Our Mission Statement:
We are a Gospel-centered community of people blessed by God to be a blessing to others.
Get involved!
Highlights of our upcoming events:
Items from our Fall Festival ar still available in the connecting link today.
-Come and select from a wide assortment of items, including jams, baked goods, candies, crafts, jewelry, greeting cards, books,
and all kinds of gifts.
There will be a Veterans Day Brunch on Sunday, November 11, in between services.
-We will have good food, special music, and a talk by Mary Benz, remembering her uncle, a World War II pilot.Come and join us!
Want to spotlight your event? Email the webmaster at popdsm@gmail.com and we'll put it here!
This month's letter from Pastor Roger Osbeck
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Each November our minds turn to giving thanks to God for all good things provided and the blessings found in our healthy relationships. We especially
offer gratitude for God's gift of salvation through the cross of Jesus. We know in our heart of hearts we need to give thanks to God each day for these, but it is still beneficial
to have a time set aside for this intentional holiday as a reminder. It helps keep our focus on those essentials our human nature might otherwise forget.
I have to admit, most Thanksgivings I get a little nostalgic about this time of year and root up memories from my youth. I recall the many meals my mother served with turkey, mashed
potatoes, hot rolls, and pumpkin pie. There were other things, of course, but as long as those staples were available, it was Thanksgiving.
Sometimes, for variety, she would add a side of spaghetti with her famous homemade sauce. Cooked from stratch, it would be simmering on the stove for hours
before it was ready to enjoy. My sister Nancy made a mean lemon meringue pie, which became her trademark dessert dish to share.
Football was always a part of our family Thanksgiving. My father was a big sports fan, so the TV was tuned to watch the NFL games played each holiday.
That is a trait I inherited from him. In my teems, it became a tradition to follow up the TV games (which were usually over by late atfernoon in
California) by going to our church playground for pick-up contests of touch football or basketball with some of the neighbor kids. We'd run off some of the calories from the
turkey feast and, at the same time, make room for more when dinnertime came. Good times!!
As wonderful as these memories are, the Thanksgivings celebrated in more recent years have proven far superior. Thanksgiving observances these days begin with worship
services held the night before. For the past 20 years or so, we have gathered with members of our neighboring Northeastern Des Moines ELCA churches for a joint celebration of Holy Communion.
We will be hosting the service this year on Wednesday, November 21, 7:00 p.m. Please plan on helping us provide hospitality for our guests.
Our recent Wednesday night Adult Class included an overview of some of the miracles of Jesus, led on video by Pr. Jessica LaGrone of Asbury Theological
Seminary in Kentucky. In the last of her sessions, Jessica spoke about the survivors of the "Miracle on the Hudson," the airline crash of US Airways
Flight 1549 out of New York on January 15, 2009. All 155 persons on board survived an emergency "landing" on the Hudson River thanks to the skills of pilot Chesley
"Sully" Sullenberger. Jessice pointed out that, on the anniversary of their survival, as many as are able gather together in celebration of their
rescue to give thanks. A "Reunion of the Rescued," she called it. Here, people who never knew each other before are bound togerher and now share a
story of salvation. Their lives were saved from drowning in the icy waters of the Hudson.
Jessica turned that annniversary gathering into a vivid image of our church gatherings. Whenever we come together, she observed, as members of the church,
we are a reunion of the rescued as well. Rescued from sin and death by Jesus' death and resurrection, we have beenn given the promise of
eternal life with God. Baptized into his name, we are bound together in faith to give thanks, always.
Peace to you. See you in church.
Pastor Roger
Outreach links:
Meals from the Heartland
Habitat for Humanity
Lutheran Services in Iowa
Lutheran World Relief
ELCA Malaria Campaign
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