PDF of the bulletin insert can be found here
WORSHIP
Worship With Us Online!
Join us now in worship online!
Connect with us 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
LAST WEEK’S SERMON You can watch last week’s sermon here
PARISH LIFE
NOVEMBER – FOOD DRIVE
November is the month when we focus on gratitude for our many blessings. We are blessed to have our new pastor with us for services on November 22 and 23. That weekend we also celebrate the blessing of fellowship with pumpkin pies. In order to share in our blessings, we would like you to please donate to the canned food drive before or on the weekend of 11/22-23. Let’s continue to give generously to help our neighbors in need.
Thank you for considering a donation!
NEW: PUMPKIN PIE FELLOWSHIP, Nov 22 & 23
Come gather and give thanks for our bountiful blessings at our upcoming Pumpkin Pie Fellowship. This special event will happen after worship on Sat, Nov 22 at 5:00 pm and Sun, Nov 23 at 11:45 in our cozy Gathering Space. We will welcome Pastor Mallory Morris to Good Shepherd while sharing delectable desserts and friendly fellowship. All people and pie varieties are welcome! Please sign up in the Gathering Space to bring your favorite pie. Questions? contact Jane Seibert.
NEW: ADOPT A FAMILY
This year we are supporting 4 families with a total of 8 children for Christmas. The tree is up in the narthex. Gift tags are on the tree. Each gift has two tags – one for you to keep and one to put in the basket with your name on.
Please bring all gifts wrapped and place them under the tree. Gifts are due Sunday, December 6. Thank you for making the families’ holidays a bit merrier.
ADVENT DECORATING TEAM
Mark Your Calendars! Following the Pumpkin Pie Fellowship on Sunday, November 23rd, we’ll need volunteers to help decorate the church for the Advent season. Many hands make light work!
Even if you can only stay to hang a few ornaments on the Christmas tree, your help will be greatly appreciated.
We look forward to sharing this joyful time of preparation with you!
COMMUNITY FAMILY SOCIAL NIGHT
Join us for an evening of connection, laughter and fun for the whole family
Date: Friday, November 21
Time: 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Location: Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Here’s what’s happening:
– Turkey Club Sandwiches served with a smile
– Fall Harvest Activities for Kids
– Games for Adults—from friendly competition to just plain goofy fun
All are welcome—neighbors, friends, and newcomers alike.
OUTREACH AND SERVICES
FOOD PANTRY NEWS
Our October food donations were delivered to 4 local food pantries on November7 – totaling 400 food items. Thank you for faithfully remembering the families who are served by the food pantries in our community. As you do your personal food shopping, 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. A BIG THANK YOU to Marry Biller and Denny Irby for helping organize the distribution You can bring your donations to church any time, but the next official Food Pantry Sunday will be Sunday, December 7
If you would like to volunteer on a Thursday at the Feeding Friends Pantry on Bigger Road near the former Victoria’s Secret Building, click here to sign up.
NEW: MATTHEW 25 MINISTRIES UPDATE:
593 pill bottles, along with a box of medical supplies were dropped off this week to this important ministry center in Cincinnati. Donated goods are sorted and processed in the facility and then redistributed to the poorest of the poor and disaster victims throughout the United States and to more than 40 countries around the world. Please clean pill bottles with “Goo Gone” to get the glue residue off. Then wash them inside and out with HOT water. After they are dry, be sure to replace the lids. Place them in the tub in the narthex. They will be sorted and bagged for next time. Thank you for your donations!
CONTINUING EDUCATION
YOUR WEEKLY INVITATION: #9: Faith Stories
“It is only when we recognize the murmurings and stirrings of the Spirit in our own lives that we can begin to recognize them in the lives of those who end up on our front porch.…My task is not to take them somewhere (even if I believe I know where they need to go). My call is to walk with them. It is to listen to them and to God/Spirit in the midst of that journey, helping them to see and recognize the presence and movement of God in that journey.”
Source: Harold “Jake” Jacobson, Rockin’ the Front Porch: Sharing the Faith in the New Normal, p. 36.
Sunday morning classes for children and youth are back!
Sunday School for children / youth in grades PreK-12 will begin Sun Nov 9. Class will be held in the chapel from 9:30 to about 10:15 and led by Karin Linch & Sandy Rosholt. Each weekly lesson will correspond to that week’s bible readings. Come join us!
LIFELONG LEARNING
CLASS: SHARING FAITH STORIES
Are you aware how God is actively leading and guiding your life on your journey of faith? This short 3-week class will explore how faith stories empower us to be aware of God’s presence in our lives and then encourage us to practice sharing faith stories with each other. Judy Treadway will facilitate the class.
Please join us either:
Sunday mornings, 8:45-9:45 in the lounge, Nov 9, 16, 23 (with Zoom option)
Wednesday afternoon, 1:30-2:30 in the lounge, Nov 5, 12, 19
Wednesday, 6-7:30 Nov 5, 12, 19
THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY DISCUSSION for ALL
Come join us on Zoom on Thursday mornings! Bring your bible with your coffee. 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. Questions: Call the office at 937-298-0136
Topic: Gospel Lectionary Readings for Worship
Facilitator: Roger Bauser
Time: 9:00 am – 10:00 am
MISCELLANEOUS
NEW: FALL STORYBOOK WALK
As the temperatures moderate for a few days, consider taking a walk at Centerville’s Stubb’s Park. While there, explore the recently opened Storybook Trail that features the book, The Old Tree, by Ferne Reilich. Ferne, a longtime member of GSLC, is a retired teacher from the Centerville Schools. She was inspired to write the story for the Centerville Historical Society. The Old Tree was published to enhance teaching students about the local history of the Centerville-Washington Township community. The book features an “old tree” that resided in Benham’s Grove. Ferne worked with the planners to adapt her original story to enlighten and delight families on the Storybook Trail. This is a paved accessible trail beyond the amphitheater to allow for easy exploration by all.
Financial Update
Below are the financial results for the 2025 fiscal year ending September 30.
- YTD income of $241,320 is $26,231 lower than the budget of $267,551
- YTD expenses of $190,725 is favorable to the budget of $273,538 due to lower Senior Pastor expenses
- Full year net income is therefore $50,595 versus a planned loss of $5,987
The bi-annual contribution statements have been mailed, please contact June Newell with any questions
Hand Sanitizer in pews: Small bottles of hand sanitizer are now available in the pews for you to use. The bottles are located near the center aisle.
The 2025 Altar Flower Calendar is posted in the Narthex near the serving area. You are encouraged to sign up now to select your favorite date. Flowers can be given in HONOR of a person or event or in MEMORY of a person or special occasion. When you choose to donate Altar Flowers, you are welcome to take them home after the Sunday service. Flowers that remain are made into bouquets and distributed to members of the congregation. They do bring great cheer and a loving connection to our GSLC family to someone who is hospitalized, ill or unable to worship with us. Altar Flowers are $45.00.
Consider adding your gifts to this important worship ministry. Donate flowers. Offer to become a Flower Delivery person.
There will be no altar flowers during the season of Lent
Offerings: Electronic Giving
Please 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