May 2025
Christians Stand Apart
Pastor Schopp
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. (Acts 2:42-45)
The early Church stood apart from the pagan world around it not just in their worship, but in how they lived out their lives. There were implications to “
the apostles’ teaching” that manifested in new priorities and goals. They taught against abortion and infanticide (yes, those existed in the ancient world). They rejected the sexual immorality seen in temple prostitution and orgies, both of which were common in their society. They condemned the bloody gladiatorial games and other violent amusements of the Roman world, because they were not
of the world anymore. They belonged to Jesus.
So they devoted themselves to worship and study of God’s Word (
to the breaking of bread and the prayers) and they gave generously for the support of their own congregation and pastors as well as the support of others. They no longer hoarded their wealth and did not seek out vain pleasures to the exclusion of their neighbor. Many sold off property and gave it to the congregation, so that they could continue to honor God through their lives. They recognized the blessings they had received from God, most importantly the forgiveness of sins in Christ Jesus. If the Triune God blesses us continually in this way, we should likewise use the blessings of God to serve others.
Both of our congregations are
far below where they should be in terms of giving. We are not yet in a crisis, but it should never come to that. As Christians freed from the law, we are not bound to the requirement to give 10% as the Hebrews were. We have the freedom, like the earliest Christians, to give
far more because we have
received far more than the Hebrews. The Messiah came and died for us and we have been adopted as sons and daughters of God through the blood of Jesus. Our lives should reflect this. We should give generously and without fear of
not having enough. Our love for our neighbor isn’t just in words, but in deed and in truth. Our commitment to the Gospel isn’t just internal, but external as well.
The famous Christian writer C.S. Lewis had this to say about giving: “
I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc, is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little.” Giving generously is a mark of faith in God. He has taken care of us, body and soul, and we trust He will continue to do so. After all, He promised to.
Service Time Survey
On January 9, 2025, the Dual Parish Council met to discuss the possibility of changing services times at both congregations. The current worship schedule, 8:15 am at St. John’s and 10:45am at Our Savior’s, does not allow for pastor-led Bible Study at both locations each Sunday. Currently, Bible Study alternates each week between the locations. My goal is to have maximum attendance at Bible Study each Sunday, as this is when most people are at church.
In the February newsletter, several options were laid out. This gave people time to think about them and discuss them. On Sunday, March 16, survey sheets were distributed at both locations. I was careful to explain to both congregations that this was a SURVEY and not a vote. These were collected over the next ten days. (NOTE: 5 additional surveys were returned after the Dual Parish Meeting on 3/27. The preferences for Our Savior were unchanged.) The results are summarized below.
| Total Surveys Returned |
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Our Savior 34 (includes late surveys) |
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St. John's 14 |
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| Our Savior's Preferences |
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St. John's Preferences |
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Option D |
Most favored |
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Option A |
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Option C |
 |
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Option B |
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Option A |
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Option D |
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Option B |
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Option C |
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These results are almost polar opposites. St. John's preferred option (A) is to shift their start time by 15 minutes to 8:00am. Our Savior's preferred option (D) is to shift earlier to 10:00am, which is only possible if St. John's does NOT have Bible Study on Sunday morning. The 2
nd, 3
rd, and 4
th options all conflict with each other.
My hope was that weekly Bible Study at both congregations would be possible, but that is not desired by St. John's at this time. Our Savior is okay with weekly Bible Study, but only if they have the earlier service. That is also not possible at this time. Therefore, I made the recommendation to the Dual Parish Council to change the service time at St. John's to 8:00am and continue with the every-other-week Bible Study at both. This will give me slightly more time at each location.
The Dual Parish Council approved this change at the meeting on March 27, 2025. The effective date for the change of service time at St. John’s (8:00am) will be Sunday, June 1. Thank you for providing your input.
Pastor Schopp
OUR SAVIOR MAY BIRTHDAYS
3 Ian McHenry 22 Abby Rausch
3 Caiden Siebert 23 Cherise Johnson
3 Doris Vilhauer 25 Teigan McKown
7 Brayden Schopp 25 Raymond Pomplun
9 David Johnson (Cherise) 26 David Hopfinger
10 Vicky Baumgartner 26 Briella Klipfel
10 Amanda Dahme 29 Chelsea Fryer
12 Anita Small 30 Tucker Brick
13 Eric Johnson 31 Charlotte Bohling
14 Ella Brick 31 Leroy Fryer
22 Troy McKown
ANNIVERSARIES
15 Fred & Linda Rauscher
16 Mark & Kathy Wendt
27 Terry & Anita Small
Our Savior Meetings in May
LWML – Mon May 5
th at 3:30 pm
Board of Elders – Thur May 8
th at 5:15 pm
Church Council – Thur May 8
th at 6:30 pm
Board of Ed. & VBS Staff – Sun May 18
th at 12:00 pm
Nursery Circle will not meet in May due to Mother’s Day being on the second Sunday. They will meet instead on June 8
th at 12:00 pm.
Elders for May – Russell Brandt & Brandon Christianson
Acolyte Schedule:
May 4 – Rhyan Johnson & Cassie McKown
May 11 – Dalton Lee & Tristan Tschappat
May 18 – Ella Brick & Grace Rausch
May 25 – Cashlyn Angerhofer & Caleb Siebert
Grocery Receipts – It’s time to turn in your grocery receipts from Ken’s and Kessler’s! We can only use receipts from the current school year: Sept. 2024 – May 2025. Place them in the container in the narthex.
