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Visiting Our Saviour Lutheran Church (OSLC)
 No
matter how friendly and welcoming a church is, visiting any church for the
first time can be a little intimidating. You're probably wondering things
like What's the church like? Are they friendly? Will I fit in?
Hopefully our website can answer many of your questions to help make your
first visit with us more relaxing and enjoyable.
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Our Beliefs...
(Back to Table of Contents)
Vision Statement of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
Claimed by God's grace for the sake of the world, we are a new creation
through God's living Word by the power of the Holy Spirit;
Gathered by God's grace for the sake of the world, we will live among
God's faithful people, hear God's Word, and share Christs supper;
Sent by God's grace for the sake of the world, we will proclaim the good
news of God in Christ through word and deed, serve all people following
the example of our Lord Jesus, and strive for justice and peace in all
the world.
For a longer
explanation please click here.
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Where is the
church... (Back
to Table of Contents) Getting here is pretty easy. We
are just off Rt. 29 and Rt. 605 in Warrenton. Check our
directions and maps for help.
This is the view from Rt. 605.
We are easy to see.
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| There is plenty of parking available. We have a
number of handicapped spots marked
that you can use if required.
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| The building is fully wheelchair-accessible via curb
ramps. The ushers or members will be glad to assist you. We also
offer large print bulletins for services and we would
be glad to serve communion at your seat if you are unable to come to the
alter. Please inform the usher as they come to your pew during the
communion service.
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| Everyone is welcome. We welcome people of all ages,
races, nationalities, ethnic groups, and whatever your place in life. We
are a church strongly committed to serving all members
of the Christian family. |
- First, the times... we have three regular worship services,
Saturday at 5:30 pm, and Sunday at 8:00 and
10:30 am with a wide variety of Sunday school classes for all ages
beginning at 9:15 am. The Saturday night service
is something Lutherans can connect with, but it will include a less
formal worship style than our traditional Sunday morning services. We use liturgies from the
Lutheran Book of Worship and With One Voice.
The Sunday services are traditional Lutheran Worship
Services.
- As the services start, we have
greeters at the entrance to the sanctuary and ushers
to give you a bulletin and to help you find a seat. The ushers will also
be able to help you with large print bulletins or a
kids bulletins. If you need assistance please
ask.
- There is plenty of seating available in the
sanctuary. Sit wherever you like, there aren't any reserved seats. (Though
occasionally the ushers will reserve off a pew
or two in the front of the sanctuary when
necessary. Please avoid those)
- Our worship services are easy to follow by using the
bulletin and they last about an hour. The volunteer
worship leaders and pastors will give any directions needed during the
service. There is an explanation of worship on
the inside front cover of our hymnbooks to help you understand why we do
what we do.
- Guests are never singled out or embarrassed. We won't
ask you to stand or require you to wear a name
tag or anything like that. If you choose, you may sign
the friendship registry or guest book to let us know you came.
- You don't have to pay anything. We don't expect our
guests to put anything in the offering plate, though you are certainly
welcome to if you would like. Our members and regular attendees freely
give to support our ministries.
- We have child care during the Sunday10:30 am service with
a staffed
nursery for infants through age 4.
Generally older children (5 year olds - 2nd
graders) go to the worship service and then are dismissed after the
children's message go to
Children's Church (10:30 service only). However, if you prefer, you
may certainly have your children remain with you in the sanctuary. Ask the
ushers if you need help or directions. The Nursery now
has pagers to help make parents feel more comfortable about leaving their
children in the Nursery. You can pick up a pager when you drop off your
child and if anything requires your attention the staff will vibrate your
pager in the service.
- We have children's bulletins designed for our own
worship service and for various ages (4 years old - 5th grade). You can
get them from the ushers.
For the very young there are toy bags in the coatroom.
These bags contain toys, which are quiet, to assist your child during the
service. Please return these to the coatroom at the end of the
service. If you don't know where to find the toys please ask an
usher before you enter the sanctuary.
- Do you truly seek to grow in your faith, be better
connected to others, and experience a deeper understanding of God's plan
for your life and for the mission of the Church in the world? If so,
you will find that
Adult Christian Education (ACE) classes are
perfect places for fostering fellowship, learning more about the Bible,
strengthening your faith, and developing a deeper, richer Christian
worldview.
- There is coffee, tea, juice and occasional other
refreshments available between service in the
fellowship hallfor all. No charge, just help yourself.
- Sunday school classes
are also available
for all ages
beginning at 9:15 am.
- Tip: the classes are a great
way to get to meet people and make friends since they're
smaller than the worship services and have lots of relaxed, open
discussion.
We're glad you asked... OSLC is
made up of a wide diversity of people, who enjoy
learning, worshipping, serving and just being together in any combinations
from small groups to mass events like all-church picnics.
We're a friendly bunch, and we'd love to help you find where you'd fit in.
Our theme for the 2006 year
is 'Christ's Love, Our Service,' and
focuses our thoughts and actions on Christ's outpouring of love on each of
us as an inspiration and motivation to serve others in our fellowship of
believers, in our community and throughout the world."
| If you are interested in groups or ministries
of others your age... well, that's covered.
OSLC has active ministries of all sorts ranging
from children, youth,
men, and women,
through to seniors.
