Pastor Truog graduated from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis in 1983 with a Master’s of Divinity and a Sacred Theology Masters.  He served at Hope Lutheran in Aurora, Illinois from 1983-1987.  His next church was Cross Lutheran in Yorkville, Illinois where he served from 1987-2011.  In 2011 he accepted the Call to Christ Our Savior Lutheran in Loudon, Tennessee.

   “My greatest joy in ministry is seeing the “light bulb” go on for someone when the Holy Spirit enables them to grasp the free gift of God’s grace for salvation.  At Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church we have an opportunity to nurture and share this gift of God with people from all over the country who have chosen to retire in East Tennessee as well as with those who have had the privilege of living here all their lives.  We are a congregation that stands squarely on the Bible as the very Word of God.  We are known for our friendliness and our desire to serve our community.  We welcome you to get to know us and to discover a place to worship, a place to learn, and a place to serve with your Christian brothers and sisters at Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church.”

Pastor's Message

“I Can Do It Myself!”

Have you heard that before? From your three-year-old? From your spouse recovering from surgery? From your teenager? From your aging parent?

It’s called INDEPENDENCE. Independence can be a very good thing. We are celebrating independence this month – and for good reason. But independence, and the stubbornness and self-reliance that goes along with it, can be a problem for us as well.

One place that we do not want to declare our independence is in our relationship with God (although we often do just that). Whether we acknowledge it or not, we are, and we should be, totally dependent on God. When it comes to spiritual things and things that last beyond this life here on earth, “I can do it myself!” is not an appropriate response. We can’t do it ourselves, and we never will be able to. This is ultimately true of the material things of our life here on earth as well.

Thanks be to God that we CAN depend on Him. He is faithful. He is a solid foundation. He is unchanging.

As you celebrate our country’s independence, why not spend some time celebrating your total DEPENDENCE on God, thanking and praising him for his dependability and his amazing love demonstrated through His Son, Jesus?

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (NIV)

Pastor Brian                                                 

  Pastor Rhoads graduated from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis  with a Master’s of Divinity degree in 2008. He has served as Associate Pastor at Christ Our Savior since his graduation. Before entering the seminary, he served as a Director of Christian Education at LCMS churches in Florida, Alabama, and Texas.

  Pastor Rhoads enjoys teaching the faith and providing opportunities for people to live out their faith in daily life. “My greatest joy in ministry is helping people grow in their knowledge and appreciation of the grace of God as revealed in the Bible.” In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family and hiking the many trails in our area.

Pastor's Message

We Are August People

Congratulations! Of course, you might not welcome the title “August people.” I admit that my first thoughts of “August” were not too stellar either. “August” brought to mind the most difficult days of summer. By August, the heat and humidity have gotten the best of us and we spend more time inside than out. By August, we are exhausted from vacations and trips to visit family members. By August, we are ready to take a break from each other and actually look forward to the return of school.

However, despite my initial reaction, being august people is truly something to celebrate. According to Webster's dictionary, august means “marked by majestic dignity or grandeur.” That's us! We have been marked with the majestic dignity of the King of Kings. In Baptism, God made us princes and princesses, heirs to His kingdom. In Holy Communion, we receive the very body and blood of King Jesus into our body and bloodstream. We really are August people.

The epistle readings from Ephesians 4-5 this month celebrates this Biblical truth. On the first Sunday, August 4, we can see ourselves as royalty because we are members of the Body of Christ, the Church. On August 11, we are reminded that we are created after the likeness of God. This enables us to live as light in the Lord, according to the epistle for August 18. The month ends on August 25 with the source of our “august nature”, Jesus, having cleansed us by the washing of water with the Word.

Life is difficult. Satan, the world and our own sinful nature tend to drag us down and make us feel defeated. The message of the cross and the empty tomb assure us that we are more than victors- we are August people! I hope and pray you will join me in these celebrations of our gracious God as we live this month, and every month, as the August people He has made us to be.

Pastor Mark

Here’s an interesting comparison by Rev. Dr. James Baneck of the LCMS that might answer that question. The lambs and sheep our Savior sent Peter to feed and tend were not the wooly kind residing on a beautiful hillside. There are, however, rich parallels between shepherding sheep and shepherding God's people.

James Rebanks watches over real four-legged sheep in the United Kingdom. He writes about the parallels in his article, “Are You Hard Enough to Survive as a Shepherd?”
"The romance wears off after a few weeks, believe me, and you will be left standing cold and lonely on a mountain. It is all about endurance. Digging in. Holding on. You will also need to be emotionally. tough … Carrion crows hang over our lambing fields waiting to steal the eyes out of anything sick or dead that cannot resist … You’ll need the patience of a saint, too, because sheep test you to the limit with a million ways to escape, ail, or die … It requires a body of knowledge and skills that shepherds devote decades to learning."

How this applies to our pastors! There is nothing romantic about being a pastor; it is hard work and often lonely. It demands an endurance that comes only from God. Like carrion crows, Satan seeks to devour God’s people. The pastor stands guard. protecting and feeding God’s sheep with Christ in the preached Word and blessed Sacraments. The formation of men for the Holy Ministry begins at Baptism. And while pastoral formation is intensified during seminary, “it requires a body of knowledge and skills that [pastors] devote decades to learning."

Pastors are to be clothed with the humility of Christ, “who humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8). Pastors must be equipped to lead Gods people to the waters of Holy Baptism, where God gives new birth to sinners and opens the kingdom of heaven for them. Pastors are formed to be stewards of the mysteries of God. Pastors feed God’s sheep the Word of God in preaching and teaching and with the body and blood of our Lord at His table. Pastors listen, love and seek the lost.

Looking at all that a Pastor does, how is he prepared for this role at the Seminars’? Can you help with this preparation? Could you sponsor a seminarian? Could you help COS in their sponsoring of eight seminary students? Please help with your gift! ‘For more information, contact John W. Smith. God bless your help.