This is Christ's Church.
There is a place for you here.


We are the church that shares a living, daring confidence in God's grace. Liberated by our faith, we embrace you as a whole person -- questions, complexities and all.  Join us as we do God's work in Christ's name for the life of the world.

 

Lutheran Church of Our Savior

A congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

12 Franklin Avenue, Port Washington, NY 11050

Phone 516-767-0603


Website lutheranchurchportwashington.com


email lcosoffice@optimum.net


Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lutheranpw/

 Church Office Hours

The Church Office will be open on Monday, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 9 am and 3 pm.

 

Church Office - Sue Waiter

Pastor - Roger Berner

Director of Music - Federico Teti

Custodian - Marvin Mora

Facilities Use Coordinator - Linda Murphy

 

 

Worship

   There's a place for everyone at Our Savior to be involved and make new friends through small group ministries, fellowship events, and committees for the congregation's life and mission.  Membership is voluntary and personal.

   Persons join when they express the desire to affiliate.  Adults may join formally the congregation by either a letter of membership transfer from another Christian congregation or by adult Confirmation.

   The sacrament of Holy Communion is celebrated with this understanding: that the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ are truly present in, with, and under the bread and wine; and, that the penitent receive the full forgiveness of all their sins. All baptized Christians who, in good conscience, can receive with this understanding are invited to partake.

   Baptisms and weddings are conducted as needed. A church wedding requires a couple to spend a period of time preparing for marriage in consultation with the pastor.

   An elevator and access ramp are available for entering and exiting the building. Refreshments are usually served after worship on Sunday. In warmer weather, the church is air-conditioned for your comfort.

 

The Weekly Caller

Phone 516-767-0603
Website lutheranchurchportwashington.com
email lcosoffice@optimum.net
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lutheranpw/

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Christ the King / Thanksgiving

Sunday, November 26, 2023

at the 
Lutheran Church of Our Savior

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Holy Communion      

10:00 am

 

On this final Sunday of the church year our gospel is Jesus’ great story of judgment. In the end, the faithful are those who served Christ by ministering to those who are poor, hungry, naked, sick, or estranged. In the first reading God is the shepherd who seeks the lost, weak, and injured and feeds them with justice. We gather this day to celebrate the reign of Christ and his victory over death, yet we await the consummation of all things yet to come. Acknowledging Christ as our merciful ruler, we go forth that his reign may be known in our loving words and deeds.

 

Let us pray, 


O God of power and might, your Son shows us the way of service, and in him we inherit the riches of your grace. Give us the wisdom to know what is right and the strength to serve the world you have made, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

 

 

Sunday’s Readings
click on the hyperlink to read the entire text

 

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

God will shepherd Israel

 

Ephesians 1:15-23

The reign of Christ

 

Matthew 25:31-46

The coming of the Son of Man; the separation of sheep and goats

 

 

Leading Our Liturgy
Christ the King / Thanksgiving

 

Diane Wildow, Pastor

 

Federico Teti, Director of Music

 

Roman Ertel, Acolyte

 

Linda Polizzi, Assisting Minister

 

Giulio Varsi, Lector

 

Linda & Jerry Urick, Coffee Hour

 

Laura Boehm, Gladys Dello-Iacono, Fabiola Knight,

Kate Laber, Irene Wood, Altar Care


Luke DePalma, Joe DiVito, Charles Kietzman, Michael Liu,

Jerry Lockwood, Richard Swenson, Ushers

 

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WELCOME TO PASTOR DIANE WILDOW, who will be leading our worship this Sunday morning. Pastor Wildow served as Pastor of Zion Church in Brooklyn for 24.5 years, and she will be our Guest Pastor regularly through Easter (along with other Pastors).  Thank you, Pastor Wildow. Please greet Pr. Wildow at the door and get to know her better at the coffee hour!

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Altar Flowers             November 26       

 

Christ the King / Thanksgiving

 

 

The Baptismal Flowers are given in Memory of Sue & Lou Gordon’s Anniversary

from the Gordon Family.

