August 22, 2007
Vision Team Update: A Congregations working,
playing, talking and praying… together.
Remember the
Congregational Conversations last Winter/Spring? What an excellent time
that was for the people of Good Shepherd to gather, get to know one another and
begin to dream about our shared ministry. The Vision Team grew out of
those conversations and has been meeting, studying and praying throughout the
summer as to where God might be leading us. We recently talked about the
many wonderful ideas and themes raised at those conversations with the main
themes being: Small Groups, Worship, Diversity, Youth, Invitation &
Welcome, Service & Justice, Education, Young Adults, Environmentalism,
Caring, Ministry, Multi-generational Ministry, Church Communications, Ministry
Ideas, and Gifts Based Ministry. Specific ideas will
be dealt with further down the road. The main task of the vision process
is to look at these themes and discern – What does this tell us about
what we value? What does this tell us about where God’s Spirit is at work
in our congregation? Where are we passionate about loving our neighbor
and serving God?
The next step is for Good
Shepherd to reconvene as a congregation, to pray, study, talk, listen and
discern these questions as we seek to faithfully follow Christ. There
will be two congregational events this fall, and everyone is invited and
encouraged to attend. The first will be Sunday,
September 30 at 5pm and the second will be Sunday, October
14 at 5pm. SAVE THE DATES (Nursery Service will
be provided!). Together as the GSC community we will share a meal and
have small and large group conversations about who Jesus is and where the
Spirit is at work in our congregation. This is a large family gathering,
your participation is important! We’ll see you there.
In addition to these
congregational events, the Vision Team will be sharing “Ah Ha!” moments in
worship throughout September, reflecting on their study and prayer during the
summer. They will also be available for informal conversations after each
service. In upcoming weeks, we will also introduce answers to these
questions in the newsletter: What is a Church Mission Statement? What is
a Church Vision Statement? What are Congregational Core Values?
We are on an exciting journey together. Remember to keep the
ministry of Good Shepherd Church in prayer, that we might faithfully follow the
Spirit.
In
Christ,
The Good Shepherd Vision Team
Pastor Dave, Jeff Brown, Kelly Curtis, Alex Dearborn, Paula Freitag,
Dave Herder, Jenny Jaeger, Jenny Kruse, Pam Peterson, George Price, Heather
Willman
This Week at Good Shepherd
Wednesday,
August 22
7:00pm Sunday School Teacher’s Meeting (FH)
Thursday, August 23
7:00pm Sisters in Faith
Saturday, August 25
8:00am Faith in Motion
5:30pm Worship
Sunday, August 26
8:00am Outdoor Worship
9:30am Indoor Worship
11:00am
Reception for Mark Hannan (FH)
Monday, August 27
10:30am Staff Meeting
7:00pm Council Meeting
Tuesday, August 28
7:30am Men’s Coffee
9:30am Stay and Play
Wednesday,
August 29
7:00pm 3-Year Orientation (Room M)
Mark Hannan’s Farewell
Party!
Come to the big party! It will take
place after the 9:30am
worship service on August 26. A program will begin at 11:00am, where members can share their memories with
Mark, followed by a meal. Join Good Shepherd, as we eat, say thanks and
farewell to Mark, and celebrate his ministry here at Good Shepherd. We’ll
see you there! Also, volunteers are still being sought to help with
serving & clean-up. A sign-up sheet
can be found in the narthex, or you may call Ellen Herder at 289-5723.
9th Grade Summer Mentoring
Remember
that your Summer Mentor packets are available in the GSC office or online at www.gscyouth.com for both Faith Mentors and
9th Graders. Our advice:
start getting together now so that you won’t be rushed to finish by the
September 15th due date.
Some
Familiar Faces at GEV
If you spend any time down at Good Earth Village this summer you might just recognize a few
faces. Eric Howe is working as a
counselor for the whole summer and both Erik Mainz and Emily Howe will be
spending time down there as Staff-In-Training as part of the three week SIT
program.
“No Expense”
Fundraising
Scrip is a term that
means “substitute money”. In recent
years many non-profits have stopped selling candy, magazines, and frozen pizza
and have begun working through Scrip Programs.
