April 2025
Details Matter
Pastor Schopp
38 And [Jesus] said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave Him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and He took it and ate before them. (Luke 24:38-43)
I have always liked this passage of Luke for one detail: Jesus eating the broiled fish. That may sound strange, but this is the exact kind of detail that a detective would look for in a story from an eyewitness. It is one thing to say you saw a man who was missing. It is oddly specific to say you saw a man who is supposed to be dead teleport into a locked room and eat some broiled fish. Those are the kind of details that ring true.
We are approaching Holy Week and the Resurrection of our Lord and the world is about to do what it does every year under the influence of the devil: Attack the Christian faith in general and the resurrection of Jesus in particular. Pay attention to the specials on TV, to the articles in magazines and on the internet proclaiming “new evidence”, to the pronouncements from professors and historians and “experts”. There are no corresponding attacks upon Islam or Buddhism or neo-paganism. Why are millions of dollars of media production and months of work spent attacking this one religion?
Because Christianity has the details that matter… and that makes the unbelieving world nervous. Not because they are atheists. Few people are true atheists (
a-theo means “without god”). Most people are just like the Hebrews after they settled in the Promised Land: They absorb bits and pieces of the religions around them and so they worship many gods. They believe a little bit of Hinduism (karma), a little bit of Buddhism (escaping attachments) and of course a big heaping bowl of old-fashioned fertility cult (you can fill in the blanks). But if you dig deep enough, they all have the same religion: They worship the god in their mirror.
But we Christians do not. We worship the God who created the universe. We worship the God who took up human flesh in order to redeem us from sin. We worship the God who bore the most shameful of deaths to give us the status of kings, sons and daughters of the Living God. We worship the God who rose from the grave, opening immortality to all who trust in Him. The world does not like that message. There are too many details to deny, so instead they attack. But for us, the details bring comfort. Jesus really
did rise from the grave, eat food and touch His disciples. Because He loved them, just as He loves you. He wanted you to know that, here in South Dakota, two thousand years later. So Jesus ate that broiled fish for you.
Holy Week Schedule
Palm Sunday is April 13
th, with regular service times. At Our Savior, the Sunday School children will sing at the opening of the service, and have the 3
rd grade Bible presentation.
Maundy Thursday – April 17
th at St. John’s in Columbia. A light supper, pie, and coffee will be served starting at 5:30 pm, followed by a service with Holy Communion at 6:30 pm. The van will go to St. John’s if anyone wants a ride (call the church office 605-225-7106 or Eric Johnson 605-216-6701).
Good Friday – April 18
th at Our Savior at 6:30 pm.
Holy Saturday – Our Savior will host the circuit Easter Vigil service with Holy Communion on April 19
th at 7:00 pm.
Easter –We will have Divine Service with Communion at our regular times: 8:15 am at St. John’s, and 10:45 am at Our Savior. The youth group will serve breakfast at Our Savior starting at 9:30 am. There will be no Sunday School or Bible Class.
Do You Know a Christian Couple Interested in Adoption?
Lutheran Family Service is looking for additional families to be part of our Newborn Infant Adoption Program. We welcome Christian couples of all backgrounds and ethnicities who feel called to adopt.
Eligibility Requirements:
• Must be a male/female married couple for at least three years
• Must reside in Iowa, North/Central Illinois, Eastern South Dakota, or
Eastern Nebraska
• Must be active in a Christian congregation
• Adoption program is fee-based
For over 120 years, Lutheran Family Service has been creating families through adoption, providing Christcentered, ethical, and compassionate adoption services. As a Recognized Service Organization (RSO) of the LCMS Church, we follow all LCMS biblical principles and offer free unplanned pregnancy counseling for birth mothers. Learn more at
LutheranFamilyService.org/adoption-services
Our Savior April Birthdays
1 Linda Rauscher 16 Aurian Tschappat
3 Kinsley Christianson 18 Phyllis Lassanske
4 Peggy Dennert 20 Muriel Pigors
4 Leroy Krage 20 Tom Siebert
8 Ethan Andreasen 22 Dawn Neussendorfer
8 Levi Haar 23 Justin Scepaniak
8 Mitchell Nehlich 25 Kierra Navurskis
9 Maralyn Hoops 27 Mark Wendt
14 Cheryl Pietz 28 Tevin Johnson
16 Dorothy Maas 28 Charlotte Scepaniak
Anniversaries
3 Nairn & Joyce Hermansen
11 Paul & Jody Haar
17 Vernon & Anna Korab
24 Dale & Joelle Thone
30 Charles & Morgan Angerhofer
Our Savior Meetings in April
LWML – Mon Apr 7th at 3:30 pm
Board of Elders – Thur Apr 10th at 5:15 pm
Church Council – Thur Apr 10th at 6:30 pm
Voters’ Meeting – Sun Apr 13th at 9:30 am
Nursery Circle – Sun Apr 13th at 12:00 pm
The Quarterly Voter’s Meeting at Our Savior will be Sunday, April 13
th at 9:30 am. Please attend to help conduct the business of the church.