 

 

 

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In Our Daily Prayers

Christ’s Church   
for our Congregation: Lutheran Church of Our Savior;

our Synod, Metropolitan New York Synod and Bishop Paul Egensteiner;

our Church, the ELCA and Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton;

our Lutheran World Federation and President, Archbishop Musa Panti Filibus


God’s World   
especially for peace in: Afghanistan, Central African Republic, China, Ethiopia,

Haiti, Israel, Libya, Morocco, Myanmar, Palestine, Russia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, Ukraine, Yemen, and the United States.

 

 

 

 

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The guiding verse for this year’s stewardship season is spoken to us from the Sermon on the Mount:  

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be.

What do you treasure about LCOS? Is it the community you experience, the sense of belonging and connection you receive here? Is it the meaningful worship and music in our worship? The opportunities to connect to our community through service?

During this season, we take time as a congregation to treasure the work of God in our lives and our congregation. Because of what God has done for us, we pledge our resources, our treasure, to the ongoing work of Christ in the Church. We give because of the love we have already experienced through Jesus Christ.

The 2024 Annual Stewardship packets have been distributed to members. Think about what you treasure about LCOS and about the goodness of God who gives you life and blesses you with all that you have. Next week you will be invited to give back to God for the sake of the Gospel at work in our church and in the world that God so loves.

This is your invitation to support our church family in two ways:  first, you are invited to commit your time and involvement in the ministry of LCOS. Try a new ministry or sign up for something you’ve always been curious about; and second, pray about your financial giving. Please consider stepping up to an increased level of support. (Would an increase of 1% of your income above the percentage you are giving this year be possible?)  

All ministry here is made possible because of your generosity.    

 

 

 

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Supporting the ministry of LCOS has never been easier!

 

There are several way to contribute:

 

1. Place your offering in the offering plate or mailing it to the church;

 

2. Direct your bank to automatically send a weekly or monthly check to LCOS from your account (no fee ACH);

 

3. Check out the new and improved electronic giving page on the LCOS website:

  • click HERE to go to the LCOS Online Giving page directly, or

  • go to the LCOS website by typing https://www.lutheranchurchportwashington.com into your browser, and then click on the Online Giving tab in the upper right corner, or

  • use your smart phone to scan the QR code below to go directly to the Online Giving page

 

On the new Online Giving page you can set-up and designate one-time and recurring giving to: LCOS General Fund, Altar Flowers & Candles, Personal Care & Paper Pantry, or Lutheran World Relief – Ukraine. Also, you can adjust existing giving, set up new gifts and update your personal information on the secure eGiving page.

 

If you’re a new giver to LCOS, you can sign up for a Vanco Online account -  click the Sign Up button at the top right of the page, or select Sign Up from the menu in the upper left corner of your smart phone screen.

 

If you currently have recurring giving to LCOS set-up with Vanco (formerly Thrivent/Simple Giving) then nothing changes for you as you already have a Vanco account. You can log in using your current username and password - click the Log In button at the top right of the page, or select Log In from the menu in the upper left corner of your smart phone screen. If you do not know your username and password, please contact Sue Waiter in the Parish Office, lcosoffice@optimum.net, for assistance.

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

                                                                

Announcements
  • Christmas

  • Godspeed Pastor Roger Berner

    This time of year is usually marked by mums in the planters and piles of leaves on our lawns, marking the advent of autumn! At our church home this month, we have decorations heralding a change of our own - a lawn sign wishing Godspeed to our Interim Pastor, Roger Berner, as he prepares to make his way back to Maryland, and a well-deserved retirement that has been postponed… just a few times.

    It surely represents all the thanks we can summon for guiding us through these last two transition years and an equal measure of best wishes! Just like those lawn signs and drive-by parties that we saw sprout up during the pandemic, it is a fun way to celebrate this church family’s important life event!

    Be sure to drive by every chance you get, honk your horn once or twice, and come wish Pastor Berner Godspeed in person at worship and coffee hour on Sunday, December 17.

