Our Saviour's Evangelical Lutheran Church 815 S. Washington Street Naperville, IL 60540 Phone: (630) 355-2522 Fax: (630) 355-2553 E-mail: info@oursaviours.com Web site: www.OurSaviours.com

Worship Services Main Campus 815 S. Washington St., Naperville Saturdays at 5:00 pm, Sundays at 8:00, 9:00, 10:30 am

Celebration! Campus 919 S. Washington St., Naperville Sundays at 10:00 am

Leadership Staff Tom Grevlos, Lynda DeVore, Mark Borgetti, Al Creighton

Mission Partners Bohdan Hroboň - Slovakia Misheck Ruwa - Vida Humana, Chimoio, Mozembique

For Children Church School is available from September - May for 3 year olds - 5th Grade Sundays 9:00 and 10:30 am - Main Campus 10:00 am - Celebration! Campus

Our Saviour’s Mission "Knowing Jesus and Making Jesus Known"

Our Saviour’s Vision EXPERIENCE Christ, CONNECT others to Christ, REFLECT Christ

Our Saviour’s Core Values Model Jesus, Teamwork, Speak the Truth in Love, Pursue Excellence, Live Abundantly and Generously, Practice Hospitality

VISION 2012...Our Saviour’s Five-Year Plan for Ministry and Mission

Grow Participation in worship, faith formation for all ages, generosity, serving

Strengthen our Missions through focus and resourcing

Foster Learning for all ages, making disciples and growing in faith

Enhance Facilities for supporting growth Strengthen the Organization by evaluating and strengthening the infrastructure

The Open Door Has Great Daily Specials During January

The Open Door Celebration! Campus Hours Monday - Friday 8:00 am - noon Sundays - 9:30 -11:00 am

A PUBLICATION OF

OUR SAVIOUR’S LUTHERAN CHURCH

January 2012

Grace ~

Grace, akin to big, fluffy flakes -

Grace falls down around us

g e n t l y,

Imperceptibly, but constant

Until a blanket knit together covers our darkness

Washing us

White as snow.

--Jeanne Grevlos

Observations From the Deck

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by Pastor Tom Grevlos Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had… Philippians 2: 1-5

Encouragement. Comfort. Sharing. Tenderness. Compassion. Joy. Love. One spirit and One mind. Humility. Attitude. Looking for words of faith to live by in the year of our Lord 2012? Here they are! Are you as tired as I am of the negative attitudes surrounding our politics, our culture, our economy?

Does an “Eyore” (from Winnie the Pooh) attitude of gloom and doom seem at odds with the certain hope we have in Jesus?

I love the section of scripture cited in Philippians… “have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had…” What if we made this our New Year’s resolution? What if the Our Saviour’s faith community embraced the attitude of Jesus for 2012? What if we saw ourselves as apprentices of Jesus by learning, serving and worshiping; adopting the

“same attitude of mind” as Jesus? It can happen! It does happen! It happens in both loud and quiet ways right in this community. It happens through the giving of time and offering of resources to serve God in the world we are called to love as God loves. Perhaps if we focused less on our deficits and more on our assets, the chief asset being the hope of Jesus lived out through the power of the Holy Spirit, our attitude would be aligned with Christ Jesus. We are grateful to those who participated in the TAG Survey this fall. We have been in conversation as a staff and as Church Council regarding the feedback. The results confirmed those areas of ministry that are strong and those that need attention and intention. We look forward to communicating our response as a staff and as church leaders in the days and weeks ahead. While it is never comfortable to digest the less affirming results, it is important to remember they truly reflect growing edges are for all of us along side staff and leadership. We are all part of the Body of Christ! We are ordained in the waters of Baptism to participate and share the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had. With that awareness, we find ourselves coming closer to the church God has always had in mind! As we look toward having the same mind as Jesus, there are two areas we all need to ask of ourselves in regards to our time and commitment:

What does it mean to be a disciple? How am I actively striving towards growing my own discipleship?

What does support mean to me? How am I communicating my needs? How am I responding to the

needs of others?