Scrip is “no expense” fundraising because the program requires neither
the church nor the members pay any additional money. The donations are made entirely by
businesses. What the church does is
simply to pre-pay for anything they might purchase at these local
businesses. This allows the business know
that the members organization it is supporting is also customers.
So, if you were going
to purchase a $200 stereo system from Best Buy instead of paying $200 to the
cashier at the store you would purchase a $200 scrip card (like a debit card)
through church. This is what you would
give the cashier at Best Buy. You still
pay the same amount but the church makes a fair percentage (varies with each
store). Want to be a part of our Scrip
fundraising planning? Talk with Mark or
Pastor Dave or come to our meeting on Sunday, August 5th at 6pm here at the church.
Wednesday Night Music
Leadership
Good Shepherd Church is looking for an individual to provide
music leadership for Age 4-Grade 1 on Wednesdays from 5:30-6:30pm, beginning Wednesday, September 19. A small stipend is provided. Please contact the church office for a
description of the responsibilities included in this position by September 1.
We Need Your Help, and Your
Address
In October, Good
Shepherd will be moving to a monthly newsletter format. In addition to the monthly newsletter, a weekly email Happynings will be sent each Friday with
details, news and updates for the coming week. If you would like to
receive this weekly email, simply supply the church office with your email
address at:
gscsecretary@goodshepherdchurch.net.
Those
who do not receive email can pick up a hard copy at worship each weekend.
Come Polish the New
Handbells
Join us at 6:30pm on Tuesday, September 4th to get a look at
the new handbells and to help polish them up for the start of the new
season. No experience is necessary.
Annual GSC PIG-NIC!
Time is fast approaching for the Annual Good Shepherd Church Pig-nic. Once
again, we will be featuring great food, fantastic music and fun games for all
ages. The GSC pig-nic will be held on
Rally Day, Sunday, September 9th, beginning at 5:00pm. We do need
your help to make this event a success, so please sign up on the volunteer
sheet provided in the Narthex.
The Covenant Players are
Coming. Can You be a Food Host?
The Covenant Players are a traveling drama
troupe of young adults, and they are coming to Good Shepherd! This group
has traveled all over the country, and will be staying at GSC over Labor Day
weekend where they will help lead all three worship services. They
will stay in the church building Friday Night through Sunday. We are
looking for hosts to provide the following meals: Friday dinner, Saturday
breakfast, lunch and dinner, Sunday breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you
are able to help, please contact the church office. Thanks for your
support!
3rd Annual MMCF 5K Walk/Run
for the Cure
Please join us on Saturday, September
8th for this 3rd annual event to raise money for blood cancer research.
The 5K (3.2 mile) Walk/Run starts and
finishes at Essex Park, and follows Rochester's trail system. All registrants will be available for prizes
drawn during the walk portion of the event. Food and beverages will be
available to all.
On-line registration available now at www.active.com
keyword "MMCF". Mail in registration forms available at www.mmcf.org.
Remember: Worship Times are
Changing
On Sunday, September 9 Good Shepherd Church will be changing its school year
Worship times to 8:00 am and 10:30 am. The early service will remain at its summer start
time of 8:00 a.m., and the late service will now begin at 10:30
a.m.
No changes are being made to the Saturday night service start time. It is
our hope that this small 15-minute change will provide a more welcoming time
for Worship to begin for guests and visitors who attend GSC each Sunday.
Sunday School will be adjusted accordingly, and will take place from 9:15 – 10:15 am.
Don’t think of this as having to get up just a few minutes earlier, think of
this as an opportunity to reach out and invite someone to GSC with you!
This Week’s Readings
Isaiah 58:9b-14; Hebrews 12:18-29; Luke 13:10-17
Blessing of the Backpacks –
Sept. 1 & 2
On
Saturday, Sept. 1 and Sunday, Sept. 2, students of all ages are invited to
bring their backpacks to worship to receive a special blessing before the new
school year begins!