    Denise DePalma & Linda Murphy
    Current and Incoming Church Council Presidents

  • Pastor Roger Berner

    Our Interim Pastor                                                                                             

    I grew up on the Great Plains, in the fifth largest (14,007 people) metropolitan area in South Dakota – Watertown.  We lived on the edge of  “town”, and had a huge garden – or was it a small farm?  We had a tractor and a plow to turn the soil over in the spring.  My father ordered 1,000 tomato plants and 3,000 cabbage plants from Georgia every spring.  We also grew carrots, onions, cucumbers, squash, corn, beans, peas, beets, and potatoes.  The entire garden was surrounded by hundreds of peonies.

    I enjoyed planting the corn and potatoes, because I did that with my father.  He dug the hole and I threw in a few kernels of corn or some old smelly potatoes cut up with “eyes” sticking out.  I did not enjoy weeding the garden.  In fact, the weeds usually won out toward the end of the summer, but the harvest was nonetheless bountiful and delicious.  Growing up, I never tasted sweet corn that was more than 15 minutes old.  My father picked the corn, I husked it, my mother cooked it, and we all ate it together.  My father would also take me with him to seine for minnows, or to go fishing and hunting.  While driving, my father quizzed me on what crop was growing in each field we passed.  He would point to the right or left and I would say:  corn, wheat, barley, flax, soy beans or rye.  The most difficult to distinguish were wheat and oats – they look so much alike.  My favorite crop was flax (linen is made from flax, as is the fine paper used for Bibles), because when it was in bloom it looked like a blue sea.

    Joseph and Mary must have taught Jesus about agriculture because his parables were filled with images of “the farm” – mustard, sheep, grapes, goats, mint, wolves, wheat, doves, barley, dogs, olives, cows, and lilies.  My mother, Sunday School teachers, pastors, and professors taught me the parables of Jesus; but I came to understand his parables through what my father taught me in the garden and the fields.

    I studied history at St. Olaf College in Minnesota and continued on at Luther Seminary in St. Paul.  While at seminary I organized a “summer internship” outside of Phoenix, doing youth work and going door to door, inviting people to “Come and See!” the new mission church.  I also served as “the Vicar” at Zion Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, New York for my official internship.  Those two places were very different, but both were filled with amazing, wonderful, and faithful members who were also my teachers.

    I was ordained in January at my home congregation in South Dakota.  It was  -27 degrees (-69 degrees wind chill factor), and no one even suggested postponing the service.  St. John Mark Lutheran Church in Homestead (Pittsburgh), PA had called me as their Pastor, and I served there for 9 years.  Then Trinity Lutheran Church in North Bethesda, MD called me, where I served for 28 years until October 2018.  Both were places of faith, hope, love, and great joy for me.  After a year of retirement, the Interim Bishop of New York asked if I would serve as the Interim Pastor of Emanuel Lutheran Church, Pleasantville, NY – a delightful experience to share the good news of Christ in Westchester County with a wonderful congregation, even through the challenges and learning opportunities of a pandemic. 

    Now I have begun a new adventure of faith in Christ Jesus – getting to know and love the people of the Lutheran Church of Our Savior in Port Washington.  I trust that we will laugh and cry, work and play, sing and pray together during this “in between” time for LCOS, as we continue to trust in God’s grace and mercy to lead us into a future of Spirit-led ministry.       

               

  • Paper & Personal Care Pantry

  • Pray for the Peace of Israel and Palestine

    Pray for the Peace of Israel and Palestine

    ]

    The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem was built between 1893 and 1898. It houses Lutheran congregations that worship in Arabic, German, Danish, and English.  It serves as the headquarters of the Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, the Arabic-speaking (Palestinian) Church of Jordan, Palestine, and Israel.  The LCOR has a congregation of around 3,000 members.

    Sally Ibrahim Azar was ordained as the first female Pastor in the Holy Land on January 22, 2023. She is now the Pastor of the Church’s English-speaking congregation.

    The church was built on land given by Sultan Abdülhamid of the Ottoman Empire.  In 1898, Kaiser Wilhelm II made a trip to Jerusalem to personally dedicate the new church.  For the dedication of the church, the Kaiser entered the city on horseback through two specially made ceremonial arches, one a gift of the Ottoman Empire and one a gift from the local Jewish community.  The church was dedicated on Reformation Day, 1898.  The church tower (one of the tallest structures in the Old City) is open to the public and offers a spectacular view of the city.

