OUR SAVIOUR LUTHERAN CHURCH

3301 The Alameda
Baltimore, MD 21218
410.235.9553
MARCH, 2020

MID-WEEK LENTEN WORSHIP
WEDNESDAYS
6:30 P.M. SOUP SUPPER
7:30 P.M. VESPERS

Remember, set your clocks ahead. Daylight Savings time begins March 8.

Dear Brothers and Sisters of Our Saviour,

As you may have heard, Pastor McClean fell in his apartment on February 19 and broke both his right arm and a finger in his left hand. After spending a few days at Mercy Hospital, he was moved to Manor Care on Falls Road for rehabilitation. After injuring his leg during physical therapy there, he was moved to Mt. Sinai hospital. His leg has since mended and he is able to walk without pain. He does, however, still need more time to recuperate. They are currently determining the facility to which he will be moved.

Although he will need several more weeks to recover, Pastor has asked us to assure everyone that he feels he has turned a corner in all this and is on his way to recovery and hopes to be able to return to the pulpit by Holy Week. We will keep you up to date on his condition as things progress. In the meantime, we are being served on Sundays by several military chaplains. So we will have pastors for our Sunday worship services.

We do find ourselves in the annual observance of the penitential season. Some thoughts from Pastor McClean about Lent from a couple years ago:

My dictionary tells me that the word Lent is rooted in an old English word “lencten” which means spring. The word no doubt suggests the lengthening days which come in the springtime. But I want to suggest that it is very useful indeed to think of the holy season of Lent as a spiritual springtime, a time of new life and light. You may remember that in the ancient church the forty days of Lent were the time when the adult candidates for Holy Baptism received their final preparation for the reception of that Sacrament which took place at the Great Vigil which took place on Easter Eve. Since you and I have already been born again of water and the Holy Spirit, we – obviously! – cannot prepare to be baptized. Yet Lent is most certainly a time for returning to our Baptism, for again contemplating and rejoicing in the blessings of Baptism and through daily repentance and faith living as those who have been baptized into the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. We remember the words of Saint Paul: “We are buried therefore with Him by baptism into death so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

Few things are more foolish than supposing that God somehow needs our observance of Lent: God does not need Lent but you and I do! It is that season of the year which calls us to renewed faithfulness as those who through Baptism have been made one with the Savior in His atoning death and life-giving resurrection. It is a time for saying no to everything in our lives which contradicts Christ and His love. We need to hear God’s Word calling us to repentance, we need to hear God’s Word showing us the Lord Jesus in whose death our sins are dead and who calls us to follow Him in faith and hope and love.

Please be assured that we will have our usual Wednesday worship throughout Lent, at 7:30 PM, each preceded at 6:30 PM by a soup supper. The following people have volunteered their culinary skills: 3/4 – Bernie Knox, 3/11 – Merton Masterson, 3/18 – Judy Volkman, 3/25 – the Ushers, and 4/1 – Danitta Hawkins.

One interesting note for our Wednesday services this year is that one of them falls on March 25, on which we will observe The Annunciation. This festival, nine months before Christmas, recognizes the visit of the angel Gabriel to Mary, announcing that she would bear the Son of God, Jesus Christ Our Savior. This gives us a brief moment of celebration within this Lenten season. Please join us for these mid-week opportunities for spiritual refreshment during this holy season.

As the Easter season approaches, we will be looking forward to adorning the altar with Easter lilies. Judy Volkman will again coordinate this for us. The cost this year is $11 per lily. There are envelops in the back of the church. Please get your information and payment to Judy Volkman by Palm Sunday (April 5). .

Our good friend Pastor Robertson of Martini Church has agreed to assist Our Saviour with pastoral care while Pastor McClean is recuperating. If you need pastoral care during this time, please call Paul Techau at 703-531-0762, and he will notify Pastor Robertson.

In Christ,
The Church Councel

Free Flea Market

May 9th will soon be here, and that is the date for the first Free Flea Market for this year. Thanks to a generous donation of household items from Scoot Jones’ family, we are well stocked with them. However, we have NO men’s or women’s warm weather clothing. We donated the clothing from last season’s stock to Orphan Grain Train, and now we need to restock. We need warm weather wear (winter just does not move during the summer) and shoes for both men and women. We sometimes get requests for children’s items, but not enough to try to have the variety of sizes needed.

So as you are going through your closets, think about what you could donate. There are individuals who count on us for their clothing! Please try to get it to Judy Volkman by April so we can see what we will need to request from Orphan Grain Train.

The Lord has given us much bounty and we need to share it!

OUR SAVIOUR LUTHERAN CHURCH

3301 The Alameda
Baltimore, MD 21218
410.235.9553
FEBRUARY, 2020

Wednesday, February 26
ASH WEDNESDAY
Soup Supper, 6:30 P.M.
DIVINE SERVICE
WITH IMPOSITION OF ASHES
7:30 P.M.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The beginning of February brings the last festival of the Christmas Cycle of the Church Year – Advent, Christmas, Epiphany – the Festival of the Presentation of our Lord in the temple. The end of February brings with it Ash Wednesday, the First Day of Lent.

Because the Savior was taken by His parents to the temple at Jerusalem on the fortieth day after His birth, the Festival of the Presentation of our Lord is always kept on February 2nd. Since February 2nd usually falls on a weekday, not on Sunday, we rarely have opportunity to keep this bright festival. This year we do. Saint Luke in his Gospel tells us all about it: Luke 2:22-40. There we learn that the little Lord Jesus was greeted by the aged Simeon who took Him up in His arms and said, “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation…” (Luke 2:28,29) and went on to declare the infant Lord to be “a light to enlighten the Gentiles” (Luke 2:32). The theme of Christ as the true Light, come to dispel this world’s darkness, accompanies the whole Christmas Cycle of the Church Year: on Christmas Eve we hear the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light”(Isaiah 9:2); on the Feast of the Epiphany we hear Isaiah’s words, “Arise, shine, for your light has come”(Isaiah 60:1); and now on the Feast of the Presentation we hear the words of Simeon, “A light to enlighten the Gentiles.” And because of these words of Simeon it became the custom to have a candle-light procession on this festival, a custom which gave to this festival the name “Candlemas.”

