Come, share the gifts of God with us,
and serve the world together,
at
OUR SAVIOUR'S LUTHERAN CHURCH,
10 Farrand Street (at River),
THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO, CANADA
807.344.1926 osimm@tbaytel.net
807.344.1926 osimm@tbaytel.net
We invite you to be part of our community of grace and faith, active in Thunder Bay for the past 118 years. We seek to continue to be a place where people can grow in their understanding of God's forgiving love revealed through Jesus. Gathered in to worship, God's Spirit calls us out to share in word and action what it means to be people of God.
"Come share the gifts of God - serve the world"
Our Facebook page is 'Our Saviour's Thunder Bay'
Our YouTube channel is Our Saviour's Lutheran Church of Thunder Bay.
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Our services, are recorded and uploaded to our YouTube channel.
New - May 18 - Fifth Sunday of Easter (Holy Communion)
May 11 - Fourth Sunday of Easter (Service of the Word)
May 4 - Third Sunday of Easter (Holy Communion)
April 27 - Second Sunday of Easter (Worship with the Band)
April 20 - Resurrection of Our Lord/ Easter Day (Holy Communion)
To receive a copy of the monthly 'Ambassador' by email, please send a request to osimm@tbaytel.net.
The text version of our May 2025 Newsletter is on the page 'Our Newsletter'.
Deadline for June 2025 'Ambassador' articles: May 26.
Victoria Day
8:30 p.m. Friendly A.A. Group
9:00 - 2:00 (Tues. - Fri. ESL classes
5:45 p.m. TOPS
7:00 p.m. A.A. planning
6:30 p.m. TBay Carvers
8:00 p.m. A.A. meeting
1:30 p.m. Women's Party
10:30 a.m. Worship with the Band, Baptism
11:15 a.m. Fellowship Hour
11:15 a.m. Choir practice
We gather each Sunday at 10:30 a.m., celebrating Holy Communion on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month and festivals. In May, we will share the sacrament on the 4th and 18th.
Sunday, May 11, Mother's Day, will be Service of the Word, with special music.
Worship with the Band is happening on Sun. May 25.
As we meet, we record the services. They are uploaded later on Sunday to our YouTube channel, ‘Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church of Thunder Bay’.
Closed captions are available on the video – corrections and song lyrics are added as time allows.
Texts of the bulletin and sermon are also mailed out on Saturday: sign up for our enews: osimm@tbaytel.net. They are posted on our website on Saturday: www.oursaviourstbay.org .
At the time of the sharing of Communion, all are invited to come up the centre aisle to the foot of the chancel steps to receive the bread and the wine/grape juice. Gluten-free wafers are available. After taking a glass, please go off to the side and drink. There is a receptacle for the used glasses as we go back to our seats via the side aisles.
If you are unable to come to the front, please tell the usher and the elements will be brought to you.
Those who do not receive Communion are welcome to come forward for a blessing.
If watching online, when the presiding minister says, ‘The body and blood of Christ given and shed for you’, we welcome all to take and eat a piece of bread, and then to take a glass of wine or other beverage, remembering and giving thanks for the promises of grace, forgiveness, love, new life, and community given us in Christ Jesus.
The Health Unit continues to recommend the wearing of masks in public areas when exposed to the corona virus or immunocompromised.
The Congregational Council endorses this for those who wish to wear masks, and continues to make masks and hand sanitizer available in the front hall and Immanuel Hall.
The next seasonal children's' activity pack, for Easter/ Spring, is ready for pick-up or drop off. Email:
Our Sunday School classes normally are twice monthly, on the first and third Sundays. We are now on break until after Labour Day. There will be a children's message each Sunday during worship for the children who attend.
The sessions, for children in JK – Gr. 6, begin downstairs in Immanuel Hall at 10:30 a.m. for Bible stories, crafts, and other activities. Then those in the class come up to share Holy Communion. See Karen Bishop, co-ordinator, for more info.
Activity sheets for each Sunday are available in the front hall and are also emailed on Thursday. To sign up for these:
There are Adventure activity bags under the mailboxes inside the entrance to the sanctuary, for children to enjoy during worship.
Food donations received in the wicker basket in the front hall are being given to the Gathering Table’s food bank and to those in need. Thank you!
May 13, 2025
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and The Anglican Church of Canada join with people and communities around the world in observing the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) on May 17, 2025.
Raising awareness of the violence and discrimination experienced by members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community is an important step in creating safe, healthy communities for all people. An ongoing concern is that deliberate disinformation takes aim at care and safer spaces for transgender and gender non-conforming youth; hateful rhetoric, discriminatory legislation, and restrictions directly place their health, safety, and well-being at risk.
The 2025 theme for IDAHOBIT is The power of communities, reflecting the diversity and richness within 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, from the grass roots to the global, and celebrating our varied and intersecting backgrounds, identities, and experiences. The theme for 2025 highlights the strength and resilience that emerges from our collective solidarity, recognising the contributions of human rights defenders, 2SLGBTQIA+ civil society groups, allies, and millions of people in our communities who support human rights and collective liberation.