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| If you have a heart for
missions,
you'll find that local and world outreach is one of our
priorities for all ages from children's ministries through seniors.
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| If you are a music lover, we have a variety of
music ministries and opportunities
ranging from concerts
to worship teams, choir and even a bell choir.
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| If you are interested in finding ways to serve others,
you'll find that our members helping others in many ways
with our Care Givers ministry.
Our care-givers will then be called upon to make visits, send cards, and
make phone calls to enhance the pastoral ministry of the congregation. The
care-givers may offer support by providing car rides to the doctor,
picking up a prescription, sitting with a sick family member, and
assisting with various care needs. And our care-givers will be networking
care-recipients with those in our church or community who may have
resources to assist them with their needs. There
are also many other opportunities in our Caring
ministry. |
| And, especially if you want to find a place and a group of people who
can help you learn and grow personally and in your
relationship with Christ, you'll find
that at OSLC. Our mission statement says "Living
in God's grace, Our Saviour Lutheran Church is called to be a worshipping
community gathered around the cross of Christ, reaching out to serve the
world through faith and the freedom of the Gospel." That's not just
a nice thing to put on the stationary letterheads, it's our real focus. |
- Consider dropping us a note in the
by email
to let us know you stopped by.
- Or just plan to come visit another day.
| The obvious ways to learn more are to continue to explore this
website and to come visit us. While we're
delighted that you're visiting our website, there's no such thing as
"cyber-church." Behind everything you see here are real live flesh and
blood human beings. That's what the Church -- and church -- is really all
about. So... we hope you'll move from cyberspace to real space and drop in
and be our guest sometime at worship or at any of the other activities
that may have caught your interest. Our website may be nice, but the real
heart and soul of OSLC still awaits your
personal on-site visit. We believe you'll enjoy what you find here.
Come... be our guest. Be as out-going or anonymous as you like. You're
always welcome here.
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| If you've been "checking out" OSLC for
awhile and would like to find out more, we'll invite you to our next
New Member Inquirers Class. We run them
several times a year for those wishing to become members of the church.
It is a great time to get to know the church, pastors and others making
the same decision as you in joining the church. Its the perfect
opportunity to get any questions answered about life here at OSLC.
Class are informal and are a great opportunity to meet others and begin
your life in the community of OSLC. For
more information please
click here to send an email to Pastor Debbie.
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| If you would like to meet with one of our
pastors, please call our office
(540-347-3224) or
email to schedule an
appointment. |
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Saturday Evening
Worship...
(Back to Table of Contents)
- The MISSION of the
Saturday night service is to provide an alternate time for worship, a
different style of Lutheran worship, and another opportunity for
outreach to those who do not currently have a place of worship.
- The Saturday night service is
at 5:30 p.m. It offers full services in that all religious needs such
as communion and baptisms will be performed at this service. However,
the Saturday service is less formal than the Sunday services. For
example, clergy and assistants do not wear robes and the majority
attending worship are dressed more casually than those attending Sunday
services.
- Before worship service
begins, greeters at the entrance to the sanctuary
welcome and hand you a bulletin to guide you through the service.
Ushers to help you find a seat are not used in this service in keeping
with the casual style of the service.
- Additional copies of the
bulletin as well as copies of the special hymnal used only
in this service are on the table located in front of the sanctuary. You
are welcome to take a hymnal to your seat to help you follow the music,
although not all the music included in the service will be found in this
hymnal. There are only a limited number of these hymnals and we ask you
to share one with a family member to the extent possible. Please return
the hymnal to the table at the conclusion of the service. The hymnals
permanently located in the pews are for use in the Sunday services and
only occasionally on Saturday.
- Seating in
the sanctuary is ample and the congregation may sit wherever they like
as there are no reserved seats. However, the front row on both sides is
generally occupied by persons assisting in the service.
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This worship service is easy to follow,
using only the bulletin and the hymnal. It typically is completed in
less than an hour.
The volunteer worship and music leaders and pastors will give any
directions needed during the service.
- The organ, choir, and
traditional liturgical music are not used in this service. The choir is
replaced by a small group of singers; and a keyboard and
other instruments, most notably the guitar, replace the organ.
The congregation is encouraged to sing all of the musical selections
unless otherwise directed.
- Guests are never
singled out or embarrassed.
You won't be asked to stand separately from the congregation or be
required to wear a name tag. If you choose, you may sign the friendship
registry or guest book to let us know you came.
- Giving is optional.
We don't expect guests to give an offering as the offering plate is
passed, though you are certainly welcome to if you like. Our members and
regular attendees freely give to support our ministries.
- We do not currently have a
nursery or other child services
during the Saturday service, such as
those that offered on Sunday. Your children attend church service with
you in the sanctuary. Beginning January 2008, education for children
and adults will be provided at 4:30 p.m.
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We have children's bulletins
designed for our own worship service and for various ages (4 years old -
5th grade). You can get them from the table. For the very young, there
are toy bags in the coatroom to occupy your child during the service.
Ask a greeter if you need help finding the toys. Please return these to
the coatroom at the end of the service.
- The pastors will greet you
following the service. Fellowship after the worship service (often as a
potluck dinner) is held on the first Saturday of the month. No
fellowship during the remainder of the month is provided because we
realize that families may be going to dinner directly after the service.
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