Quarterly Newsletter - Our Savior Lutheran Church

Our Savior Lutheran Church
2016 Summer Newsletter
The 40th Anniversary
of Pastor Jack’s Ministry at Our Savior
was celebrated on March 20, 2016.
A Message From Pastor Jack
I love summer! Well, I really like Spring also with the milder temps, the season of
Easter, new growth, flowers blooming, etc. But summer is special here at Our Savior
and in Vero Beach. It's a slower pace, less meetings, less traffic. But one of the best
parts is (along with our regular Saturday worship at 6pm) having only one worship
service at 9:30am on Sunday! It's so good to have folks all together who don't always
get to see each other. And the change of pace is nice. I know there's a lot to be said
for good routines, but sometimes breaking out of the routine is also healthy. I once
heard that the only different between a rut and a grave is that a grave has ends to
it. Worshiping at a different time can be a refreshing change. And for a number of
folks, it's their favorite time for worship of the year...not too early and not too late!
But also, the summer can be a time for some R&R. By that I don't only mean Rest
and Relaxation. How about Rest and Reflection? We live in a world where
"busyness" often rules the day. Soren Kierkegaard, 19th Century Danish philosopher,
once said, "Of all ridiculous things the most ridiculous seems to me to be busy--to be
a man who is brisk about his food and his work...What, I wonder, do these busy folks
get done?" Ouch. He then went on to say that he saw busyness as a distraction
from the really important questions of life, such as who we are and what life is for!
Hmmm. Does any of that ring true for you, or maybe even hit a nerve? All the better reason to stop, enjoy the less busy season of summer, and maybe most importantly, gather at 6pm on Saturday or 9:30am on Sundays to come into God's presence, at
worship, and at God's Table, to reflect on those really important questions of life,
such as who we are, what life is for, and where is God in all of this! No better place
to ask those questions than at His Table, around the Word and singing and praying
with others who are asking the same questions.
See you in church!
Pastor Jack Diehl +
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Pastor Shelly’s Page
Scholarship Awards
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not
for harm, to give you a future with hope. - Jeremiah 29:11
A future with hope! Those words from Jeremiah are so fitting when
we think of our young people starting this next stage of preparing for their
future (and ours) with their college studies. It is wonderful each year to get
to support them in a tangible way through our scholarship program.
Congratulations to the following students who received scholarships
from the congregation this year: Alicia Knappman, Mattison Gaskell, Elizabeth Nelson, Charles Pascal, Rachel Willis, Patrick Noonan, Alexandra Tatro, Rachel Tatro, and Ryan Zamerski. These students are all beginning or
continuing their studies at colleges such as University of North Florida, Indian River State College, Penn State, Georgia Tech, University of IllinoisUrbana College, Florida State University, Juniata College, and Auburn University. They are studying in fields such as nursing, engineering, music,
physical therapy, and communications.
It is with much joy each year that we are able to present these young
people with a small financial gift to help them along their way of gaining
knowledge and skills to contribute to the world. We see them when they
come back from college during holidays and summers, some of them who
are home for longer stretches jump right back into the life of the congregation. Many of them keep in touch in one way or another while they are at
college. Last year Pastor Jack gave all of the scholarship recipients extension cords (always needed in dorm rooms!) with the words “Stay Connected” written on them. That is our prayer and hope for them that they stay
and feel connected to the family of God and ultimately that they feel God’s
connection with them through all the new chapters in their life.
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We have several scholarship funds at the church. Some have been set
up in honor or memory of loved ones, such as the Howard Schaefer Fund,
Layle Smith Fund, and the Carole Dressler Fund. The scholarship fund that
you may contribute to and not even know it is the Lilies & Poinsettia Fund.
When you give toward a Christmas Poinsettia or Easter Lily for the church
part of your donation goes toward the scholarship fund. Additional gifts
(outside of buying a lily or poinsettia) can be made to this scholarship fund
at any time and there are congregation members who make these gifts
throughout the year.
We also have a new fund as of the last two years, the Trudy Schmidt
Scholarship fund. The primary donor of this fund very generously continues
to be willing to match dollar for dollar any gift given to this fund. So a gift to
this fund will have twice the benefit!
