In s i de t h i s i s su e :

Pastor Ashley 1

Pastor Sarah 2

Holy Week Schedule 3

Congregational Life 4

Council and Lay Tables 5

Orchestra Concert 6

Food Challenge 7

Kira Anderson 8

Mission Trips 9

Volunteers 11

Café Midweek 13

2016

Holy Week Schedule

Holy Wednesday

March 23

6:15pm

Worship with

Holy Communion.

Good Friday

March 25

6:15

Worship with

Music by

Our Savior’s Singers.

Easter Worship

March 27

8:30—Traditional

10:30—Contemporary

A Word from Pr. Ashley

“I love to tell the story of unseen things above,

of Jesus and his glory, of Jesus and his love.

I love to tell the story because I know it’s true;

It satisfies my longings as nothing else would do.

“I Love To Tell the Story”

Evangelical Lutheran Worship p. 661

Katherine Hankey is the author of the hymn “I Love To Tell the Sto-ry”. She wrote the words to this hymn during a long period of illness in her thirties. The origi-nal poem consisted of two parts: the first part titled, The Story Wanted and the second part titled The Story Told. From this same poem came two familiar hymns, “Tell Me the Old, Old Story” and “I Love to Tell the Story.”

In the words of this hymn you can hear Hankey’s zeal and passion for evangelical ministry. Hankey cared deeply about how the story of Jesus’ love shaped her life and how she taught this story to others. This hymn is found in the hymnal under the section titled ‘Witness.’ It is a witness to the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and his everlasting and eternal Story.

We are people of God’s Story and people sharing God’s Story. We are a church that gathers weekly to open the Bible and hear God’s Eternal Word. In Scripture, we hear stories of God and God’s people, we witness the ministry of Jesus transforming lives, and we hear about the power of the Holy Spirit drawing people together as the living body of Christ.

The story of the Triune God shapes our life and we are called to tell about the story of “Jesus’ Glory”. What does it mean to tell this story? It means that we take time to study Scripture and become familiar with the ways God has always been at work in the lives of God’s people. We take time to reflect on where God is calling us and moving in our midst. And we boldly share these stories with the people around us.

The story of God takes place in our hearts, in our prayers, in our homes, in our worshipping community, in our places of education and faith formation, in our concerns for the world, in our worries for future generations, in our celebrations and all around us.

Following the Easter Celebration, the congregation will be invited into a time of intentionally sharing of our stories with one another. We are calling this project “Story Core”. Leaders of our Root, Gather, and Spring Tables will be leading one-on-one conversations with congrega-tion members around a variety of topics. These topics will include conversations on the church, community life, and your faith journey. There will be more information to come on the Story Core Project later in March. But please consider saying yes if you receive a phone call from a Table Member to share your story.

Please know that your story of faith is powerful. You are a beloved child of God and we as a church care about the story of faith that you carry with you. We Love To Tell the Story of Je-sus and we love to hear your story of faith.

Thank you,

Pr. Ashley Osborn

A Word from Pr. Sarah

During this Lenten Season, I have been teaching a course on “Leadership” on Sunday Mornings. A group of around 30 people have been in attendance. There is still time to attend and you can find us from 8:15-9:00 in the All Purpose Room.

In church circles, the kind of leadership we value most is Christocentric and Scripture centric. This means that our methods, goals and processes will always be grounded in what we know of God through the Living Word of Christ and the living word of scrip-ture.

Over the years I have served God’s church as a pastor, I have studied and preached scripture, wrestled and taken comfort from scripture and have sought to form a leadership philosophy that is profoundly shaped from scripture.

I have also sought to experience the living Word of Christ as it has shown up in the lives of God’s people and in the communities they form.

All of this has led me to a few core tenants of leadership in the church:

The laity stand at the heart of church leadership.

Continuity of leadership over time is best provided by lay people.

The strength of a church’s mission is proportionate to the strength of its lay engagement.