The Christmas Cycle of the Church Year – Advent, Christmas, Epiphany – ends with the first Sunday in February. The next Sunday is the beginning of the Easter Cycle of the Church Year – Pre-Lent, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost.

The three Pre-Lenten Sundays have Latin names which reflect the nearness of Easter: approximately seventy, sixty, and fifty days until Easter: Septuagesima, Sexagesima, Quinquagesima. February 26th is Ash Wednesday. I regret that in many places the Pre-Lenten season has disappeared. I regret this because its disappearance tends to deprive us of a time of preparation for Lent. I believe that we need time to consider how we will use the holy season of Lent; the Pre-Lenten season provides us with an opportunity to do just that. In the ancient Church the forty days of Lent were the time to prepare candidates for the Easter baptisms. For us who have been baptized, the Lenten season should be a time of returning to our baptism, a time of greater intensity in living the baptismal life as we learned in the Catechism:

“What does such baptizing with water indicate? It indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.”

I will have more to say about Lent in the March newsletter. For now I will simply note that the three traditional Lenten disciplines are prayer, fasting, and alms-giving. Our Lord speaks of this in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:1-21). These disciplines can so easily become an occasion for sinful pride, for works righteousness. The words of the Savior show us how they are meant to be a blessing to ourselves and others

We will as usual have soup suppers on the Wednesdays in Lent beginning on Ash Wednesday. Divine Service on Ash Wednesday will as usual begin at 7:30 P.M.; the soup supper begins at 6:30 P.M. There is on the piano in the front of the church a sign-up sheet for those who wish to provide the soup on these Wednesdays.

Mary Techau gives us this update of the work of our Historic Preservation Committee. “In early 2020 we will be applying for a Maryland Bond Bill for capital improvements to our building, mainly the education wing, and also applying to the Maryland Historic Trust for a capital grant for renovation work. Once capital improvements are complete, we will be able to offer more ways to help in our community. The initial phase of our project will include roof, gutter and storm water repairs to ensure a safe and dry building.” It is worth remembering that we are able to make these applications because our building has been placed on Baltimore’s Historic Preservation list.

Do remember in your prayers those whose names appear each Sunday in the bulletin. As of this writing Lawrence Smallwood is recovering from surgery at Union Memorial Hospital. Quilla Downs has suffered several deaths in her extended family. Julia Silver continues to seek healing and asks for continued prayers.

I often find myself telling friends and acquaintances that I am blessed to serve a congregation whose people are generally good natured. I – sadly! – cannot say that of every congregation I have served! I think we need to be profoundly grateful for this blessing and seize every opportunity to draw others into this fellowship of faith and hope and love. You are in my prayers. I depend on yours.

Affectionately in our Lord,

Pastor McClean

Works of Mercy

Prior to Christmas, food gift cards were delivered to designated families at Waverly Elementary/Middle School; the social worker, on behalf of the recipient families, expressed warm thanks to our congregation for our sustained remembrance and support during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Again, many thanks to all of the generous donors who made our commitment to our community outreach a success.

Not to forget our recovering brothers and sisters at the Helping Up Mission. Because of the large and continuing number of residents served by the Mission, the need for clothing and grooming supplies is endless. We will continue to collect grooming items (soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, body powder etc.) and gently used or new clothing items, until we have a significant supply to deliver. If you would prefer to make a personal delivery, it would be welcomed, and you will be impressed with the efficiency of the operation. The Mission is located at 1029 East Baltimore St, Baltimore, Md. 21202.

Please remember to share your loose change by depositing it in the Poor Boxes; the proceeds will be used to purchase needed items for the Mission. Many thanks, and may God continue to bless you and our church family throughout the new year.

–Qulla Downs

OUR SAVIOUR LUTHERAN CHURCH
in the City of Baltimore

October,  2019

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This coming Sunday, October 6, is Family Day. Following Divine Service there will be lunch in the undercroft. Sandwiches will be provided; you are encouraged to bring a side dish to share. Come and bring your friends!

From October 7 through October 21 I will be away on my trip to Germany. If you need a pastor while I am gone, you may call our good friend Pastor Coats at 443.745.9200. Pastor Noah Rogness will be here on the two Sundays I am away. You may remember that he preached on Family Day last year.

Voters Meeting will be held following Divine Service on Sunday, October 20. All members of Our Saviour, eighteen years and older, are invited to participate.

On the last Sunday in this month, October 27, Our Saviour will be the host for the Joint Reformation Service of all the Baltimore area congregations of our Synod. The service begins at 4:00 P.M. The Rev. Dr. Gregory N. Todd, Rear Admiral United States Navy, Chaplain of the Marine Corps, will be the preacher. A reception will follow. Plan now on attending this festival celebration.

Reformation Day always comes as an invitation to remember what it means to be Lutheran. None of the Lutheran reformers imagined that they were somehow “founding” a new Church. Rather they saw their work as reforming the one Church of Christ which will be and remain forever. As someone has said, the difference between the Church before and after the Reformation is the difference between a garden before and after it has been weeded: it is in fact the same garden, only the noxious weeds have been removed. The Lutheran Reformation removed only those teachings and practices which contradict the teaching of Holy Scripture, which obscure the Gospel of God’s free pardon through the life, death and resurrection of His only and eternal Son. And so as Lutherans we are heirs to the whole heritage of the Church through the centuries. We confess the three ancient Creeds: the Apostles, the Nicene, and the Athanasian. Our Divine Service is not something made up in the sixteenth century; it is essentially the same liturgy which has been in use from the most ancient times. Reformation Day always comes as an invitation to remember and give thanks, to repent of our sins of indifference and ingratitude and also as an invitation to fervent prayer that God would guard and keep His Church in all its struggles until the risen Lord appears in glory to make all things new.

Do remember to pray for those whose names appear each Sunday in the bulletin especially for our members who are shut in: Dorothy Bell, Charles Dowdy, Joyce Gillespie, Ethelyn Gosnell. Yolanda Ford has recently been hospitalized and Paul Techau is recovering from surgery.