GEV Quilt Auction
Rescheduled
Due to the floods
in Southeastern
Minnesota, Good Earth Village postponed Sunday’s Quilt Auction. The auction has been rescheduled for Sunday,
September 23. For more information,
visit Good Earth Village online at www.GoodEarthVillage.org
Running Start for School
Sometimes what matters most is being
ready. Right now what matters most are
the following:
● Backpacks
● 10 Ten-Packs of Red Pens
● 10 pack of Crayola washable markers
● Zipper binders
Please bring your
donation to Good Shepherd by Sunday, Aug. 26.
The Running Start program is low on the items listed above. Low income families greatly appreciate your
donation.
Questions?
Contact Paula Freitag at 282-9600.
Needed This Fall
Confirmation Guides (Wed. evenings), Senior
High Adult Sunday School Facilitators, Adults to lead Sunday morning ongoing
Bible related class. Please consider
these opportunities to share your faith with others! Call Cynthia McLaren at 289-1748 for more
information.
3-Year Old “Get Acquainted”
Party
Children who will be three years old by September
1 and are attending Sunday School for the first time this fall, are invited to
bring their parents to a “get acquainted” party on Wednesday, August 29 at 6:30pm, here at GSC. Please call the church office at 289-1748 if
you have questions.
Thanks To Our New
Advertisers
Jeff Tallman, a representative from Liturgical Publications, our
new publisher of the Happynings newsletter, has been with us this week
contacting prospective advertisers for the back cover of the new format. As you know, it is our advertisers that will
make our new full color format possible.
We thank all of those who have sponsored ads. However, more advertisers are needed. Anyone who needs to follow up with Jeff or
who might be interested in placing an ad in the Happynings is advised that
there is still time to contact Jeff at 1-800-678-4574
(ext. 208) or jtallman@4LPi.com. He
will be happy to answer any questions or help you place your ad. Thanks again to all who sponsored ads. Look for our new format and our generous advertisers
in October.
Healing the Health Provider
Personal renewal for the health-care provider will be the topic of a
conference October 6-7 in Lanesboro at Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center. The
Self-Discovery and Renewal conference presenters include:
● Former Post Bulletin cartoonist Ed Fischer
● Fischer’s spouse, Lavonne Fischer, who will present “The Voice Within:
Art and Intuition in Self Care and Health Care.
● Registered nurse Donis Boss of Lake City will teach how practices of Kabbalah can
help bring equanimity into daily life.
● Kileen Smith, a licensed social worker employed by Mayo Clinic, will
present “Rosen Movement as a Means of Inner Vitality.”
For more information, or to register, e-mail philmarhaze@att.net. Reservations are required by August 30th.
God bless your year!
August 23 Janica Balash, Jordan Gifford, Maddie Woodford
August 24 Ann
Craighead, Kelly Curtis, Robert Laures, Amanda Miller, Jacob Sperry, Owen Van
Norman
August 25 Justin
Aldrich
August 26 Paula
Freitag, Roger Marquardt, Ken Sabatke
August 27 Tammera
Bird
August 28 Katie
Caflisch, Jade Einertson, Jim Johnson, Judy Wasser
August 29 Cindy
Tomashek
+ For all the members of GSLC, especially:
Marilyn and Norman Pankow, Chris Persinger, Mark and Linda Persson (Jeremy,
Danielle).
+ For all congregations in the
Southeastern Minnesota Synod, including: Chatfield Lutheran in Chatfield,
Stordahl Lutheran in Zumbrota, Trinity Lutheran in Owatonna, and Mankato State
University Campus Ministry.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
559 20th Street SW
Rochester, Minnesota 55902
Phone: (507)
289-1748
Office hours: 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Monday – Friday
E-mail info: gscsecretary@goodshepherdchurch.net
Worship Services (with Holy Communion)
Saturday 5:30 p.m.;
Sunday 8:00
& 9:30 a.m.
Staff
Dave Berg, Lead Pastor
Jack Friedli, Pastoral Assistant
Cynthia McLaren, Education & Music Director
Mark Hannan, Youth Director
Mike Thilges. Office Administrator
Vicky Mulvihill, Volunteer
Coordinator
Ellen Herder, Roger
Harty - Custodians
Happynings Newsletter: deadline,
Mondays by 4:30pm
Mike Thilges gscsecretary@goodshepherdchurch.net
Web site www.goodshepherdchurch.net
Paul Willemssen, Admin
(willemssen@charter.net)