I look forward to 2012! I am excited about all the challenges and opportunities we face. I pray that I may make my attitude the same as Christ Jesus my goal and my resolve. May we journey together into this New Year with the momentum of Hope, the courage of Faith, and an attitude of Love! Blessings to you and your family in the New Year! Pastor Tom

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Information

Update from the Call Team by Pastor Tom Grevlos The Call Team has had a very active month with interviews, conversations, and meetings. We have identified a candidate to strongly consider for the role of Pastor of Spiritual Formation at Our Saviour's. A decision on whether to extend a Letter of Call to serve at Our Saviour's has not yet been made. If a call is offered, the congregation will have an opportunity to meet the candidate before a vote by the confirmed membership. Serving on the Call Team are: Jeff Cordes (chair), Cheri Turnquist, Brett Lindberg, Janelle Camp, Tom Schneider (council rep), Brad Evans, Jennifer Schuler, Sara Gmitro (staff), Lynda DeVore (staff) and Pastor Tom. We re grateful for the hard work of discernment being done by the Call Team.

TAG Survey Update by Lynda DeVore First of all, thanks to all of you who participated in the TAG Assessment survey. Between the two campuses a total of 585 people participated which is a very healthy percentage of our congregation. Since the survey was complete, forums have been conducted with the different demographic groups that make up our congregation to get a clearer understanding of the information the survey provided. TAG processed the scores from the survey and the information gathered from the forums, and has provided a report along with some recommendations to consider in moving forward. The report has been shared with the staff of Our Saviour’s and will be shared by our TAG consultant on the 17th of December with Council. Once the Council has reviewed the report, the results of the survey will be made available to the congregation. Your input in this process has been invaluable. We are very excited about how the survey results can be utilized to help as we plan for the future of Our Saviour’s Church.

Winter Walking

Ice, cold, or darkness interfering with your exercise plans? Winter walking continues at Celebration! in the gym from 8:00 -8:45 am Monday through Friday. There's no sign up, no planning ahead . . . Just come!

Bereavement God of New Life, surround with the peace of Your presence all those grieving the death of loved ones, especially for: Nancy Gervase and family on the death of Nancy’s

mother, Lorna Enszer. Kathy Kramer and family on the death of Kathy’s

mother, Ann Kabbe. Cliff Crone, and Doug and Krishna Crone and family

on the death of wife, mother and grandmother, Ireta Crone.

Jerry and Judy Brandt and family on the death of Jerry’s mother, Gertrude Brandt.

Heather Klespitz and family on the death of Heather’s grandmother, Mary Gray.

Cheri and Bob Turnquist and family on the death of Cheri’s father, Lloyd Anderson.

Dick and Mary Patton on death of Dick’s father, Gene Patton.

Heather and Adam Tritt on the death of Heather’s sister, Lauren Miller.

Monthly Connections Articles Articles and pictures always welcome! Please send all articles to Jean Jepson at jeanjepson@oursaviours.com. The deadline dates for the next three months are as follows: Articles for February are due on January 12. Articles for March are due on February 9. Articles for April are due on March 8.

Preschool

Registration for Fall 2012 The Children’s Center has a variety of preschool programs for your child and even a Parent’s Day Out Program. We would love to give you a tour and tell you all about us! Registration for Our Saviour’s members and current and former Children’s Center families has begun.

Fall 2012 Registration for the Community

Saturday, January 14 - 10:00 am The Open Door at Celebration!

Check out the website for all of our classes at www.celebrationchildrenscenter.com or for more information contact Kelly Gilligan at 630-281-4280 or kellygilligan@oursaviours.com.

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February 17 - 19 Feeding God’s Starving Children Hungry in Body and Spirit.

Do you know that nearly 18,000 children under the age of 5 die each day throughout the world due to hunger or hunger-related causes?

Founded in 1987, Feed My Starving Children is a non-profit Christian organization committed to providing nutritious meals to starving children and adults across the world. The approach is simple: children and adults hand-pack meals specifically formulated for malnourished children, and the meals are shipped to food distribution partners in nearly 70 countries around the world. These distribution partners deliver the food to orphanages, schools, and relief centers.