Pastors still have an important role. Pastors study scripture, watch for Christ’s presence, invest deeply in the life and structures of the congregation and form a vision for God’s call. At every step, their job is to invite significant lay participation.

Staff members have important roles as well. They keep church systems running healthily and support both the pastors and the laity in their work. In partnership with the laity, they too study scripture, invest deeply in structur-al work and provide vision formation for subsets of the whole church.

Many have heard me express this philosophy: “I am a 60%, 40% kind of pastor”. I form a plan to the 60% mark, then seek input from the laity before I formulate the remaining 40%. “ I do this as a sign of respect for you, the heart of the church. I do this as a sign of my belief in your capacity. And I do this because I believe it is the strong-est form of leadership available to us in the church today.

I invite you to be part of the 40%. The strength of our mission depends on it.

In Christ,

Pr. Sarah

All are invited to participate this Lent in a Leadership Course offered by Pr. Sarah on Sunday mornings. The course was developed at the invitation of the Director of Region Three for the purpose of lay leadership training for Lutherans in Minnesota and North/South Dakota. (Region Three is a geographical term that refers to a particular section of the ELCA). Our topics for the coming weeks will be:

“Engaging Congregation Members in Biblical Faith Formation” (Sun. Feb. 28)

“Discerning God’s Call for This Time and Place” (Sun. March 6)

“Connecting Giving with God’s Call” (Sun. March 13th)

We look forward to seeing you at 8:15 am in the All Purpose Room. Don’t worry - we’ll be done in time for coffee!

Lenten Worship Series with Communion

February 17th – March 16th at 6:15 pm

Holy Wednesday Worship and First Communion

March 23rd at 6:15 pm

Good Friday Worship

Friday, March 25th at 6:15 pm

Easter Worship Services— Sunday, March 27th

8:30 am– Traditional Worship

10:30 am– Contemporary Worship

Road to Resurrection is coming to our church!

This family-friendly event will get your family talking…and walking with Jesus! Scripture from the Gospels guide fami-

lies through the events surrounding Jesus’ death and resurrection. During this Faith Formation event, families travel

the path Jesus journeyed. They'll taste the Passover meal, visit Barabbas in his jail cell, hear a Roman soldier's re-

morse, and join in other powerful experiences. Join us on Good Friday from 5-6pm and get your families passport!

Each station takes about 10 minutes so please plan on coming right around 5pm so we can rotate through all of the

stations before 6:15 worship! We will start in the Fire Works room!

We are also looking for adult and youth volunteers to help lead our families through the stations! We will need a des-

tination guide and helper to "host" each of the following stations:

~ The Triumphal Entry

~The Passover Meal

~ The Prison

~ The Cross

~The Joyful Road

Please let Kira know if you are interested in hosting or helping at any of these stations!

P a g e 4

C o n g r e g a t i o n a l L i f e

Our Sympathy to:

Dorothy and John Anonby

In the death of Dorothy’s son,

Robert Kuball.

Dave and Marcia Borka Family

In the death of Dave’s father,

Richard Borka.

Ken and Bonnie Bongers Family

In the death of Ken’s brother,

Tony Bongers.

Larry and Dee Olson Family

In the death of Larry’s mother,

Arloene Olson.

May the promise of the resurrection into eternal life give you much hope and comfort in this time of loss.

February 21, 2016

Parker Schlichter

Son of

Corey and Sheana Schlichter

February 28, 2016

Kalea Absher

Daughter of

Erica Staab-Absher and Matt Absher

Welcome to the Our Savior’s Family

little ones!

F a c t s a n d F i g u r e s f o r

J a n u a r y 2 0 1 6 3 Y e a r C o m p a r i s o n J a n u a r y O f f e r i n g 2 0 1 6 $ 5 4 , 3 3 2 2 0 1 5 $ 4 2 , 1 0 1 2 0 1 4 $ 4 7 , 1 8 7 J a n u a r y E x p e n s e 2 0 1 6 $ 4 6 , 3 7 9 2 0 1 5 $ 5 8 , 9 8 3 2 0 1 4 $ 5 8 , 1 5 0

Y e a r t o D a t e 3 Y e a r N e t C o m p a r i s o n

2 0 1 6 $ 7 , 9 5 3 2 0 1 5 ( $ 1 6 , 8 8 2 ) 2 0 1 4 ( $ 1 0 , 9 6 3 ) T h a n k y o u f o r y o u r f a i t h f u l g i v i n g a n d f o r b e i n g w i l l i n g t o w o r k t o w a r d s f u l l f i n a n c i a l h e a l t h a t O u r S a v i o r ’ s !