I believe it cannot be said too often: Every Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Every Sunday the Church gathers to hear His word of judgment and mercy. Every Sunday the Church gathers to meet Him as He truly comes in the blessed Sacrament of His Body and Blood. Every Sunday is therefore a day of great joy.

Remember me in your prayers as you are in mine.

Affectionately in our Lord,

Pastor McClean

Works of Mercy

Our quarterly delivery of grooming items will be delivered to the Helping up Mission this week. Thankfully, this will be a larger than usual delivery of grooming products and wearing apparels due to the donation of a satchel full of coins. The coins were turned over to the Financial Secretary, Mrs. Judy Volkman, who undertook the herculean task of sorting and counting the stash which totaled some $60.00. The converted dollars were turned over to me; I in turn purchased multiple grooming products as well as socks, shorts, tee shirts, etc. Many thanks to Mrs. Bertha Buchanan for her generous donation which she made in memory of her late husband, Mr. Peter Buchanan. Another monetary donation was made from a donor friend outside of our church, thanks to Judy Volkman. The monetary donations, combined with the change collected from the Poor Boxes, and the usual church family grooming gifts, enables us to better bless the men and women who are in spiritual recovery. Jesus said, “When I was naked you clothed me, in prison you visited me, hungry you fed me… whatever you do for the lease of these you do for me.” (Matthew 25:3, 35-36). Many thanks to our church family and friends who consistently support the Helping up Mission. Your can read about the many stories of recovery on line and through the Mission’s Newsletter which we post on Our Saviour’s bulletin board.

– Qullia Downs

OUR SAVIOUR LUTHERAN CHURCH
in the City of Baltimore

September,  2019

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This summer seems to have passed by rather quickly. We have certainly had some very hot and humid days – including Sundays. But the summer Sundays have not been uneventful!

Elizabeth Katherine Ford, who was born on January 11th, received the Sacrament of Holy Baptism on Sunday, August 11th. Her parents are Carlos Juan Ford and Kimberly Ann nee Gado. Elizabeth is a great-granddaughter of Frank Ford. It was a very happy occasion! We sometimes forget that as a Christian congregation it is our duty to remember those who have been baptized in our prayers that they may grow up as faithful members of Christ and His Body the Church.

We were happy to have Joshua Dub with us as our summer vicar for most of July and August. Earlier in the summer he served as summer vicar for Philadelphia Lutheran Ministries with Pastor Robert Kieselowsky who serves Saint John’s Church in the suburb of Springfield and the Logos Church in center city Philadelphia. We were glad to hear him preach twice and lead our Sunday Bible Study of the Gospel according to Saint Mark. Joshua is very gifted musically and we were happy to hear him chant the Gospel on Sunday, August 11th, the Seventh Sunday after Trinity. He joined me in visiting several of our shut-in members and also made such calls and also hospital calls on his own. Pastor Coats and I joined him in weekly study of the original Greek language of the Sunday readings from Holy Scripture. Josh has definite scholarly interests and is already involved in the preparation of translations of significant works of theology including some of the new volumes in the American edition of Luther’s Works. He now returns to Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne for his second year of study. After a full year as a vicar and a final year at the Seminary he will be ready to be ordained. I am convinced that he will be a fine pastor, truly a blessing to those whose lives he will touch.

Those of us who were at Divine Service on July 14th heard the Rev. Dr. John Bombaro preach. He made a very interesting visual presentation at the Sunday Bible Class about the work he will soon begin in the City of Riga in Latvia, establishing an English-speaking congregation there and teaching at the Luther Academy in that City. It was wonderful to hear about the revival of the Lutheran Church in Latvia after so many years of Soviet oppression and persecution.

Kate Phillips was with us on Sunday, August 18th, and made a visual presentation at the Bible Class and spoke to the congregation about the work she will soon begin in the Dominican Republic where there is clearly tremendous need. She is in the Deaconess Program at the Fort Wayne Seminary and this two year internship is part of that program. Kate’s parents live in Arnold near Annapolis. She attended the Christian Day School of Saint Paul’s Church in Glen Burnie and happens to be a friend of my great-nephew Wes Pierce who also attended Saint Paul’s School.

The presence of Dr. Bombaro and of Kate Phillips reminded us of the larger mission of the Church throughout the world. Let us faithfully remember them in our prayers and – as we are able – support their work financially. You may send a check clearly marked on the memo line with “Bombaro-Latvia Support” or “Phillips-Dominican Republic Support” to The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, P.O. Box 66861, Saint Louis, Missouri 63166-6861.

Looking ahead, the last free flea market of this year will take place on Saturday, September 14th from 9:00 to 12:00 noon and that will be followed immediately by a picnic in honor of our City Council member, Mary Pat Clarke, who will be retiring from public service. Mary Pat is a good friend of Our Saviour. Please come and enjoy lunch and say thank you for all of the support she has given us.

I trust that you have all received the recent letter from the Church Council concerning the finances of our congregation. Saint Paul says that “the Lord loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). It is a grateful heart which cheerfully gives. I remember that Pastor Engelbert (who baptized and confirmed me) once said that every line of the Apostles Creed is reason for gratitude, for thanksgiving.

On the last Sunday in September we will have an opportunity to give thanks for the ministry of the holy angels: in the calendar of the Christian Year September 29th is the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels. Surely there is a great comfort which this feast suggests. At every Divine Service we worship “with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven” in the presence of the risen Lord who is truly present in the Holy Sacrament. The Morning and Evening Prayers in the Small Catechism conclude with the petition, “Let Your holy angel be with me that the evil foe may have no power over me.” Yes, the holy angels are yet another reason for gratitude, for thanksgiving!

The first Sunday in October will be Family Day and on the last Sunday in October the Joint Reformation Service will be held here at 4:00 P.M.

It is all too easy to become discouraged or even cynical about so many things. But that is what the devil wants! Because Christ is risen we have hope that can never be put to shame! Every Lord’s Day we are privileged to celebrate that victory of the eternal love of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!

Let us continue to remember one another in our prayers!

Affectionately in our Lord,

Pastor McClean

Works of Mercy

 Sharing our bounty. On July 24th, CARES came to the church and picked up 4 crates of canned food items. This will help them through the lean summer months. Keep on bringing in canned food items so we can have them come soon again!