The MannaPackTM Rice formula is a 4-part food mixture scientifically fortified, culturally accepted worldwide, simple to make with only boiling water, and easy to transport. In 2010, Feed My Starving Children produced over 124 M meals with 515,000 volunteers. Goal in 2012 is 130 M meals as the increase is needed for severe hunger and famine present across southern Africa.

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church is hosting a MobilePack on February 17-19, 2012 and partnering with our fellow Lutheran churches (St. Timothy’s, Good Shepherd, and Alleluia) in Naperville to produce 175,000 Feed My Starving Children meals in three days using 1000 volunteers. Children and adults will work in teams in 2-hour shifts to measure ingredients into bags, weigh, and then heat-seal the filled bags. The completed meals are boxed and shipped to starving children around the world.

There will be at least 7 shifts: one on Friday night, four on Saturday, and two on Sunday including a Sunday morning worship pack. Registration will open the first week of January, 2012 through the Feed My Starving Children link on the Our Saviour’s website. Be sure to register early to get the shift you want.

The ingredients are purchased entirely through the generosity of our donors. With each Feed My Starving Children meal costing only 24 cents to produce, gifts of all sizes go a long way in the fight against world hunger. We are still in need of donations/sponsorships to pay for our portion ($ 24,000) of the MobilePack ingredients and supplies. And we certainly need your help and time to achieve our goal of 175,000+ meals.

Please stop by the Feed My Starving Children table in Nelson Fellowship Center at Main Campus to get more details, early registration, and possibly sample the cooked meals that we will be packaging. Contact Les May at 630-235-5925 or lesmay@oursaviours.com if you have any questions.

1 Weekend - 4 Churches - 175,000 Meals…

Bach Bells Bring Joy To Many

The Bach Bells played for the Tabor Hills Christmas breakfast during December. This group often performs during worship and for outside groups. The beautiful sound of the bells bring joy to many. A special thank you to this group for all they do for others. If you are interested in learning more about the Bach Bells, contact Lynn Panosh at 630-281-4236 or lynnpanosh@oursaviours.com.

January

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Daddy-Daughter Dance

Saturday, January 21

6:00 – 8:00 pm Celebration! Campus

Tickets: $25/couple

And $5 for each additional daughter

Tickets will be on sale

during worship hours on January 8 and 15.

The Open Door sales will

begin January 9.

Proceeds will benefit Vida Humana, and Feed

My Starving Children.

Contact Cindy Dumbell with any questions at cindy@lifemoxie.com

CELEBRATE THE LIGHT! Epiphany Concert Sunday, January 29 - 3:30 pm Main Campus In 2012, the Men Sing Chorus comprised of men from Our Saviour’s, St.Tim’s and various surrounding

churches is presenting a benefit concert to celebrate the season of Epiphany. The men, under the direction of Phil Spencer, will be presenting beautiful seasonal music and some of their favorite anthems from the previous summers. The free concert will also feature the Our Saviour’s Brass. This will be a benefit concert with a free will offering going to benefit the Feed My Starving Children MobilePack which will be hosted by Our Saviour’s in February, 2012 with participants from the Naperville Lutheran churches. Just as Epiphany is the season of Light, so too is Feed My Starving Children a beacon of hope and sustenance in the world. Please mark your calendars, and plan to join us for an afternoon of great sounding music!