Thank you for all you do supporting our young people, helping them to
“stay connected,” praying for them, and giving them a tangible gift of support through these scholarship funds.
Grace and Peace in God’s name,
+Pr. Shelly
**********************
When I was hungry you fed me . . .
Sign up to provide a Wednesday night dinner
for the men of Camp haven in the months of
August, September, October here.
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On Sunday, May 29th, the congregation voted to call Pastor Mark
Bernthal as our next Pastor. He will begin in July overlapping with
Pastor Jack whose retirement weekend will be September 2-4, 2016.
Learn more about Pastor Bernthal here!
pastor mark bernthal
The Rev. Mark A. Bernthal has served as pastor of St. Armands Key Lutheran
Church since 2009. His prior call was to serve at Lamb of God Lutheran Church,
Haines City, Florida, a congregation he first began when he was called as a Mission
Developer by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in late 1989. He
also previously served as Assistant Pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in
Seminole, Florida.
A native of Winter Haven, Florida, Bernthal completed undergraduate studies at
Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana. Seminary education began at Christ Seminary/Seminex in St. Louis, Missouri and concluded with a Master of Divinity from
Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, South Carolina.
Beyond the parish ministry, Pastor Bernthal has served several terms as Conference
Dean in the Florida Bahamas Synod, ELCA and on multiple synodical committees,
including the Synod Council and Executive Committee. Bernthal was a delegate to
the ELCA’s 2009 Church-wide Assembly in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Currently, he
serves on the national advisory board for the Fund for Leaders of the ELCA.
Mark and his wife Cyndi, a Registered Nurse with the Trauma Department of Sarasota Memorial Hospital, celebrate a family of five children: Luke, Erin, Grace, Nicholas, and Mary.
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A Letter from Pastor Bernthal
Dear Friends in Christ,
With joy and thanksgiving I accept the call to serve as pastor at Our Savior Lutheran Church.
Confident that the Holy Spirit has guided the process from the very beginning, I am humbled,
honored, and excited to join a congregation that is marked by deep faith and incredible joy, as
well as a ministry team for whom I have the highest regard and affection.
Throughout the discernment process, God provided clarity in many ways. I am grateful for the
faithful work of both the Call Committee and the Church Council as they shared their love and
passion for Christ and Our Savior Church each step of the way. My thanks to the congregation
for the gracious welcome extended to my family and me at the “meet and greet” on May 27th.
We felt the love of Christ in your midst and we were inspired. The harmony of your affirmative
congregational vote on May 29th is a gift that I receive as a sacred trust.
God has done great things at Our Savior Lutheran Church. My fervent and expectant prayer is
that the good work begun in you will continue as we move forward together in the name of
Jesus. Building on a faithful past and strong present, I trust God for a future that continues to
reach far and wide with God’s blessings.
I would ask that you uplift in prayer St. Armands Key Lutheran Church, Sarasota, as they now
enter the process of discovering how God will provide for their new pastoral leadership. Like
you, they are a gracious and courageous congregation. Like you, they are a family of faith who
deeply love and care for one another in Christ’s name.
Again, I am both honored and humbled to accept the call to serve among you as pastor. Cyndi,
I, and our family look forward to the transition to Vero Beach and beginning our ministry with
you very soon.
In Christ,
The Rev. Mark A. Bernthal
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Music Notes from Ryan Hostler, Minister of Music
Happy Summer!
You can feel it in the air, summer is here! The cool evenings of spring have turned to the
balmy and humid nights of summer. Summer is a natural time for simplification and renewal in
our lives. The summer heat makes us hungry for light, cool, fresh food. Simple picnics and barbeques replace elegant dinner parties as the way people gather to celebrate festive occasions.
In the same way the church’s liturgy will turn from the festive full liturgy of the risen Lord
to a simpler liturgy. The summer lessons are ones that reflect on what it means to be the church in
mission and ministry throughout the world and we often might only have one reading to help us
focus on that mission. The summer liturgy will turn to one that will renew and refresh the people
of God for this task.
