Dear Church Family,
In today’s Chronological Bible reading plan from Nehemiah we read this prayer: “Now therefore, our God, the great God, mighty and awesome, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship that has come on us…” (Nehemiah 9:32a) If you’re like me, perhaps it’s been difficult to put to words what you want to pray for all those people suffering total devastation in their lives right now across SW and Central Florida. My heart just aches. Reading through Nehemiah has helped me this week, to listen to Nehemiah facing the challenge of rebuilding Jerusalem while dealing with many hardships. He recognized only the Lord God could ultimately restore the city and the people even as he worked hard to accomplish the Lord’s work. And through it all, Nehemiah’s true strength…and ours…through Jesus Christ our Savior? “The joy of the LORD is your strength!” (Nehemiah 8:10b).
This Sunday in worship, we focus our hearts on the mission our Savior has given us during this short time while we’re here on earth. “Go and make disciples of all nations.” And what Pastor Caleb will help us find is that if there is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who turns to the Lord (and there is!), then we want to celebrate too! We want to rejoice in the great work that God is doing here and across all our Divine Savior campuses as we change lives with Jesus through the gospel.
Why? Because God’s love is global! The Bible shows us how the gospel creates a new humanity focused on Jesus who died and rose for all. His forgiveness and love unites us even across different cultures and countries…and across all Divine Savior campuses. United in Christ, these differences enrich our church when we all move in the same direction to carry out the mission our Savior has given us.
Worship in person in the commons this Sunday at 9:30 am as we continue our study of Matthew 28:16-20.
ICYMI:Watch my message from Sunday – part three of Mission Possible about what it means to “go” by faithfully living out our different vocations, or callings in life.
Everyone Outreach Event – Please join us for our “Everyone Outreach” event on Saturday, October 1st and Sunday, October 2nd. In this fun, interactive event, facilitators will help us to get excited about bringing God’s love to those who don´t know it yet. Click here to find out. Click here to reserve your spot.
Jump into the New Testament! This year as a church we’ve been reading through the Bible chronologically. To all of who you made it with me through the Old Testament, congratulations! The OT is richly rewarding, but sometimes challenging. And so now we’re schedule to start the New Testament on October 4. This would be great a time to come on board for 15 minutes a day of reading through the whole NT with other people from our church family. How to join? Open our Divine Savior Church app – click Connect at the bottom – then click Bible Reading Plan, or simply click this link to accept my invitation to join us in the YouVersion Bible App. Let me know if you have any questions.
Connect Groups – Starting this coming week in October we will be kicking off our Fall season of Connect Groups. To see a list of all the current group choices and to enroll in a group visit this link. They are also easy to find in the DSC app. If you’re not sure which group to join, there’s a choice for that too on the sign up! Please reach out to Jeremy Seeger our spiritual growth coordinator to ask any questions.
START Class – What does the Bible teach? Participate in our upcoming START class. It’s where you START learning with others in a small group guided by our pastor. This class studies the foundational teachings of the Christian faith using the Bible as our sourcebook. Participating in this class will also prepare you to receive the sacrament of Holy Communion at Divine Savior Church when you’re ready. START class is also the first step to becoming a member of our church family. This class will be Thursday evenings starting October 7 from 7:00-8:30 pm. Free childcare provided. Register by filling out this brief form.
GROW Class – How can I live with less anxiety, more hope, and a greater sense of purpose? Participate next in a GROW class. These lessons from the Bible will help you GROW in how you connect with God, interact with people, and live in a way that gives peace, hope, and purpose to your life and others. Participating in this class is the second step to becoming a member of Divine Savior Church through what is called Adult Confirmation. A prerequisite to GROW class is START. Our new GROW class will be Tuesday evenings starting October 4 from 8:15-9:30 pm. Pastor Ben will be reaching out to all those who’ve completed START class with more info.
Blessing those in need affected by Hurricane Ian: We continue to pray for those who have been affected by the hurricane. If you are moved to make a financial donation that directly supports our churches and fellow believers in Christ, click here.Our synod’s WELS Committee on Relief has deposited $10,000 into our district fund for immediate relief. Your gifts will go directly to support this work by the WELS Committee on Relief. Skip the top part of the page and go to the bottom. Select gift amount and designate “disaster relief.”
“$2,025 for 3 Years” – Demo of the old auditorium is almost finished. Soon they’ll begin building our new church – the Worship and Ministry Center! One of the ways we agreed to fund this project is through a campaign whereby we are asking our members to consider giving over and above their regular offerings at least $2,025 a year for the next 3 years. This is a needed bridge to cover expenses as we hope to grow and raise the level of regularly weekly giving with God’s help. Please visit our special campaign web page for more info and to either 1) make your total 3 year pledge there, or 2) make a contribution toward your pledged amount. Thank you to those who have pledged and given and to all who are prayerfully considering it!
Share a snack? God is bringing more and more people to every worship service. What a wonderful blessing! As part of our hospitality, we offer coffee and a light snack for everyone who attends. It is a simple thing that allows us to enjoy fellowship together and meet someone new. However, we need help. Serving as a volunteer to bring a snack occasionally is a beautiful way to make others feel welcome. Would you be willing to serve on the team by bringing snacks once in a while? If so, please contact our Refreshment Team Leader, Kate Londono or if you have any questions.
Weekly Offerings to Budget:
Needed for Current FY 2022-2023: $10,002 / wk | Current Weekly Average: $10,094.58 / wk
Projected Amount Needed for FY 2023-2024: $11,918 / wk
Projected Amount Needed for FY 2024-2025: $12,126 / wk
Save the Date
• Saturday, October 1 & Sunday, October 2 Everyone Outreach Event
• Week of Oct 2 Kick off of Spiritual Growth Opportunities
• Sunday, Oct 16 Faith5 English sessions begin
• Sunday, Oct 16 DSYouth
• Sunday, Oct 16 College Ministry Bible Study
DSC on YouTube: Watch past messages and worship services on-demand on our church YouTube channel.
Giving: To give simply follow this link to go to our secure giving page, or click Give at the bottom of the church app. You can make one-time special gifts or set up recurring gifts as well. Thank you for keeping in mind that setting up your regular giving via ACH vs credit card saves our church over 2% in additional fees.
Changing Lives with Jesus,
Pastor Ben