The Free Flea Market on August 10th had 30 people attending, and 192 items were distributed. This is less than we have done in previous flea markets. Maybe it was because it was a nice Saturday (not so hot) and everyone wanted to enjoy it! The last Flea Market of the season will be held September 14th. At that time, we will have fall clothing items to get ready for some chillier weather. If you have any fall clothing and/or household items, please get them to Judy before the 14th. And there will be a gathering to honor Mary Pat Clarke immediately after the Flea Market.

A generous donation of personal care items has been received from the Ronald McDonald House and will be distributed to the Helping Up Mission. As you probably know, the Ronald McDonald House provides housing for families when they have a loved one receiving treatment at Johns Hopkins. When these people are traveling, they collect the personal care items found in hotels. The House had an abundance of items and contacted us through a volunteer that Judy knows and shared them with us. They, and we, are good stewards of the bounty God has bestowed on us!

Thanks to all who have contributed in our outreach to those who need it.

– Judy Volkman

We are fast approaching the date of our fall delivery to Helping Up Mission. Our planned date of delivery is the 3^rd week of September. As we reported earlier, the Mission has expanded, and is now accommodating women who are committed to recovery. However, the women are housed in a separate location until such time a permanent facility is constructed. As we minister to the men with our gifts, please keep the women in mind. The needs remain the same; soap, deodorant, wash cloths, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc. There is also need for socks, t-shirts, and any item of men and women’s apparel. In addition to new items, the Mission accepts clean, gently used clothing. Thanks to all who deposit loose change into the poor boxes; those funds are designated to purchase additional items for Mission residents. Many thanks to the congregation for sustained support of Helping Up Mission, know that we are contributing to the success of recovering men and women.

– Qullia Downs

OUR SAVIOUR LUTHERAN CHURCH
in the City of Baltimore

July/August,  2019

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Although I do not always agree with him, George F. Will is one of my favorite journalists. In an article published some years ago he had this to say: “Modernity teaches that freedom is the sovereignty of the individual’s will – personal volition that is spontaneous, unconditioned, inviolable, and self-legitimizing.” This deplorable misunderstanding of freedom is at the root of so much of the disarray in today’s world. In the beginning of the human story Satan whispers to Eve, “You shall be as gods”: yourselves sovereign, yourselves the arbiter of good and evil, yourselves subject to no one, subject to no One – to God. In one of its beautiful ancient prayers the Church addresses God as the One “in whose service is perfect freedom.” The original Latin of the prayer makes this even clearer: that “to serve God is to reign/cui servire regnare est” Genuine freedom is found in obedience to God’s will, obedience to our own sinful will is only a more terrible form of bondage! In a recent book Rod Dreher notes that “the repaganization called the Sexual Revolution can never be reconciled with orthodox Christianity…For the Christian, there is only one right way to use the gift of sex: within marriage between one man and one woman. This is heresy to the modern world, and a hard saying upon which hearts, friendships, and even families and even churches have been broken. There is no one teaching of the Christian faith that is less popular today, and perhaps more important to obey”(The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation, pp. 197,195). Writing to the Galatian Christians, Saint Paul says: “You were called to be free…only do not turn your freedom into license for your lower nature” (Galatians 5:13 New English Bible). And so we are all called to repentance which includes compassion for those who are ensnared by their ignorance of or rejection of Christ’s teaching. We are called to pray for their – and our! – deliverance from sin, remembering that we sin not only in deed and word but also in our thoughts which are known to God “unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid.”

Needless to say I hope that you will be able to be present every Lord’s Day for the Divine Service but I especially hope that many of you will be present on the Second Sunday in July – July 14^th – because our summer Vicar, Joshua Dub, will be with us for the first time and Chaplain/Dr. John Bombaro will preach and address the Bible Class which as always will meet at 9:45 A.M.

Vicar Joshua attended Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he studied Classics and German and was involved in various musical ensembles. After college he spent a year teaching English and Latin in Windsbach, Germany, at the school for the boys choir of that city, one of the renowned boy choirs of the world. He has most recently been serving in the Philadelphia area with Pastor Kieselowsky at Saint John’s Church in Springfield (where I served as pastor 1976-1982) and at the Logos Church in center city Philadelphia. He will also be serving with Pastor Coats at Redeemer Church in Irvington. Vicar Joshua will preach, lead the Sunday Bible Class, attend meetings of the Church Council, and accompany me on visits to our sick and shut-in members. I am also hoping that with his help we may move forward in outreach to college students in this city.

Chaplain Bombaro, who is at present attached to the Pentagon, will soon be leaving to teach at the Luther Academy in the City of Riga in Latvia, to plant an English-speaking church there, and to organize theological conferences in Eurasia. The Luther Academy was founded in 1997 to be a school for the education of pastors, teachers and church musicians. At our Sunday Bible Class Dr. Bombaro will show slides about his new work which is part of our Synod’s mission in other parts of the world. The Lutheran Church in Latvia suffered terribly under the Soviet tyranny, but since the fall of the Soviet Union has experienced a rebirth. For the past twenty-five years, under the leadership of its Archbishop Janis Vanags, our Latvian sister church has become a beacon of faithful Lutheranism in that part of the world. Do plan on coming to see and hear Chaplain Bombaro’s presentation in the air- conditioned rooms of our education building!

As faithful Lutherans, we know that the Church in the truest sense is the gathering of believers around the Word and the Sacraments. At the same time we do cherish the buildings in which our gracious God comes to us. More than a year ago our Church was placed on the register of historic buildings. Among other things, that designation makes it easier for us to obtain grants from outside sources for needs connected with the physical fabric of our building. And so the Church Council has formed the Our Saviour Church Historic Preservation Committee. We are extremely fortunate that Theresa Barrett, a friend of Merton Masterson, a grants expert, is willing to work with us in this effort. Chairman of the Committee is Mary Techau, Bernie Knox is treasurer, Richard Brown is secretary; Merton Masterson, Gary Watson, Gabe Purviance, and Paul Techau are also members. We most certainly do not worship buildings, but our Church building is a treasure of which we are stewards, stewards so that the mission of Christ the Savior can continue in this part of Baltimore.

