* We Are Reopening! More information will be available on the website and in a special eblast on Monday, June 29th with all the details of expectations and protocols set in place for us to open GSLC. The building will open July 1 and worship will begin Saturday, July 4th @ 4:00 pm & Sunday, July 5th @ 10:30 am.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church will be doing a video of our church service on Sunday at 10:00 am, come and enjoy GSLC’s service while we wait to come together again.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church will be doing a Streaming Devotional with Pr. Jamie Vannoy every Wednesday at Noon. We will also be including Read Aloud Stories with Don Bennett every weekday, Monday – Friday, at 2:30 pm. Please come, connect, and enjoy while we wait to be together again.
Please use the following
links below to connect:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodshepherdkettering/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFjr6taytoTncrtHVY9TGQw
Celebrate Communion
Holy Communion will be available from Pr. Jamie after worship on Sunday, June 28th. It will be made available by drive thru.
Let us take a moment to explain:
– You will come in on Kenosha Ave., pull up alongside the sidewalk.
– Then you will be given a communion wafer and juice, packaged together, that you will open and ingest, then you’ll receive a blessing.
– Then you can exit out onto Stroop Rd.
If you are not able to make it to the church and would like to receive Communion at your home, or residence if it’s permitted, then call the office and Pastor will set up a time to come to your home.
– Pr. Jamie will set up a time to come to your home.
– Pr. Jamie will bring Communion to your door. Where you will receive the communion wafer and juice, packaged together, that you will open and ingest; then you’ll receive a blessing.
Same Webpage, New Look
GSLC has a new webpage! The address will be the same www.goodshepherdkettering.com. The content will be different, look different, and work with other electronics besides just computer screens much better. As a non-profit we are able to use this website in ways that we couldn’t before. Please check it out and let the office know of things that you think are missing or aren’t working as they should. Check it out on different devices. The more eyes to look at it the quicker we can get the issues that may arise fixed. Those who have been working on this are really excited at the new look and better functionality.
Offerings for last week: $2,341.86
Email Address Updates
Pr. Jamie Vannoy’s new email address is Jamie.vannoy@goodshepherdkettering.com. Don Bennett, Director of Youth & Family Ministry new email address is don.bennett@goodshepherdkettering.com. Alisha Minamyer, Office Secretary new email address is office@goodshepherdkettering.com. Please use these new addresses for any church related business.
Volunteers Needed
GSLC is looking for volunteers who would be willing to pick up food donations from the Kroger Bakery Department on Dorothy Lane every Monday Morning. If you are interested in volunteering please contact Don Bennett at don.bennett@goodshepherdkettering.com
The Property and Facilities Commissioners, on behalf of the congregation, would like to say thank you to the “Mulch Team” for spreading 55 bags of mulch to spruce up the front of the church and make the flower beds in front of the sanctuary and courtyard look great. Team members were: Chris & Peter Connelly, Jen & Rich Kellstrom and Martin Pierce. Additionally, we want to say thank you to Peter Connelly for his willingness to climb new heights and help complete the sanctuary stained glass window project. Finally, thank you to Roger Bauser and Mike Oldham for their willingness to take on the fast-growing grasslands surrounding the church. You all have made our facilities look great and we all thank you for serving GSLC in these ministries.
Volunteer Work
Yes, GSLC is truly honored to have a few outstanding volunteers who help with special projects and the weekly lawn mowing and the grass and shrub trimming; however, as we all know … many hands make light work, so we are looking for additional volunteers to share in the effort and spread out the workload. Additionally, for those who want to stay inside, we have inside projects on the “to-do” list that need to be accomplished this summer as well. Note: All of these projects follow approved State of Ohio Social Distancing rules and could help improve your mindfulness. If you are interested in volunteering and serving GSLC in this capacity, please send an email or call the office @ 937-298-0136, Del @ 937-298-8876 or Wayne @ 937-510-4265.
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 https://tithe.ly/give?c=329631
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 or Denise Wilson (513) 913-0133.
This Week’s Article
This week’s article is by William Willimon @ Ministry Matters. This Sunday we’re at Matthew 10, a somewhat random collection of Jesus’s teachings after his Sermon on the Mount. The previous two chapters concern Jesus’s ministry. As chapter 9 ends, Jesus gazes upon the crowds and has compassion for them because they are “troubled and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (9:36). So Jesus, the good shepherd, uses this as an opportunity for recruitment of disciples saying, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (9:37-38 NRSV).
We need wait no longer than the beginning of chapter 10 to see Jesus’s prayer answered. Jesus sends out his disciples again, giving them “authority over unclean spirits, to throw them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness” (10:1). The disciples are to “go instead to the lost sheep, the people of Israel” and announce, “‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, and throw out demons” (10:5-8).
Through his disciples, Jesus is expanding his ministry. They are his representatives preaching the same sermons that he preaches and doing the same good works that he performs. Yet we also note that Jesus is upfront in telling them that they are to share in his poverty, his homelessness and his dependence upon the beneficence of others. The disciples are to take no extra money or clothing, depending exclusively upon others for shelter and nourishment (10:8b-13).