Update on handicap accessibility:

Through the generosity of the congregation we have raised the funds needed to move forward with the Handicapped Accessibility Project. The church council voted unanimously to award the bid for the work to Met-Con Construction. Met-Con has ordered the ma-terials and anticipates the work will done in March and April. The handicapped door openers will be in-stalled on the Main Entrance doors on the east side of the building and on the restroom doors in the edu-cation building next to the Main Office. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this very important project.

Lay Tables

In February, three new congregational leadership

teams began their work. We are calling these teams

“Tables” because the “Table” is such an important

part of our life at church. We meet at Conference

Room “Tables” to make important decisions as a con-

gregation. We meet at the dinner “Table” to learn

about one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.

And most importantly, we all feast on the gifts of God

at God’s “Table” of communion as God makes us

one.

Members of the Lay Tables were elected at the Annual

Meeting on January 31st.

Root Table Members

Dick Berge

Brad Haugen

Kelly Jensen

Brian Stockland

Jon Weng

Rita Wunderlich—Council Treasurer

John Currie—Council member

Georganne Danielson—Director of Operations

Gather Table Members

Lisa Engbrecht

Alisha Hildebrandt

Deb Kittlesen

Tammy Ross

Mary Zentner

Karen Huberty—Council member

Chris Trebelhorn—Council member

Kira Anderson—Director of Faith Formation

Spring Table Members

Ellen Bisping

Ken Butzow

Eric Hildebrandt

Barb Karli

Erica Staab-Absher

Ed Lee—Council Member

Don Ward—Council Member

Pastor Ashley Osborn—Associate Pastor

March Lamplighter’s Meeting

March 1, 2016

12:00pm

Our Savior’s Staff will be serving a special

lunch to the Lamplighter’s at noon.

This will be followed by a staff

led program and activities.

Visitors are welcome!

This event was postponed in February due to the weather.

2016 Church Council Members

President Peggy Paulson

President Elect Mike Ross

Past President Mike Bremer

Treasurer Rita Wunderlich

Secretary Ed Lee

At Large Don Ward

Chris Trebelhorn

John Currie

Karen Huberty

Katelyn Jensen

The Council voted at its November meeting to invite a member of the High School Youth Group to take part in Council Meetings during the year of 2016. Katelyn Jensen, a junior at Faribault High School and an active participant in Our Savior’s ministry, will be filling the post this year. As we live out our ministry and answer the call of God, it will be good to have a variety of ages represented at the table. Welcome to the new mem-bers of the Church Council, Katelyn, Mike Ross, Rita Wunderlich, John Currie, Karen Huberty

P a g e 6

Generations Pastor Pastor Don Kloster

Please come to welcome Pr. Don Kloster at our Wednesday, March 2nd Soup Supper (5:00 pm, All Purpose Room). Pr. Don will serve as Our Savior’s “Generations Pastor” begin-ning March 1st and we are delighted to welcome him into this community of faith.

Cannon Valley River Orchestra: Tell Me a Story The Cannon Valley Regional Orchestra presents a fun and energetic event for all ages, Tell Me a Story!

This family concert will include:

the Young Lutheran’s Guide to the Orchestra (music by Randall Davidson) with narration by Pastor Bruce Benson,

Peter and the Wolf (music by Sergei Prokofiev) with narration by Philip Spensley and ballet dances by students

from the Cannon Falls School of Dance,

Carnival of the Animals (music by Camille Saint- Saens), featuring local celebrity musicians Theo and DeWayne

Wee on the piano, narration by Patsy Dew, and ballet dances from students in the Northfield Arts Guild’s

Dance Theater Company

The first performance will take place on Saturday, March 5 at 7:00 pm at Northfield Middle School Auditorium in

Northfield.

