Ministries
Our Savior’s has many ministries its members are engaged in so that they might hear the call of our mission. Many, though not all, of these ministries are supported by committees. Here are descriptions of each committee:
Congregational Care and Life | Worship | Education | Property | Social Action / Hunger | Global Mission | Youth and Family | Stewardship | Outreach | OSLC Women
Congregational Care & Life is concerned with the heart beat of the congregation.
The congregational Care & Life Committee oversees many ministries, including:
- The prayer ministry includes making prayer shawls, prayer vigils, and telephone prayer chain.
- Home communion/visitation is offered to our members who are confined to their homes, hospitals, or other facilities. We are developing this ministry to include more training and support for those who wish to visit others.
- Note writers volunteer to keep in touch with the homebound.
- A Memorial Blood Center Blood Drive is sponsored twice a year with many members participating.
- Shepherding Groups meet periodically to develop closer relationships within our membership.
The “ministry of service” concept has been a work in progress for the past three years. Every family unit is assigned to one of thirteen groups. During one month of the year the members are asked to participate in various ministries of hospitality, including the following: greeting for Sunday morning worship, serving coffee between services, donating food or helping to serve at funerals or special events.
If you are interested in serving on our CCL committee or wish to help in any way, please let your intentions be known. We meet the 1st Thursday of the month at 3:30 in the Com. Room, next to the church office. We would love to have you join us.
In our Mission Statement, we claim worship as one of our three priorities at OSLC. This occurs in many ways:
- Traditional Lutheran worship services happen at 8:15 and 10:30 on Sunday mornings throughout the school year, and at 9:00 during the summer.
- On Wednesday evenings during the school year we have the chance to gather for supper at 5:45 and contemporary worship at 6:30.
- We have Thanksgiving Eve worship at 6:30.
- On Christmas Eve we have three services: 3:30, 5:00, & 11:00.
- Lenten services and soup suppers take place every Wednesday during Lent.
- There are many opportunities for sharing talents or participating in worship leadership. We need musicians in choir, as special music, and in the Wednesday evening Praise Band. Youth serve as acolytes and communion helpers. The Altar Guild prepares for communion. Ushers, lectors, communion servers, videographers, and others all support our worship services.
Education is a life-long pursuit, and OSLC encourages members of all ages to continue study of the scriptures.
Our library is centrally located so that everyone can utilize its resources.
The Sunday School hours begins at 9:15 and offers grades 1-6 an innovative format. The children rotate on a three-week basis between three stations: Creation Station, Bible Adventures, and Holy Word Cinema. The other age groups continue to study in a traditional format.
Confirmation is an experience that begins in 3rd grade and continues through grade 11. The classroom emphasis is from grades 6-10.
Adult Bible Studies are also offered during the Sunday School hour, as well as mid-week. The Men’s Breakfast Bible Study meets the first Thursday of the month, and the Women’s Circle studies meet monthly at various times and locations. MOMS is a study and support group that meets on Wednesday morning at 9.
If you have any suggestions or ideas regarding studies, we welcome them. You are encouraged and invited to attend any study that would fit into your schedule.
Our Education Committee is always looking for people willing to teach, lead, or serve. Your input will be most welcome.
Members of the Property Committee are volunteers with many diverse skills and talents.
We are responsible to see that the church building functions well on a day-to-day basis, and endeavor to prepare for future needs. We coordinate improvement projects and maintenance responsibilities. We track building equipment and furnishings, research improvement costs, and suggest upgrades and necessary repairs.
We recognize the need for new ideas, talent, and volunteers. We will be most happy to welcome any new members to our committee—but your membership is not a requirement to volunteer your talents. If you have any special interests that we might be able to use in church maintenance and repair, we want to hear from you. Working with one another also helps develop the fellowship of believers and is of great value to our stewardship of resources. Please call the church office and let them know of your desire to help, and we will be most happy to call you.
Social Action / Hunger Committee raises awareness and money for social and hunger.
We participate in an offering of letters to our congressmen and representatives in the fall. We hold four hunger Sundays a year. We also maintain a church food shelf and provide special food boxes during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. We provide hunger facts for the Sunday bulletin and a monthly article for the church newsletter “The Voice”. This committee meets on the first Thursday of each month in the church lounge. We welcome anyone who would like to join this effort.
Global Mission encourages involvement in God’s mission in our community and in the world.
