One in four children in Pierce County is hungry. A school cafeteria may be the only way some children receive nutritious food every day.

Students in households with incomes below 130% of the poverty level or those receiving SNAP or TANF qualify for free meals. Those with family incomes between 130% and 185% of the poverty line qualify for reduced-price meals.

In our own backyard, over 70% of students in the Franklin Pierce School District qualify for free or reduced lunch. Additionally, over 42% of students in the Puyallup School District qualify for free or reduced lunch.

That’s a big problem.

In 2012, Our Savior began to be part of a solution and launched the Backpacks 4 Kids program.

We could not have ever imagined what God had in mind and how He would use simple food bags and tens of thousands of volunteer hours to build an incredibly deep and powerful relationship with school administrators, board members, classroom teachers, counselors, social workers, students, and community leaders.

That’s the power of saying “yes” to what God is nudging and leading you to do - even when you don’t know what to do or how to do it. When we make ourselves available to God for the good work that He has prepared for us to do, God shows up in incredible ways.

10 years later, each bag is still packed with nutritious foods, including shelf-stable items for both the students and their family. Students receive the backpacks on Fridays through their school counselors and support staff to bridge the gap on the weekends. We’ve expanded our program to include breakfast bags, school break bags, and other resources available to students and their families throughout the week.

Here is what people are saying about Backpacks 4 Kids, today:

• “I have had one student's family tell me how important these bags are to them as they depend on them every week. I allow this student to take two bags home and anything else they can find in the pantry that is given to us by Our Savior Lutheran. It has been extremely helpful and beneficial to have a space full of resources that can be directly given to families, and it is rewarding knowing this student is coming every single Friday to grab bags to take home.”
  

• “I am incredibly thankful for all that you and Our Savior do for the students in our district! The families currently receiving this service in my building are experiencing homelessness or are doubled up living with other family or friends. They are single parent families trying to make ends meet. They are families who have lost jobs and are just recently getting back to work and are working hard to get caught up financially. They are living paycheck to paycheck. This kindness you are proving is allowing them to breathe a little easier and take a little off their very full plates. It is truly a blessing.”
  

• “The weekend food bags have helped us tremendously. They actually helped us get our little one to eat breakfast. He loves the oatmeal and granola bars.”
  

From the outside-looking-in, it is a high-impact social and community service program.

From the inside-looking-out, it is a highly effective way of growing faith, deepening relationships, widening influence where we live, work, learn, and play.

Powerful, life-changing stuff, indeed.

And we aren’t going to stop here because God continues to lead us forward in feeding hungry tummies and souls.

Literally, this week, we received the official permits to break ground and remodel our West Campus building to become our Community Commons Hub which will over double our ability to expand the backpack program and deepen relationships even more. Praise God!

With this permit in hand, we will be updating you with details and a timeline as soon as we get it from Lincoln Construction (the same contractor who oversaw the 2017 rebuilding of our Main Campus Facility).

For now, here’s your personal invitation to this year’s Novemberfest Celebration and Event and November Food Drive.

Novemberfest - Join us online, Thursday, November 3 at 6:30, oslc.com/novemberfest. The goal is to raise $25,000 which will be matched for a total of $50,000. Hear how our B4K program works, how volunteers are involved, and best of all, hear stories of real-life impact for students who receive our bags! 

Food Drive - Canned chili provides protein to hungry students in our B4K program. This year, it has been hard to source and more expensive - but you can help! In November, we will collect donations of canned chili, culminating at the Thanksgiving worship service. Drop off donations in the church lobby. 

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Have you ever been assigned to a jury?

As a juror, you’re sworn not to discuss anything while you’re serving.  I get it. And I believe it’s a very good thing!

At the same time, thankfully, that’s not how it is with Jesus.

Jesus invites us to tell everything about how He has served us and how we are serving others. 

It’s what the Newsboys sang about in 2002: “shine, make them wonder what you’ve got, make them wish that they were not on the outside looking bored.” 

Or, better put, what Jesus said: let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father (Matthew 5:16).

As we move closer toward the holiday season, one way you can prepare to serve others is by helping donate and deliver presents, cards, groceries and meals to over 150 people (over 30 families) right here in our local community. 

We call it the Giving Tree. 

Here is what people are saying about it…
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"Thank you for the Christmas presents and it was [sic] the best gift ever. It was so polite of you." - Child Giving Tree Recipient, 2021
"Thank you for the softest clothes I've ever got and the art set that I can do my art with!" -Child Giving Tree Recipient, 2021
"Thank you so much for making my Christmas awesome. I loved my gifts." -Giving Tree Recipient, 2021

Here are two ways you can respond right now.

• Do you know someone who needs a little help this Christmas season?
• Can your Life Group (or any ministry group) sponsor a family this year?