The second performance will take place on Sunday, March 6 at 3:00 pm at Cannon Falls High School Auditorium. This

concert is hosted by the Cannon Arts Board.

Advanced purchase tickets are available by calling 507-645-8877, or stopping at the Northfield Arts Guild (304 Divi-

sion St.). Tickets for the Cannon Falls concert are also available for purchase at the Cannon Falls Library and the Bea-

con.

*$30 special “Family and Friends” price: Buy two adult tickets at regular price, and get up to 4 student or senior tick-

ets FREE! Discount will automatically apply when purchasing online. If buying tickets with cash or check at a retail lo-

cation, ask for the Family and Friends price!*

P a g e 7

Attention Our Savior’s Book Readers:

Join us on March 21st when we will be discussing the book Go Set a Watchman. By Harper Lee. We meet at 7:30 in the library and everyone is welcome.

About the book: From Harper Lee comes a landmark new novel set two decades after her beloved Pulitzer Prize–winning masterpiece, To Kill a Mockingbird.

Maycomb, Alabama. Twenty-six-year-old Jean Louise Finch—"Scout"—returns home from New York City to visit her aging father, Atticus. Set against the backdrop of the civil rights tensions and political turmoil that were transforming the South, Jean Louise's homecoming turns bittersweet when she learns disturbing truths about her close-knit family, the town, and the people dearest to her. Memories from her childhood flood back, and her values and assumptions are thrown into doubt. Featuring many of the iconic characters from To Kill a Mockingbird, Go Set a Watchman perfectly captures a young woman, and a world, in painful yet necessary transition out of the illusions of the past—a journey that can only be guided by one's own con-science.

Written in the mid-1950s, Go Set a Watchman imparts a fuller, richer understanding and appreciation of Harper Lee. Here is an unforgettable novel of wisdom, humanity, passion, humor, and effortless precision—a profoundly affecting work of art that is both wonderfully evocative of another era and relevant to our own times. It not only confirms the enduring brilliance of To Kill a Mockingbird, but also serves as its essential companion, adding depth, context, and new meaning to an American classic.

THE LENTEN FOOD

CHALLENGE IS ON!!

The friendly food collection challenge with First English Lu-

theran began on Ash Wednesday, February 10th. You are invit-

ed to bring a food item (or several) each time you come to the

church. Cash donations are also welcome. If we come in second,

we will be serving ice cream some Sunday morning at First

English. If we pull off victory, Pr. Joy and Pr. Mark along with

their congregation will return the favor.

This food drive benefits the Faribault food shelf - meaning that

the true winners are the hungry people of Faribault! We are

grateful for your generosity!

“Let the Challenge Begin”!

As of February 18

First English 475 lbs./$

Our Savior’s 361 lbs./$

F a i t h F o r m a t i o n E v e n t s

P a g e 8

Stepping Stone Events

4th Grade – First Communion It’s time for First Communion classes for you and your 4th grader. We are looking forward to meeting with you and your child to prepare for First Communion. Com-munion is one of the two sacraments in the Lutheran tradition and a core compo-nent of our worship experience as a gathered community. We believe that God shows up to meet us in this Holy Meal. We invite you and your child to attend two evenings of learning and preparation. Both are required for completion of the step-ping stone and your presence as a parent, grandparent or guardian is an important part of the class.

Wednesday, March 2nd & 9th 7:00-8:00 pm in the Chapel We are going to be celebrating your child’s stepping stone of First Communion on Wednesday, March 23rd at 6:15 pm during a special Worship service focused on the Last Supper (Jesus’ offering of a meal to his 12 disciples before his death). This Wednesday worship service will take place during “Holy Week”, one of the most meaningful weeks of the year for Christian people. If you have any questions please let us know!