And they are to be warned not all will receive them graciously (10:14-15). There will be resistance because he is sending them out “as sheep among wolves” (10:16). The same resistance and hostility that afflicted Jesus will afflict them because (10:17-23) “disciples aren’t greater than their the teacher, and slaves aren’t greater than their master” (10:24-25). Be warned, there could be dislocation within families. Not all families will take kindly to Jesus’s demand that his mission take precedence even over family cohesions (10:34-38). Still, amid these possible risks and probable suffering, Jesus promises, “those who lose their lives because of me will find them” (10:39).
Surely Matthew means for us later generations of disciples of Jesus to read his instructions to his first disciples forward to our situation. Jesus still chooses to work not alone, to accomplish his mission through his obedient followers. Jesus still gathers laborers for the harvest in order to send them out in mission into a beloved but often rebellious and perilous world. Disciples continue to be dependent upon the hospitality of strangers. To those who dare to receive his followers in a hospitable way, Jesus promises rewards because “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me” (10:40 NRSV).
While Jesus’s statement in 10:40 is reassuring to disciples who are out on the road, it’s also daunting. What a bold claim for Jesus to say that when the world shows hospitality to us, the world is also welcoming him and welcoming the God who sent him.
That which I find striking in this week’s encounter with the gospel is the prospect of rewards. While Jesus doesn’t often promise a quid pro quo system of blessing and reward, in this Sunday’s
Gospel Jesus boldly says, “Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous” (10:41 NRSV). “Prophet” and “righteous” in Matthew often refer to the faithful representatives of God in biblical history (e.g., 11:13; 13:17; 23:29), and also to contemporary disciples (7:15-20; 13: 39, 43; 25:37, 46).
What sort of “reward” might these righteous prophets expect? Matthew speaks about persecution (5:12), rejection (13:57), and death (23:30-35, 37) that the righteous may expect. That’s the way the world often treats tellers of the truth.
Even amid their persecution, the persecuted are urged by Jesus, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven” (5:12 NRSV). While the precise nature of the “reward” is not spelled out clearly, this lection promises both persecution and reward for the suffering, persecuted righteous.
“Whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward” (10:42 NRSV). “Little ones” (mikros) can mean children, but Matthew also uses the term to refer to Jesus’s disciples (18:6, 10). This “cup of cold water” echoes the cup of water in Jesus’s parable of the great judgment in Matthew 25 where the Son of Man declares to the righteous, “I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink” (25:35), and “truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (25:40). “The least of these” is a translation of the Greek elachistos, a superlative of mikros. Those who have mercy upon the “littlest ones” are told: “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (25:34 NRSV).
While we are thinking about the Greek origins of this text we ought to note that “reward” (misthos) here in Matthew 10 definitely carries connotations of a transaction in which something is given and thereby something is earned. However, this word is not used in the parable of the last judgment. There Jesus says to the righteous, “Come, inherit the kingdom prepared for you” (25:34 NRSV). As we know, an inheritance is an unearned gift. This suggests to me that the “reward” of Matthew 10 has become the unmerited “inheritance” in Matthew 25.
Still, an inheritance is a gift and so is a reward. We may be a bit squeamish about claiming that service to Jesus will be rewarded by Jesus, preferring to extol the virtues of service for service’s sake rather than obedience in expectation of some reward. However, in Matthew 10 Jesus unabashedly promises reward for his suffering followers and for those who receive them. Sometimes Jesus orders his people to show hospitality to those in need in the world. This Sunday’s Gospel Jesus urges the world to show hospitality to Jesus’s representatives (that is, us). Therefore, this Sunday’s Gospel gives us preachers the opportunity to reflect with the congregation on the rewards of receptivity to those who go into the world in Christ’s name.
Stewardship Snippets – June 28, 2020
Matthew 10:40 – “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” You don’t have to watch hours of HGTV to master the art of hospitality. Just fling wide the door. Community forms and flourishes in the ground of wide welcome and presence (i.e. hospitality). How will a new reality reform both your hospitality and community?
Food Pantry Donations
In these uncertain times, the Greenmont-Oak Park Neighbor to Neighbor Food Pantry serves an even more vital role in the lives of many Kettering area families. As a congregation, we have supported the pantry with our gifts for many years. As you are shopping in the grocery, please remember these families with a few extra purchases. Even though we are not meeting together, food donations may be dropped off at the church during regular business hours. The collection box will be easily accessible just inside the exterior doors to the fellowship hall. Ring the bell. When the doors are unlocked, go inside and place your food in the collection box. If you want to make a monetary donation, make your check payable to Good Shepherd and marked FOOD PANTRY and send it to or drop it off in the office.
GriefShare Ministry GRIEFSHARE IS ONLINE!
This valuable resource is available for ANYONE ANYWHERE! View the videos from the comfort of your own home. Then join the discussion via Zoom. Come join us. Invite your friends near and far. The blessing of the internet is that folks don’t have to be close to GSLC to participate. Families can view the videos and share in the discussions among themselves and in our group. Please take advantage of this incredible opportunity to be gathered with others on the journey from mourning to joy. Our Good Shepherd group meets every SUNDAY at 1:00 pm using Zoom. We are choosing to view the weekly video with folks starting at Noon. ANY one interested may contact Kathy Seim 937-901-0532 or Pam Bauser 937-602-8385. We will gladly answer questions. We can help you register. We can help you be ready to Zoom with us. We look forward to extending this accessible opportunity to the GSLC family and friends.
