Dear Church Family,
The end or the beginning? Sometimes people see “confirmation” as a marker of the end. They had to go to some classes, complete some work, fulfill the requirements of the church. Now they’re going to celebrate their accomplishment and be done. That’s really sad if that’s the case because “confirmation” was never meant to be the end. Rather it’s meant to be an important mile marker along a person’s ongoing faith journey and the beginning of adult membership in the church as someone who understands what the Bible teaches and is prepared to receive Christ’s body and blood in the sacrament of Holy Communion.
This year 2020 we weren’t able to celebrate youth confirmation in May when we normally would’ve at the end of the school year coinciding with graduation from 8th grade. Instead now we’re going to celebrate confirmation this coming weekend in our worship services at the beginning of this school year.
And while perhaps on the one hand this might feel a little strange because it’s not what we normally do, yet on the other hand I think there can be great blessing in not having confirmation alongside graduation (a type of ending), but at the beginning of a school year to emphasize a lifetime of “growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (cf. 2 Peter 3:18).
Join us this weekend to keep growing in faith yourself and encourage this year’s group of young people being confirmed! To attend in person this weekend whether on Saturday at 5:00 pm or Sunday at 9:30 am please register with this form ahead of time. Maximum attendance is 100 and we continue to abide by the guidelines in our Phase 1 Plan.
To worship online with others simply click here to visit our livestreaming platform either on Saturday at 5:00 pm or Sunday at 9:30 am. Say “hi” in the chat and greet one another to let them know you’re there and share encouragement!
DSC on YouTube: Watch past messages like this one from last weekend, worship services on-demand, and other Christ-centered content on our church YouTube channel. Subscribe and share with others! To watch DSA chapel services visit our chapel YouTube channel.
DSKids Online: Check out the weekly resources being provided by our DSKids team. We are not at this time providing in-person DSKids ministry during our weekend worship services at church.
Baking Day: The Fellowship Team is planning something fun for our church family! Sign up to bake something yummy with others via zoom! Saturday, Sept. 26. Click here for more details. Can’t wait to see you in the kitchen!
Communion: This weekend we will again celebrate Holy Communion during our two weekend church services in-person. We will use the individually pre-packaged communion elements that we’ve been using during our small group communion opportunities. If you would prefer that I serve you private communion on a different day / time during the week instead please contact me and I would be happy to arrange that with you.
Connect Groups – coming again in October, stay tuned! Connect groups (including Starting Point) are small group gatherings that provide a place to connect with others, be encouraged and grow in faith together. This year we’ll have some connect groups meeting in person and some online via zoom. Next week you’ll receive an email with a menu of opportunities to choose from.
Family Devotions – Get your family into God’s Word during the week! WELS has developed short devotions for the entire family to use. Each devotion comes complete with a set of questions for different age groups, a prayer, and hymn verses that can be sung or spoken. Downloadable printable versions are also available. Find the family devotions at wels.net/family-devotions.
Online Giving: Giving online is easy to do either by clicking the “My Giving” tab while logged into MyDSC | by clicking on “Give” on our website: www.divinesaviorchurch.com | or by clicking “Give” while watching live on our church online platform
Worship Attendance: Here’s a snapshot of last weekend’s attendance: 126 worshipped in-person (49 on Saturday and 77 on Sunday) | 28 devices watched live via our church online platform | 47 views on-demand via our YouTube channel.
Weekly Offerings: Last week: $9,570.00 | Needed weekly to meet FY ’20-’21 budget: $9,106.96 | Any offerings above our weekly budget will go towards our building fund.
Equipping Christian Witnesses – is the name of a campaign to raise funds in support of our vital ministry partner, Martin Luther College (MLC). Please watch the video I made for more info about this opportunity to give. Currently $4,710.00 has been contributed towards our goal of $20,000. We’re 24% toward our goal so we are extending the opportunity through mid-October in order to give more people time to participate. Thank you to those who’ve already contributed!
Weekend Playlist – My Lighthouse | By Faith | Christ, Be My Leader
Changing Lives with Jesus,
Pastor Ben
