Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Nome

Church at 11am. The roads are getting plowed and the steps have been shoveled. Please be careful of the many snow berms.

Good evening OSLC.

No children’s Sunday school tomorrow due to the storm. We’ll keep you posted about service.

Sunday, December 24 (Christmas Eve)

Luke 2:1-20

Great joy for all people

Luke 2 is probably one of the most read portions of scripture – it has been read at every Christmas Eve service I have ever attended. It’s also been on nearly every television set since 1965 when Linus first read from Luke 2 in A Charlie Brown Christmas.

When something is as familiar as Luke 2, it’s easy to stop listening, to stop paying attention. The impact of the proclamation to the angels can lose its power when we hear the story over and over again.

On this Christmas Eve, let’s not allow the familiarity of this reading to obscure the message being proclaimed on this day. An angel has appeared to shepherds, who initially react in fear, causing the angel to bring the familiar words of comfort, “Do not fear.” However, the angel does not stop at this command, but rather tells the shepherds why they do not need to fear, “For see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all people” (v. 10).

The Savior has been born! This is a proclamation of good news that offers great joy to all. Luke uses the Greek word “megas,” which can be defined as great, large, or mighty, to describe the kind of joy this good news of Jesus’ birth brings to us. This joy of knowing our Savior is described in 1 Peter 1:8 as an “indescribable and glorious joy.”

Finally, this proclamation of good news in Luke 2 states that this great joy is for all people – the Savior of the world is available to everyone. In the Christmas story we find diverse people worshiping Jesus from various traditions: Jewish people, common shepherds and even magi.

This Christmas Eve may each of us be reminded of the great joy we have received in knowing Jesus our Savior. And may we be reminded that this good news of great joy is for all people.

Emmanuel, you have come! Let us hold on to the power and indescribable joy of this good news. Amen.

Rev. Amanda Snyder – Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Nome

Photo credit - Robin Roberts, Petersburg Lutheran Church

This weekend at Our Savior's!

Join us tonight at the church to help fill goodie bags for our Christmas Eve service!

Wednesday December 20 at 7pm!

All children involved in our Christmas Eve service, please join us this Saturday at 3pm for practice.

Monday, December 18

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Give thanks for that?

I can think of many things for which I do not give thanks. There are the little things, like careless drivers, moldy leftovers and toddler meltdowns. There are bigger things: a loved one dies, a war in the Holy Land, a terminal diagnosis, a broken relationship. How can Paul tell the Thessalonians (and us) to rejoice always and give thanks in all circumstances?

There is a Buddhist parable about a farmer whose horse ran away. His neighbors said, oh, bad luck. The farmer said, who knows? Then the horse returned with a herd of wild horses. The neighbors said, oh, good luck. The farmer said, who knows?

The farmer’s son tried to tame the new horses and fell and broke his leg. The neighbors said, oh, bad luck. The farmer said, who knows? Then the emperor’s army took all young and healthy men to fight in a distant land; the son couldn’t go because of his broken leg. The neighbors said, oh, good luck. You know what the farmer said.

The truth is that we don’t know what lies ahead, and good and bad are often inadequate labels. I once was passed over for a job I really wanted and felt miserable. But a different opportunity arose. A friend received a cancer diagnosis. She reported that she learned some important things about friendship, family and faith through the healing process.

We do not have to give thanks for all things, but we can give thanks in all things. The prepositions matter! God works in any and every situation, from mangers to crosses to the hurting places in our lives. We can trust God is there, holding us, loving us, guiding us. For that we can always give thanks.

God, we give you our thanks. Reveal yourself to us in all the circumstances of our lives. Whether we are in joy or sorrow, give us the assurance of your presence and the hope of your eternal care. Amen.

Rev. Lisa Smith Fiegel – Alaska Synod director for evangelical mission

Photo credit- Robin Roberts, Petersburg Lutheran Church

Children's Sunday School today at 10am! Sunday school is for Kindergarten through 6th grade. Preschoolers are welcome but must be accompanied by an adult.

Join us tomorrow (Saturday 12/2) at OSLC to decorate the sanctuary for Advent.

Children’s Sunday School starts this Sunday, December 3rd at 10am.

Meet in the OSLC Social Hall!

A faithful journey of service in Alaska's Inupiaq community - Living Lutheran Shannon Klescewski Is committed to serving those around her and making sure her Native Alaskan roots are preserved and celebrated.