5th Grade – My Body, God’s Gift Our fifth grade Stepping Stone is entitled, “My Body, God’s Gift.” Our goal in offer-ing this stepping stone is to give our students an understanding of what they are/or will soon be experiencing, to give them some “tools” to make healthy choices, and to build their self-esteem. We also hope to equip parents in talking about issues of sexuality; how it is a gift from God and how to affirm their kids being comfortable with who God designed them to be. On March 30th in the Library from 5:00-5:30 pm there will be a preview session for parents only. We will be discussing the resources that will be used for the stepping stone class. If you can’t make it but would like to review the resources, please let me know and I will loan it to you. Topics of sexuali-ty can be uncomfortable for some people, therefore we hope to make all of the in-formation we will be discussing accessible to parents, so you can feel prepared and knowledgeable about what to expect at these sessions.

Our stepping stone, My Body, God’s Gift will take place on Wednesday, April 6th & 13th at 6:15 -7:30 pm . It will take the place of our regular Wednesday evening clas-ses. We will meet in the Chapel each week. At our first session we will talk about the changes occurring within one’s body during adolescent years. We will also talk about our differences, building self-esteem, and making healthy choices. Our sec-ond session will include looking at ways the media encourage unrealistic expecta-tions for our bodies. We will also talk about healthy relationships and how best to accept and take care of our bodies and ourselves.

SUMMER DATES TO

WRITE DOWN

Confirmation Camp

June 5—10 6th—8th graders

Day Camp “OTR”

June 12-16 For students who have

completed K-5th grade.

This summer OTR will be

hosted by First English.

VBS

June 20-24 For children 3 years old

through completed

Kindergarten.

Middle School

Mission Trip

July 8-10

High School

Mission Trip

July 30—August 6

NO Sunday School

Sunday, March 13th (Spring Break)

Wednesday, March 16th (Spring Break)

Sunday, March 20th (Spring Break)

Sunday, March 27th (Easter Sunday)

5th Grade – Good Friday Event

This year the 5th grade Grapple Students are invited to help lead worship on Good Friday (Friday, March 25th). This is a mandatory event for the 5th grade students. Pastor Ashley will be using them as readers and actors for the Biblical Text. Students will be practicing this staging two weeks prior to Good Friday. Wednesday, March 9th & 23rd immedi-ately following worship until 7:30pm. I understand there are sporting events that require participation and possible family trips for the long Easter Weekend. If your child cannot participate in this event please let Pastor Ashley know prior to March 9th. Otherwise we will expect that they will be here participating. AGAIN PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOUR CHILD WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE!

Duluth, MN

2016 Middle School Mission Trip

July 8th

– 10th

Middle School Students are invited to participate in the 2016 Middle School Mission Trip. This will be a weekend of exploring and serving the people of Duluth, MN. We will be touring a variety of congregations and churches, including a Synagogue and Mosque. We will be participating in service projects around the city and take time to enjoy the activ-ities of beautiful Duluth. Registration will be available soon!

If you have any questions please feel free to contact. Pr. Ashley Osborn at revashley@oursaviorsfbo.org or by calling the church office.

MISSION TRIP NEWS

Adirondack Mountain Mission Trip

July 29– August 7

Thank you ! To everyone who supported the High School Mission Trip by “sponsoring” a student. All of the participants of the Mission Trip have been “adopted” by members of Our Savior’s. Your generosity is appreciated very much.

The fundraising continues through the winter and spring. Here are some more opportunities to support the High School Mission trip:

Sunday, March 6 and Wednesday, March 9- Buy a Treat, support the Youth Mission Trip!

Students will be selling homemade sweets following worship on Sunday, March 6th and Wednes day, March 9th. Each dollar you spend is a dollar less a mission trip student will have to pay. Thanks for your support!

Soup Suppers—will continue on Wednesday evenings during Lent. Kwik Trip Gas cards will also be sold. Watch for students selling gas cards following worship on Sunday and Wednesday. If you drive, you can support the youth of Our Savior’s at NO EXTRA COST to you. Simply buy a card and a percentage of the proceeds will be donated by Kwik Trip to our mission trip students. Thanks!

