As members of the body of Christ in this place and time, we are a welcoming congregation of people who gather to worship God, to share life together, to grow in love for each other and to be shaped by God’s Word, with the purpose of living out God’s love and being a sign of God’s loving and forgiving presence in our community and world. We hope you will join us!
Sunday, November 9, 2025 – Season of Thanksgiving: 22nd Sunday after Pentecost
10:00 am Worship
We welcome you to worship this Sunday!
This Sunday, Pr. Kristin-Luana is the presider and preacher because Pr. Olaf is presiding and preaching at Mt. Si Lutheran in North Bend.
Here is this week’s Sermon News:
Image Credit: Adamo Tadolini, St. Paul Statue in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, 1838, Vatican.
Acts 9:1-19, From Saul to Paul
The most important figure of early Christianity is the Apostle Paul. “He is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel,” we read in Acts 9.15. Paul is the one who opens the church to non-Jews. Without him, Christianity might still be a sect of Judaism, and the Western World might have continued to worship Jupiter.
As Lutherans, we owe Paul some core insights of Reformation theology. In his letter to the Romans 3:19-28, Paul tells us that justification does not come by works, but by faith and that there is no hierarchy of holiness between people, “since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We are all sinners and saints at the same time and are saved by the free gift of God’s grace alone. Grace is the great equalizer among us.
Come this Sunday at 10 AM to Our Savior Lutheran Church, 745 Front St. S, Issaquah and on YouTube and learn more about this influential Christian saint!
– Prs. Kristin-Luana and Olaf
Click the “Worship With Us Live” logo above to worship online with us, and click the buttons below to view the bulletin and the hymns and follow along.
Worshipping online? Let us know!
If you regularly worship with us here on YouTube on Sundays, please let Cynthia know at office@oslcissaquah.org or 425-392-4169.
Gift Card Collection for Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank Holiday Gifts on Sunday, November 9
On Sunday, November 9, the Community Outreach Committee will be collecting $25.00 gift cards for the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank Holiday Gifts. See the message below from the Food Bank:
“Through your financial donations of gift cards, the holidays are brighter for children and families facing financial hardship. Your donation makes it possible to provide $75 in gift cards for each child in a family, which can bring a child’s specific wish to life and give parents or guardians the joy of selecting the perfect gift for each of their children. For gift card donations, we ask that cards be in $25 increments and from the retailers our shoppers use most: Amazon, Fred Meyer, and Target. Thank you!”
There will be a table in the Narthex with a sign and box to collect the gift cards for the Food Bank. If you cannot get out to shop for gift cards, donations of cash will be used to purchase gift cards for the Food Bank. The Food Bank needs the gift cards by November 14 so they can distribute them to their clients in time for them to do their shopping. If you have any questions, contact Cheryl L. at cheryl.a.leiter@gmail.com.
November’s Monthly Melody
The choir will sing Come and Hear as November’s Monthly Melody. We have one final practice dates on Sunday, November 9 from 11:10 a.m.-noon in the sanctuary (following worship). On Sunday, November 16, Come and Hear will be sung during Offering. This is a great chance for you to work with other church members for a few practices and then sing in church with the choir. Come spend a few weeks with a fun and welcoming group.
Emergency Preparedness Presentation – Sunday, November 16
During Coffee & Fellowship Hour on Sunday, November 16, Cheryl L. will share some tips about how best to prepare for an emergency. Don’t miss it!
Community Game Night – Sunday, November 16 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
On Sunday, November 16 from 5:00-7:00 p.m., there will be a Community Game Night at Mt. Si Lutheran Church in North Bend. Enjoy a fun night of board games, card games, and refreshments! Sponsored by Eastside Lutheran Fellowship (elfpnw.org).
Visioning Events Continue on November 23
Visioning means discerning what God calls us to do or to be at this point in time and at the place where we find ourselves. We are having three different visioning events, each with a different focus:
- Sunday, October 12 – examined the ideas that have been considered in the past, and asked us to discern if we believe the Spirit calls us to reconsider one or more of these ideas.
- Sunday, October 19 – discuss becoming a Reconciling in Christ church, which is a public expression in which ELCA churches signal their openness to and their affirmation of LGBTQ+ people.
- Sunday, November 23 – discuss the Life of Faith initiative, a grassroots initiative emerging among members, congregations, and synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to encourage all congregation members, from children to adults, to claim their to ministry in daily life.
For more information about these visioning events, read all about them in the Mid-October Newsletter available via the button below.
Devotion “Bless This Night” – Sunday, November 30 starting at 5:00 pm
On the first Sunday in Advent, Sunday, November 30, OSLC will host the devotion “Bless this Night”, a contemporary Holden Evening Prayer. This devotion was written by Pr. Mark from St. Luke Lutheran Church in Bellevue and 3 other people, and all of them will be present at this event, and St. Luke’s pianist will be the accompanist.
At 5:00 pm, there will be a preview session with the writers. Worship will start at 6:00 pm, followed by treats and fellowship at 6:30 pm.
Sponsored by the Eastside Lutheran Church Community.
Thank You for Filling the BIG Coffee Pot on Sunday, November 2!