Under the leadership of Judy Volkman we continue our Free Flea Markets on the second Saturday of each month; this meets the real needs of many people. We also continue our support for the Helping Up Mission by donating items needed by the men who are being helped by that wonderful institution. There is a box adjacent to the door next to the church office for depositing these items. We also continue to collect food for GEDCO. The box for donations is next to the door of the church office. As Christians we cannot be indifferent to the plight of those less fortunate than ourselves but must do what we are able to do to help them.

The triennial Convention of our Synod meets in Tampa, Florida, July 20-25. Pastor Charles Minetree of Immanuel Church is the pastoral delegate from the Circuit of congregations to which we belong and Harry Reinhardt of Martini Church is the lay delegate. Remember in your prayers those who will be taking counsel for the life of our Synod so that we may remain faithful to the Word of God and the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and so be an ever more effective mission in the world.

Looking ahead, Family Day/Homecoming is tentatively set for Sunday, October 6th. The annual Joint Reformation Service of our Synod’s Baltimore congregations will be held here at Our Saviour on Sunday, October 27th, at 4:00 P.M. The Rev. Dr. Gregory Todd, Rear Admiral United States Navy, Deputy Chief of Naval Chaplains and Chaplain of the Marine Corps, will preach. You will want to hear him.

As always let me encourage you to remember one another in your prayers. Pray also for the leaders of our nation, our state, our city in these difficult days. Please remember me in your prayers as I remember you in mine.

Affectionately in our Lord,

Pastor McClean

OUR SAVIOUR LUTHERAN CHURCH
in the City of Baltimore

May/June,  2019

Thursday, May 30
ASCENSION DAY
FESTIVAL DIVINE SERVICE
7:30 P.M.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This month of May finds us in the Easter season of the Christian Year. Our celebration of the Lord’s resurrection does not end on Easter Day but continues for forty days. And that is why we continue to sing Easter hymns and why the Paschal – Easter – Candle burns at all the services as a sign of the presence of the risen Lord.

During the forty days following His resurrection our Lord appeared to His disciples in the splendor of His risen body and opened to them the meaning of the Scriptures of the prophets as bearing witness to Him. And then on the fortieth day He ascended into heaven. And so the fortieth day after Easter Day is Ascension Day, one of the great festivals of the Christian Year. We will as usual celebrate the ascension of our Lord with a Festival Divine Service at 7:30 P.M. “I go to prepare a place for you,” Jesus said, “and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am you may be also” (John 14:2-4). At the end of the reading of the Holy Gospel on Ascension Day the Paschal Candle is extinguished as a sign that in His ascension our Lord withdrew His visible presence from us. Weekday services provide an opportunity for those who must work on Sunday to hear the Word of God and receive the Holy Sacrament.

Before His ascension the risen Lord instructed the disciples to remain in Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit. Ten days after the ascension, on the Day of Pentecost – Pentecost means fiftieth, the fiftieth day after  Easter Day – the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples with the sound of a rushing mighty wind and appeared like tongues of fire resting on each one of them. Emboldened by the Holy Spirit, Saint Peter and the others proclaimed to the people gathered in Jerusalem the saving death and resurrection of Jesus calling them to repentance and faith in the Savior. Three thousand people were baptized! Pentecost is the birthday of the Church and is, together with Easter Day and Christmas Day, one of Three Great Feasts of the Christian Year. This year Pentecost falls on Sunday, June 9. I hope that everyone will make a real effort to attend the Divine Service on Pentecost. Only through the work of the Holy Spirit do we know the Lord Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer.

The Sunday after Pentecost is always kept as the Feast of the Holy Trinity. From Advent Sunday through Pentecost we celebrate what God has done for our salvation. On Trinity Sunday we celebrate the mystery of who God is: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: one God. The mystery of the Holy Trinity is that God is one but not solitary. He is Himself – in a way the mind cannot fathom nor words ever fully explain – communion in love. You and I are made in the image of this God who is one but not solitary. Made in that image, we human beings are called to live as a communion of love. All the sadness and misery of this present world is rooted in contradiction of that mystery.  And so we who have been baptized in the name of this triune God are called to repentance and new life. God works this in us through His Gospel and Sacraments. And that is why neglect of Gospel and Sacraments is such a sad and serious matter.

I want to thank everyone who helped to make possible the Saint Mark’s Conference held at the end of April: Mary and Paul Techau, Quilla Downs, Bernie Knox, Julia Silver, Richard Brown, and Jake Mokris. I was happy that Trent Demarest was able to be with us. I will be leaving to visit him and his family on the evening of Sunday, June 2, returning to Baltimore on June 6. It will be a real treat to see Maritza and their three young boys: John who is now three years old, Thomas who is two, and my namesake Charles who just turned one. Another child is expected in November. Trent is now serving as Headmaster of the classical Christian day school of Trinity Church in Cheyenne, Wyoming.                                                

On Saturday, May 4th, I attended the centennial celebration of Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church which since 1919 has worshiped in the building which from its founding in 1892 until 1919 was our congregation’s church home. I was again delighted to see the large and wonderful painting of the risen Lord with His banner of victory which adorned the altar when our congregation worshiped there and continued to grace Holy Trinity’s altar for the next fifty years. It can still be seen. Since May 4th was Saturday in the week of Orthodox Easter, the Divine Liturgy was filled with resurrection joy. A delightful festive dinner followed worship. It is good to know that the building which once was our church home continues to be used for the worship of the Holy Trinity who has saved us.

I also attended the Church Workers Conference of our Southeastern District which was held in Roanoke May 6-8. Dr. Leopoldo Sanchez of our Synod’s Saint Louis Seminary spoke of the work of the Holy Spirit in sanctification. It was good to see old friends and new.

The spring Voters Meeting will be held this coming Sunday after Divine Service. Any member of Our Saviour Church, eighteen or older, is eligible to participate and I encourage you to do so.

Charles Dowdy and Ethlyn Gosnell were recently hospitalized but now have returned to their homes. Remember them in your prayers together with all those whose names appear in our Sunday bulletin. Queenie Hardaway now lives at Augsburg Village.