Complete this short form and let us know we can count on you serving others and telling all about it.

​Tags will be available around Thanksgiving on the Lobby Giving Tree and at oslc.com.

Becoming a member and friend is an important part of being part of a church family. That’s why church family membership is such a big milestone in your discipleship journey. Let me explain.

My member-relationship with Costco is very different from my friendship with Beth. And while that might be comparing apples to almonds - it’s a valid question… especially as a church family.

A traditional understanding of membership is one of being a consumer. Like my relationship with Costco, I give something (money) in exchange for a product (an 18-inch pizza and a rotisserie chicken). In other words, if you want something, pay for it with something of value - money, time, skill or talent, etc.. In this sense, most member-relationships are transactional - “I do this so that you do that”.

Friendship is one of collaboration and partnership. Leaders can be formal positions or informal influencers. In this sense, everyone leads somewhere. There is an equity that echoes, “we’re in this together”. As a result, most friend-relationships are transformational - “we are learning, growing, doing this thing together”.

Both membership and friendship are necessary for a church family to thrive. So, here’s how to be great members and friends at the same time.

Show Up Consistently
Showing up on a regular basis begins to naturally transform our hearts. We move from thinking “I have to go” to “I get to go”. You start thinking of yourself as a member and a friend… and others begin seeing you like that, too. You’ll get to know people better (even if it’s a little bit at a time through shared experiences or conversation). You’ll hear the same stories over time. You’ll share life’s ups and downs because you’re there, together. In some ways, this will naturally happen as you pop in-and-out - but it happens faster when you’re showing up, consistently.

Meet a Few to Connect with the Whole
You hear about a group or team you want to join, but you don’t know everybody. In fact, you only know one person in the entire church. Ask that one person to introduce you to someone who is already part of the group or team you’re interested in learning more about or that you want to join. That personal connection with a single person can connect you with an entire group of friends.

Becoming both a member and a friend requires elements of learning, self-discovery, and growth. That’s why the process of becoming a church family member is such an important part of and milestone in your discipleship journey.

Convertirse en miembro y amigo es una parte importante de ser parte de una familia de la iglesia. Es por eso que la membresía de la familia de la iglesia es un hito tan importante en su viaje de discipulado. Dejame explicar.

Mi relación de miembro con Costco es muy diferente de mi amistad con Beth. Y aunque eso podría ser comparar manzanas con almendras, es una pregunta válida... especialmente como familia de la iglesia.

Una comprensión tradicional de la membresía es la de ser un consumidor. Al igual que mi relación con Costco, doy algo (dinero) a cambio de un producto (una pizza de 18 pulgadas y un pollo asado). En otras palabras, si quieres algo, págalo con algo de valor: dinero, tiempo, habilidad o talento, etc. En este sentido, la mayoría de las relaciones entre los miembros son transaccionales: “Yo hago esto para que tú hagas aquello”.

La amistad es una de colaboración y asociación. Los líderes pueden ser puestos formales o personas influyentes informales. En este sentido, todo el mundo lleva a alguna parte. Hay una equidad que hace eco, “estamos juntos en esto”. Como resultado, la mayoría de las relaciones de amistad son transformadoras: “estamos aprendiendo, creciendo, haciendo esto juntos”.

Tanto la membresía como la amistad son necesarias para que la familia de la iglesia prospere. Entonces, aquí le mostramos cómo ser grandes miembros y amigos al mismo tiempo.

Aparece constantemente
Aparecer regularmente comienza a transformar naturalmente nuestros corazones. Pasamos de pensar “me tengo que ir” a “me voy a ir”. Empiezas a pensar en ti mismo como un miembro y un amigo... y los demás también empiezan a verte así. Llegarás a conocer mejor a las personas (incluso si es poco a poco a través de experiencias compartidas o conversaciones). Escucharás las mismas historias con el tiempo. Compartirás los altibajos de la vida porque estás ahí, juntos. De alguna manera, esto sucederá naturalmente a medida que apareces y desapareces, pero sucede más rápido cuando apareces, de manera constante.

Conoce a unos pocos para conectarte con el todo
Te enteras de un grupo o equipo al que te quieres unir, pero no conoces a todo el mundo. De hecho, solo conoces a una persona en toda la iglesia. Pídale a esa persona que le presente a alguien que ya sea parte del grupo o equipo del que le interesa aprender más o al que desea unirse. Esa conexión personal con una sola persona puede conectarte con todo un grupo de amigos.

Convertirse en miembro y amigo requiere elementos de aprendizaje, auto-descubrimiento y crecimiento. Es por eso que el proceso de convertirse en miembro de la familia de la iglesia es una parte tan importante y un hito en su viaje de discipulado.