WORSHIP
Worship With Us Online! Join us now in worship online!
Connect with us on Sundays for an encouraging Word from God and a time of worship. Are you ready to worship together?
Please use the following links below to connect online to the Sunday Church Service:
Facebook click here: Facebook
YouTube click here: Youtube
Lingering with the Lord
Do you need some time away from the busyness of life? On the 4th Wednesday of the month come join us at GSLC to linger with the Lord followed by a time of prayer. Enjoy the chance to come together in singing and praying, while also getting a moment to spend with the Lord in prayer by yourself. There will be “stations” to help you focus on open different parts of our life if you need that, you can stay in your pew and pray, or you can just walk around the Sanctuary if that is what helps you enter some prayerful space for the Lord. Come join us Wednesday, June 26 at 7:00 pm in the Sanctuary. All are welcome to join us!
5th Sunday Carry-in Lunch
Please join us in the Fellowship Hall for our 5th Sunday carry-in lunch on June 30 immediately after service. All are welcome. Call Eileen Hunter with questions at 937-654-5588.
OUTREACH AND SERVICES
Food Pantry News
Our JUNE food was delivered to four local food pantries and two mini-pantries – totaling 200 food items. Thank you for remembering the families who are served by the food pantries in our community. As you make your food purchases, consider adding a few items for these families. It will be a wonderful way to help those around us. It is very helpful to avoid donations of food in glass containers so that nothing can be broken. If you would like to volunteer on a Thursday at the Feeding Friends Pantry on Bigger Road near the former Victoria’s Secret Building, go to https://signup.com/go/FjrnKGb
Helping Hands
Helping Hands is taking time off for the summer months of July and August. The next official date will be September 1st. Our Property and Facilities Commission will have a recurring “Helping Hands Service Initiative” to help maintain and keep our church grounds and facilities in optimal shape as we strive to make it an inviting place. We will have a monthly event on the third Saturday from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM to work on timely projects and seasonal tasks. If you have some time to lend a hand in a rewarding and beneficial way, please come join in the fun. Chris, Del, Wayne, and John will have a list of inside and outside projects along with the necessary supplies and tools on hand to make this time a productive, beneficial, and rewarding service opportunity for our church. Additionally, if you have ideas or recommendations on areas to improve, please send them to the Office Manager at office@goodshepherdkettering.com or to one of the commissioners. Thank you.
Jeremiah’s Letter – July 21
The mission of Jeremiah’s Letter is to bring congregations together from the greater Dayton community so that together they can enhance the daily lives of individuals and families of the inner-city who find themselves in need. To help support the works of Jeremiah’s Letter, Good Shepherd will be collecting bath and bedroom linens, personal hygiene products, canned foods and cleaning/laundry supplies.
ReNew Day Camp
Thank you to everyone who contributed in some way to our day camp this past week, 6/24-28. You responded to our request with a LOT of toilet paper rolls, which the youth used to make seed planters. We received enough gently used blankets to make three double layer blankets for the homeless this winter. We had 13 volunteers ranging in age from 15 to 91. and we worked with 21 total campers, learning about how God plants seeds of plants and of faith. This could not have happened without your support.
Gathering 24 News
Rowan Linch is attending the Lutheran National Youth Gathering in July 2024. She travels by bus with 30 other youth from Epiphany Lutheran and other churches to New Orleans for a week. They are camping in churches and sightseeing along the way. All participants are raising funds with Epiphany Lutheran. We are asking for your support for this faith journey. The National Youth Gatherings have been important to youth faith formation at Good Shepherd for over 60 years.
How Good Shepherd can help:
· Put her and all participants in your prayers.
· Help by attending fundraising events at Epiphany Lutheran Church in Centerville.
· Ask how her events and the group-building activities are going.
Are you a member and want to serve at GSLC?
Well becoming a Commissioner is a great way to be involved in the day to day ministries at Good Shepherd. We are looking for several commissioners to take over on October 1, 2023. Specifically, we are looking for a Finance and Administration Commissioner, a Parish Life & Response Commissioner, and a Worship & Celebration Commissioner. If you have any questions about these positions feel free to talk with Pr Jamie, Roger Bauser, or the current commissioner serving in that position. This is a great way to get involved as GSLC continues to carry out its mission to the community and the world.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Lifelong Learning
YOUTH SUNDAY SCHOOL
Regular educational sessions for our youth will resume in the fall.
SUNDAY MORNING ADULT BIBLE STUDY
Sunday morning studies will resume July 21st.
Transition into the summer schedule joining this study on GRACE!
Topic: Up & Down: Where Grace Takes You
Facilitator: Roger Bauser
Time: 8:50 am – 9:50 am
Place: Comfort of your own home – connect and discuss with others online!
Come explore the possibilities of GRACE! We talk about grace, how do we live in grace? God offers grace, can we accept that generosity? God extends grace to all, do we? Luther’s life was transformed by his understanding of God’s immeasurable grace which led to the reformation. How can God’s GRACE reform us?
If you are interested in viewing the online videos that accompany this course, contact Roger Bauser at rebauser@me.com
THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY for Men
Thursday morning studies will resume in mid-July.
The Men’s Bible Study is ONLINE on Thursday mornings at 9:00 a.m. Bring your own coffee along with your BIBLE. The focus is on the Lectionary’s Gospel Lesson for the upcoming weekend. Come join the discussion. This is a chance to go deeper before hearing the lessons on Sunday.
Topic: Gospel Lectionary Reading for worship
Facilitator: Roger Bauser
Time: 9:00 am – 10:00 am
Place: comfort of your home – connect online!
If you experience any difficulty, please contact Roger at rebauser@me.com or call 937-299-5186.
FRIDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY DISCUSSION for ALL
Friday morning studies will resume in mid-July.
