President
PICKING UP THE SLACK
Not long ago, Pastor Nipper had suggested that, whenever possible, we refer to those who worship at OSLC as "disciples" rather than "members." It is a very powerful and important concept -- that, rather than merely having "joined" to "belong" as a "member," we are asserting an intention to actively serve both Christ and mankind.
The Council recently had an opportunity to move this concept even more deeply into the organizational consciousness of our church. The OSLC constitution states that the Council is, "from time to time," to create statements which will "provide specific direction for its programs."
The Purpose Statement and Vision Statement of OSLC were intended to be changed every two or three years. The statements are to be changed by the Council through a continuing resolution.
Why consider changing them now? Thanks to the creative efforts of Otto, Kurt, and Prudy Zinser, the brochure which we make available to visitors is being updated. There is a place on the brochure in which a vision statement can be placed. The brochure is likely to be in use for several years.
So we asked ourselves whether this might be an appropriate time to consider the periodic changing of these statements. We concluded that it was. And so, after discussion, the Council agreed to the following:
The new Purpose Statement for OSLC is: "Make disciples, and grow in grace."
And the new Vision Statement is: "We love God and neighbor, so that all people will be disciples."
These statements seem to me to bring with them a number of strengths:
- They are powerful in their message.
- They are clear in their meaning.
- They are concise and easy to remember.
But, most important of all, these statements will, as the constitution asks, "provide specific direction" for the programs of OSLC. There are currently many programs and initiatives at OSLC which involve our making disciples, growing in grace, and loving God and neighbor. And as new initiatives arise, the statements will help us to shape them and bring them to fruition.
In Him,
Gene Maddox
President, Our Saviour Lutheran Church
“And Now… Your Weekend Update”
The longest- running recurring sketch on NBC’s Saturday Night Live is “Weekend Update.” Presenting gag news items based on real current events, the segment has been around since SNL’s first show, back in 1975. It’s often amusing, and is sometimes hilarious.
A “Weekend Update” is coming to OSLC, too. Only ours will be quite a bit less irreverent. It will, indeed, be serious, and, hopefully, it will prove to be informative and relevant as well. Let me explain.
Remember the Nipper Notes? They were periodic updates from Pastor Jim, delivered by email, and informing us of late-breaking developments and helpful reminders. Our new update will be in the same spirit and for the same purpose as the Nipper Notes.
Normally it will be sent out by email sometime on Fridays. It will provide the announcements that will be in Sunday’s bulletin, along with the Prayer List, the Military List, the Worship Leaders, and the sermon topic. It will include any last-minute news, announcements, or other information from the Pastors or other congregation leaders. It will have links to items you may be interested in seeing on the OSLC web site and elsewhere.
So what is the new weekend update not going to be? It is not a replacement for the monthly newsletter, which you’ll continue to get just as you now do. It isn’t a replacement for the bulletin or its inserts, which will continue just as they are. The work will be done by volunteers from the congregation.
But we do need something from you… We need your email address! Just send an email to webteam@oslc.cc and that will give us all that we need. Don’t hesitate to provide the email addresses for other family members as well, if they have separate accounts. The email addresses will be handled and stored by a secure, experienced, and well-regarded online communications company, and will not be published or made available to others.
The improving of our communications has been the major goal set at council retreats over the past four years. We’ve made lots of progress. This should represent a significant step forward.
In Him,
Gene Maddox
President, Our Saviour Lutheran Church
A Day on the Farm
Bob Dylan wrote and sang a song about "Maggie's Farm." As kids, we sang about "Old MacDonald's Farm." But we members of OSLC's Congregation Council are now singing the praises of "Patty's Farm." Or "Patty and John Paul's Farm," to be more precise.
We're so grateful to the Neases for hosting the weather-delayed Annual Council Retreat at their beautiful farm near Parrotsville. It proved to be an ideal setting for a day of discussion, reflection, and fellowship, and especially for the birthing of new and exciting ideas.
And how those ideas did flow! They covered such topics as future directions in Christian Education... campus ministry... other small group ministries... identifying and nurturing spiritual gifts... Wonderful Wednesdays... Visionary Planning… major goals for 2010... our facilities and grounds... working together as a Council... the keeping of records… and many more.
The continual improving of our communications was a major area of emphasis. Of the major goals set at council retreats over the past four years, this has been the top-ranked goal each time. We've made notable progress. But significant opportunities lie ahead.
Exceptionally-effective communications can help to foster such factors as joy, cohesion, and passionate commitment within our congregational family. And these factors can, in turn, help to bring about exceptional accomplishments in our roles as disciples.