Please let me know if you must go to the hospital or if there is some other need in your life for pastoral care. You may call me at any time: 410.554.9994. If I am not there, simply leave word on my answering machine and I will get back to you as soon as I can. And do not hesitate to let me know if there is someone who is not one of our members but who needs a pastor.

Wishing you joy in our risen and ascended Lord, I am

Affectionately in our Lord,

Pastor McClean

ABOUT THE FREE FLEA MARKET

The first Free Flea Market was held on May 11th and we need to stock up on some items for the remaining happenings.  We need:  men’s & ladies shoes, men’s jeans, household items, jewelry and plastic bags (to carry items home).  All items should be in fairly good condition (gently used).  You can place your items in the storage room down by the Multi-Purpose room, and let Judy Volkman know about your contribution.

– Judy Volkman

OUR SAVIOUR LUTHERAN CHURCH
in the City of Baltimore

MARCH,  2019

ASH WEDNESDAY
Wednesday, March 6
Soup Supper, 6:30 PM
DIVINE SERVICE
with imposition of ashes
7:30 PM

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This coming Sunday is the last of the three Sundays of preparation for the coming of Lent. With these Sundays there begins the “Easter Cycle” of the Church Year which consists of these three pre-Lenten Sundays, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost. Every Lord’s Day in the year is of course a celebration of Christ’s resurrection – that is why we worship on Sunday and not some other day – but Easter Day is the Feast of Feasts, the Holy Day of Holy Days. In the English language we call the season of preparation for Easter “Lent.” The word Lent comes from an old English word, “lencten,” which means “spring” and refers to the lengthening days at this season of the year. Just as earth comes to life after the death of winter, so also the Lenten season is a time of spiritual renewal through reading and meditating on God’s Word, through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. In Christ’s Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:2-21) it is very clear that our Lord expects His followers to devote themselves to all three not because God needs our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving but because we do if we are to be ever more closely conformed to the image of the Savior, We pray in response to God’s command and His promise that our prayers are heard, we fast because our bodily appetites – though good in themselves – are disordered through sin, we give alms as a weapon against selfishness, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus how He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35) and also because of the enormous need that meets us on every hand. Following my letter you will find reports from Quilla Downs and Judy Volkman about our congregation’s support of the GEDCO food cupboard and the Helping Up Mission. Support of these fine works of mercy is indeed a form of “almsgiving.”

Lent has always been a time when Christians devote themselves to meditation on our Savior’s suffering and death. This year the theme of the sermons at the Wednesday Lenten Vespers will be “The Ten Commandments and the Passion.” We will meditate on how in His passion Jesus fulfilled the will of God and suffered for our disobedience to that will so that we might not perish but have eternal life.

The flowers that usually adorn the chancel are in a real sense a festive kind of thing. During Lent flowers will be omitted; you might say that we will “fast” from them. And the Church has from ancient times omitted the joyous “Alleluia” during Lent; we “fast” from that too. But we’ll not only “fast” in this way but we will have one additional item in the Sunday Divine Service. In the ancient Church Lent was the time for the intensive preparation of the catechumens for Baptism and Holy Communion. Lent continued to be a time for attention to the Catechism. And so on the Sundays in Lent we will – just before the Sermon – recite one of the Six Chief Parts of Luther’s Small Catechism. I am afraid that for so many of us the Catechism is something once learned in confirmation class and then more or less forgotten. That is not as it should be! Dr. Luther says:

I do as a child who is being taught the Catechism. Every morning, and whenever else I have time, I read and recite word for word the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Psalms, etc. I must still read and study the Catechism daily, yet I cannot master it as I wish, but must remain a child and pupil of the Catechism and I do it gladly.

By the way, we in fact review one of the Six Chief Parts of the Catechism every Sunday morning at the beginning of the adult Bible Class which meets at 9:45 A.M. The class is quite informal, questions and discussion being very much encouraged! We are at present studying Saint Mark’s Gospel. As we approach Easter we will be looking at the Old Testament lessons which are read at the Easter Vigil. Come join us! Adding this class to your Sunday morning might in fact be a useful Lenten discipline, Lent being a time for more intense meditation on the Holy Scriptures. I should also mention that on Sundays during Lent and throughout the Easter season the liturgy will be Divine Service I in the Lutheran Service Book. This is in fact the familiar service from the old blue hymnal. Throughout the Lenten season we will be singing a wonderful Communion hymn, “Now, My Tongue, the Mystery Telling, Of the Glorious Body Sing.” It is a hymn which expresses and also rejoices in the great mystery of the Real Presence of our Lord’s Body and Blood in the Sacrament of the Altar. The words are by Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). The tune comes from nineteenth century France. I believe that we will grow to love and treasure this hymn.

Our Saviour Church worshiped at 1723 East Fairmount Avenue (near Johns Hopkins Hospital) from its founding in 1892 until in 1919 the congregation moved to our present location. In 1919 Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church purchased the building and still worships there, this year celebrating its 100th anniversary. A visit to our old church has been planned for Saturday, March 9th we’ll gather at Our Saviour at 3:30 P.M. and “car pool” from here. Holy Trinity still possesses the painting of the risen Lord which hung over the altar at our old Church. I very much look forward to seeing it. Please phone (410.554.9994) or email me (Charles.McClean42@gmail.com) if you need a ride or wish to go on this visit.

I hope to see you every Lord’s Day and hope you will come to the Lenten services on Wednesday evening. Please remember me in your prayers; you are in mine.

Affectionately in our Lord,

Pastor McClean

LENTEN SOUP SUPPERS

Thank you to all who signed up. Please join us as we enjoy fellowship and a delicious meal at 6:30pm. Lenten service at 7:30pm.

3/6         Bernie/Julia        Calico Bean Soup
3/13       Judy                       Chicken Corn Soup
3/20       Quilla                     Black Bean Soup
3/27       Merton                Smoked Turkey and Black-eyed Pea Soup
4/3         The Ushers         Chicken Noodle Soup
4/10       Denitta/Mary      Crab Soup and Italian Wedding Soup

WORKS OF MERCY

CARES food contributions: Arrangements have been made with CARES to pick up our food contributions, thanks to the connection Quilla Downs made with them, We will continue to collect food items and Judy Volkman will inform them when we have enough items to go to them. The cupboard is bare right now, so donations are most welcome.

