On the 2057 anniversary of Julius Caesar’s assassination and two weeks before the commemoration of Jesus’ execution, artists from a variety of religious and cultural backgrounds have been invited to take over the sanctuary of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church with art that explores who we kill today.

The opening reception 7pm, March 15th with light refreshments and live music by:
Spark and Echo
Spanish Flamenco Music by Silvio Solis
Kristen Leigh

RSVP for the reception on Facebook.

Art will be available for viewing:
Saturday (3/16) and Sunday (3/17) 1:30-4:30pm
Monday (3/18) – Wednesday (3/19) 3pm – 7pm

Featuring paintings, sculptures, installations, photography by:
Ventiko
Ari Dallas
Nicholas Burgess
Kyrstal Grant
Mikhail Poloskin
Students from El Puente
Students from Parsons
Christopher Rini
Roz Dimon
Harriet Faith
Marie Stile
Mark Hill
Ali Jacobs
Miguel A. Hernandez
And More!

OSA's Sunday School, with the help of family and friends, has raised $600 to purchase farm animals, seeds, and fish through the ELCA's Good Gifts catalog!

Congratulations and thank you to all!

Dear People of God

In December – which in our faith communities we call Advent – we prepare with joy (and sometimes with trepidation) to celebrate the Christ-Mass, the birth of Jesus.   We prepare in many ways:  some by heading to the stores to buy, buy and buy until exhausted; some by planning a trip home to family; some by bringing out the heirloom crèche and decorations; and some by quietly reflecting upon hopes for themselves, family, friends, and the world.

Amidst this preparation comes the Word of scripture that in a manner so common and yet so unique the Word of Hope, the Word of Joy, the Word of Family, the Word of Life has come and is even now in the world.  Jesus, born of Mary, discloses to the world that the Word has flesh and blood and through flesh and blood the world will know the depth and breadth of love.   The Word reveals to us and in us what we always have been and shows us how to live fully into our potential as children of God, born of God. God redeems what God takes on. Even more radical: what God takes on becomes part of God.

This Advent practice being a part of God:  in your frantic shopping smile at your fellow bargain hunters and cashiers; buy an extra gift for Toys 4 Tots or the food pantry at Emmaus House; when traveling home give everyone you know a greeting and hug of great warmth – they are family; when setting up that crèche,  whether heirloom or newly purchased, do so by bringing to mind what each piece represents; and when sitting quietly meditate upon how the Word brings life and meaning and joy and hope to your every moment. 

We are children of God.  God – truth, love, justice, mercy – comes alive through us!  May our Advent journey bless us as we gather on Sundays at 11:00 AM or Thursdays at 7:00 PM for worshipping our Lord.  Pausing in Advent to intentionally love God, we gain a deeper understanding of the majesty, mercy, and mystery of God. 

Pr. Bill 

As the year draws to a close the Church Council went on retreat to Koinonia Camp in Highland Lake NY.

Koinonia is a place to experience joy, peace, beauty, the richness of faith-filled community and a chance to discover life anew. Grounded in the Lutheran understanding of Christian faith, Koinonia is a center for spiritual renewal and leadership development, providing retreats, camps and conferences for families, youth, adults and church groups.

The council used the weekend to rest and recharge, pray and grow in spirituality and even test drive the new Adult Ed curriculum. 

Two days spent hiking in the woods, playing on the farm, eating in community and quietly reading scripture in our rooms allowed the council to gain a new understanding of our role in the church, our ministry as leaders and perhaps most importantly getting to know each other better.


Jenn Doerr ran the spiritual side of the retreat, leading us in song and study. Brent Ness directed our Adult Ed session and even managed to sneak some council business into the weekend. Rev. Bob Wollenburg led the Sunday Service at Koninonia which was well attended by the entire community at the retreat center.


The council thanks everyone for allowing us to recharge and have a great weekend.

The Swell Division of the organ at OSA is nearing completion.  This is the section which occupies the chamber upstairs to the left of the altar, more or less unseen from the sanctuary.  (The original OSA organ was entirely located in this space.)  Its expressive capacity is augmented by a series of shades, which the organist controls from the console.  Opening or closing these makes possible a dramatic range of dynamics from soft to loud.  Inside the chamber are two brand new windchests, one above the other, which support a large variety of colorful sounding pipes (770 to be exact) and rise to a total of about 25 feet.   Some are made from wood, and some from metal, and come from different sources, including the original Moller Organ of 1929. 

Each pipe has been meticulously worked on in the shop of Lawrence Trupiano in order to speak as well as possible and also blend with all of the pipework as a whole.  In addition, all of the wiring required between the playing console downstairs and the new chests upstairs is new, as is the solid state relay which (with a little help from the organist) makes the right notes play at the right time.  More joyful noise is coming soon to OSA!

A month spent in England would not be complete without a stop at the Lawless family compound.  I was in London to write, to experience the culture, the Olympics, and of course, a home cooked meal from Lois Ann.  My class and I were staying in London, so finding the time and the energy to take the 45 minute train ride to Banbury was hard, but well worth it. 

    Aboard the train I told them stories about Domingo Gordo, Christmas, and the amazing garden Lois Ann had built.  Cassie and Joanna, my travel mates, are Agnostic and Conservative Jewish History majors (respectively) – so I knew they would have plenty to talk to Barrie about.  We met them at the train station, the couple just as bright and warm as always, I no longer felt like a stranger in a foreign country.