From the Senior Pastor
Ever Forward!
Pr. Randy Gehring
This is an exciting time of year at Our Savior’s. It’s stewardship season, that time when we dream together about how much OSL means to us and to the broader community and how we will invest in this ministry God has entrusted to us.
This year our strategic plan is guiding us as we look to the future. With three years of pandemic uncertainty behind us, it is critical to our mission that we strive together now to move ever forward, adapting and innovating as we put our trust in the One who has called and gathered us into this community we love.
Specifically, this strategic planning process has helped us identify that God is calling us to be a Church of Substance, a church that is courageously vulnerable, deliberately atypical, shamelessly gracious, boldly exploring, and faithfully engaged. In the year to come (and beyond), we will not only continue developing ministry initiatives that align with this identity—for example, fostering a partnership with Ace Academy, forming a Creation Care team that will help us identify ways we can decrease our carbon footprint, exploring the process of becoming a Reconciling in Christ congregation, etc.—but we will also begin marketing our ministry in the community using this newly claimed identity.
Engagement: Secondly, because the pandemic necessarily changed the way we engage church, we now need to focus attention on helping folks reengage our ministry in ways that not only serve them well but also serve the congregation’s mission. At the top of this list is our priority to welcome folks back to in-person worship. Television and Facebook Live help us expand the reach of our ministry, but the full benefit of worship is best achieved when attending and participating in person. Thus it is our goal to grow not only our onsite worship attendance but also the number of folks who are actively involved in a ministry area outside of worship. We want to focus on relational ministries, those programs and activities that help us further develop our relationships with each other while welcoming and engaging those who are new to our community. In a word, this is about celebrating the FUN of being church together.
Finally, our strategy for mission requires an Investment from those who have been called and gathered by the Holy Spirit to be part of Team OSL. Everything we do as a congregation is funded by members and friends who share a portion of what God has given them with the church. This year’s stewardship appeal, Ever Forward: Faithfully Engaged Transforming the World, is your personal invitation to invest in this ministry we share. It is an opportunity to partner with your Our Savior’s family in literally transforming the world through our mission of proclaiming Christ and nurturing faith that connects with everyday life.
After praying about this mission critical opportunity, complete your Estimate of Giving card that you either picked up at one of our stewardship events or received in the mail and return it to the church as soon as you can. The information you provide on this card will enable your leadership team to begin planning for an exciting new ministry year, which begins July 1. In addition, be sure to join us for worship on May 13 and 14 as we celebrate the completion of this year’s stewardship appeal and consecrate our Estimates of Giving as part of our offering.
Thank you for your partnership as together we move Ever Forward in mission and ministry.
Pr. Randy Gehring