Our Saviors Lutheran Church has an active Global Mission Committee. Our goal is to build awareness, enthusiasm, and commitment for mission among our members.
We share a willingness to work with other committees of OSLC in community projects that overlap such as hunger appeals (Second Harvest, Cropwalk). Building awareness for mission among OSLC members calls for education. Each year we invite a speaker (usually during the Epiphany season) to share their mission experience.
We assist with the Sunday School education by presenting two sessions a year focusing on different countries. Our hope is to plant seeds of interest, prayer, and information about ELCA missionaries around the world in the hearts of our children. A free will offering is taken to help the people of the country presented where needed.
Also each year along with gifts for poinsettias and Easter lilies we offer OSLC members the opportunity to help with a special mission project (camels for Tanzania, wells in Africa, etc.). We present scholarships for our youth to attend the annual ELCA sponsored Global Mission Event.
Most importantly we promote the Missionary-for-a-Day calendar in support of our missionary in Tanzania, Dr. Steve and Bethany Friberg. Dr. Friberg is a missionary doctor serving the Maasai people by opening dispensaries in remote areas of Tanzania. We are eager to hear about his work when he comes state-side at which time we host a potluck supper.
We meet once a month during the school year (approximately one hour) to discuss our focus, projects, and goals.
“Train children in the right way and when old, they will not stray.” (Proverbs 22:6)
Youth & Family Ministry Mission is: To create a lifelong spiritual journey for each member of our congregation.
We are all on a lifelong spiritual journey. Everyone needs to take part and help to spiritually guide our children on their faith journeys.
There are 4 Keys to faith formation:
- Caring Conversation takes place by talking about the Christian faith and building relationships with others;
- Devotions help us cultivate ways of listening to God;
- Service to others has particular power and significance;
- Rituals and Traditions reflect and enact values, reminding us of what is important. God wants us to share the Good News with others and to allow the Holy Spirit to work within and through us.
Many different youth and family activities occur during the year. Check out the youth and family page for more information.
Stewardship encourages everyone to use their gifts and talents to further the work of the kingdom here in Hibbing as well as in the greater world.
“Christian stewardship is at the heart of our response in faith to God’s call and claim. We own nothing. Everything belongs to God. God is the giver of gifts. He has given the Earth, people and God’s own self, the Son. We are managers and stewards and live to give to others.” Pastor Weissenbuehler of the Lutheran.
We are always encouraged when someone volunteers to use their gifts and talents in the numerous ministries of the church. The stewardship committee would welcome your input and would be pleased to have you join them.
“Nathaniel said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Phillip said to him, “Come and see.’” – John 1:46
The mission of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church is to worship, serve, and proclaim the gospel. All members of the church are part of this mission statement. The Outreach Committee seeks to aid the members of the congregation in the third part of the mission–proclaim the gospel.
The committee actively encourages members to invite others to “come and see.” The committee also seeks to make visitors and new members feel welcome and part of the life and worship in this church. We also sponsor radio and TV broadcasts of our Sunday worship services. We encourage other committees and groups to publicize their events and invite others to become part of the ministries of Our Savior’s.
The committee meets once a month and welcomes anyone who feels called by the great commission to join us in our ministry.
To know the will of Jesus Christ
All confirmed women are members of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church Women-OSLCW. The basic unit of our organization is called a “circle”, and you are welcome to join any one you wish. There are four active circles (and a “Moms Group”) which meet monthly from Sept.-May. A Bible study is the heart of our meetings, along with a business meeting, fellowship, and refreshments. All new members receive a 12-month gift subscription to Lutheran Woman Today, the magazine of the Women of the ELCA, and we hope you find it both enjoyable and enlightening. Our monthly Bible study is printed within.
To do the will of Jesus Christ
We are involved in all aspects and activities of the church, but there are some events that we plan and lead. The annual November bazaar is one such event, and the proceeds from it are used to provide financial support for our missionary’s efforts. We also hostess a “Baby Shower” (which benefits our local hospital nursery), a Christmas celebration, and an All-Daughters’ Dinner. Our members meet for quilting, study, crafts, pasty bakes, cleaning, visiting, assembling kits for Lutheran World Relief, and participate in the White Elephant Sale.
We invite you to join us in our mission-
“To know and do the will of Jesus Christ”
It is our pleasure to welcome you to your new “Church Home.”