Hugs, Healing and Hope

Women’s Retreat January 28-29 at Hilton Indian Lakes Resort, Bloomingdale. In the time of Jesus, everyone was sick in one way or another. People battled physical illness, despair, authentic hunger and thirst, loss, divorce, moral and spiritual disease, arrogance and ego, or being caught in the throes of an evil and oppressive system. For this reason, the question Jesus asks a man who had been ill for 38 years comes as a bit of a shock! Naturally,

when we feel ill, we assume we want to be well! But Jesus' words are a powerful reminder that before we can be restored, we must desire wholeness. If not, we stay stuck in our own stuff, afraid of both the change and responsibility healing brings. And so, we take our chances, say we're "o.k." when we're not, and perpetuate our wounds. The same is true for God's people today. From the perspective of Jesus, we still struggle with brokenness and hurt of one kind or another. It might be physical, emotional, or spiritual. The good news is, Jesus asks the same question of us ”Do you want to be well?” He asks this question both individually and in community; and Jesus still heals through the words of scripture, the presence of others, conversation, rest, laughter, and new relationships! Join us for an upbeat and tender look at ourselves and the God who delights in loving and healing us into wholeness! A retreat is always about resting from the normal activities of life, remembering we are children of a God who loves us deeply and desires to renew us, as we return once again, to the life that is ours. Do you want to be well? We hope that you do, and that you will join us for hugs, healing, and hope! Stop by the sign up tables at either campus to find out more details. If you have additional questions, please contact the Women’s Ministry Team at womensministries@oursaviours.com or call Jeanne Grevlos at 630-281-4217.

Rest...

Remember...

Renew!

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Adults

Our Saviour's

Small Group Update by Pastor Mark

It started with just 12 and grew. When Jesus started his ministry, he started by inviting people into a new kind of community. A small group where people would care for each other, pray for each other, share their resources with one another, and study the scriptures together. It was a new kind of community. And being part of that community was good news. It's time to return to the basics of the early church. It's time to become a church of small groups.

Over the course of the next year, we will be re-launching small groups at Our Saviour's. This is in response to who we believe God is calling us to be and what we anticipated the church-wide TAG survey would reveal ... and it did. People can get lost in our large church and miss feeling a sense of community and connectedness. They can miss the spiritual and relational benefits experienced by the early church. Myself and past small group participants have been working to redefine and redevelop Our Saviour's small groups in response to our findings. And building from the ground up. I have spent the last three months being apprenticed as a small group leader at another local church. Five apprenticed small group leaders are ready to launch their small groups in mid-February. And I will start apprenticing another group of leaders.

So, if you are currently leading an Our Saviour's small group ... I'd love to talk with you, OR if you are interested in being in the kind of community Christ started ... I'd love to talk with you.

Discover – Exploring

Our Faith Kicks Off In January

Again With Exciting Classes by Bill Wentz

Experience what everyone is talking about. Discover – Exploring Our Faith offers opportunities for adults to learn about our faith, our church and the Bible in a friendly setting. With more than 40 people a week attending our two sessions, word about these programs is spreading. Come to one of our sessions at 9:00 and 10:30 am on Sundays in Nelson Fellowship Center. Find out for yourself what so many have found to be both enriching and fun.

We lead off the winter season of Discover – Exploring Our Faith on Sunday, January 15, with a three-week course on the Apostle Paul, featuring the History Channel’s award-winning program, “The Man Who Turned the World Upside Down.” The story of Paul is a truly remarkable tale about how one man transformed a small band of Christians into a community that reached into all parts of the Roman Empire. Paul is the greatest missionary of all time.

The Discover – Exploring Our Faith sessions are free. There is no required reading. The programs (on DVD) and the handouts provide all the information you need to participate. Moreover, each session is largely independent of the other sessions. So, don’t worry if you miss some sessions. Just come to as many sessions as you can. This is truly a fun way to explore our faith within a caring, grace-filled community.

Financial Peace University Returns in February FREE Previews February 4 - After the 5:00 pm service at Main Campus February 5 - After the 9:00 and 10:30 am service at Main Campus February 5 - After the 10:00 am service at Celebration! Campus

This course is changing lives! Here’s what some of the people who took it the course this fall had to say: This class has been helpful for my husband and me to better understand our budget and how to take baby steps

to pay off our debt. The course was eye opening and gave us hope for a better financial future. The steps are addressed slowly so you don’t feel overwhelmed (one step a week). Information is easy to

understand. I really enjoyed coming to class each week. It kept me on track. The sessions mixed humor with practical

issues. For more information about the next session that starts in February, contact Vic Hildebrand at victorhildebrand@yahoo.com. Watch for more information in Weekly Connections on how to sign up.