Come on FRIDAY mornings! Bring your own coffee along with your BIBLE. The focus is on the Lectionary Lessons for the upcoming weekend. Come join the discussion. Everyone is welcome! No prior experience is needed. Each week the study relates to the Scripture lessons for Sunday’s worship. Drop by and learn what’s behind the message on Sunday.
Topic: Gospel Lectionary Readings for worship
Facilitator: Roger Bauser
Time: 9:00 am – 10:00 am
For more information, please contact Roger at rebauser@me.com or call 937-299-5186.
Women’s Bible Study for SUMMER
“After Certainty: A biblical Guide” by the Rev. Dr. Meghan Johnston Aelabouni
The Summer 2024 Bible study is available on the Gather website for ALL – women & men; Lutherans and nonLutherans; young & old; all who wonder about the uncertainties of our times! There are three sessions: Curiosity, Community, Compassion. The videos and resources are accessible online at www.gathermagazine.org. Take a moment to explore these Bible studies on your own or with others.
June 2024
After Certainty: Curiosity
Download the study.
July 2024
After Certainty: Community
Download the study.
August 2024
After Certainty: Compassion
Download the study.
The NEXT in person session will be on Wednesday, August 14th in the GSLC Lounge! There will be a morning and an evening session. Mark your calendars now.
MISCELLANEOUS
Mutual Ministry Committee
This is a group of members from Good Shepherd who meet with Pr Jamie about every 6 weeks. It is Mutual Ministry because the committee helps to give the pastor confidential feedback from them or other members of the church, and supports the pastor and his family. Members stay on for 2 years, but can decide to stay on as long as they want. If you would like to join the team, feel free to speak to Pr Jamie or Jen Kellstrom.
Offerings:
For May YTD, the financial results are as follows:
· Offerings are $165,561 vs a budget of $177,733, including Harmony Creek
· Harmony Creek is below budget by $2,500 (June will catch-up)
· Budgeted Offerings are $9,672 less than budget.
· Expenses $172,199 vs budget of $178,797
· Net Loss of $6,637 vs a budgeted net loss of $1,064.
Electronic Giving
Don’t forget to send in your weekly tithe/offering to the church at 901 East Stroop Rd, Kettering, OH 45429 or go to our online Electronic Giving:
Electronic Giving Good Shepherd Lutheran Church is now offering the option of electronic giving for regular offerings and special offerings. Giving is done using the company Tithe.ly which is the only one endorsed by the ELCA. There are three ways to give:
1. Via smartphone using the Tithe.ly app (download via the App Store or Google Play)
2. Online at Tithe.ly
3. Via the GSLC Website which has a link to the Tithe.ly website to give directly to GSLC
The process to create an account and give is simple because it is tied to a debit or credit card. There is also a processing fee of less than 3% that you can choose to cover if desired. Benefits of Electronic Giving:
1. Ability to give from anywhere including other countries – you only need an internet connection via smartphone or computer.
2. Ability to give 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
3. Ability to choose from a variety of options where your gift goes.
4. Can give more than one gift at a time with the “Add Gift” option.
Questions: Contact Martin Pierce (937) 287-4021.
CHURCH PROGRAM DONATIONS
GSLC Lutheran Youth Corps (LYC)
Gift Card Program Did you know there is a way that you can financially support Good Shepherd at no cost to you? Through the LYC, you can order gift cards from a variety of merchants and restaurants at face value and a portion of each purchase is donated to the church to support youth programs. Although the percentage donated to the church may seem small, a few percent of our collective purchases can add up to a significant donation to Good Shepherd over time. Order forms are available in the Narthex. Orders placed on the weekend are normally available for pick up the following week, with the exception of some holiday periods and weeks where we do not reach the minimum threshold for placing an order. Please contact Don Bennett if you have any questions. What a great way to be faithful stewards of our resources! Click here to fill out the form: Gift Card Order Form
A PLACE FOR NEWS
ELCA NEWS:
ELCA Good Gifts. Click here.
Lutheran Disaster Response. Click here.
Lutheran World Relief. Click here.
ELCA Global Links. Click here.
ELCA World Hunger. Click here.
ELCA Disabilities Ministry. Click here.
COMMUNITY EVENTS AND NOTICES
Save the Date! New Hope Lutheran Church will be hosting a gathering sponsored by the Women of the ELCA to be held Saturday July 27, 2024, from 10:30 am – 2:00 pm.
The speaker is coming from the Alzheimer’s Association and will give a talk on this most timely and important subject. Included in the event with be informal worship, a brief business meeting, lots of pleasant conversation and a tasty box lunch. All women are invited, and you can bring some men too.
Location: New Hope Lutheran Church, 2000 Catalpa Drive, Dayton, OH 45406
Contact: Marcia Calhoun, Dayton Conference Women of the ELCA at (937) 546-2024.
The Kettering Civic Band to perform a free Summer Concert on July 11.
The Kettering Civic Band is pleased to announce its July Summer Concert at 7:00 pm on Thursday, July 11. The concert will be held in Kettering at Polen Farm (Address: 5099 Bigger Road). The band is directed by Catherine Abner, daughter of former Good Shepherd Choir Director, David Keener. The ensemble traditionally plays marches, show tunes and classical arrangements familiar to many. The July Concert will feature direction by Tom Jacobs, Assistant Director, and member of the band’s trumpet section. It is free to all, and ice cream will be available as a fund raiser for a local Boy Scout Troop. Since the concert is held outside on the lawn, please remember to bring a blanket or lawn chair, water, and sun protective hat. (There are some shade trees in the area where the audience sits.) The band ensemble, with approximately 65 members, has performed in Kettering and neighboring communities for more than 60 years. Past and current Good Shepherd members have participated over the years as part of the ensemble.