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2023 Bread for the World Offering of Letters
Below is the text of a talk delivered by Paul Manganiello during worship on May 14, 2023. Visit bread.org/farmbill to start the BFW electronic letter which you can personalize. It is simple and quick. When you do contact your legislators, please let Paul Manganiello, Wendy Manganiello, or the church office know so that we can contact BFW’s Washington office.
Good morning! For our visitors and new members, my name is Paul Manganiello, I am a member of OSLC and am on the Social Ministry Committee. Welcome to our annual Bread for the World (BFW) Offering of letters! OSLC is a Covenant Church with BFW, an ecumenical advocacy movement founded by the New York City Lutheran pastor Art Simon in the 70’s.
In working for social justice, religious communities need to not only encourage personal acts of charity such as volunteering or financially supporting our non-profit charitable organizations but also work for justice to address the root causes which perpetuate generational poverty, such as the wealth gap; inadequate educational opportunities and job skills; unsafe “ghettoized” communities; etc.
BFW helps us to speak up and speak out to support those who suffer from systemic poverty.
Continue reading 2023 Bread for the World Offering of LettersSabbatical Spotlight – Meet the Rev. Derrick Fallon
While Pastor Kyle is on sabbatical this summer, our ministry as a congregation doesn’t stop! We would like to introduce you to our sabbatical pastor, Pastor Derrick Fallon. Pastor Fallon will be our primary pastoral leader on Sunday mornings and will have some availability during the week to attend to some of the congregation’s ministry needs.
Rev. Derrick Fallon is semi-retired, living in North Concord, VT. He is married to Pam, and they have two adult children, Colin and Ian, who are getting on with their life’s work in Omaha, NE and Chicago, IL, respectively. Derrick was born in Abington, PA and lived in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas until his father’s work afforded a relocation of the family to Dutchess County New York near Poughkeepsie. In 1976 the family moved again to Westford, MA where he finished high school and attended the University of Massachusetts. He graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics with a minor in Psychology. He worked at different locations throughout New England as a General Manager and Training Coordinator for a retail pharmacy chain until 2002, when he entered seminary at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg after discerning a call to ministry.
While attending seminary Derrick served as Associate Chaplain at the Gettysburg Hospital from 2003-2004, and then as Vicar at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Plainfield, PA from 2004-2005. He graduated from LTSG in 2005 with a Master of Divinity degree, was ordained into the ministry of Word and Sacrament and called to serve St. John’s Lutheran Church in Randolph, NE in 2006. While serving the congregation in Randolph he attended Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN and graduated in 2011 with a Doctor of Ministry degree in Biblical Preaching. In addition to his responsibilities at St. John’s, he accepted a call to serve as Ministry Coordinator for Nebraska Lutheran Campus Ministry at Wayne State College and was elected to serve as Dean of the Lewis and Clark Mission Cluster of the Nebraska Synod. He also served the Nebraska Synod as a retreat facilitator for people discerning a call to ministry.
In 2016 Derrick was called to serve St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in New Canaan, CT, where he also served as a part-time chaplain at Waveny Lifecare, ministering to Waveny patients, residents, staff, and families during the pandemic. In the fall of 2022 Derrick retired from full- time parish ministry and moved back home to North Concord, VT. He currently serves on the preaching rotations at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Montpelier, VT and West Burke United Methodist Church in West Burke, VT, and continues to serve on the Candidacy Committee of the New England Synod.
Among Derrick’s passions and interests are reading and writing. He has written for Augsburg Fortress’ devotional publications Christ in Our Home and The Word in Season. His writing has also been published in Word and World: Theology for Christian Ministry, as well as The Lutheran Digest. He also enjoys running, spending time with Pam, Colin, and Ian, and helping people connect with God’s grace, love, and light.
Let’s observe Holy Week – A Message from Elizabeth Eaton, Presiding Bishop, ELCA
We’ve entered Holy Week, and Bishop Eaton hopes and prays that we will not skip from the hosannas of Palm Sunday right to the hallelujahs of Easter Sunday. It’s important, as we travel through this week, to see not only incredible sacrifice and love that God has shown us in Jesus Christ, but all of the human condition that comes out during this week.
Amnesty International Write for Rights 2022
Write for Rights is Amnesty International’s largest annual Human Rights campaign, held throughout December to mark International Human Rights Day on December 10th. During this season of Advent and throughout the year, many people wait in despair and without hope, often unjustly imprisoned. These people are Prisoners of Conscience. Jesus was a Prisoner of Conscience as he so often spoke out for Human Rights. As people of God, we have an opportunity and a responsibility to be a voice for those who have no voice by writing letters on their behalf. Through the power of collective action, these letters convince government officials to free people unjustly imprisoned and to end other abuses. For the past 12 years, during the Advent Season, our Social Ministry Committee has sponsored a letter-writing campaign for members of the congregation to write letters on behalf of, and personally to prisoners of conscience. These are letters of mercy (solidarity to the individual) and justice (to government officials for the release of the person).
To those who picked up a packet, thank you! Wendy Manganiello will have more letter packets to share on Sunday, December 11. If you have questions or would like copies, please contact Wendy.
Thank you for taking your time during Advent to write and send these letters. They do make a difference!
Participate in a New Social Message on Climate Care
Social messages of the ELCA are topical documents adopted by the ELCA Church Council to focus attention and action on timely, pressing matters of social concern to the church and society. They are used to address pressing contemporary concerns in light of the prophetic and compassionate traditions of Scripture. Acting upon a request from several sources, in November 2021 the ELCA Church Council authorized the development of an ELCA social message on climate care. A draft of that statement has now been prepared and the ELCA, along with OSLC’s Creation Care Team, is inviting your feedback by December 2, 2022. You can find a draft of the social message and a survey to provide feedback here.
Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry 
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