In the near future, you'll be seeing a new email-based newsletter for OSLC. A growing portion of our members are Facebook users, and you'll see our presence increasing there as well. There will be opportunities for us to learn more about each other and what we're doing, through new communications tools. And you'll see older types of media, such as bulletin boards, working together with newer digital tools. Exciting times do lie ahead!
In Him,
Gene Maddox
President, Our Saviour Lutheran Church
A Newsman's Lament
- Appalachia's main street today. During the coal-boom era, cars would often be double-parked along both sides of the street.
It was a warm midsummer day in the mid-1960s. I was a student at ETSU, and had returned to visit friends and relatives in the small town in which I'd grown up, deep in the coal fields of Southwest Virginia.
I remember feeling a bit astonished back then at the fact that my hometown's name had become a household word across the nation: APPALACHIA! The entire Appalachian region had become the centerpiece of President Lyndon Johnson's proposed War on Poverty. Each night, the national news shows would present pictures of stereotypical snaggle-toothed hillbillies, dressed in overalls and strange hats. But I'd honestly never seen a single one of those colorful characters, in all the 18+ years I'd lived in the town of Appalachia.
During the visit, I stopped at my uncle's service station for an oil change. I was sitting in the customer area of the station, when I noticed someone sitting beside me, his nose buried deep inside a newspaper. I looked over at him, and did a double take. It was Daniel Schorr, who was then a well-known correspondent for the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite.
The presence of a celebrity here was not an everyday occurrence. I cleared my throat, introduced myself, and asked what he was doing in our town. He explained rather gruffly that he'd been attracted by the town's name being the same as that of the region. However, he'd found neither a hillbilly, nor a tar-papered shack, nor a single moonshine still. "There's no story here," he lamented, as he strode away to find his crew and to check on his car.
"You wouldn't know a story if one hit you in the behind," I thought to myself as he walked away. Here in this little town, and in the area surrounding it, you had all the makings of great drama and deep tragedy. You had men and women of outstanding ability and character, who had been trapped here and brought to near financial ruin by the collapse of the coal industry, on which the entire regional economy had depended. The resulting debts, lack of funds, family commitments, and a general reluctance to leave the area they loved had bound them to these mountains like an unyielding ball and chain. And that tragedy, in many cases, came to endure across the generations and decades which followed.
In certain portions of the area around my home town, things have improved a bit over the years. Prisons, of all things, have come to be a source of jobs. Certain towns, such as Lebanon, have seen an influx of technology companies. Some sectors of the coal industry have gone through something of a revival. And institutions of learning such as the University of Virginia at Wise have had great success.
But in much of the region, economic stagnation remains the order of the day. Many who remain there struggle mightily to make ends meet. And many are in need of help.
That's why I felt a special pride when I learned that our own Carolynn Bailey was serving as Director of Volunteers with the Appalachia Service Project. And that pride was magnified when Katie Quillin and her Global and Regional Missions Committee recently led a group of volunteers (Linda and Kevin Schutt, Katie Quillin, Jim Quillin, Bob Hembre, Kathy Kelly, Katie and Julia Harris, Rhonda Koeffer, and Joseph Bolick-Lang) on an ASP mission to Jonesville, Virginia.
Let us salute and thank each of those who served in Jonesville, as well as those who help with the missions we support in Johnson City, plus those who are donating to help the earthquake victims in Haiti. Their efforts inspire us, and they help point the way to what we at OSLC can accomplish together as disciples of Christ.
In Him,
Gene Maddox
President, Our Saviour Lutheran Church
About ASP
Appalachia Service Project, Inc. or ASP, is a Christian volunteer organization operating in Central Appalachia, specifically in the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The organization is concerned with home repair for low-income families, as well as a limited amount of free home construction. Its primary goal is making homes "warmer, safer, and drier".
ASP was founded in the summer of 1969 by Rev. Glenn "Tex" Evans, a minister in the United Methodist Church. From its humble beginnings, with 50 volunteers repairing four houses in 1969, ASP has grown into a large organization operating in 25 communities. In the summer of 2006, 12,612 volunteers repaired 369 homes. ASP also spun off organizations known as the Sierra Service Project in California and Project NOAH in Louisiana. In addition to the summer volunteer program for youth, ASP operates three year-round centers in Jonesville, Virginia, Chavies, Kentucky, and Brenton, West Virginia. Adult volunteers as well as college groups come to these centers to repair homes throughout the year.