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Children and Family

Jesus is coming, but he’s not here yet! Journey to Bethlehem was an experience for the whole family. Held prior to Advent the Journey was designed to prepare participants for the season of Advent as they entered into the stories of prophecy, miracles and angels’ visits.

Journey to Bethlehem by Janine Norgaard

Children were encouraged to use their imaginations and go back in time. At each station children learned about God’s gifts of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love.

Visitors from ancient times told of God’s promise of a Messiah.

Zechariah doubted the angel’s message and was surprised when he couldn’t talk – the children were surprised, too!

Children heard Joseph struggle with what God had asked him to do – but Joseph trusted God and decided to take Mary as his wife.

Enjoying a treat from the Open Door and playing a Bible-time game was a fun way to bring the experience to an end but the Journey wasn’t over!

The Journey to Bethlehem brought us through Advent to Christmas! A small box with symbols on the sides helped us remember God’s gifts of Hope Peace, Joy and Love. The box was opened on Christmas and a Jesus ornament was inside. God’s promised Son, Jesus, was born to us at Christmas.

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Youth

One Girl’s Idea Changes The Lives of Many by Chris Svab Our daughter Anna told us that she wanted to raise money to help the kids living at Hesed House (a homeless shelter in Aurora) have a Merry Christmas. As she was thinking about what she wanted for Christmas, it struck her that the kids at Hesed House might not be getting gifts at all. We told her that shelters often get gifts from various charitable organizations. She was quick to point out that those are not necessarily gifts that the children would put on a wish list like she would. She knows from past charitable gift giving that the gifts requested are usually for “boy, age six” or “girl, age 11”. She wanted the kids at Hesed House to be able to get gifts that they put on a wish list.

We spoke to Mary Ensor at Hesed House who helped to shape the program and collect the wish lists from the 40 kids living at Hesed House at this time. In thinking about how to approach the fundraising end, we thought it would be good to involve Anna’s Surge team since service projects are part of youth group. Kari and Dan thought this would be a great idea not only for Anna’s team but for Surge as a whole. It was decided that collecting quarters from family and friends would be an easy way for the kids to participate. Each of the 16 teams would compete to collect the most quarter rolls over 4 weeks. There are 160 kids in Surge’s 6th, 7th and 8th grade teams. Each quarter roll holds $10. We initially thought it was likely that half of the kids would participate over the 4 weeks and would raise $800 to purchase gifts for the children at Hesed. This would be large part of Chris’ wishful total of $2500. At the end of week 2, Chris and Kari were amazed to reach a total of $614. The $800 was definitely in sight. A week later Kari received a call from the family of one of the boys in Surge. He thought the project was fun and really liked the idea that we were helping the kids at Hesed House. The family decided to give $1000 that they had set aside for Holiday giving for this project. We are amazed and feel blessed that so many families believe that this project is as important as we do! At the same time, Chris and Anna have been working with some Girl Scout troops at Highlands and Kennedy, as well as local businesses and the Catholic Order of Foresters to make stockings for the kids. Again, the generosity of money, time, and goods has been overwhelming. We were able to stuff 39 personalized stockings to overflowing with helpful and fun items, as well as, make large goody bags for each of the 16 families. With the generous help of family, friends, Surge, Girls Scouts and the Catholic Order of Foresters we have raised $3749 for our project and $2500 for Hesed House’s other needs. We don’t know how to say thank you to everyone but want you to know how much your generosity means to us and the children and families in the Transitional Living Center at Hesed House! Anna, Chris and Jamie Svab

The Village Church School Children in The Village Church School learned about God’s gifts of Hope,

Peace, Joy, and Love and then shared God’s gifts by being part of “Change

for Change.” After learning about the project, one boy’s response to the

change his change could make was, “That’s AWESOME! I’m bringing more

next week!” All Children are welcome in The Village Church School.