Sunday, April 3rd—Mission Trip Sunday

High School youth will be leading worship. During worship, Pastor Sarah and Pastor Ashley will be invited to collect cash donations in offering jars to AVOID having their yards FLOCKED with pink, plastic flamingos! If Pastor Ashley collects more cash (checks are welcome), then Pastor Sarah’s yard will get flocked. If Pastor Sarah collects more cash (checks are welcome), then Pastor Ashley’s yard will get flocked. (Dan Nietz and Jon Osborn, get out your spare cash)! All proceeds will benefit youth mission trip participants and help defray the costs for the mission trip.

Kiosk Supply—April 3-April 25 (or until all the supplies are funded).

“Did you miss the Youth Pancake Breakfast”? Here’s another way you can participate in supporting our High School Youth as they plan for their August Mission Trip Experience in the Adirondack Mountains. Pick an item off the kiosk and put $5 in the basket on the Welcome Counter.

Every donation will provide the “extras” that some student may not be able to afford.

YOU can make a difference!

March Volunteers

Ushers

Team 4 Scott Finstuen © Paul Quandt©

Jarid Finstuen Dave and Diana Hering

Ken Hubert Steve and Desta Ecker

Don Ward Becky, Eliot and Ethan Krogh

Welcome Center Greeters

March 6 Nikki Lemke

March 13 Pat Otis

March 20 Ginger Myers

March 27 Arvid and Pat Mensing

Attention Welcome Center Greeters: We would like to place the greeters in the new narthex behind or by the Wel-

come Counter. This will give the greeters a central place for new people to find them for information and to welcome

them to Our Savior’s as they enter the church building. Please be at the Welcome Counter 15 min. before service and

right after service for about 15 min. Thank you.

Readers

March 6 Barb Karli

March 13 Todd Markman

March 20 Linda Mueller

March 27 Butch Hanson (8:30) Lisa Quimby (10:30)

Communion

March 6 March 20

Comm. Prep. Darrel and Wendy Rossow Comm. Prep. Dave and Sarah Stensrud

Servers Jan and Shirley Luikens Servers Butch Hanson

Linda Mueller James and Thelma Nelson

Ray and Linda Wood Amy Stadler

Erica Staab-Absher 2 volunteers needed

On Easter Sunday, March 27 there will be two worship services, (8:30 and 10:30). If you would like to vol-unteer to help with Communion on Easter Sunday, please contact Georganne by calling 331-2276, ext. 202 or by email, geo@oursaviorsfbo.org.

Tech Team

Media Shout Sound

March 6 Troy Caron Bryn Caron

March 13 Chris Trebelhorn Gabe Trebelhorn

March 20 Dick Lawson Roger Meyer

March 27 (8:30) Volunteer Needed Volunteer Needed

(10:30) Volunteer Needed Volunteer Needed

V i s i t u s o n t h e w e b !

w w w. o u r s a v i o r s f b o . o r g

O u r S a v i o r ’ s L u t h e r a n C h u r c h 1207 Prairie Ave South

Faribault, MN 55021

Nonprofit Or.

Bulk Rate

U.S. Postage Paid

Faribault, MN 55021

Permit No. 81

Change Service Requested

Serving is from

5:00-6:00pm

Café Midweek

Cost is $3.00

per person

with a family

maximum of $15.00.

Soup Supper

Cost

Adults—$5.00

Children—$2.00

Family Max.—$15.00

Soup Suppers are

Sponsored by

Our Savior’s Youth.

Funds raised are use for

Summer Youth Mission

Trip.

S o u p S u p p e r a n d C a f é M i d w e e k M a r c h M e n u

March 2

Chili and Chicken Wild Rice Soup

March 9

Chili and Creamy Potato Soup

March 16 No Meal—Spring Break

March 23

Chili and Vegetable Beef Soup

March 30

Sloppy Joes