What's Happening? 

April 29 - May 5

Monday 

Newsletter articles, please!

9:30 - 2:00 ESL Classes (Mon.-Fri.)

6:30 p.m. Cubs

8:30 p.m. Friendly A.A. Group

Tuesday 

5:45 p.m. -  TOPS

Wednesday 

6:30 p.m. TBay Carvers

Thursday

8:00 p.m. Friendly Group A.A. 

Friday

Saturday

Sunday - Sixth Sunday of Easter

10:30 a.m.  Holy Communion and Sunday School

11:15 a.m. Fellowship Hour

Worship

We gather each Sunday at 10:30 a.m., celebrating Holy Communion on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month, May 5 and 19, and festivals. Other Sundays are Service of the Word, May 12, and Worship with the Band, May 26.

   As we meet, we record the services. They are uploaded later on Sunday to our YouTube channel, ‘Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church of Thunder Bay’.  

Closed captions are available on the video – corrections and song lyrics are added as time allows.

   Texts of the bulletin and sermon are also mailed out on Saturday: sign up for our enews: osimm@tbaytel.net. They are posted on our website on Saturday: www.oursaviourstbay.org .

Holy Communion at Our Saviour's

At the time of the sharing of Communion, all are invited to come up the centre aisle to the foot of the chancel steps to receive the bread and the wine/grape juice. Gluten-free wafers are available. After taking a glass, please go off to the side and drink. There is a receptacle for the used glasses as we go back to our seats via the side aisles. 

  If you are unable to come to the front, please tell the usher and the elements will be brought to you.  

 Those who do not receive Communion are welcome to come forward for a blessing.

  If watching online, when the presiding minister says, ‘The body and blood of Christ given and shed for you’, we welcome all to take and eat a piece of bread, and then to take a glass of wine or other beverage, remembering and giving thanks for the promises of grace, forgiveness, love, new life, and community given us in Christ Jesus.

 The Health Unit continues to recommend the wearing of masks in public areas when social distancing cannot be maintained. 

The Congregational Council endorses this for those who wish to wear masks, and continues to make masks and hand sanitizer available in the front hall and Immanuel Hall.

Learning:

Children:

 The seasonal activity pack for Easter/Spring is available for pick-up or drop off. For the latter, email

osimm@tbaytel.net.

Our Sunday School classes normally are twice monthly, on the first and third Sundays. Our final classes for the spring: May 5 and 19.

The sessions, for children in JK – Gr. 6, begin downstairs in Immanuel Hall at 10:30 a.m. for Bible stories, crafts, and other activities. Then those in the class come up to share Holy Communion.

See Karen Bishop, co-ordinator, for more information.

  Activity sheets for each Sunday are available in the front hall and are also emailed on Thursday. To sign up for these:

osimm@tbaytel.net . 

  There are Adventure activity bags under the mailboxes inside the entrance to the sanctuary, for children to enjoy during worship. 

Confirmation:

This ministry of the church helps youth to continue in the promises made at Baptism. All youth Grade 7 and older are welcome. We have been meeting the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month, 6:30-7:30 p.m., with the final class before the summer being May 13.

Classes will be offered mostly in-person. We hopefully also be gathering from time to time with the Confirmation youth from Hilldale Lutheran Church.

Food Collection 

Food donations received in the wicker basket in the front hall are being given to the Gathering Table’s food bank and to those in need. Thank you!

ELCIC Emergency Appeal for our partners in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land

At the beginning of November, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada launched an appeal to support our partners in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL).

To date, ELCIC support for this appeal has enabled the goal of $263,000 to have reached past the half-way point.

“I am absolutely delighted with the support of our ELCIC members,” says ELCIC National Bishop Susan Johnson. “I urge you, if you haven’t already made a donation yet, please do so.”

The ELCJHL Appeal was launched following an update ELCJHL Bishop Dr. Sani-Ibrahim Azar shared on the impact of the Israel-Hamas war with the ELCIC.

Bishop Azar noted that due to the increase in violence, schools have had to close; checkpoints between the West Bank and Jerusalem and between areas such as Ramallah and Bethlehem have been nearly completely closed off, preventing many people in these communities from being able to travel to and from work; and there has been a devastating impact on families whose livelihoods are connected to the tourism and hostility industry. Bishop Azar asked for support in helping to cover one month of salaries of teachers at ELCJHL schools and half of the salary for ELCJHL pastors, which amounts to $263,000.

“These are our sibling Lutherans,” Bishop Johnson noted. “I spoke to Bishop Azar recently and he told me what a difference this is going to make in people’s lives at a time when the local church is needed more than ever.”

To assist in reaching the ELCJHL emergency appeal donation target, the ELCIC’s National Church Council approved a one-time contribution to the appeal for $100,000. The Eastern Synod – which serves as a companion partner of the ELCJHL – has provided another $25,000. Direct donations from individual ELCIC members is over $20,000, with more yet to come in from congregational giving.  

You are invited to help support our partners through a financial contribution to the ELCJHL Appeal. 

1. Through Our Saviour's, by designating your special offering to ELCJHL Appeal.

2. Online through the ELCIC National Office at secure.elcic.ca.

Leadership Conference of the Americas 

From April 15-19, delegates from North America, the Caribbean and Latin America met for the annual Leadership Conference of the Americas in São Leopoldo, Brazil.

Participants met under the theme ‘Fear not! There is good news!’ A bringing together of sorts of church leaders, youth, council members, partners and women, the conference was hosted by the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil (IELCB) in honour of 200 years of Lutheran worship in Brazil.