     

     

    Augusta Victoria Hospital began its ministry in East Jerusalem, which was part of the Kingdom of Jordan, to serve the medical needs of Palestinian refugees in 1950.  Operating from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, the Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH) is a health care institution of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) primarily serving the Palestinian population.

    AVH is one of six specialized hospitals in the East Jerusalem Hospital Network, which has contributed to the development of the Palestinian health care system and the education of healthcare workers and specialists. The hospital provides specialty care for Palestinians from across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with services including a cancer center, a dialysis unit, a pediatric center, and a bone marrow transplant unit.  It is the sole remaining specialized-care hospital located in the West Bank or Gaza Strip.  With 120 in-patient beds, it is the only radiation therapy facility serving 4.5 million Palestinians.

  • Lutheran World Relief

     

    Will you help in Ukraine, Libya, and Morocco?
    And people in 32 other countries?

     

    In the days and weeks after a human or natural disaster, Lutheran World Relief is on the ground helping to meet people’s immediate needs.  In the following months and years we are dedicated to working with them so they can rebuild better and stronger than before.

     

    Send your gift:  click the box below;
    or by calling 1-800-597-5972;

    or by check to: Lutheran World Relief, PO Box 17061, Baltimore, MD 21297-1061.

    Lutheran World Relief is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization.  
    Your gift is tax deductible.

    CLICK TO GIVE TO LWR
  • Lutheran World Relief

     

    Ukrainian War Victims Need YOU        Food, clothing and shelter.

     

    These three basic needs are crucial for an individual's well-being and potential growth. Unfortunately, the world's poorest suffer most acutely, since they have the fewest resources to prepare for a crisis and to rebuild afterward. Lutheran World Relief is in a unique position to reach highly vulnerable families whose immediate needs may not be met by other responders following an emergency.

     

    With nearly 75 years of demonstrated expertise helping to transform some of the hardest-to-reach places in the developing world, Lutheran World Relief is an innovative, trusted international nongovernmental organization (INGO) committed to those otherwise cut off from basic human services and opportunities.

     

    When you make a donation, your gift will reach our poorest neighbors suffering from hunger and malnutrition right now.  You can deliver lifesaving nutrient-rich food, clean water, safe shelter, school supplies, medical care and more for our neighbors in desperate need. 

     

        Send your gift to:        www.lwr.org;     or by calling 800-597-5972;    or

    or by check to:  Lutheran World Relief, PO Box 17061, Baltimore, MD 21297-1061.

     

    Lutheran World Relief is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your gift is tax deductible.

  • Future Church - God's Love Made Real

     

    Dear siblings in Christ,

    Many have responded to the survey at Future Church: God's Love Made Real, sharing input and joining in the conversation. We continue to learn about our church, what is strong and good, and where we need to grow in Christ.

    If you've already taken the survey, THANK YOU! Your voice helps us discern the future of our church. If you haven't, please take the survey and help us lean into what it means to create a world experiencing the difference God's grace and love in Christ make for all people and creation.

    Watch for future listening session opportunities and how you can participate! We look forward to hearing from you.

    Sincerely,

    Louise Johnson
    Executive for Administration, Office of the Presiding Bishop

  • 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering

     

    Every three years, thousands of high school youth and their adult leaders from across the ELCA gather for a week of faith formation known as the ELCA Youth Gathering. Through days spent in interactive learning, worship, Bible study, service and fellowship, young people grow in faith and are challenged and inspired to live their faith daily.

     

    The 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans is scheduled for July 16-20, 2024, with pre-gathering events from the Multicultural Youth Leadership Event (MYLE) and the tAble July 13-16, and the ELCA Gathering for Young Adults (18-35), which will run concurrently with the ELCA Youth Gathering.   

     

    For more information about this exciting event, please email The Rev. John Hickey, Synod Champion for Metro NY, at pastorjohn@ourredeemerlutheran.church.

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