Wow – What a Celebration!
24 September 2025
Wow!
What a fantastic Golden Celebration of 50 years of Christian ministry for Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church this past Sunday!
- Music from different decades, including a commissioned choir anthem written and arranged by Bill Pasch.
- A “cold open” ala Saturday Night Live from 4 of our 5 pastors over 50 years.
- Kids of all ages leading the prayers.
- Organs, bells, voices of all ages, brass, and praise band.
- Congratulatory greetings from the ELCA’s Pesiding Bishop Liz Eaton, Southeastern Synod Bishop Kevin Strickland, and Pastor Jonathan Trapp (representing our 20+ intern pastors), and Sarah Juhasz (representing all those who found strength at COS but have moved to new parts of the country).
- A sermon celebrating how God connects COS’ ministry relevantly from 1975’s culture to today.
- 30 minutes of pre-service music and 15-minutes of postlude.
Many have asked for a chance to re-watch the SNL-inspired cold open. HERE IT IS.
To toggle to the sermon, your favorite hymn, or watch the whole service, click HERE.
Did you get a chance to sign the “re-charter” that will be framed and hung? Today’s COS worshipers of 2025 can affirm the language used by our bold congregational founders. The next two Sundays, we have two final opportunities for everyone to add their signatures; please do!
Huge kudos and thanks to Carol Jensen Linton and her 50th Anniversary Committee. They organized mini-celebrations all year long. But this Sunday was the blow-out, with time capsule revelations, Graceflock CD give-aways, memory books, and re-charter signing. Not to mention the delicious celebratory feast with 70 dozen home-made cookies!
Special thanks to Larry Peterson and Brad Milburn for all the extra work required to arrange our sanctuary, electronics, service, and logistics for the big day. We could go on and on, offering gratitude to those who wrote, designed, ushered, prepared, greeted, and scheduled for this celebration—reminding us of all the hard workers sharing time and talents over 50 years in love and loyalty to Jesus and his agenda for the world.
What was a favorite moment for you in the service? (Hit “reply” and let me know).
One for me came as we concluded communion. Most everyone was seated and we were singing the hymn, “One Bread, One Body.” I choked up scanning the congregation in our beautifully refreshed sanctuary—young and old, different political backgrounds, charter members with brand new visitors, families coming off incredible pain and joy alike. But there we were, singing with one strong and unified voice: “One bread, one body, one Lord of all; one cup of blessing which we bless, and we, though many throughout the earth, we are one body in this one Lord.” Powerful! In today’s world that often feels divisive, how healing to remember the main promises and pulses of this amazing life the Lord offers. Each day, let us continue to follow Jesus as Christ, Our Shepherd.
Congratulations and thanks to all of you who have made these last 50 years so special and our future so promising!
In Christ’s hope,
Pastor Fritz
There is more fun to come this year as we continue to celebrate with our annual Oktoberfest!
There is more fun to come this year as we continue to celebrate with our annual Oktoberfest!The Palmetto Road Family Oktoberfest is taking place on Saturday, October 18th, from 4-7 pm. If you’ve never been to one of these fantastic events think outdoor music festival, old fashioned picnic on the grounds, small night market and Oktoberfest. There will be a kid zone, hotdogs and sauerkraut, arts and crafts, beer and wine and live music all afternoon long.
We hope you’ll come out to our Palmetto Road campus with your entire family for a fabulous time outdoors with your COS friends! We certainly hope you’ll bring other friends along as we enjoy each other and God’s gorgeous creation through this celebration.