LISTEN’s Holiday Basket Program

Posted on by Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

For many years OSLC has participated in the LISTEN Holiday Basket Program, previously called the Giving Tree.  The program began many years ago as an effort to make sure that our neighbors in the Upper Valley did not face the holidays without gifts for their children and enough grocery money to make a festive meal.  Last year alone LISTEN helped 486 people celebrate the holidays. Our congregation contributed to its success last year and we would like to do so again this year.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, LISTEN is once again requesting monetary contributions instead of specific purchased items. The donations will be used to provide families with gift cards for winter clothes for children and a grocery store gift card for food purchases.The needs of our Upper Valley neighbors have increased since the beginning of the pandemic. There are already families on the wait list for this program. The goal is to provide a $100 gift card for each child in a family so that the adult is able to purchase the children’s winter clothes, and a $50 grocery card per family. If there are enough funds, LISTEN will be able to serve some of those on the wait list too.Please help bring Christmas Joy to our neighbors in need:

  • You can donate online directly at www.listencs.org/donate. Enter the requested information and under “I wish to support:” select Holiday Baskets. List OSLC in the special note box.
  • You can write a check and send it to LISTEN Community Services at 60 Hanover Street, Lebanon, NH, 03766, and indicate in the memo field that this gift is for holiday baskets, OSLC.

Please consider making this donation ASAP so that LISTEN can have enough time to plan for and distribute the Holiday Baskets before the holiday season starts. Help bring joy to families in our community.

CROP Walk is Happening! Join us – Sunday, October 10, 2021!

Posted on by Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

Mark your calendars for the annual CROP WALK 2021!  This year we will meet on the Lebanon Green on Sunday, October 10 at 1 pm to walk together.  What does it take to be a CROP Walker or to pledge to support OSLC Walkers?  It takes a passion to make a difference and a willingness to invest time to walk!  Hungry people in developing countries typically walk as many as six miles a day to get food, water, and fuel, and to take their goods to market.  We walk to be in solidarity with their struggle for existence. We are not using paper signup sheets, but instead this link to sign up to walk and to donate:  
Please contact Wendy Manganiello or the church office if you have any questions.

Make a Kit, Change a Life! Kits of Care Collection, June 21-25, 2021

Posted on by Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

When natural disasters strike or when war drives families from their homes, our hearts ache with compassion, but we don’t know how to help. Making Kits of Care is a simple, fun, and tangible way to offer comfort to those suffering and express love to our neighbors in need.

Our Savior Lutheran Church will welcome a truck from Lutheran World Relief to collect Quilts and Kits of Care for worldwide distribution those in need.  Make a kit, or two, or more – each kit will make a difference!  This is an easy way for you and your friends to turn ordinary items into extraordinary gifts – a hands-on way to help someone in need.  Visit lwr.org/kits for kit assembly instructions and tips.  Note: Personal Care Kits are the item in highest need right now. 

Make arrangements to deliver your Kits of Care by contacting the church office at 603-643-3703.  Collection will take place the week of June 21-25, 2021.

Bread for the World Offering of Letters

Posted on by Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

As people of faith, we know that we are called to care for one another. We are called to speak out for all those in need, especially our children. What is critically needed now is our unified voice assuring that people receive the help they desperately need now. By participating in this year’s Bread for the World (BFW) Offering of Letters you will make a difference, not just to Bread for the World, but to those who experience hunger and poverty. 

Continue reading Bread for the World Offering of Letters

The Giving Tree

Posted on by Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

LISTEN’s Holiday Basket Program
In past years, our congregation has participated in LISTEN’s Holiday Basket Program by selecting tags from our Giving Tree and generously buying gifts for local families and seniors in need. This year the program is taking a different shape to further protect us all from the pandemic. Instead of going out and buying gifts, LISTEN is instead requesting monetary contributions. LISTEN has many families and seniors who have asked to receive holiday gifts this year – in fact, they have a waiting list of people that are hoping for help. They have committed to providing warm clothing and holiday food for 200 local individuals that have requested support. Each child will receive a $100 gift card for a local store to purchase clothing and each family (including seniors), will receive a $50 gift card for a local grocery store. 

Here is how OSLC can help bring Christmas Joy to our neighbors in need:

  • You can donate online directly at www.listencs.org/donate. This will go through PayPal and there will be a transaction fee. After donating online, please email Monica at holidaybasket@listencs.org and let her know that you made a donation and include a reference to OSLC.
  • You can write a check and send it to LISTEN Community Services at 60 Hanover Street in Lebanon, NH, 03766, and indicate in the memo field that this gift is for holiday baskets, OSLC.

Please consider making this donation ASAP so that LISTEN can have enough time to plan for and distribute the Holiday Baskets before the holiday season starts. Wouldn’t it be great if they receive so many donations that they are also able to bring joy to those in our community on the waiting list.

GOD’S WORK – OUR SOCIALLY-DISTANT HANDS, Sunday, September 13, 2020

Posted on by Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

Sunday, September 13, is an opportunity to celebrate who we are as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America – one Church, freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor. Our Savior Lutheran Church is no stranger to serving and loving our neighbors, not just on this special day of action but throughout the year.

Members of Our Savior Lutheran Church carry out Christ’s message to “feed the hungry” in a variety of ways: making monthly dinners for residents of Dismas House and Listen Community Services; assisting  Dartmouth College students in preparing weekly Friday community meals at our church; donating food to our local homeless shelter; participating in advocacy for Bread for the World as well as contributing financially to ELCA World Hunger, and many other actions.

Let’s take this opportunity and combine these two events as we engage in “God’s Work. Our Hands. Sunday” and “National Hunger Action Month” and prayerfully consider how we may make our commitment to take action in one (or more) of the following ways:

1)     Volunteer to help make one monthly dinner for Dismas House or Listen Community Services.

2)     Deliver a meal or groceries to a neighbor unable to go out.

3)     Write a letter to support the work of Bread for the World.

4)     Donate food items for the Upper Valley Haven Food Shelf

5)     Make a financial contribution to ELCA World Hunger

6)     Contact your congressional representatives to urge them to support legislation for food funding such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC  (the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for women, infants and children).

Prayerfully consider one of the above opportunities and take action. As church we are guided by our life in Christ to share the love of Jesus and serve our neighbors – even if such acts of service look different this year in the time of COVID-19. Thank you!