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