This summer eat the comfort foods of beloved hymns and enjoy the lightened meal of the
church, forgoing all the extras!
Enjoy the warmth of the sun and the Son!
Ryan K Hostler
Minister of Music
__________________________________
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More Music & Worship Notes
We are thrilled that our own Mary Hyde will
be attending Lutheran Summer Music this
summer at Luther College! Many of you have
asked what is Lutheran Summer Music
(LSM)?
LSM is happy to be celebrating its 35th year
of transforming the lives of young musician’s
in an intentional faith-based community. LSM is a program whose mission is to
transform lives through faith and music. By
providing quality programing they are shaping
the lives of the next generation of young musicians and church musicians. The faculty roster is filled with loyal-collegiate-level instructors and
through weekly private lessons and personal practice time, students at LSM learn the importance
of bring one’s best self to the final rehearsal, concert, and solo performance. Mary will have a
chance to play in a full orchestra and concert band as well as small ensembles, lovingly known as
“Smambles”. Morning and Evening prayer offer students two intentional moments per day to
worship as a community and students live together in college dorms while growing friendships
that last a lifetime!
For more information please visit www.lutheranmusicprogram.org
__________________________________________________________________________
A Note of Thanks from Mary Hyde
June 26th is right around the corner and I'm so
excited! I'm so honored to be the first recipient
of a scholarship from Our Savior to attend
the summer Lutheran Music Program (LSM) in
Decorah, Iowa. Ryan speaks so highly of the experience as he was initially a student and then a
faculty member at the program. Thank you,
Ryan, for encouraging and challenging all the rising vocalists and musicians in our congregation. We love you and appreciate you very much!
Thank you to everyone who is making this trip happen by contributing to the scholarship fund. A
special thanks to everyone who attended the "Mary Hyde and Friends In Concert" that was held
on May 1, 2016. I really enjoy sharing my flute music with our congregation at church and I felt
especially blessed to be showcased at a concert for this scholarship fund. When I looked out at
the audience that day, I felt like I was playing for my extended family. I look forward to being the
first of many to attend LSM with the support of OSL.
Love,
Mary Hyde
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A Note from Our Parish Nurse,
Rachel Little, RN, MSN
A
s a Parish Nurse, I have the opportunity to visit people in their
homes, hospitals and rehabilitation centers. It is a privilege to be present in their environment, to listen to their stories, their pain and sorrow as well as their happiness and pleasure. I learn empathy and
compassion for the situations they are in, but I also experience joy in
knowing that my presence while listening signifies the body of Christ
caring for one another. This Holy Friendship is what the Eucharistic Ministers also experience when two or more people share the love of Jesus through their caring conversations
and prayers together.
Many of the parishioners we visit live alone, may have no family, or the family is not close
geographically, are lonely and thrive on our visitations. While visiting a parishioner in a similar situation, she shared how much she enjoyed telephone contacts with people from the
church. She appreciated knowing someone was concerned and was praying for her. At the
same time, another parishioner shared her desire to have contact with parishioners who
cannot get out and may need prayer and encouragement. Through these two people, the
Health Ministry began a Telephone Ministry.
The Telephone Ministry focus is on having a caring conversation with:
Someone who is homebound; or
Someone who has not been able to come to worship for a period of time; or
Someone who wants their concerns lifted up in prayer.
The Telephone Ministry does not take the place of the Prayer Chain. The Prayer Chain is
a valuable way for prayer requests to reach our Prayer Warriors quickly.
The Telephone Volunteers are people who:
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Have a strong faith and trust the Lord;
Are grounded in the Lord through prayer, the Word and in fellowship with other believers;
Are trained in the Telephone Ministry Guidelines;
Maintain confidentiality of the conversations. With permission of the person,
infomation can be shared with the Pastors and/or Parish Nurses;
Are not counselors.
The Telephone Ministry is a reminder that Jesus came to take away the sins of the world,
but He also came to serve. In Mark 10:45, Jesus said that He “came not to be served but
to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” The phone volunteers will find that the
person they are calling is going to be blessed by their act of service, but the volunteers will
also be blessed.
