surgeon, and it developed that he needed a triple bypass operation. He’d never had any symptoms of heart disease, and may well have had a heart attack or stroke except for the scan! Thank God he decided to go have the scans, and thank you, Our Savior’s, for offering them!