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
From Light to Darkness
The Church Year calendar moves us from the “light” of Epiphany into the “darkness” of Lent. During Epiphany, we focus on the Light of the World shining into the darkness of sin to overcome it for all people. During Lent we focus on the burden of darkness that Jesus took on as He carried our sins to the cross. Then we will celebrate the triumph of the Light on Easter.
This reflects the rhythm of our life as a child of God. God’s Light shines on us through His Word and points out the darkness of sin that is in us. Through the gift of faith, we are led to repentance and receive the forgiveness Jesus won for us on the cross.
Beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 26th, we will focus our Wednesday night worship on the theme “Fix Your Eyes on Jesus.” When the people of the Passion narrative look at Jesus, what do they see? What do we see?
The Sunday theme during Lent will be: “The Path,” a study in Proverbs. God provides us with the Wisdom we need for our Lenten journey in the book of Proverbs.
We hope you will take advantage of all of our worship opportunities during the season of Lent to lead us through that daily cycle of Christian life …turning away from our sin and turning toward Christ for His mercy and forgiveness. This is also a good opportunity to invite a friend, neighbor or family member to join you on this Lenten journey. Our faith and our life are built on the victory of the Resurrection of Jesus. Our Lenten journey will help us appreciate the magnitude of that victory which Jesus freely shares with us.
Pastor Brian Truog
Pastor's Message
CELEBRATE THE SPIRIT!
“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25
The Holy Spirit has been referred to as the “forgotten” Person of the Trinity. We can relate to God the Father because we have all had a father. We see His work of creation all around us. We can relate to God the Son because He is truly one of us. He is flesh and blood and has been tempted in every way we are tempted, yet without sin. The Holy Spirit is harder to understand. He is like the wind. He goes wherever He pleases, doing the will of God, without ever being seen.
During this time of social distancing and isolation, the Holy Spirit has become much more apparent to me. Because I can’t see you as much as I would like, I rely on the Spiritual bond we share as church family. We come together in “spirit and in truth” through our web casts and e-mails. Like the “wind” of the Holy Spirit, I may not be able to see you, but I can see what the Holy Spirit is doing in and through you as we talk on the phone, share e-mails, and occasionally meet together face to face. I also continue to hear great reports of how you are caring for and being cared for by our family of faith.
We will celebrate Pentecost Sunday on May 31. In the Old Testament, Pentecost, or the Festival of Weeks as it was known, was a harvest festival—a time to “bring in the sheaves” and praise God for his bountiful mercy. It was one of three festivals that Jews were encouraged to celebrate in Jerusalem. You can read more about it in Deuteronomy 16:9-17. In the New Testament, Pentecost became a festival of spiritual harvest. While Jews were celebrating this harvest festival, the Holy Spirit came upon the people of God in a mighty way. In the midst of various signs, He created saving faith in about 3000 people. You can read more about this Pentecost festival in Acts 2.
At the time I am writing this, I don’t know if we will be able to gather together for worship on Pentecost. But I do know that every day is a day to celebrate the work of the Holy Spirit in our life and church. As Martin Luther says in his small catechism, “The Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the one true faith. In this Christian Church he daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true.”
Until that great and glorious Day, since you live by the Holy Spirit, let each day be your personal Pentecost as you celebrate the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit and keep in step with Him in every area of your life.
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.
