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 119 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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Each Sunday we record the service, and post the video to our YouTube channel:
New - February 1 - Fourth Sunday after Epiphany (Holy Communion)
January 25 - Third Sunday after Epiphany (Worship with the Band)
January 18 - Second Sunday after Epiphany (Holy Communion)
January 11 - Baptism of Our Lord (Service of the Word)
January 4 - Epiphany of Our Lord (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 February 2026 Newsletter is on the page 'Our Newsletter'.
Deadline for March 2026 'Ambassador' articles: February 23.
10:30 a.m. Holy Communion
10:30 a.m. Sunday School
11:15 a.m. Fellowship
11:45 a.m. Choir practice
Annual Reports, please!
9:00-2:00 ESL classes (M-F)
8:30 p.m. A.A. meeting
10:30 a.m. LCC Chapel service, Roseview
5:30 p.m. TOPS
7:00 p.m. A.A. Planning
6:30 p.m. Music practice
6:30 p.m. TBay Carvers
8:00 p.m. A.A. meeting
9:30 a.m. Music practice
10:30 a.m. Worship with the Band
11:15 a.m. Fellowship
5:30 p.m. Sacred Heart Church rental
We will hold our Annual Meeting on Sunday, February 15, after worship and a short Fellowship time (starting at approx. 11:30 a.m.) All are welcome. Confirmed members over 18 are also voting members of the congregation. The Reports package will be available Sun. Feb. 8.
We gather each Sunday at 10:30 a.m., celebrating Holy Communion on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month: February 1 and 15.
Sunday, February 8 will be Worship with the Band.
February 22 will be Service of the Word.
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’.
YouTube-generated closed captions are available on the video.
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 .
The season of Lent begins on Feb. 18. Once again we will have two opportunities to gather for worship:
12:15 p.m. Shortened Holy Communion
7:00 p.m. Holy Communion, with Choir
Both services will offer Imposition of Ashes.
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.
Each 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month, children in JK-Gr. 6 gather at 10:30 a.m. in Immanuel Hall for stories, crafts, and more. At the end of their session they join worship to share in the Holy Communion.
We meet again on March 1. Note: no class on Feb. 15, due to Family Day long weekend.
To help with the classes, or for more info, see Karen Bishop.
Activity sheets for each Sunday are in the front hall and also are emailed Thurs. osimm@tbaytel.net .
When there is no Sunday School class, there will be a children’s message during worship for children present (federal law prevents it from being included on our recording.)
Adventure activity bags are under the mailboxes inside the sanctuary, for children to enjoy during worship.
Copies of the next seasonal Activity packet for Easter/Spring will be available in March for pick-up at the church, or for drop-off (email a message to osimm@tbaytel.net.)
Our annual Pancake supper is on Feb. 17, at 5:00 p.m. A sign-up sheet for volunteers is in the front hall. Our freewill offerings at the door will be shared between Our Kids Count and replenishing our ‘Capital Improvement Fund’ (used for rebuilding our northwest exit last year).
Our annual Devotions and Speaker series begins on Weds. Feb. 25, at 7:00 p.m. Our guest speaker will be Jackie Knough, Executive Director of ‘Our Kids Counts.’ OKC is one of the recipients of our Pancake Supper freewill offerings.
We will continue to gather on Mar. 4, 11, and 25. (No session on Mar. 18)
Our third of four Sundays as part of Canadian Lutheran World Relief’s ‘Friends of Creation’ Challenge was held on Jan. 25. The theme was ‘Climate + Economy’.
Our Congregational Project in response to this is a special food drive during February, in support of our ministry partner, ‘Gathering Table’ Anglican parish on Pearl Street. Its food bank offers food twice monthly to those in need. Donations can be dropped in the basket and box in the front hall.
The most needed items at are: Kraft Dinner; cold/hot cereal; tuna; Flakes of Ham/Chicken/Turkey; fruit cups; Canned soup: Cream of Mushroom, Chicken Noodle, Tomato, Vegetable; Pork and Beans; pasta sauce.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada celebrates Global Mission Sunday annually on the first Sunday of February.
Global Mission Sunday is an opportunity for congregations across the church to give thanks for God’s mission in the world, and our shared call to serve, accompany and bear witness alongside our global partners.
Since 2018, the ELCIC has recognized Global Mission Sunday, lifting up and reflecting on the many relationships that connect the ELCIC with Lutherans around the world.
The ELCIC has three global mission bilateral relationships with partner Lutheran churches in the Iglesia Evangélica Luterana Unida (IELU) (which has congregations in Argentina and Uruguay), Iglesia Luterana del Perú, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.
Each of the five ELCIC synods has at least one global companion relationship partner church:
British Columbia Synod – Peruvian Evangelical Lutheran Church
Synod of Alberta and the Territories – Evangelical Lutheran Church of Colombia
Saskatchewan Synod – Eglesia Evangelical Luterana Unida
Manitoba/Northwestern Ontario Synod – Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cameroon
Eastern Synod – Evangelical Lutheran Church in Guyana and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land
Learn more about the ELCIC’s bilateral and companion relationships: https://elcic.ca/global-mission
“What might living out God’s grace and unconditional love mean on this Global Mission Sunday as we consider our partnerships with the Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, in Argentina and Uruguay, and in Peru?” shared ELCIC National Bishop Larry Kochendorfer.
“Praying, yes, for the leadership and for the ministries, but also intentionally learning about the churches and ministries and contexts in Jordan and the Holy Land, in Argentina and Uruguay, and in Peru, and accompanying one another guided by the relational values of mutuality, inclusivity, vulnerability, sustainability, and empowerment. Living from a posture of blessing – living out God’s grace and unconditional love – would also mean considering financial support as individuals, families, congregations for the ministries we have been invited to support.”
January 16, 2026
To our dear siblings in Christ,
As the national bishops of Lutheran churches in the United States, Canada and Denmark, we wish to send the Greenlandic people our full support in an unusually difficult situation. We pray for and encourage our own congregations and people to pray for and stand with Greenland and the Greenlandic people who want to maintain their independence. We pray for peace and respect between nations.
We unreservedly support the Church of Greenland and Bishop Paneeraq Siegstad Munk, whose statement has been quoted in several media outlets: “This is a question of human rights, dignity, and respecting international laws and treaties. We are a small people, but we are not invisible. Our future is not something to be decided over our heads. We have language, culture, ancestors, children, and a future tied to this place. We are people, not property. Greenland is not land to be bought. It is our home and it is not for sale” (Christian News, Jan. 14).
The Church of Greenland works closely with dioceses in Denmark and plays an active role in international affairs as a member of the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation and other organizations. We wish that this close cooperation will continue and bring joy and benefit to the people of Greenland.
We invite you to write to your elected leaders and tell them to respect the independence of Greenland and the Greenlandic people.
In Christ,
The Rev. Dr. Larry Kochendorfer, National Bishop Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
The Rev. Yehiel Curry, Presiding Bishop Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Rt. Revd. Henrik Stubkjær, Bishop of Viborg Evangelical Lutheran in Denmark
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.
01 - 07 February 2026
https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/prayer-cycle/algeria-libya-morocco-western-sahara-tunisia
25 - 31 January 2026
https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/prayer-cycle/cyprus-greece-turkiye
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 2026 offerings are available. If you wish to receive a supply for 2026, 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.