Lifelong Learning
Our ADULT Lifelong Learning Classes are ONLINE! Everyone is welcome! Please contact the church office for the links below to join in the conversations. This is a great time to “zoom” in and discover the quality adult education we have at GSLC.
Our YOUTH classes are on vacation until fall.
Questions?? – Please contact Pam Bauser at 937-299-5186.
Topic: We Are CALLED to be GOD’S CHURCH in the World!
Facilitator: Roger Bauser
Time: 9:00 – 10:00 am
Place: Comfort of your home – connect online!
Bring your coffee. Have your Bible handy. We have heard GOD’S CALL! Now we will explore putting our CALL into ACTION!
Our topic is based on Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton’s Bible study available on the ELCA website. During the coming weeks we will explore our call to be CHURCH, our call to be LUTHERAN, our call to be TOGETHER, and our call for the SAKE OF THE WORLD! Sundays at 9:00 am on Zoom.
THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY for Women
Topic: Finding God Faithful
Facilitator: Paula Bennett Time: 11:00 am – Noon
Dates: Thursdays, June 18, 25; July 2, 9, 26, 23, 30; and August 6
Place: Comfort of your home – connect online.
COME JOIN THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY! If you missed the first week, don’t worry. Just link right in this week. If you need assistance, please reach out to Pam Bauser 937-602-8385.
In the midst of hardship, tragedy, and unanswered questions, it’s difficult to glimpse God at work. How do we hold onto our faith during these times? How do we trust God is working all things for our good and His glory? Over 8 sessions, Paula Bennett will lead the study to trace the path of Joseph’s life in the Book of Genesis to observe how God’s sovereignty reigns, even in our darkest moments.
Learn to recognize when God is working during periods of waiting, trust God’s plan when life doesn’t make sense, and rest in the sufficiency of His presence in every circumstance.
His provision is enough. His presence is constant. His purpose is unstoppable.
THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY for Men
Topic: Lectionary for Sunday worship
Facilitator: Roger Bauser
Time: 9:00 am – 10:00 am
Place: comfort of your home – connect online!
The Men’s breakfast Bible Study continues ONLINE on Thursday mornings at 9
a.m. Bring your own coffee and breakfast along with your BIBLE.
The focus is on the Lectionary Lessons for the upcoming Sunday. Come join the discussion facilitated by Roger Bauser.
Use the following link to join the conversation. If you experience any difficulty, please contact Roger at rebauser@me.com or call 937-299-5186.
SUNDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY for ALL
9:00 am – 10:00 am every Sunday through June.
ALL are welcome to join this online discussion.
Topic: We are Called
Facilitator: Roger Bauser
Get your Sunday mornings off to a great start. Use the following link to join the lively group discussion. If you experience any difficulty, call or text Pam Bauser at 937-602-8385.
AmazonSmile
In 2018, we received $15.95 in donations from AmazonSmile. In 2019 we received $19.64. Would you like to help go over those amounts for 2020? It’s easy to do. Go to our web site, goodshepherdkettering.com, and on the front page on the right side you will see a little graphic labeled amazonsmile. Click on that and follow the directions. Once you’ve done that, instead of going to amazon.com to make an online purchase, go to smile.amazon.com and for every purchase you make, we will get 0.5% of that price donated to us. It’s still Amazon, with all the features of the normal site, we just get a small cut. Over time those 0.5% donations add up. Please consider supporting us in this way. The proceeds go to help with youth events. If you have any questions, please contact Don Bennett.
Amazing Grace Day Camp
Due to the unknowns of Covid-19, Lutheran Outdoor Ministries of Ohio (LOMO) have cancelled all camps this summer. This will include Good Shepherd hosting Amazing Grace Day Camp in July this year. It was not an easy decision for LOMO to come to but the safety of all kids involved in any camp was their primary concern. We will look in the Fall at possibly hosting another camp next summer.
Counseling Assistance
Good Shepherd is a member of the Covenant Society for Pastoral Counseling of Miami Valley Hospital. Trained and certified counselors are available to congregational members at any time, whether for a crisis or for ongoing help. This service is confidential, and anonymous if you choose. You do not have to go through the pastor or church to access this service. If you have a need simply call (937) 438-3486, tell the staff you are a member of Good Shepherd, our church is part of the Covenant Society for Pastoral Counseling through Premier. Because Good Shepherd is a member the cost to you is one-half of any non-reimbursed portion (for example, through insurance coverage) of the normal charge. For further information on this service you can call the above numbers, or talk to Pastor Jamie.
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 and the First Lutheran Breakfasts. 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!
ELCA NEWS:
ELCA Disability Ministry God’s work. Our hands. Click here.
NEW Lutheran World Relief Sustainable Development. Lasting Promises click here.
ELCA Global Links Global Links: Praying for our world during COVID-19 click here.