OUR SAVIOUR LUTHERAN CHURCH
3301 The Alameda
Baltimore, MD 21218
410.235.9553
SEPTEMBER, 2021
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Mark your calendars now: Sunday, October 3, will be Family Day; we will also be celebrating the 91st anniversary of the dedication of our Church. It was in fact dedicated on September 7th, 1930, being the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, but there is an old church custom that the anniversary can be kept on another day if the actual date is in some way inconvenient. Because the first Sunday in September occurs during Labor Day weekend, and because Baltimore’s hot and humid summer weather can still be with us, last year we celebrated the 90th anniversary on the first Sunday in October. We will continue to do this every year. Such a celebration provides an opportunity to thank God for this splendid building in which we are privileged to worship and to remember all the faithful Christians whose life in Christ has here been sustained through the Gospel of Christ and His holy Sacraments. Family Day has always involved a meal and will again this year. As we get closer to the date, a decision will be made as to how this will be done in the light of whatever constraints the continuing pandemic may require, but be sure to plan now on being present.
We certainly need to be diligent in our prayers that this affliction will come to an end. Here in Maryland we seem to have been managing fairly well, but other parts of our country have not been so fortunate. Our church has approached the State of Maryland to have a mobile COVID vaccination clinic on our parking lot. More information on the time and date will be sent when information becomes available. I am hoping that we will be able in this way to make some small contribution to the well-being of our neighbors. You may remember that, in his explanation of the Fifth Commandment, “You shall not kill,” Dr. Luther instructs us that we “should help and befriend [our neighbor] in every bodily need.” Providing space for a mobile vaccination clinic does just that.
We continue to receive contributions in memory of our longtime organist and choirmaster, Don Weber. We recently received a generous check in memory of Don from Pastor Ron Ritter who was a member of Our Saviour and was both married and ordained here.
The lighting in the multipurpose room has been less than satisfactory for some time now. Maurice Dixon has sent a generous check which will make possible new lighting fixtures which will be provided with long-lasting LED lights. And speaking of the multipurpose room, we have notified the Ednor Gardens/Lakeside Association that they are very welcome to use it again when they are able to do so. We have of course been continuing to use the multipurpose room for our Free Flea Markets, the last of which for this year will be Saturday, September 11th, 9:00 am–12 noon. We always need volunteers to greet our visitors and help them. Be sure to read what Judy Volkman has to say at the end of this newsletter. Judy has for several years been our leader in all this and I thank her!
Remember in your prayers James Bauman, Louis Bell, Dana Carmichael, Lucille Carmichael, Maggie Doswell, Albert Ford, Frank Ford, Iris Ford, Yolanda Ford, Sean Fortune, Helen Gray, Queenie Hardaway, Gloria Jones, Althea Masterson, Chris Mokris, Eric Phillips, Joseph and Julia Silver, Lawrence Smallwood, George Volkman, Dennis Watson, Gary Watson. Maggie Doswell continues to recover at Cadia Health Care, 4922 LaSalle Road, Hyattsville, MD 20782. Frank Ford’s daughter, Yolanda, continues to recover at FutureCare North Point, 1046 North Point Road, Baltimore, MD 21224. The late Dorothy Bell’s husband, Louis, now lives at Autumn Lake Healthcare, 7 Sudbrook Lane, Pikesville, MD 21208. Sending a card is one way of letting them know that they are remembered and prayed for.
I continue to bring Holy Communion to members who are unable to come to church. Never hesitate to call me at (410) 554–0994 or e-mail me at charlesmcclean42@gmail.com if you wish to receive Communion at home or simply desire a pastoral visit. Please continue to keep me in your prayers as you are in mine.
Pastor McClean
Works of Mercy
Since 2017, volunteers at Our Saviour have held Free Flea Markets during the summer months—and 7998 items have been distributed to the community. Pretty good for a small congregation.
We started out with a core group of 17 volunteers. We now have 9 people involved. The number of people attending has declined from 215 in 2017 to 85 this year (with one more month to go). When we started, there were several assisted living facilities whose residents attended, but we no longer see them. Most people attend because they see the signs we put up on church property.
This is our only outreach to our community. What can we do to enhance this? Is there something we are missing? What are your thoughts on this, and what are YOU willing to do to make it happen? The Lord has blessed us with bounty. Let us share it with those who need it! Contact Judy at judy.volkman@verizon.net or (410) 377–8833.
A generous donation of $1,000 has been received from Pastor Ron Ritter and his wife Judy for the Bell Fund. This is to acknowledge the 50+ years of faithful service of Don Weber as Organist and Choir Director. Pastor Ritter grew up in Our Saviour and received mentoring support from Pastor Adolph Stiemke. He was ordained and was married at Our Saviour (Don played for their wedding), so he has many fond memories.
—Judy Volkman
On, Saturday, August 28, 2021, a delivery was made to the Helping up Mission. After inventory, Judy Volkman determined that we had an overabundance of men’s suits, pants and coats left over from our monthly Saturday giveaway. Not willing to have such good items go unused, Judy donated a good portion of the inventory to the Mission. In addition to the clothes, we delivered several large boxes of shampoo, hair conditioners and assorted personal grooming items, all of which were donated by a friend of Our Saviour and the Mission. Needless to say, personal grooming items are always needed. Let’s not forget that, during the last few years, the Mission expanded its outreach to homeless and addicted women. These women have committed their lives to overcoming their situation in an all-round supportive and Christian environment. Many thanks for any and all contributions to the Mission for the fine work that they do in restoring the lives of men and women in the City of Baltimore.
—Quilla Downs