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Local Missions

Loaves & Fishes by Sandy Martinch and Nancy Couch We received an email from Sue, the pantry manager at Loaves and Fishes. She checked the totals for the food delivered in November. We collected and delivered 2681 pounds the weekend of November 20-21. We brought over another 618 pounds on Monday, November 28, for a total of 3299 (let's call it 3300) pounds of non-perishables for the pantry. Sue is also grateful the food was sorted at the church before delivery, which saves their volunteers time. Thank you for accommodating the drive with space needs and the chaos in Luther Court. Thanks also to the Ignition students that helped Sunday night. We had more than enough help with delivery because of publicity in Weekly Connections, Holiday Sharing and the Sunday bulletins. This is the first time food had been sorted and boxed, and we thought it would take more space when filling vans to transport to Loaves and Fishes. What a generous congregation with their time and donations of food! It is wonderful to be a part of a church that responds to the needs of its neighbors. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011, the IRS calculated the food donation value at $2.74/pound. That makes our food donation "worth" over $9,000! Of course, the benefit to the client families is priceless. Thanks to everyone for their support!

A Mission Update by Pastor Mark

Our Saviour’s heart beats strong for the under-resourced in our local and global communities. Given the economic times, many would think that generosity would be on the decline, but that could not be further than the truth. Our Saviour’s continues to give hope to others by generously giving to our mission partners.

Local Missions

Holiday Sharing; walking with the under-served and under-resourced in our community, resulted in:

Loaves and Fishes, the local food pantry, received over 3,300 pounds of food and an additional $1370 from the Christmas Cantata love offering.

Bethel Christmas store received over 350 gifts and hundreds of dollars of gift cards so that under-resourced parents can receive the dignity of buying new gifts for their children at a reduced price. Close to 50 volunteers helped sort, pack, and work at the Christmas Store.

Lutheran Social Services of Illinois received 60 new winter coats for children.

Hesed House, a homeless shelter in Aurora, received $2000 from our student ministries “quarter collection drive.”

Global Missions

Africa Missions; walking with the medically under-served and under-resourced in Africa

Vida Humana, the AIDS clinic in Chimoio, Mozambique, received $500 from a anonymous benefactor in the church so Vida Humana could celebrate AIDS Day on December 1st; inviting their patients to the clinic for a meal and to help raise awareness of what it means to live with HIV/AIDs. Another $2000 was raised to support the clinic’s operating budget.

Feed My Starving Children received $1370 from the Christmas Cantata love offering for the “175,000 meal mobile pack” coming to Celebration! in February.

Slovakia Missions; walking with those reestablishing Christianity in post-communism Europe. Center for Christian Education, will receive over $18,000 raised at the Slovakia Christmas Dinner attended by over 80 people from Our Saviour’s and other Lutheran churches who support the Center for Christian Education.

Financial Peace University Returns in February FREE Previews February 4 - After the 5:00 pm service at Main Campus February 5 - After the 9:00 and 10:30 am service at Main Campus February 5 - After the 10:00 am service at Celebration! Campus

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Global Missions

The Miracle of the Lutheran

Elementary School by Jozef Sopoliga Nothing seemed to work in convincing the parents to bring their children to our school before the beginning of the first school year in 2003. Now 10 years later, they are our friends and big fans. Along with our American partners and friends, they are our biggest supporters. They participate in school projects, devotedly help out with any construction or cleaning works we ask for, and they try very hard to even financially help with the school`s needs. Amazing is that the city government was willing to help us, too. The city parliament let us, Christians, use three of their buildings for new classrooms for free. There is still a lot ahead of us, lots of dreams we hope to achieve. United by God`s spirit, we all can rejoice over 8 miraculous years of the school`s existence now. We are therefore confident of God`s caring love, especially when we look back in our short history with thanksgiving.