“I was very pleased with the leadership meeting in Brazil. It gave us a chance to share our hopes and fears for our churches into the future,” said National Bishop Susan Johnson, who was in attendance representing the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.

“Together, we want to explore the relationship between fear and hope in the Bible, God’s promise and God’s covenant with his people in our times, and the contribution of Lutheran theology can make to that,” said Rev. Sonia Skupch, regional secretary of the Lutheran World Federation. “We want to be inspired and encourage one another in our mission as churches to be spaces where fear gives way to hope and where churches are invited to be heralds of Good News.”

One piece of the agenda was learning more about the host church (IELCB) and its work through hands-on experience, visits and presentations. Rev. Skupch shared a message of hope and faithfulness in her sermon during opening worship. “Do not be afraid. The Risen One, God, summons all people, humanity, and creation to be part of God’s saving project, leading them to life in fullness. The invitation is inclusive and unconditional.”

Another focus was to encourage prayerful reflection in hopes of overcoming some of the many challenges faced by churches across the Americas. The more prominent fears included that of the polarization of people belonging to churches, financial sustainability, conflict and violence in certain regions, and a lower number of students entering seminary year by year. 

The regions’ women and youth networks also presented to delegates their strategic priorities for the years ahead. With the goal of strengthening communication and networking within the LWF, contact persons for all churches will be formalized moving forward. Further education on gender justice will carry on, while a major focus will be the elimination of gender-based violence. 

“Church leaders should not be afraid to encourage men, women and youth to build their capacities to speak up against and prevent gender-based violence,” said Rev. Sílvia Genz, president of the IECLB. “It will strengthen our churches and their credibility.”

Some of the regional youth network’s priorities included that of inclusion, climate justice, a focus on proper mental health and further empowerment to youth leaders. International language learning workshops and courses will be offered in hopes of strengthening interregional connections with hopes of better understanding one another within international circles.

Prior to closing worship, delegates to the conference officially adopted a message to the communion of churches in the LWF, addressing the fears of the regions’ churches with reference to the racism, conflict, and the climate crisis amongst others. But also pointing to signs of encouragement and hope in strengthening the voices of youth, while striving for an end to gender-based violence and caring for creation through climate justice. 

World Council of Churches Prayer Cycle 

Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

28 April - 04 May 2024

We are thankful for:

• the magnificent expanse of mountains, grasslands and deserts in these Central Asian countries

• the rich natural resources

• the incredible ethnic diversity

• cultural traditions and practices that have been preserved for centuries amid the challenges of modernization

• Christians who, although they are a tiny minority, have courage to witness to the gospel and find the strength to live according to God’s word

• those who in spite of danger dedicate their lives to serving others.

We pray for:

• the people in these lands who suffer from poverty and repressive rule

• an end to clashes related to tribalism, traditionalism, and modernization

• the land, air and water that have been damaged by human abuse

• good relations between Muslims and Christians

• an end to oppression and violence.

PRAYERS

And so, that is why, at nightfall when my people are asleep, kneeling barefoot, close to the altar of my little chapel, I become their intercessor - like Abraham, Jacob, Moses, like Jesus. A stick of sandalwood sends forth its fragrance, the symbol of all of those who today are worn out with their labours in suffering, or in love. And I am there, weighed down with all the faults of my people, afflicted with all their sorrows, heavy with all their hopes - all of those who today have fallen asleep thinking only to meet a Judge - to them I present him as their Saviour, and I introduce them to the eternal Nuptials. All those little children who were born this day, I make children of God. All the prayers said today in the homes, the mosques, I transform into an "Our Father". My heart is nothing more than the melting pot, where, in the fire of Christ's love, all the dross of my people is turned into gold - and through my lips it is the whole of Afghanistan who cries that "Abba" to the Father that the Holy Spirit inspires.

(Afghanistan: from A Procession of Prayers - Meditations and Prayers from Around the World, compiled by John Carden, © by Cassell, London, and WCC Geneva.)

OFFERINGS

Thank you for your offerings, sharing the gifts of God so that together we might serve the world!

During our worship, you are able to share your offerings at the entrance to the sanctuary.

Envelopes for your 2024 offerings are available. If you wish to receive a supply,  please contact the office, 344-1926, osimm@tbaytel.net.

At other times, and for those unable to attend worship, here are options:

1. Mail envelopes to the church

Mailing address: 10 Farrand St. Thunder Bay P7A 3H5

2. Drop envelopes off at church

You can drop off envelopes in the mailbox beside the parking lot doors. Calling to let us know, 344-1926, is appreciated, so that the offering can be brought inside as soon as possible.

3. E-Transfer online banking

a. If you use online banking, log into your account

b. Add Our Saviour’s as a recipient using our office email address:

 osimm.office@tbaytel.net

c. Enter the desired amount and click ‘send’.

4. Sign up for Pre-Authorized Withdrawal (PAR)

You are able to have your monthly offerings directly deposited from your financial institution to that of the church. You can designate it 1-3 ways:  Weekly, Building, Forward in Mission. You also can receive undated envelopes for other offerings. To sign up, call the office. If you desire to make any changes at any time of the year, or if you have updates on your address or financial institution, please call the church office, 344-1926. 

5.  Canada Helps

Our regional synod office has set up Canada Helps button link, you can use to donate to congregations. The charitiable donation receipt will be issued by Canada Helps directly. (It is important to note that there is a cost to using Canada Helps as our donation service. Please considering adding 4% to your donation to cover these costs.) 

http://mnosynod.org/donate/

Again, we are so thankful for your faithful generosity.