Are you missing a jacket? Or did you bring a visitor to church who might be missing a jacket? Please check the coatrack in the fellowship hall at Our Savior.
The Rite of Confirmation at Our Savior will take place during the Divine Service on Sunday, May 4
th. Our Confirmands this year are Dalton Lee, Teigan McKown, and Tristan Tschappat.
Graduate Recognition at Our Savior will take place during the service on Sunday, May 11
th. Congratulations to Riley Aman, Amara Klipfel, Brayden Schopp, and Caiden Siebert!
Sunday School – May 11
th will be the last day of Sunday School until fall.
Vacation Bible School is set for June 1 – 5, 2025. The theme is “Epic Australian Adventure.” Life is an adventure, filled with wonderful things to see, do, learn, and explore! But as we trek through life, we know we will also encounter troubles and dangers along the way. Jesus is our Savior and faithful guide, who shows us the right way to go and guides us on the path of truth that leads to eternal life.
Hours are from 6:00 to 8:30 pm, with time for a sack lunch from 5:30 to 6:00.
Registration forms are available by the library. Friends, neighbors, and relatives are welcome also!
The Board of Education needs teachers and helpers in all areas. There will be a sign-up sheet in the library area soon. Please consider your talents and how you can help serve.
The Senior Potluck will be Tuesday, May 8
th at noon. Join us for good food and fellowship! We will not have a senior potluck in June, July, or August.
Man Up! St. Paul’s Men’s Club is inviting men of any age from Our Savior and St. John’s to join them Tuesday, May 13
th at 6:00 pm to get together and go over chapter 2 of the book
Man Up! by Rev. Jeffrey Hemmer. Supper will be provided. To RSVP, please let Bob Rausch know if you’ll be attending. His number is 605-380-9720.
Church League Softball – Our Savior and St. John’s will put together a softball team this year. If you are interested, contact Eric Johnson 605-216-6701.
Coffee & Confessions is Tuesday mornings at 6:30 am. We continue to look at the Lutheran Confessions from the Book of Concord. All are welcome!
Wednesdays – Through May, there will be a short midweek service at Our Savior on Wednesdays at 6:00 pm, followed by Bible Study at 6:30 pm. Then Wednesday activities will be on hiatus for this summer, and will resume in September.
Saturday Bible Study – 9:00-11:00 am at Our Savior
May 10 – Judge Not. Everyone knows that Jesus commands His followers to “judge not,” lest they be judged. But what does he mean? There are many ideas floating around about judging. Serious Christians are often called judgmental for saying that this or that behavior is sinful. Is there a right kind of judging as well as a wrong kind?
Job Opening –
The Lighthouse Preschool is hiring for the 2025/26 school year! We are looking to fill part-time positions in our aftercare program 3:15-5:30 M-F, and also on Wednesdays from 8-3:15 (could be afternoon only if necessary). Positions can be combined. Must be able to begin working in August. Please contact the preschool at 605-725-1855 or talk to Jenelle Siebert for more information.
Happy Birthday! The family of retired Pastor Terry Naasz would like to honor him with a card shower for his 75
th birthday on May 12
th. Cards can be sent to him at the following address:
Pastor Terry Naasz, 8425 Kings Road # 7756, Rapid City, SD 57702
Large Print Bulletins are now available in the narthex if you need one.
Picture Directories – The directories have arrived! Everyone who was photographed or submitted a photo will receive a directory. (There are some extras also.) They will be handed out after services, or you can pick one up in the church office, or talk to Cherise Johnson.
Annual Reports for 2024 are available in the narthex at both churches. More will be printed if they run out. These reports include membership changes, a list of officers, financial reports, and more. The Our Savior report also includes an updated list of funeral groups.
Pastor Schopp will be on vacation May 13-22. If you need pastoral care during this time, please call Pastor Ludwig at 509-540-9083.
Happy Mother's Day!
St. John’s - Columbia
MAY BIRTHDAYS
2 Dean Ringgenberg 20 Roger Zastrow
3 Heather Neubauer 23 Karl Eichler
4 Irelande Podoll 25 Larae (Tootie) Podoll
13 Joshua Larson 25 Leroy (Butch) Podoll
13 Payton Podoll 28 Collin Eichler
17 Bryton Larson
ANNIVERSARIES
14 Scott & Carla Meints
23 Mark & Joleen Christianson
31 Tony & Amanda Bisbee
St. John’s Usher List
May 4 Lyle & Cathi Podoll
11 Josh & Desa Larson
18 Mike & Molly Ringgenberg
25 John Bisbee & Lucas Daggett
Just a reminder as you begin to place flowers at the grave sites at St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery for Memorial Day:
Artificial or real flowers are permitted, but planting of any kind is not allowed.
Flowers may remain until Oct. 1
st, and will be removed if not picked up.
Also, any wilted live flowers or dispersed artificial flowers will be discarded.
Our Savior Lutheran Church
624 North Jay Street – Aberdeen, SD 57401
St. John’s Lutheran Church
23 North James Street – Columbia, SD 57433
Phone 605-225-7106, Email
oursaviorlutheran@nvc.net
www.oursaviorlutheranchurchaberdeen.com
Rev. Chad Schopp – Cell # 605-380-2545
Email: cschopp@protonmail.com
Rev. Alan Ludwig – Cell # 509-540-9083
Email: lutheranprof@gmail.com
Secretary’s office hours: Mon-Fri 9:00am – 2:00 pm
Click on the calendar tab on the website to see the May Calendar.