If you know someone who would benefit from an occasional friendly phone call, contact
the Parish Nurse at 772-567-2253 or at [email protected].
___________________________________________________________________________
Blood Pressure Screening Dates
June 19 & 20
July 23 & 24
Aug 20 & 21
Blood Pressure Screenings are available on these dates in the quiet room
after the Saturday service, and on Sunday, following the 9:30 AM service.
You may also make an appointment with Rachel by calling 567-2253.
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Your Social Ministry Team
God’s work. Our hands.
Summer is here and brings with it a time of new beginnings. Summer has brought change to your
Social Ministry as well. After six wonderful years as your Social Ministry Leader, my term has
drawn to an end. I have enjoyed being a part of the many charitable fund raisers and most
especially overseeing the Change For The Better ministry.
The God's Work - Our Hands annual Day of Service was always a challenge, yet one the people of
Our Savior never failed in exceeding even my expectations with your outpouring of generosity.
I will not be leaving the team, only stepping down as the leader, as required by the term limits in
our constitution.
I'm sure you will welcome the new leader, Katrina Pascale, and give her the same amazing support you so graciously did me.
Ingrid A. Biesaart
Team Leader
Ingrid Biesaart and Katrina Pascale
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WELCA (women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America) of Our Savior
Lutheran Church would like to share some of the highlights of what we have
done since our last newsletter and tell you what we have planned for the months
ahead.
March 4th - Church Women United hosted "World Day of Prayer" at St. Augustine Canterbury Episcopal Church.
Our Savior was very well represented at the prayer day celebration.
The ladies at Ruth Circle Bible study met once a month and studied women of the Bible. The book used was "Her
Name is Woman". This group of women joined us for the WELCA luncheon in May and will take a summer
break. We will meet again in September.
The ladies of the Craft Group met once or twice a month and will meet several times over the summer to work on
some projects.
The quilters will meet during the summer to get ready for fall. If you have questions when they meet, please call
Doris Zelie. 772-999-3322.
March 17 - at our WELCA meeting we had Peggy Cunningham, director of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Association. We had a very informative presentation. The center is called "Memory and Motion. If you need information
on getting support, call 772-563-0505.
This year's Rummage Sale was April 2nd because Easter was very early. In order to simplify the collection of
items for the sale, Thrivent Financial rented for us a Pod to collect items for a month ahead of the rummage sale.
We had a very successful sale and collected almost $3000 and items not sold where donated to the Humane Society. The following charitable organizations received a check from the proceeds:
Safe Space, Women's Refuge, Veteran Council, Milestone Center for Autism, The Source Thank you to all that
brought their items to our sale. A big Thank you to all the volunteers that were involved in the sale.
May 12th - Our annual Spring luncheon was held at the Eagles Nest Cafe at the Alternative Center for Education.
Our speaker before the lunch was Lt. Eric Flowers of the Sheriff's Department. He spoke and informed us about
the Human Trafficking problem in Indian River County and surrounding areas.
Our next lunch meeting (brown bag) will be Sept 15th at which time we will hand out the new calendar of activities for the following 12 months. Please join us in the Fellowship Hall at 11:30am, bring your lunch and we will
provide coffee and cake.
If you have any ideas for future speakers or activities, please call me or better yet bring your ideas to the first meeting. Everybody is welcome!
Watch your church bulletins for women retreat information so we can sign up early to get our savings and plan
ahead.
Have a great summer and we will see you in church.
May God bless each of you,
Gisela Khail
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Buildings and Grounds
Maintenance and improvements are always taking place on our campus. Additional help is welcomed and appreciated. If you like gardening, or handy-man projects and would like to lend a
hand, please stop by on Tuesday mornings around 9:00 AM and chat with me and the Gardening
Angels during our coffee break and fellowship time. You can find us in Room 7. We would love to
have you.
Here are some recent improvements
Wood exterior walls around the campus were replaced. Insulation was added, and either cement
board or stucco over block replaced all damages. Painting will be starting shortly. We must let the
new stucco cure properly. And the best part besides minimal maintenance is that there will be no
more bugs.
