What's Happening? 

April 15-21

Monday 

9:30 - 2:00 ESL Classes (Mon.-Fri.)

6:30 p.m. Confirmation

8:30 p.m. Friendly A.A. Group

Tuesday 

5:45 p.m. -  TOPS

7:30 p.m. A.A. Round-up planning

Wednesday 

6:30 p.m. TBay Carvers

Thursday

8:00 p.m. Friendly Group A.A. 

Friday

Saturday

Sunday - Fourth Sunday of Easter

10:30 a.m.  Holy Communion, Sunday School

11:15 a.m. Fellowship Hour

11:45 a.m . Choir practice

Worship

We gather each Sunday at 10:30 a.m., celebrating Holy Communion on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month, April 7 and 21, and festivals. Other Sundays are Service of the Word, April 14, and Worship with the Band, April 28.

   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 .

Holy Communion at Our Saviour's

New:  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 social distancing cannot be maintained. 

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.

Learning:

Children:

 The seasonal activity pack for Easter/Spring is available for pick-up or drop off. For the latter, email

osimm@tbaytel.net.

Our Sunday School classes normally are twice monthly, on the first and third Sundays. Our final classes for the spring: April 21, May 5 and 19.

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 information.

  Activity sheets for each Sunday are available in the front hall and are also emailed on Thursday. To sign up for these:

osimm@tbaytel.net . 

  There are Adventure activity bags under the mailboxes inside the entrance to the sanctuary, for children to enjoy during worship. 

Confirmation:

This ministry of the church helps youth to continue in the promises made at Baptism. All youth Grade 7 and older are welcome. We have been meeting the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month, 6:30-7:30 p.m., with the final classes before the summer being: April 22 and May 13.

Classes will be offered mostly in-person. We hopefully also be gathering from time to time with the Confirmation youth from Hilldale Lutheran Church.

Food Collection 

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!

ELCIC Emergency Appeal for our partners in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land

At the beginning of November, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada launched an appeal to support our partners in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL).

To date, ELCIC support for this appeal has enabled the goal of $263,000 to have reached past the half-way point.

“I am absolutely delighted with the support of our ELCIC members,” says ELCIC National Bishop Susan Johnson. “I urge you, if you haven’t already made a donation yet, please do so.”

The ELCJHL Appeal was launched following an update ELCJHL Bishop Dr. Sani-Ibrahim Azar shared on the impact of the Israel-Hamas war with the ELCIC.

Bishop Azar noted that due to the increase in violence, schools have had to close; checkpoints between the West Bank and Jerusalem and between areas such as Ramallah and Bethlehem have been nearly completely closed off, preventing many people in these communities from being able to travel to and from work; and there has been a devastating impact on families whose livelihoods are connected to the tourism and hostility industry. Bishop Azar asked for support in helping to cover one month of salaries of teachers at ELCJHL schools and half of the salary for ELCJHL pastors, which amounts to $263,000.

“These are our sibling Lutherans,” Bishop Johnson noted. “I spoke to Bishop Azar recently and he told me what a difference this is going to make in people’s lives at a time when the local church is needed more than ever.”

To assist in reaching the ELCJHL emergency appeal donation target, the ELCIC’s National Church Council approved a one-time contribution to the appeal for $100,000. The Eastern Synod – which serves as a companion partner of the ELCJHL – has provided another $25,000. Direct donations from individual ELCIC members is over $20,000, with more yet to come in from congregational giving.  

You are invited to help support our partners through a financial contribution to the ELCJHL Appeal. 

1. Through Our Saviour's, by designating your special offering to ELCJHL Appeal.

2. Online through the ELCIC National Office at secure.elcic.ca.

Take action now, Anglican, Lutheran leaders call ahead of Earth Day 2024

Every April, the global community recognizes Earth Day as an occasion to call ourselves back to our relationships and responsibilities to this world that we are blessed to live on, and our responsibilities to one another to work toward an equitable sharing of the fruit and resources of God’s creation. A recentering of these relationships is increasingly important as we continue to experience the effects of a worsening climate emergency around the world, and so we join with faith communities, civil society organizations, community leaders and concerned individuals in lifting up our commitment to work for a truly sustainable world for all.

Our scriptures remind us, from their very first pages, that God looks upon creation and sees that it is very good (Genesis 1: 31), and throughout the history of our Christian faith we are called again and again to care for God’s gift and to remember that we are, in fact, part of this creation. In recent years these calls have increased from communities most impacted by the realities of human-caused climate change, including Indigenous communities around the world, global church partners experiencing unprecedented ecological changes, and from young people concerned for the future that awaits them and those who will come after them. We must take decisive action now in order to answer these calls in a just way.

In 2023, both of our churches passed resolutions calling on members to continue to take action on the climate crisis, at all levels of our denominations and with ecumenical, interfaith and secular partners. This year for Earth Day, and throughout the rest of the year, we invite you to consider how you, your congregation, your synod or diocese, and your national church structures can take concrete steps to live into these commitments made last year. 

We firmly believe that it is not too late for us to halt the most destructive impacts of climate change, but it requires commitment and determination from us now. We cannot afford to wait any longer. This Earth Day, may our faith in the promise of the resurrection move us forward in hope to take action together.

The Most Rev. Chris Harper, National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop, Anglican Church of Canada

The Rev. Susan Johnson, National Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

The Most Rev. Linda Nicholls, Archbishop and Primate, Anglican Church of Canada

Web Page Cover Photo credit: The Rev. Dr. Eileen Scully

World Council of Churches Prayer Cycle 

Belarus, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine

14 - 20 April 2024

We give thanks for:

the distinctive icons, art, literature and music that have come from this area

the faithful witness of churches under the reign of Communism, and their revitalization since then, after decades of official atheism

all those who help to alleviate the suffering of people due to the conflict in Ukraine and who try to counteract and overcome divisions

those who work for democracy and openness in government.

We pray for:

guidance, as these nations work to reconfigure political and economic structures

compassion and integrity for all peoples in these nations with such diverse ethnic histories

those who suffer from alcoholism, HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis and other life-threatening diseases

the large numbers of people who now live in poverty and are unemployed

those in Belarus and Ukraine who suffer from the continued effects of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster

those who struggle for democracy and truthfulness in the media.

OFFERINGS

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 offerings at the entrance to the sanctuary.

Envelopes for your 2024 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.) 

http://mnosynod.org/donate/

Again, we are so thankful for your faithful generosity.