Good morning OSLC. Service is at 11am today. Please be careful as the roads and walkways are very icy.

Sunday School planning meeting this Saturday, November 25th at 2:30pm in the Social Hall at OSLC! Open to all who are interested in volunteering. Please use the back door off of Tobuk Alley.

Please be praying for the community of Wrangell.

Good morning Nome,
We ARE meeting for worship this morning at 11:00am.

We won't have a driver so if you are driving to worship, perhaps you can offer a ride to someone who may need one.

Be safe and take care of one another!

Choir practice this Wednesday at 7pm at Our Savior’s Lutheran church.

Our church is collecting gently used warm coats and snowpants of all sizes for children and adults. We're especially looking for adult men's coats and insulated snowpants but warm gear for women, teens, children and infants is welcome, too!

If you have an extra coat or snowpants in good condition and you'd like to see the warm gear go to someone in need, please bring the clean items to the Lutheran Church TONIGHT (Tuesday, October 17h) between 7pm and 8pm. If you aren't able to bring items during that time, send us an email at [email protected] and we'd be happy to coordinate another time for dropoff or pickup.

This evening from 7pm to 8pm the front entrance on Bering Street will be open.

The coat giveaway will be held on Sunday, November 5th. Watch for announcements!

Thank you for helping to ensure that warm coats are provided for all who might otherwise go without!

Join us this Sunday (October 15th) after church during coffee hour for an informational meeting and discussion regarding the upcoming Bishop election in the Alaska Synod.

Bishop Shelley Wickstrom’s term as bishop will come to an end in 2024 so a new bishop will be elected at the synod assembly in April 2024. In preparation for the selection of a new bishop, ELCA congregations throughout Alaska are all participating in process to develop a list of core values that represent who we are as a synod. Each congregation is gathering to talk about our shared values. This values discussion is centered on these questions:



What is God calling us to be as a Synod?

What are the values and guiding principles of the Alaska Synod?

What does the Alaska Synod look like when we are working at our very best?



Please be in prayer and reflection on these questions. We’ll discuss these questions in small groups on Sunday, October 15th at coffee hour following worship. Snacks, coffee, tea and juice will be served. Please help spread the word about this important meeting and plan on staying for coffee hour next Sunday!

Funeral services for Wally Merrill will be held on October 7 at 2pm.

There will be a potluck following the service. If you are able to bring a dish to share for the potluck, the family would be appreciative.

Coming up!!! New hymnals and a potluck on October 1st!

In recognition of orange shirt day, consider wearing orange on Sunday. We hope to see you all there!

Every child matters 🧡

September 30th is Day of Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day. If you’re an Indigenous ally, take this day to learn more about the historical and current realities of Indigenous Peoples 🪶

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For content on Residential Schools, visit the following sites:

https://legacyofhope.ca

https://nctr.ca/education/teaching-resources/residential-school-history/

https://education.afn.ca/afntoolkit/learning-module/residential-schools/

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Art piece by Urban Iskwew - Artwork by Hawlii Pichette

Funeral for Mabel (Walluk) Brown will be on Saturday, September 23rd, 2023 at 1 p.m. at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. There will be a potluck to follow after the service and burial is scheduled for 4/4:30 p.m. We’re asking relatives of Mabel to please bring a dish to share with family.

Mabel was born on March 23rd, 1932 in Shishmaref Alaska, and passed away on May 15, 2023, in Anchorage, Alaska. Mabel was raised in Shishmaref, and went to school at White Mountain boarding school with her cousin and best friend Dorothy Bell. After White Mountain Mabel moved to Nome to join her family where her mother was a midwife. Later in life Mabel moved and lived in Barrow Alaska with her family until moving to Anchorage where she lived for many years. It was Mabel’s wishes to be buried in Nome, were most of her family have been laid to rest.

Lutheran Disaster Response and the Pacifica Synod are working together to assess and meet the needs of those who are impacted by the fires in Maui. Follow the link to find ways that you can help.

U.S. Wildfires Your gifts to Lutheran Disaster Response make a difference in the United States and around the world.

Please pray for Michele Ongtowasruk. She is from Wales, but currently residing in Wasilla. She was in a terrible car accident last night and needs prayers for healing.

Good morning OSLC! One of our members received a text from someone pretending to be Pastor Amanda and asking for gift cards for two women fighting cancer. Please do not respond to this text - it is not Pastor Amanda or anyone from OSLC.