In our beautiful Courtyard we discovered some dry wood termite damage. I am learning about
termites that do not come from the ground down here in Florida. We removed them along with
all of the damages and had to replace a main beam as well as some other structural components.
Notice the electrical conduit going through the beam. Thank you Ron Linder with your electrical
experience. All is put back together now but once again we have to wait for the stucco to cure
before painting.
We stripped all of the floors in Fellowship Hall just this past week. They look great.
If we could all help by not dragging the tables and chairs around they will last longer. This is a
very time-consuming and hard job that was completed in house, not by our cleaning service.
We saved OSLC over $500 by not sub-contracting this
out. Thank you for all who helped me. Angela, Rick,
Brian, Ron and Lowell.
Our courtyard continues to look more beautiful every
month. Original plants have been transplanted, shaped,
fertilized and new plants and flowers have been added.
With new colorful umbrellas it is a peaceful place to sit
and thank God for this wonderful little corner of Paradise that He has created.
Property Manager,
Mark Davia
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Youth Group News
Here we go into the season of camps! Whether you are attending, helping or just observing
you can see and feel how alive our camps are! We start off with Day Camp June 13 - 17th.
Then Camp Rythmo June 20 - 24 and June 27 - July 1 and finally, Confirmation Camp at Luther
Springs in Hawthorne Florida July 17 - 22.
One of our youth, Mary Hyde will be attending the Lutheran Summer Music program at Luther
College. Our kids are engaged in their academics, sports, band... all really good things. We are
looking forward to playing with them this summer! Enjoying their down time with volleyball
tournaments, campfires and hopefully a beach party or two and sharing in their faith journeys
with them.
One of our students who attends public school, shared with us the need he felt to pray before a
final exam, a couple of his friends jumped in and joined hands, by the time he finished praying
about twenty kids or so were gathered around. What a wonderful example of our kids taking their
faith out into their daily lives! Thank you for all of your love and support.
Kelly & Ed Elsebough
Directors of Youth Ministry
********
Fellowship Team
Save the date!
A planning meeting for Wednesday Night Dinners September 7 will be held at 4:00 pm in Fellowship Hall. All are welcome to come. With the 500th Anniversary of Reformation coming up, our
Wednesday Night dinners will be exploring foods and dishes from 16 countries.
We will be looking for many volunteers this year who will help not only to cook, setup and serve
but others who would like to gather music, help with decorations, and computer experts to put
together weekly slide shows of each country.
World travelers, start looking through your vacation pictures to share this year as we explore
Dinners Around the World! Watch the weekly church bulletin for details.
Do you like to bake? Sign-up to bring snacks and pastries for Sunday Coffee Hour that follows
the 9:30 AM service. Fresh store bought goodies are fine too.) See the sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the Narthex to sign up for your preferred dates or call me at the number below.
Linda Palmioli
(413)596-2364
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FINANCIAL UPDATE
Thanks to the generosity of our members and guests the financial position of Our Savior
Lutheran Church remains healthy. As we approach our summer months and usually lower
attendance, we pray that your support continues to do the Lord’s work.
In rounded figures
 For the four months ending April 30, 2016, contributions were $257,000 or 102% of budget
and expenses were $222,000 or 95% of budget. We thank our staff and mission teams for controlling expenses within our means.
 As of April 30, 2016, our financial resources totaled $582,000, offset by net bond debt of
$128,000 outstanding.
 That bond debt is still $227,000 less than the original amount of $355,000. Contributions to
the Capital Fund to enable reductions to that debt are always welcome.
Traveling this summer?
Electronic Giving
is a convenient way
to give your regular
offering.
The “Tree of Life” in our Narthex is an
ever growing tree. If you would like to
add a leaf, there is an information sheet
at the foot of the tree for you.
Visit our website at
oursaviorelca.com
and click on
“Give Now”
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Watch our
services from
anywhere.
Our worship services
are now livestreamed.
