About Us
A Reflection From Pastor Lisa
At the end of worship, I am humbled to say,
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord’s face shine on you with grace and mercy.
May the Lord look upon you with favor and give you ☩ peace.
“May the Lord’s face shine on you with grace and mercy” is what rings in my ears when I look at my reflection in the mirror. Often, I ask myself does my actions and words reflect the grace and mercy of who God is in my daily living?
If you believe in something greater than yourself, a higher power or whatever name comes to help you understand your place in this universe, then you tend to see the world through this reflection of yourself. We interpret other people’s actions or events that happen to us based on how we see ourselves in and through God’s eyes. The Holy inspired writers of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) shared this deep wisdom in Proverb 27, “Just as water reflects the face, so one human heart reflects another.”
God loves you and promises to be with you in all times and circumstances. God will not abandon you. God loves you so much that God took on human flesh in the form of Jesus Christ who died for you and your sins. God sends the Holy Spirit to help and guide you along your life journey.
If you believe just an ounce of this eternal love poured out FOR YOU (plural you), then may God’s face shine through you as a reflection in your actions and words.
May Christ’s peace be with you,
Pastor Lisa
History of OSLC
Our Saviors Lutheran Church held its first worship service in the Red Willow County Courthouse on September 8th 1963 with 56 persons in attendance. Pastor Kirkegaard and his family had arrived in McCook about two months prior to this time to begin work here. Miss La Donna Dirks, Parish Worker for the Division of American Missions of the American Lutheran Church assisted the pastor and members from the churches of the McCook ministerial in conducting a survey of the community.
A steering committee composed of Mr. Fay Todd, Mr. Joe Horner, Dr. Roger Mason, Mr. John Burgeson and Mr. James Nikl assisted the pastor during the early stages of the congregations growth.
There were 69 in attendance at the first worship service in the new church on October 27, 1963. Our Savior’s Lutheran Church became an official congregation of the American Lutheran Church on December 10, 1963. The baptized membership of the congregation numbered approximately 85.
In 1988, The American Lutheran Church, the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches and the Lutheran Church in America joined together to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.
Love God. Love Your Neighbor.
We confess Jesus Christ, God’s Word made flesh, is the Son of the Living God, Lord over every aspect of our lives, and communities and seek to follow His ways according to the holy scriptures. We believe that through Christ, God revealed Godself and God’s intention for the world, and that through Christ’s death and resurrection, we have been made children of God, “heirs according to the promise.”
About Communion
We believe that Christ is “truly present in, with and under” the bread and the wine. While the bread still remains bread, and the wine still remains wine, Christ is present in the earthly elements. Communion is where the promise of forgiveness of sins is proclaimed, given and internalized in a real and tangible way
(Matthew 26:28).
It is the Lord’s table and all who have been baptized in Christ are welcomed.
About ELCA Values
Our values are grounded in the Mission and Values of the ELCA professed faith, in our biblical and Lutheran confessional sources and our love of God and neighbor. They speak to the way this church lives and practices our faith, and they will guide how we journey forward in Christ as a church together.
Forgiveness & Reconciliation
We are reconciled to God by God's forgiving mercy. Forgiveness and reconciliation flow from what God has made us to be in Jesus Christ and what God is doing with us in the world. As a people of God, we embody forgiveness in speech, action and relationships, and our ministry in reconciliation is foundational.
Dignity, Compassion & Justice
Each person is created in God's image. We respect this God-given right to dignity and, inspired by the life of Jesus, show love and compassion for all people. Through proclamation of the gospel, through worship and as servants of God working for healing and justice in the world, we uphold and seek to protect the dignity and human rights of all people.
Faithful Stewards of God's Creation
As church together, faithful stewardship is about holding to God's purpose and ensuring the responsibilities and resources that God has entrusted to us are used with great care and with accountability to God, to each other and those served by this church.
Inclusion & Diversity
As Christ's church, we value the richness of God's creation and offer a radical welcome to all people, appreciating our common humanity and our differences. We are a church that does not view diversity as a barrier to unity. We recognize and will challenge dynamics of power and privilege that create barriers to participation and equity in this church and society – for women, people of color, minority ethnic groups, people with disabilities, people who are marginalized or living in poverty, and the LGBTQ community.
Courage & Openness to Change
Because we trust in God's promise and understand faith to be a living, daring confidence in God's grace, we are emboldened to embrace learning and change in our spiritual and institutional journey as church. This means we are open to new ways and willing to take risks to discover God's plan for this church.
Newsletters
Our newsletter is sent out through mail and/or email to members and others on our mailing list.
Below you can view our newsletter each month to see the latest news, events, updates and more related to ministry at Our Savior's Lutheran Church.
February 2024 + February Calendar
January 2024 + January Calendar
December 2023 + December Calendar
November 2023 + November Calendar
October 2023 + October Calendar
Servant Leaders
Church Council
Jeanette Timms – President
Stacy Priebe – Vice President
Walter Eskildsen – Secretary
Sharon Bohling – Parish Education
Mark Carman & Jon Stewart – Property
Irene Johnson – Treasurer
Maxine Dusatko – Financial Secretary
Where
all
are
WELCOME.