Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Columbia Falls, MT

September is an exciting time for the church. After a summer of rest and recreation the church and its members are ready to begin another year of rejuvenation into the walls of the church building as voices of children ring out and youth re-connect after summer break. The momentum brings with it a sense of busyness to the church. In fact, one may wonder if the goal of the church is to make people busy, or give people just one more obligation on top of their already busy lives.
As we look towards Rally Sunday which is September 9, I'd like to remind us all that a major goal of the church that motivates its programs is the creating and shaping of people into disciples of our Lord. This is not complicated. Through prayer, study, fellowship, listening: through modeling the life of faith we grow and learn and catch a better glimpse of Jesus leading us. We more clearly hear Jesus' voice calling us to lives of love and service. Church activities aim to bring us into a discipleship pattern of living.
Here's what we are offering this year:
Children's Sunday School - preschool age through grade 8. Sunday School starts September 9 at 9:00am
Confirmation - for children grades 7 and 8. Meets Wednesday at 4:30pm
High School Youth Group - for youth grades 9-12. Will meet two Wednesday evenings a month at 7:00pm. First gathering is on September 12 at 6:30pm for a barbecue get together at the parsonage.
Adult Sunday School - Starting September 16 at 9:00am
Though the church puts a lot of energy into its programs with the hopes of great results, there is nothing more important for the shaping of disciples than the one hour of Sunday Worship offered each week at 10 am. We believe that worship is a powerful time of God coming to us to give us love and mercy; to give us the very self of God. At the conclusion of worship each week we are sent out with the charge: Go in peace. Serve the Lord. And we realize that all of the churchy activities we have just spent the last two hours busy with have filled us for another week of adventurous living as God's children.
Join in.
- Pastor Pete Erickson