Please join us in:
praying for the dignity and acceptance for all people, for the safety of those made more vulnerable by recent government actions, for a world where everyone finds loving community, and for God’s guidance in our thoughts, words, and deeds;
providing spaces and opportunities for safe, respectful conversations, where people feel support and love, and experience ongoing affirmation and transformation;
celebrating the gifts for witness, service, spiritual care and leadership that 2SLGBTQIA+ people offer to faith communities;
learning more about human rights, terminology, and pathways to liberation for 2SLGBTQIA+ people;
speaking out against rhetoric that dehumanizes and demonizes anyone made in the image of God, and promoting accurate information about our neighbours and issues of public concern;
advocating for 2SLGBTQIA+ rights at the local, provincial, and federal level; and
preparing for the possibility of providing welcome to those fleeing persecution based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
May the God of love and liberation hear our lament. May each of us be bold in our witness. May we all work to bring an end to attacks against people God has named beloved. May the power of communities enrich the life and work of the church.
For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
Psalm 139:13-14
Yours in Christ,
+Susan C Johnson
The Rev. Susan Johnson
National Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
+Anne Germond
The Most Rev. Anne Germond
Acting Primate
Anglican Church of Canada
Our National Bishop Susan Johnson and Acting Anglian Primate Archbishop Anne Germond reflect on the new world order put in place by Christ’s resurrection:
April 22, 2025
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.
~ 1 Corinthians 15:20
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) gives thanks for the life and witness of Pope Francis and joins with people around the world in grieving his death. We offer our heartfelt condolences to members of the Roman Catholic church.
In 2022, Pope Francis made a penitential pilgrimage to Canada to apologize for abuses experienced at residential schools that resulted in cultural destruction, loss of life, and ongoing trauma lived by Indigenous Peoples in every region of this country. In June 2015, he released Laudato si’, the first-ever papal document on the environment. His participation alongside the Lutheran World Federation in a joint ecumenical commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation on Oct. 31, 2016 and his work to advance the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification left a lasting impression on Lutherans. Grateful for his witness, the ELCIC is committed to continuing work on these important issues of healing and transformation.
Pope Francis’ death on Easter Monday is a lasting reminder of his deep faith and of God’s promises rooted in the resurrection of Christ. We pray for comfort and encouragement for the global Roman Catholic community during this time of mourning. We also pray that the Holy Spirit will guide the deliberations of the College of Cardinals as they begin the process of selecting a new pope.
Rest eternal grant him, O God; and let light perpetual shine upon him.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Susan C. Johnson
National Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
The Ecumenical Prayer Cycle takes us through every region of the world over the course of a year. Praying for each place on earth and its people at least once a year, we affirm our solidarity with Christians all over the world, brothers and sisters living in diverse situations, experiencing diverse problems and sharing diverse gifts. Pray with us!
Prayer is at the very heart of the ecumenical movement. Jesus prayed that we – his followers – may all be one. When we pray with and for one another, we can feel God’s gift of unity. Prayer sustains us on our way towards a unity that all can see, “so that the world may believe”. (John 17:21)
The suggested prayer texts are based on the publication "Pilgrim Prayer – an Ecumenical Prayer Cycle". The book and the website offer valuable aids for intercessory prayers, prayer on behalf of and in solidarity with others.
18 - 24 May 2025
https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/prayer-cycle/bangladesh-bhutan-nepal
11 - 17 May 2025
https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/prayer-cycle/india-pakistan-sri-lanka
Thank you for your offerings, sharing the gifts of God so that together we might serve the world!
During our worship, you are able to share your donations during the passing of the plates at the Offering.
Envelopes for your 2025 offerings are available. If you wish to receive a supply, please contact the office, 344-1926, osimm@tbaytel.net.
At other times, and for those unable to attend worship, here are options:
1. Mail envelopes to the church
Mailing address: 10 Farrand St. Thunder Bay P7A 3H5
2. Drop envelopes off at church
You can drop off envelopes in the mailbox beside the parking lot doors. Calling to let us know, 344-1926, is appreciated, so that the offering can be brought inside as soon as possible.
3. E-Transfer online banking
a. If you use online banking, log into your account
b. Add Our Saviour’s as a recipient using our office email address:
osimm.office@tbaytel.net
c. Enter the desired amount and click ‘send’.
4. Sign up for Pre-Authorized Withdrawal (PAR)
You are able to have your monthly offerings directly deposited from your financial institution to that of the church. You can designate it 1-3 ways: Weekly, Building, Forward in Mission. You also can receive undated envelopes for other offerings. To sign up, call the office. If you desire to make any changes at any time of the year, or if you have updates on your address or financial institution, please call the church office, 344-1926.
5. Canada Helps
Our regional synod office has set up Canada Helps button link, you can use to donate to congregations. The charitiable donation receipt will be issued by Canada Helps directly. (It is important to note that there is a cost to using Canada Helps as our donation service. Please considering adding 4% to your donation to cover these costs.)
Again, we are so thankful for your faithful generosity.