Sunday, November 2 was the 5th of 12 in-gatherings for the coffee pot. We received $672 for Espresso Your Faith. THANK YOU for your generosity! The next ingathering for our Abundance Budget will be on Sunday, December 7.
Living Lutheran Back in Print!
The well-loved Lutheran magazine Living Lutheran is back in print! There will be four issues a year: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. There is still time to subscribe before the winter issue! It will be packed with engaging stories and moving seasonal reflections in time for Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, and Ash Wednesday. Group subscriptions of 10 or more copies are just $17 annually. Let Cynthia know by Nov. 6 if you are interested in a group subscription. Happy reading!–Pr. Kristin-Luana
Searching for the Historical Jesus Video Series – Thursdays at noon and 7:00 pm
The Great Courses’ Searching for the Historical Jesus Video Series runs through Thursday, January 22. We meet at 12 PM in person and 7 PM on Zoom, and all sessions are 1 hour long. It’s presented by Jean-Pierre Isbouts, DLitt (on video), and facilitated by Pr. Olaf at OSLC. Every session features a 20-25 minute video segment followed by a time for questions and discussion led by Pr. Olaf.
This 15-part series explores the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth within the historical, cultural, and political context of first-century Judea. Rather than focusing solely on theology, Dr. Isbouts examines the “rabbi from Galilee” as a historical figure whose teachings and actions sparked the world’s largest religion. Filmed on location in Israel and Jordan, the course draws on archaeology, the Gospels, Josephus, and recent scholarship to illuminate Jesus’s world—Galilee’s poverty, Roman exploitation, and the diversity of Jewish thought.
For a detailed outline of the series, click the button below.
Before our sessions, please download the book via the left button below. There are also color copies of the book available in the office (and at the next in-person meeting). If you didn’t get a printed copy of the questions, download the questions via the right button below. Also, take a look at the chapter in the book prior to the upcoming session.
Knitting Group Returns on Mondays in November
Mondays, November 10, 17, & 24, 4:00-6:00 p.m., Narthex
Do you like to knit? Would you like to learn? You’re invited to bring your yarn and needles and gather on the couches and chairs of the Narthex for knitting and companionship. Like last year, it should be a cozy, hygge time! Knitters will create colorful covers for some of the tree trunks along Front Street South (to prepare for the Winter Art Activation).
Pastors’ Schedules
Pr. Kristin-Luana will be on vacation from Tuesday, November 11-Thursday, November 20 visiting her daughter in Canada. Pr. Olaf will be here at OSLC.
Youth Events
- Synod-wide Spring Elementary Retreat
March 2026 TBD (likely March 13-14), Elementary-age children, Camp Lutherwood, Bellingham
- May Youth Weekend at Holden Village
May 2026 TBD (14-17 or 22-24), Current 8-12 grade youth
For any questions, email Doug Johnson (Director of Youth and Family Ministries, Saint Andrew’s Lutheran Church & Sammamish Hills Lutheran Church) at doug@salc.church or doug@shlc.org.
Summer Mission Trip—Lantern Hill, Mexico
June 26-July 2, 2026, Cost: $700 per person plus airfare and other accommodations (additional hotels, shuttles, etc.); Who can come: All ages, an intergenerational mission trip!
This is not your normal mission trip. You, as a participant, will be part of the leadership and planning of this trip, using your gifts and talents to help shape what we do over the course of our time with the wonderful people of Lantern Hill. The main goal of this trip is to learn and grow in relationship with the people of Lantern Hill, not to come and “fix” their problems. During the course of the trip, you could help to prep a meal in the kitchen, tutor a student, play games or soccer with the kids, help build, or whatever you and our team decides in partnership with the people of Lantern Hill! While you are there you will experience the people, the community, the food, and the hospitality of the Lantern Hill Community. If you want to know more, you are invited to join an informational Zoom Meeting on October 7 at 6:30 p.m.
For any questions, including the Zoom link for the informational meeting, email Doug Johnson at doug@salc.church or doug@shlc.org.
Sunday, November 9
10:00 a.m. Worship (Sanctuary and online) and Gift Card Collection
11:00 a.m. Coffee and Fellowship Hour (Anderson Hall)
11:15 a.m. Monthly Melody Rehearsal (Sanctuary)
Monday, November 10
3:00 p.m. Companions Bible Study (Online)
4:00 p.m. Knitting Group (Narthex)
Tuesday, November 11—Veterans Day
1:00 p.m. Community Meal Prep (Kitchen)
Wednesday, November 12
10:30 a.m. Stephen Minister Training Course (Education Room)
Thursday, November 13
9:30 a.m. Mission Quilters (Anderson Hall)
12:00 p.m. Searching for the Historical Jesus Video Series (Anderson Hall)
7:00 p.m. Searching for the Historical Jesus Video Series (Online)
Sunday, November 16
10:00 a.m. Worship (Sanctuary and online)
11:00 a.m. Coffee and Fellowship Hour and Emergency Preparedness Presentation (Anderson Hall)
5:00 p.m. Community Game Night (Mt. Si Lutheran Church in North Bend)
For emergency pastoral care, please contact Pr. Olaf Baumann at 360-912-1830 or Pr.O@oslcissaquah.org, or Pr. Kristin-Luana Baumann at 360-912-1245 or Pr.KL@oslcissaquah.org.