A Place to Worship, to learn and to serve
Christ Our Savior Lutheran
Church is a warm caring fellowship of Faith. Our congregation, which has grown
to over 300, strives to communicate God's awesome gift of love to our ever
changing world. We are a collection of natives of East Tennessee and
transplants from other parts of the country who now call
Our Beginnings:
• 1996 A group of people, led by the Holy Spirit sought to plant a new Lutheran Church in East Tennessee.
• 1997 We worshipped in a store front while purchasing 7 acres on Highway 72 and Wade Road.
• 1998 A building committee was established as Rev. Bob Torgler served as worship leader.
• 1999 Dedicated members paid for the property
• 2000 In May the construction of the new worship facility was begun.
• 2001 The first worship Service in the new church was held on January 7th. On August 26th our first permanent pastor, Rev. Jim Kirk, was installed.
• 2009 The church membership has now grown to over 300. We have added a Christian Ministry Center that will expand our worship and fellowship facilities.
Who we are:
• We are a people who share a common faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
• We are natives of East Tennessee and transplants from other parts of the country.
• We live in Blount, Loudon, Knox, Monroe, and Roane counties.
• We worship with different styles in order to meet people's needs
• We are a growing church with over 200 in worship on a regular basis
Flu Shots
With all of the concern about getting a vaccine for COVID 19 the regular flu season seems to be taking a back seat, but it’s that time of year! It’s time to get infected with a disease so that your body can learn to fight it off. The whole concept of putting a disease into your body in order to protect yourself from that disease is a bit confusing, but that’s how a vaccine works.
That’s also how our salvation works, but we needed someone to step in and take the vaccine for us. Sin had totally destroyed our immune system. We could not protect ourselves from sin-sickness, even if we wanted to. Jesus, God’s Son, took our sin on Himself so that we could receive immunity. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
You might choose not to get a flu shot or a COVID immunization, but please do not miss out on the immunization from sin that God offers you through faith in His Son, Jesus. Through His sacrifice we can become “the righteousness of God,” and do the good works God has prepared in advance for us rather than living our lives in sin-sickness. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
This concept of immunization from sin through Christ could also be called “reformation.” As we get ready to celebrate The Reformation at the end of October, I want to share with you part of last year’s newsletter article:
It is important for us to remember the Reformation that took place in the 1500s, but let’s not forget God’s reforming work that takes place every day in our lives. God “reforms” us as we daily confess our sins and are assured of forgiveness through the merits and righteousness of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. God “reforms” us as we daily remember our baptismal identity as a child of God by grace through faith. God “reforms” us when we receive the very body and blood of Christ in, with, and under the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper. God “reforms” us as we daily study His Word and pray for reformation of our hearts and minds. God “reforms” us as we intentionally go through a process of examination of our lives through the lens of God’s Holy Word.
So, I wish you a happy Reformation! Not just on October 31st, but every day as you live out the new life you have by grace through faith in your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2
Here’s to staying healthy!
Pastor Brian Truog
Pastor's Message
It’s Rally Time!
“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD!’” (Ps 122:1)
September was always a happy and exciting time in the church of my childhood. On “Rally Day”, we moved up to new classrooms and new materials. Other ministries would also experience new energy and excitement following the summer slump. Sometimes, a new ministry would begin in September which would bring new joy and excitement to the entire church. Can the Holy Spirit rally the Church this September, like He did in the past?
I have read numerous articles bemoaning the state of the Church during this pandemic. Attendance at worship ser-vices has dropped significantly across denominations and across America. Some people have stopped attending due to health and safety concerns. Others have simply found it more convenient to stay at home and watch worship on a screen. They have fallen out of the habit of going to the house of the Lord on Sunday morning. The faith relationship, like so many other relationships in this day and time, has become highly individualized. This is NOT what God intended for His Church. The God who exists in community as Father, Son and Holy Spirit has called us into community with Him and other people.
In his book, “Life Together” Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us that Christian community is not an ideal that we strive for but rather a divine reality (p.26). At our baptism, the name of the Triune God was placed on us. We became not only a child of God, but also a member of the Christian Church on earth. God has placed us into community. The question remains, how will we live in this community?
This is a challenge for the Christian community. While we are all “in this together”, we are told to remain socially distant. The good news is that God is never distant from us. He remains in our hearts and in our midst. You can celebrate your “communion” with God and His church anytime and any-where by reading the Scriptures which God inspired and singing the hymns of the Church. You can connect with your brothers and sisters in Christ through the formal prayers of the Psalter, the Lord’s Prayer, and intercessory prayer. You can use your God-given gifts and talents in service to the Church. Perhaps you will be led to start a home-based Bible study for 4-6 people or invite a few friends over to worship online together. Maybe the Holy Spirit will inspire you to celebrate community in a brand new way!
Our congregational President, Chuck Anderson, has written a wonderful article in this newsletter describing some of the exciting things happening in our church. He also suggests several ways you can be actively connected to our community. If you want to become more closely connected, but aren’t sure how, talk to your pastors. We would be delighted to help you find a place to serve! Our desire is to help you celebrate your life with God and His church so you can say with the Psalmist, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘let us go to the house of the Lord!’”
In His service and yours,
Pastor Mark R. Rhoads
What Does a Pastor Do?
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.
