Jan 16  Second Sunday after Epiphany

Sun.:     8:30 AM Worship Service - in person and online
             9:45 AM Education & Fellowship Hour
           10:45 AM Joyful Journey Worship Service
                               
            ~ Visit our YouTube page to watch past service messages and live streamed services at 8:30 a.m. each Sunday morning. Please click on the "red arrow" above, or OSLC Spearfish YouTube                    

Mon.:     1:00 PM Yarn Ministry
              Good Shepherd Clinic CLOSED

Tues.:    8:30 AM Fix-It Group 
              9:00 AM Quilting
              6:30 PM Gather Women's Bible Study @ TLR

Wed.:     5:15 PM Bell Choir
              5:15 PM Confirmation
              5:16 PM Wednesday Supper
              5:40 PM Wednesday School
              6:26 PM Wednesday Word-Healing Service
              7:10 PM High School Youth
              7:15 PM Senior Choir Practice
                  
Thurs.: 10:00 AM Ruth Circle
             12:00 PM Lunch at The Living Room
              6:30 PM Faithful Women @ TLR

Fri.:        6:00 AM Christian Business Men's Group at TLR 

Sat.:       8:00 AM Men's Fellowship

Jan 23  Third Sunday after Epiphany

Sun.:      8:30 AM Worship Service - in person and online
              9:45 AM Education & Fellowship Hour
             10:45 AM Joyful Journey Worship Service
                                                       
              ~ Visit our YouTube page to watch past service messages and live streamed services at 8:30 a.m. each Sunday morning. Please click on the "red arrow" above, or OSLC Spearfish YouTube

LUNCH AT THE LIVING ROOM IS BACK ON!

On Thursdays at noon, every week (beginning Thursday, January 13) I'll be hosting Lunch at The Living Room, a time of study in God's Word, during which you can eat your lunch that you've brought with you. (if you think I'm cooking for you...think again) We'll meet at The Living Room, our Campus Ministry building on the corner of Jackson and Yale, and spend the noon hour taking a look at the appointed scriptures coming up in worship. The purpose is to think together about what God might be speaking to us, so we might speak "a word in due season" to one another.

We'd love to have you join us!

Pastor Stephan Sandness

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SPEARFISH COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY
Food Pantry needs for January: Ramen noodles, pork 'n beans, cereals, apple juice (64 oz), applesauce, hamburger-chicken-tuna helpers.

OSLC SPEARFISH

UPDATE 01/04/22

A song for the beginning of a New Year, from Psalm 103:

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me! Bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits - who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good things as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's!"

Looking back on the year just ended, we don't need to rehearse the catalog of destructive happenings that have blown through our nation over the last twelve months like a devastating wind. We've lived them, whether in natural disaster, political and social division, disease and death. Reminders, all, of just how fragile our world and our bodies are, and how tenuous are the social contracts that hold us together as a community.

However, as the Psalmist reminds us, we are not...nor have we ever been...abandoned by our Creator God!

Our unique role as Church in the midst of the winds is to point to and then embody the blessings of a God who loves this world and its people. We don't hide from the wind. We lash ourselves to one-another and anchor ourselves to the promises of a forgiving, sustaining God. We bless God by blessing one-another with our compassion...and by blessing our world with the care it deserves.

"Bless the Lord, O my soul."

May 2022 be a year of blessing for you!

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If you're worshipping with us on-line, we'd like to extend to you an invitation to participate in the sacrament of Holy Communion with us during our live-stream. Here's How:

Before the service, simply prepare elements for communion to have ready...perhaps some bread from the pantry, or some crackers, as well as a small amount of wine or grape juice poured into individual small glasses or cups. Have these set aside for when the service begins. When the words of institution are proclaimed over the bread and wine on the altar, know that those words and the promise they bear ("given and shed FOR YOU") are proclaimed and prayed over the elements in your home. If you are worshipping alone in your home, commune yourself with us. If there are two or more of you gathered in front of the screen, commune each other with the same words:"The body of Christ, given for you. The blood of Christ, shed for you." If there are young children with you, mark the sign of the cross on their foreheads and remind them that Jesus loves them and forgives them all of their sins. As you share the meal, be assured that you're sharing it with all of those physically gathered, as well as with others gathering with you on-line. We pray this opportunity will be a strength and comfort to you, as you receive Jesus' presence through the sacrament. This is one of the ways we live through rather than under this pandemic, by sharing food for the journey.

And so the journey continues. Pray for our kids, teachers and school support staff as they navigate these turbulent first days of a new school year. Pray for our front-line workers striving to keep us safe, and continue to live through by your faith in Jesus!

Pastor Stephan Sandness