– Judy Volkman

As was reported earlier, we did not make a delivery to Helping Up Mission during Christmas because there were so few grooming items in the box. We will be making our regular spring delivery in March. In order to make the spring delivery, we really need more grooming gifts. The needs of the men remain the same, donations of tooth paste, tooth brushes, foot power, shaving cream, lotion, socks, underwear, deodorant, wash cloths, etc. In addition to your personal gifts, grooming items are purchased with loose change and monies collected from the churches’ two Poor Boxes. As we deliver these essential, yet inexpensive, items to the men at Helping Up Mission, we know that our efforts have a positive and restorative impact, and that we are truly giving to the least of these. Many thanks for your grooming gifts and for your compassion towards our recovering brothers at Helping up Mission.

– Quilla Downs

OUR SAVIOUR LUTHERAN CHURCH
in the City of Baltimore

FEBRUARY,  2019

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I think that everyone who attended last Sunday afternoon’s service of Epiphany Lessons and Carols will agree that it was a wonderful occasion. John Igoe, who has often served as substitute organist here, sent me an email saying, “I had the opportunity to attend Sunday’s service, and it was just beautiful. Four voices in the choir filled the church with prayer, and we in the congregation did our part! This was the first time I’ve heard the organ from the nave and it really sounds fine.” I thoroughly agree! And so I wish to thank everyone who contributed to this fine occasion. Paul Techau took leadership in making this happen, arranging to have as guest organist Matthew Machemer who is organist and choirmaster at our Synod’s Fort Wayne Seminary. Merton Masterson warmly welcomed the worshipers. Jamera Hawkins served as acolyte, Gabe Purviance and Eugene James served as ushers. Paul Techau and Marie Herrington, together with David Sexton and Lisa Parente, who are students at the Peabody Conservatory, formed the choir. As John Igoe wrote, “Four voices in the choir filled the church with prayer.” I also wish to thank Mary Techau, Bernie Knox, and Scott Jones who prepared the delightful reception which followed the service.

Yes, we do have a very fine organ and in Marie we have a very fine organist. But the mechanism for playing the bells in the tower has been broken for several months. We need to raise money to have this fixed. If you wish to contribute, simply mark your check “Tower Bell Fund.” We are fortunate to have these wonderful bells which both enrich our worship and are also a witness to the community around our Church.

There are just two more Sundays in this season of Epiphany when we celebrate the appearing of the Lord Jesus in the flesh as God and Savior of the world. The Last Sunday after Epiphany is kept as the Feast of the Transfiguration. In the transfiguration our Lord revealed the glory that is His with the Father from all eternity; it is in a real sense the greatest epiphany in Christ’s earthly life.

The Last Sunday after Epiphany marks the end of the Christmas Cycle of the Church Year: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany. The following Sunday marks the beginning of the Easter Cycle: Lent, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost. Three Sundays with curious names prepare for Lent itself: Septuagesima, Sexagesima, Quinquagesima. These Latin names mark the nearness of Easter: seventy, sixty, fifty days. Already on these pre-Lenten Sundays the word Alleluia is omitted from our worship. On the Last Sunday after Epiphany we have a kind of “farewell to Alleluia” – until Easter Day – singing the 11th century hymn, “Alleluia Song of Gladness”:

Alleluia cannot always be our song while here below;
Alleluia, our transgressions make us for a while forego;
For the solemn time is coming when our tears for sin must flow.

Lent itself begins on Wednesday, March 6th. We will as usual have our Wednesday Lenten Vespers preceded by soup suppers. This year Mary Techau will be in charge of coordinating all this.

On Wednesday, February the Church Council will meet with our City Councilwoman, Mary Pat Clark, and with Shane Bryan, the president of the Ednor Gardens – Lakeside Association. They will present to the Council ways in which our buildings might be used to meet needs in our community.

Let us continue in prayer for one another. Pray also for peace and tranquility here in this city, in our country and throughout the world!

Affectionately in our Lord,

Pastor McClean

VOTERS MEETING – FEBRUARY 3 AFTER DIVINE SERVICE

THE BELLS OF OUR SAVIOUR

You may have noticed that our lovely tower bells have not played recently. We have attempted to have the bells repaired, but the mechanism is 60 years old and is in need of a complete renovation. McShane, the company that installed our bells, has given us an estimate of about $20,000 to do the work. We are continuing to research approaches for the renovation, but in preparation, we have begun a special fund for the repairs in order to return the cherished bells to working order for decades to come. Please mark your donation for “Tower Bells.”
– Mary Techau

OUR SAVIOUR LUTHERAN CHURCH
in the City of Baltimore

JANUARY,  2019

Sunday, January 6
THE EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD
FESTIVAL DIVINE SERVICE – 11:00 A.M.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

January 6th is the Feast of the Epiphany of our Lord. This year we have the happy circumstance that January 6th falls on Sunday — I say happy because nowadays, when this great festival does not occur on a Sunday, it sadly tends to pass by all but unnoticed. I like to think of the great festivals of the Christian Year as rays of light on life’s sometimes dreary way, and so I think it a pity when these bright festivals are ignored for no good reason. And so I have throughout my ministry insisted on the observance of Epiphany no matter what day of the week it might fall on.

