Are You Ready for Life in
the Loop?
![LifeLoopSet1Serie[1].jpg](news20070905_files/image004.jpg)
For about the last ten years we’ve been
watching reality TV stars get voted off the island, the stage, the dance floor
and the board room. They have improved their voices, honed their skills,
learned to eat bugs and have lost countless pounds all in order to stay in the
competition for another week. Yet there comes a time at the end of each
episode when one unlucky contestant is voted off, fired, and sometimes shunned
and ridiculed before being removed from the game.
Humans naturally seek community and
connection. Seeing the fate of Reality TV stars week after week not only
plays on our hopes of “winning it big,” but maybe more so on our fears of being
ostracized and removed from the community. Jesus recognizes the power of
community and teaches us through parables and other lessons the importance of
connection and life together. In short, Jesus teaches us the power of
“life in the loop,” even as he redefines what the loop is.
We at Good Shepherd are preparing to launch
our fall ministries and recommit to our life together as a faith family. For
each of the next four weeks the theme of our worship will lift up the power of
community, staying in touch, connected and “in the loop.”
Here are some questions to ponder:
● What communities are you a part of?
● When is a time when you have felt cut
off from others?
● Who in your city, town, or congregation might feel cut off from
others?
Blessing of Teachers and
Guides
On Sunday, Sept. 9, we will have an
opportunity to pray a blessing over those individuals who have volunteered to
serve as Sunday School teachers and Confirmation guides. We thank the following Good Shepherd members
for their service. Teachers: Jackie Thompson, Linda Hanson, Sandy Koster, Jeff
Lamb, Shana Davick, Heather Willman, Sue Titus, Sara Ellerbusch, Anna Manges,
Kathy MacLaughlin, Kirstie Poppe, Molly Van Norman, Laurie Feijo, Juliane
Herder, Monica Aswegan, Vanessa King, Marcia Belau, Tom & Melissa Louks,
Jennifer Jacobson, Molly Schmidt, Rich Soli, Grant Christiansen, Paula Freitag,
Kim Adams, Beth Davidson, Eric Woodford, Maxine Sims, Judy Keeler, Steven
Christiansen, Jenny McHenry, Sue Trcka, Bitta Fynskov, Jim & Diane Johnson,
Eldon Anderson, Lori Gartner, Erik Mainz, Paul Mainz, Cory & Kristi Groves,
Brenda Berg, David Roe, Paul Trcka, Kent Bruinsma, Todd Ellerbusch, Jim &
Heather Fuelberth. Guides: Kristie
Anderson, Jackie Brown, Jenny McHenry, Sue Lee, Emily Jasperson, Becky
Bruinsma, Sheila Bennett, Sue Trcka, Tammera Bird, Paul Mainz, Jeff Brown, Dan
Johnson, Sheila McNeill.
This Week at Good Shepherd
Wednesday,
September 5
5:30pm Confirmation Orientation
7:00pm Joyful Noise Singers
Thursday, September 6
7:00am Morning Bible Study
9:30am Stay and Play
7:00pm Sisters in Faith
Saturday, September 8
8:00am Faith in Motion
5:30pm Worship
Sunday, September 9 – RALLY
DAY
8:00am Worship
9:15am Education Hour of
Power
10:30am Worship
5:00pm Annual GSC Pig-nic
Monday,
September 10
10:30am Staff Meeting
1:30pm Lutheran Woman Today Study
7:00pm Committee
Night
Deadline for Newsletter
Content
Beginning in October, Good Shepherd will be changing to a monthly newsletter format. The deadline for submissions to the October newsletter will be Monday, Sept. 17. In the future, submissions for the monthly newsletter will need to be in the office by the second week of the previous month. (For example, Oct. 12 will be the deadline for the November issue.) Please contact Mike in the church office with any questions you may have.
Vision Team FAQ:
JUST WHAT EXACTLY IS A CONGREGATIONAL VISION
STATEMENT ANYWAY?
The Vision Team will be crafting a statement
of Mission, Vision and a list of Good Shepherd’s Core Values. Last week
we discussed our understanding of a congregational Mission Statement.
This week we will look at the definition of a Vision Statement.
A vision is a motivational picture of a ministry’s goals seeking to
answer, “What will this ministry look like when we have accomplished our
mission?” The mission statement is philosophic in nature; the
vision statement is strategic in character.
The vision statement sets the mission in
motion, detailing how the ministry will impact the world.
In comparison to mission, vision is much more focused and
detailed. Vision is specific, customized, and unique to the context of a
given ministry.
Vision focuses on who we intend to be,
and our role in enabling such a future. The vision is strategic,
inspiring, exciting and challenging.
Next week we will look at how we understand a “Core Values List.”
These are exciting days for Good Shepherd! Throughout September the
Vision team will be available for conversation at all worship services.
Also – don’t forget to SAVE THE DATES – September 30 at 5pm and
October 14 at 5pm when we will have our congregational vision
dinners. These will be important times for us to gather and get a clearer
picture of the ministry God would have us do together. Finally, there is
indeed power in prayer. Please keep Good Shepherd and the Vision Team in prayer
throughout this process, for our shared ministry and Spirit-led future.
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.
Open Auditions for “The
Promise”
Open Auditions for The Promise of Rochester 2008 will be held on Monday, October 8
(6:00-9:00pm) and Tuesday, October 9 (6:00-9:00pm) in the Chapel at Bethel Lutheran
Church. Auditions will be for singing
and acting in The Promise, a musical
drama about the life of Jesus Christ.
You must contact Paul Mainz, the director, to set up a time on one of
the above dates for your audition at 507-951-1540 or paul@mainzpj.com.
Note: Those wishing to participate as a
member of the chorus need not audition, but should let the director know of
their interest.
Those auditioning will be asked to sing a
hymn (we will provide accompanist) and to read from The Promise script.
The
Promise will be performed at
Bethel Lutheran Church on Feb. 22, 23 & 24, and Feb. 29, March 1 and 2,
2008. Rehearsals will begin in December
2007.
RALLY DAY – Sunday,
September 9th
Mark your calendars and join us at Good Shepherd for Rally Day, Sunday, Sept. 9th. Worship at 8:00 and 10:30am will be led by “Small Fish,” a duo from Tampa Bay,
Florida. The 9:15am Education Hour of Power is a time for all ages to join us in
the Sanctuary as we begin the new year with action-packed music from Small
Fish. The fun continues with the Annual
GSC Pig-nic at 5:00pm. We are eating pig… playing games… listening
to music… and having a great time. It’s
fun on the hill, so be sure to join us.
Disaster Relief Help Wanted
I am asking for your help. The
Salvation Army is looking to hire case workers temporarily for Disaster Relief
in SE MN. We are looking for individuals that are looking for temp work for
about 6-8 weeks. We need case workers to do intake with affected families to
assess their situations and fill out paper work. They will be assessing what is
needed and helping with the paperwork. We will have three centers set up and
taking applications. They will be in Winona, Hokah, and Rushford. On site
training will be available. I believe this may be temp paid positions. So far
no degrees or specific skills required, but need to be compassionate and a good
listener. They will be working with individuals and families in crisis. Thank
you. Call Brad Erath, Social Service Caseworker for The Salvation Army of
Rochester with any questions at 507-288-3663
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, so be sure to join us.
Have you signed up?
Have you signed up yet for the Wednesday Night Kids (Age
4-Grade 6) Night Out. If not, call Cynthia
in the church office this week at 289-1748.
We will be starting on September 19th.