There is Always the Right Time

for Miracles to Happen by Bohdan Hroboň

This place, where Slovakia was born a nation 150 years ago, has never seen better days than these for materializing the vision of Christian education. God gave this very vision for this very place to our forefathers, but their sacrificial efforts to materialize it were frustrated by many decades of foreign oppression, then by the first and second world wars, and afterwards by half-century of communist persecution. Yet, these heroes of faith planted the seeds, and now we, by the grace of God, live their dreams. Today, about 150 adults a year are being trained for various Christian ministries and over

250 children are learning about and experiencing the love of Christ on daily basis. We keep dreaming – about the classrooms for the last grade of the elementary school, about opening the kindergarten next year, about starting Christian high school two years from now, and, eventually, about a nice campus that would house all of the programs of Center for Christian Education. Stay tuned! We dare to dream big because of our Lord – He has never failed us yet! He has provided in the right time just what we needed, and has never let us alone, but has given us you – our partners, who share the vision of Center for Christian Education with us. We thank our God for each one of you. Let us thank the Lord together, for He has done it!

Slovak Dinner by Don Swanson The Slovakia Ministry Team held its Annual Christmas Party on December 9, at the Bohemian Garden Restaurant in Downers Grove. There were 80 people in attendance including 60 Our Saviour’s members and 20 guests from other Naperville Churches, as well as Grace Lutheran Church in River Forest IL, Roseville Lutheran Church in Roseville, Minnesota and the Slovak American Charitable Association in Zion, IL. The event raised $18,000 to support construction of a Kindergarten and 9th grade classrooms for the Lutheran Elementary School in Martin Slovakia. The Lutheran Elementary School is a key part of the Center for Christian Education. Our Saviour’s will be leading a builder trip to Martin, Slovakia in July of 2012, to finish the work on the Lutheran Elementary School facility. If interested in joining the Slovakia Builder Trip, contact Gail Jernberg 630-689-8089 or Don Swanson 630-234-6094 for more information.

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Global Missions

Vida Humana Update by Pastor Mark Vida Humana is our mission partner in Africa; caring for those suffering with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. They are the heroes on the ground; the presence of Christ. Take a moment to hear their thoughts on this partnership between Our Saviour’s and Vida Humana.

From Willard, the business manager that has helped increase the efficiency of the day-to-day Vida Humana operations. "The partnership between Vida Humana and Our Saviour’s brought a dynamic and wide vision in cooperation. With this partnership we experienced good friendship, new habits and customs. We got T-Shirts from Our Saviour's which is

now our identity in the town of Chimoio. For the first time that we had Epap paid by Our Saviour's, which is a good sign to me. This shows that the Americans are together with us in helping people suffering from HIV/AIDS. All of our current expenses are being supported by Our Saviour’s. The farm had enough water through Our Saviour’s. If it was not for Our Saviour’s we could not have the production that we had this year. We are now known in the town of Chimoio because of Our Saviour’s. Here's what Anna Ruwa, Misheck Ruwa’s wife has to say about the relationship between Vida Humana and Our Saviour's. "Our Saviour's is an angel to me, my family and Vida Humana. This is a true angel that was sent by God like angel Gabriel who was sent to Joseph when he was planning to quit Mary because she was pregnant. In other words if it was not for Our Saviour's, Vida Humana could still be unknown and may be non existent. I have no right words to thank, but God knows what is in my heart. From Our Saviour's I learned how to share love with others, how to give the little I have to others and to be prepared to work for my God at any time. I ask God to bless all the members of Our Saviour's. My prayers are, May God add more on what you are doing in the ministry."

A Message from Vida Humana

Dear All, December 1, is the International Day of AIDS. Activists or Advocates of Vida Humana marched in some of the streets and roads of the town of Chimoio. After a three hour walk we had a church service in memorial of all people who died of AIDS, and candles were lit. Then we had lunch together with orphans whose parents died of AIDS and also with people living with HIV and AIDS. This is one way of removing stigma to these people. They feel accepted in the society as other human beings with the same life as those who are not HIV positive and who are not orphans. I want to thank you people in America for having such a kind heart of helping Vida Humana with funds to do such ministry on your behalf. Since we started partnering, all what you are doing is changing people's lives. You may not know that but God knows it. May all of you be blessed. Peace and Love, Misheck