The Feast of the Epiphany is in a sense the climax of the Christmas season. Epiphany – which means appearing, revealing, manifestation, showing forth – celebrates the appearing of Christ as God and Savior of the whole world. Among Eastern Orthodox Christians Epiphany is kept in celebration of the Baptism of Jesus at which the heavenly Father declared Him to be His Son and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove, so revealing Him to be God in the flesh, One of the Holy Trinity. Among Western Christians (among them us Lutherans) Epiphany has since ancient times been kept in celebration of the coming of the Gentile wise men to worship the Christ Child and offer Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. The coming of the wise men is both a fulfillment of ancient prophecy – “And the Gentiles shall come to thy light and kings to the brightness of thy rising” (Isaiah 60:3) — and also itself a prophecy of the gathering of all nations into the redeemed people of God, the one holy Church. Although we Western Christians do not celebrate Christ’s Baptism as principle theme of the Epiphany festival, the Baptism of Jesus, together with the changing of water into wine at the marriage feast in Cana, have continued to be a part of our Epiphany celebration as can be seen in the hymns of this festival. Dr. Luther translated from Latin into German the Epiphany hymn of the century poet, Coelius Sedulius, a hymn which has two stanzas about the magi, one stanza about the Baptism of Jesus, and one about the miracle at Cana: in all of these events the deity of our Lord is revealed, each is indeed an epiphany of His godhead. This wonderful hymn is found in all of our Synod’s hymnals: the German Church Hymnal for Evangelical Lutheran Congregations of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession (Hymn 60); The Lutheran Hymnal, the red book (Hymn 131); Lutheran Worship, the blue book (Hymn 81); and in our new hymnal, the Lutheran Service Book (Hymn 399) And we will of course be singing this hymn as part of our Epiphany celebration. In the coming of the magi to worship Him, in His baptism in the Jordan River, in His changing of water into wine at the marriage in Cana Jesus appears as the Savior of the world. And if you were to ask me for some words of Holy Scripture which sum up the meaning of Epiphany, I might well refer you to the 11^th verse of the 2^nd chapter of the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to Titus: “The grace of God has appeared” – the original Greek texts here reads: “epiphanee” (whence we get the English word “epiphany”) – for the salvation of all people…”

On Sunday January 27 there will be an Epiphany Service of Lessons and Carols at 4 0’clock in the afternoon. We will hear readings from Holy Scripture concerning the Epiphany of Christ and will sing hymns and carols of the Epiphany season. We will have a guest organist, Matthew Machemer, who is the Associate Kantor at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. There will also be a quartet including students of the Peabody Conservatory. A reception will follow. Plan now on attending this festival and invite your friends and neighbors to come. The Choral Vespers we had in connection with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation and the 125th Anniversary of Our Saviour Church was a happy occasion and I am sure that that will also be true of the upcoming Epiphany Lessons and Carols.

Those of you who remember Pastor Jason Wolter (who served as vacancy pastor at Our Saviour 2006-2007) will be happy to hear that he will be in the Baltimore/Washington area later this month for the annual March for Life and will be joining us for the Divine Service on Sunday, January 20th. He tells me he loved his time in this congregation and looks forward to seeing you.

When Our Saviour Church — then known as Jackson Square Church because of its location – left its old building near John Hopkins Hospital in 1919, the building was purchased by Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church which still uses it as its place of worship. This year they are celebrating their one hundredth anniversary and have been in touch with us asking for information about the old building. They have also sent us a copy of a page from The Lutheran Witness describing the dedication of the Jackson Square Church in August 1892 and together with that they included a wonderful full color picture of the painting which hung over the altar at Jackson Square and which our congregation then gave to Holy Trinity in 1919. I had never before seen this painting of the risen Lord; I think it is a wonderful painting. Ever since I became pastor here at Our Saviour I’ve wanted to arrange for members who are interested to visit the old building. But now that I have seen a photograph of this wonderful painting I am even more eager to arrange for that visit! Do let me know if you would be interested (410.554.9994 – charlesmcclean42@gmail.com).A suggestion has also been made that we have an artist make a copy of the painting for use here in our present Church building.

I want to take this opportunity to thank members for their Christmas cards and gifts and also thank the congregation for its Christmas gift to me. I also must thank all those who decorated the Church for Christmas and also our organist Marie Herrington who arranged substitute organists to play here while she was visiting her family for the Christmas holidays. The substitutes were John Igoe, Sergey Morozov, Kathleen Bird, and David Sexton. Marie returns on January 13^th.

Do remember in your prayers all those whose names appear in the Sunday bulletin and indeed remember all members of our congregation and those the Lord God will send to us. Queenie Hardaway is now living at what used to be called the Augsburg Lutheran Home and now is known as Augsburg Village. I always come away from a visit with her in very good cheer because she is a cheerful person. God bless her and God bless us everyone!

Affectionately in our Lord,

Pastor McClean

THE BELLS OF OUR SAVIOUR

You may have noticed that our lovely tower bells have not played recently. We have attempted to have the bells repaired, but the mechanism is 60 years old and is in need of a complete renovation. McShane, the company that installed our bells, has given us an estimate of about $20,000 to do the work. We are continuing to research approaches for the renovation, but in preparation, we have begun a special fund for the repairs in order to return the cherished bells to working order for decades to come. Please mark your donation for “Tower Bells.”
– Mary Techau

ANNUAL MARCH FOR LIFE

THE 46TH ANNUAL MARCH FOR LIFE will be Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
This year’s theme is ‘Unique from day one.’ Join ‘Lutherans for Life’ at 1:00pm as the group marches up Constitution Avenue to the Supreme Court and Capitol Building. It’s an opportunity to meet other Lutherans from around the country and enjoy singing hymns and supporting life. www.lutheransforlife.org for more information.
– Mary Techau

WORKS OF MERCY

Regarding our Christmas food drive for needy families, donations from the congregation exceeded our goal of $330. This means that we did not have to tap into the church general fund, as the Counsel was prepared to do. We did not receive any outside funds. To our faithful and generous church members, many, many thanks for the outpouring of monetary gifts which enabled us to purchase the food gift cards, Eleven, $30 cards were purchased from Aldi’s supermarket. On Thursday, December 19, the cards were presented to the social worker at Waverly Elementary/ Middle School, where they were presented to the head of the designated families. The cards allowed the families to supplement their usual food items with a few extras of their own choosing. Hopefully, their Christmas was made merrier because of your gifts. As stated above, the giving exceeded our goal, this blessed position will give us a starting point for future Thanksgiving and Christmas giving.

Helping Up Mission: We did not make a delivery to Helping Up Mission during Christmas because there were so few grooming items since our fall delivery. It is hoped that we will have a healthy supply of items when we make our planned spring delivery. I believe that we all are aware of the stellar reputation and high success rate of this Christian based residential men’s recovery program. Towards that end, the need is ongoing for socks, underwear, washcloths, tooth paste, shaving cream, lotion, deodorant, foot power, etc. Thank you for remembering these men by continuing to provide them with a few essential items on their needs list. Because of your care and compassion this program will continue to count its successes.
– Quilla Downs