To watch them live or
watch them later,
just go to
oursaviorelca.com
and click on
“Click Here to Join
Us Live”
Summer Women’s Bible Study
“Sermon on the Mount”
by Jen Wilkin
A nine week study on Monday nights at 6:30 PM in the Quiet Room
Begins July 11th.
Most of us have only encountered the Sermon on the Mount in fragments,
considering its subdivisions as complete teachings in their own right. But what if
we navigated these three chapters in Matthew as they were originally heard: one
cohesive, well-ordered message, intended to challenge us to think differently about
what it means to be a follower of Jesus, a citizen of the kingdom of heaven?
Come and learn from Jesus, just as His disciples did.
Space is limited, so be sure to reserve your spot
To sign up for the class, contact Nancy Ogonoski at [email protected]
FALL RETREAT FOR WOMEN
GOD'S SPA at Luther Springs
September 16-18, 2016 (Friday – Sunday)
Theme: Sweet Life Cafe
Welcome to Sweet Life Café where you will be nourished by the Bread of Life and
satisfied by the sweetness of God’s Word. During our weekend together, we will worship and have times of reflection, engaging conversations, great food, participate in a
service project, inspirational music, and meet many new friends. We will also have
many spa type activities such as massages, paraffin dips for hands, soothing treatments
for our feet, guided meditation, and more during our weekend together. Sweet Life
Café…where women will savor time with God.
Registration (if registered by 8/10/16) $155
Contact Pr. Shelly if interested!
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OUR FLAG
Each morning
when window shutters open,
across the parking lot
between the fresh green
leaves of spring, I view distant
stripes of red and white flinging
out their moving patterns,
never frozen in space
but moving, alive transforming,
while the blue background
with its white stars cling closely
to the majestic mast;
then as the wind subsides,
the movement slows
its unfurling activity
to gather safely to its support,
the staff, rooted to the earth,
supported by the massive block
of solid steel, its proper strength
grounded - embedded in the nation’s
soil, stained but enriched and
sanctified by years of struggle.
by Marlowe Arnold
_______________________________________
Boy Scout Troop 567
The Scouts of BSA Troop 567 of Our Savior took
part with other organizations in conjunction with
The Treasure Coast Food Bank, to hold a Mobile
Food Pantry to benefit members in need in our Community. Leftover supplies where distributed among
other Homeless Centers in Indian River.
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WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!
Mavis Barkley
Hugo & Eula Andresen
Linda & Vince Frantz
The Heins Family
(Shawn & Vanessa with children
Preslie, Caeden & Ashton)
Lucretia Conn & Jack Parr
Bob & Bonnye McGill
Peggy Keller
Patricia & James Palinkas
Debra & Stephen
Pariseau
Betty & Daniel LaReau
Not pictured:
Carl & Diane Miller
Gail & Ron Ryniak
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Interested in Becoming
a Member
of Our Savior Lutheran?
Becoming a member is a process of becoming part of the life and ministry
of the body of Christ here at Our Savior. Every member of the body of
Christ brings different perspectives, personalities, experiences, and gifts.
The beauty of the family of God is each person makes it a greater whole.
We realize that because becoming a member is really joining in the life of
the family of God, the best process to become a member is to do just that!
So the first step in our approach to membership is asking you to meet with
one of the pastors, complete a new member question form, and try one
education and one service opportunity here at Our Savior. Some of you
are already doing these very things.
Find out more by picking up a new member brochure in the narthex,
talking with one of the pastors, or calling the church office.
We give thanks for each person God brings through our doors and for the
privilege to grow in faith together.
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Our Savior Lutheran Church
1850 6th Ave
Vero Beach, FL 32960
772-567-2253
Email: [email protected]
On the web: www.oursaviorelca.com
Worship Service Schedule
Saturday Evening Communion
Year-round: 6:00 PM
Sunday Morning Communion
Memorial Day - Labor Day: 9:30 AM
September - May: 8:30 and 11:00 AM
Sunday School
September – May: 9:45 AM
Our Mission
The mission of Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church is to reflect
the light of Christ to the dark places of the world through providing
worship, learning and service opportunities, outreach support to the
church at large, and efficient management of our resources.