The Church Council will meet Thursday, April 10
th at 6:30 pm to prepare for the voters’ meeting.
Elders for April – Douglas Klipfel & Glen Rausch
Acolyte Schedule:
April 6 – Dalton Lee & Ella Brick
April 13 – Tristan Tschappat & Grace Rausch
April 20 – Tucker Brick & Cashlyn Angerhofer
April 27 – Teigan McKown & Caleb Siebert
Portals of Prayer for April through June are available in the narthex.
Circuit Youth Retreat – Saturday, April 5th from 9am-3:30pm. Located at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Aberdeen, SD. Please register before by calling 605-225-1847. Join us for learning, games, and fun! Confirmation students will study the Office of the Keys, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. High Schoolers will take a closer look at some parables. All sections are led by pastors in the circuit! Games, services, and a meal will also occur throughout the day. See you there!
The Senior Potluck will be Tuesday, April 8
th at noon. Join us for good food and fellowship!
Saturday Bible Study – There will be no Saturday Bible study in April; we will resume in May.
Teacher Recognition at Our Savior will be Sunday, April 27
th. There will be a potluck after the service, followed by Bingo and other games. All are welcome! Enjoy the afternoon with your church family. Hosted by the Board of Education.
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 will be in the Sunday bulletins soon. 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 Lutheran Witness – LW magazine provides great information, instruction, and encouragement from our confessional Lutheran perspective. It also contains an insert with our own SD District news. Pick up your monthly copy in the narthex!
Set Apart to Serve – LCMS Church Work Recruitment
Where do we get pastors who preach and care for us with God’s Word? Where do we get teachers who teach our children about Jesus in our Lutheran schools? Where do we get our directors of Christian education, deaconesses and directors of parish music? Set Apart to Serve (SAS) is partnering with our seminaries, Concordia universities, districts and others to build a Synod-wide culture of church work formation and recruitment. Will you please take a brief online survey at
lcms.org/set-apart-to-serve-survey and let us know how we can make SAS more beneficial to your congregation? We want to hear what you have to say.
The more responses we receive, the better equipped we can be to raise up pastors and church workers for generations to come.
We would appreciate receiving responses by April 12. All responses are anonymous and confidential. Thank you so much for your time and support.
In Christ,
Rev. Dr. James A. Baneck
Executive Director
LCMS Office of Pastoral Education
“Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matt. 9:38).
Job Opening – St. Paul's Lutheran in Aberdeen has a job opening for Administrator/Secretary. The position requires word processing skills, some light accounting skills, answering phones and working with folks who visit church. There are administrator duties that involve ordering various supplies for the church as well as assisting the trustees in scheduling repairs to the facility. The position could be full time or part time depending on the needs of the applicant. Pay is negotiable. If you are interested please call the church at 605-225-1847 and request an application and interview.
St. John’s Columbia
April Birthdays
2 Desa Larson
6 Eric Hermans
9 Tanner Podoll
10 Easton Larson
18 Jason Podoll
21 William Wolter
22 Jessica Podoll
24 Joann Saunders
26 Cole Kampa
27 David Yeske
29 Katie Moser
St. John’s Usher List
April 6 Dean & Lorie Ringgenberg
April 13 Roger & Sharon Zastrow
April 20 Tony & Amanda Bisbee
April 27 Brent & Barb Miller
LCMS Stewardship Ministry – Luke 4:8 – “And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written ...’” Isn’t it interesting that Jesus does not defeat Satan with His power as God, but rather by His perfect obedience in His perfect humanity? Jesus defeats Satan not by miracles, but by quoting the Scriptures and living according to it. This should cause us great joy for two reasons. First, because we see Jesus win the victory for us. Second, because here Jesus shows us how to stand in that victory: on the Word of God alone. Let us build our lives on the sure rock of this Word!
Building Healthy Families: Ever written down and kept track of your prayers? In a prayer journal, a simple notebook or on slips of paper in a mason jar – by yourself or with your family - write out your prayer requests. Then a month, a year, or a decade from now, look back at them and reflect on the many ways God has answered your prayers. When you are faced with new trials, it is helpful to look back on God’s faithfulness during trials of the past and know He is with you today and will be in the future. Go forth with confidence, trusting His word:
“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” 1 John 5:14-15 Lutheran Family Service www.LutheranFamilyService.org
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 April Calendar.
