Returning to In-person Worship
The leadership has been discussing the possibility of when we can come together for in-person worship again. At this time I’d like to announce that we are aiming to have in-person worship, and a live streaming option, on Sunday, November 1 (All Saints Sunday).
Online Worship & Holy Communion
While Montgomery County COVID-19 indicators remain on a Level 3 alert at the recommendation of Governor DeWine and Bishop Dillahunt, Good Shepherd will continue to worship as a community online. We offer Holy Communion twice a month on the second and fourth Sundays from Noon – 1:00 pm. Please join us for worship and communion.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church will continue doing a video of our church service. Online worship will be available on Sunday at 10:30 am. Come and enjoy GSLC’s service online.
Please use the following links below to connect to the Sunday Church Service:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodshepherdkettering/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFjr6taytoTncrtHVY9TGQw
Online Worship Information
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.
Please use the following links below to connect:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodshepherdkettering/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFjr6taytoTncrtHVY9TGQw
Offerings for last week:
$4,644.13
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 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 Maters.
Last week, the Gospel lesson gave us a chance to take the scenic route on our way to ascertain the political implications of the gospel, the relation between the church and the state, through the Pharisees’ attempt to trap Jesus with a question about what Jews can give to Caesar (Matt. 22:15-22). After that confrontation, Jesus continues to argue with the leaders of Israel. The Sadducees come after him next with a thought experiment in the law and resurrection (22:23-33), but Jesus finds his way out. Our lesson for today pairs two episodes much like the ones which came before and that which will follow. In the first, the Pharisees get Jesus to tell them the greatest commandment (22:34-40); in the second, Jesus puts his own little riddle to them: whose son is the Christ? (22:42).
The highly partial author of the gospel writes that this was enough to stump Jesus’s interlocutors (22:46), so Jesus turns to the crowd and his disciples (23:1ff.) to give a stump speech that differentiates his platform from that of the other candidates in the primary who might very well still be in earshot, listening to Jesus tell the people what weaknesses he sees in his rivals in no uncertain terms. Jesus does not question their legitimacy as teachers of the law but does question whether the insides match the outsides, charging them with hypocrisy and alleging that their way of living by the law is helping those who try to live by their strict standards. It is out of this critique (and a shallow reading of the milieu into which Jesus was born) that the the adjectives pharisaical and hypocritical became synonymous.
In Matthew’s telling then, this teaching is exemplary of Jesus’s function as an interpreter of the scriptures of Israel: he is the one who can open and read the scrolls. Matthew’s Jesus stands up for extended sermonizing five main times (a structure which led many to wonder if Matthew intended a parallel to Moses’s five books), but in this pericope we get not a long discourse but a short summation.
The pharisees send a lawyer (no deed too dirty to get the lawyers involved?) to test him. He asks Jesus to tell them which of the commandments of the Law is the greatest. Jesus, never one to give a straight answer to a simple question, begins by quoting from Deuteronomy 6:5, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength.” This is the second verse of the Shema (Deut 6:4-9) which is called Shema because that is its first word, translated “hear.” The Shema would be among the texts in the tefillin affixed by Jesus’s interlocutors to their arms and heads during prayers in accordance with Deuteronomy 6:8, which prescribes this practice as a way to sign or symbolize, as part of how to keep the Law upon the mind of God’s chosen people.
Jesus does trade in another faculty to the list given by Moses in the Shema. He keeps heart and being (Gk: psyche, traditionally rendered “soul”), but for strength (Gk: dynamis: power, think dynamite), Jesus prefers what the CEB translates “mind ‘(Gk: dianoía)—it’s the rational faculty, what we sometimes call the intellect, the part of us that is engaged by math problems and sometimes maybe even earnest arguments in search of the truth. To love the Lord with everything that we are: this, Jesus says, is the “first and greatest commandment” (Matt 22:38).
This answer might have been sufficient to answer the lawyer’s question, with a little twist thrown in at the end there. But Jesus continues on and gives its corollary, the second among the commandments, quoting Leviticus 19:18—“You must love your neighbor as you love yourself”—before he makes clear what he means in his claim that these are first and second among the commandments, “All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” The Law and Prophets don’t hang upon love as a generalizable principle but on two particular imperatives to love: love God and love neighbor as self, the latter implied by and subordinate to the first.
Stewardship Snippets – October 25, 2020
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” – Psalm 46:1. When we are used to an abundant harvest, it can be shocking to experience scarcity. It is wise to remember that God is the source of all things. We all have something to share from God’s abundance—perhaps a smile or kind word is the blessing someone needs. If you are not in a position to give resources, then by all means give love and compassion.
Leaf Raking Party
Where: Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
When: Saturday, October 31st
Start Time: 9:00 am
Please bring your favorite rake! Any questions contact Wayne Weyhrauch at 937-510-4265.
City Barbecue
Our Youth Fundraiser is back the first Monday of each month! Please come on out and show your support for Good Shepherd’s ongoing youth fundraiser with City Barbecue on Monday, November 2 from 10:30 am to 10:00 pm. The location is at 5 E. Franklin Street, Centerville, OH 45459.
GSLC will get 25% of the sales back! If you order online or by phone, just tell them you’re with the fundraiser, or show any of the printed flyers and make sure to have the cashier scan the barcodes. You can find a copy of the flyer in your bulletin next week. Please let any of your friends and family know about this wonderful fundraiser, so they too can give back to our youth! GSLC wants to especially thank you for continuing to support us even when business is slow.
Election of Officers
GSLC elected new Officers for the Council Members. You officers for our 2020-2021 fiscal year are: President- Martin Pierce; Vice President- Cindy Grove; Secretary- Jeff Wehmeyer.
Need a Treasurer
Denise Wilson resigned from being Treasurer after serving faithful and we are in need of a Treasurer. Please pray that we fill this crucial position on the Council will be filled quickly. If you are interested in knowing more information about the position feel free to call the Church Office and ask to speak to Pr. Jamie.
Live Streaming
Our Audio Visual team has been working hard getting our live streaming capabilities up and running. They are now in need of folks to train. If you are willing to help and love being able to volunteer you are the ones we want. (or could say you are the ones we welcome or need) The more volunteers we have the less times you have to do it per month. We will be streaming one service a week and it will be a rotating schedule. Don has assured me it is not difficult, you just have to be able to pay attention!! Please, if you are on the fence about this come and see what it is all about. In other words, no obligation, try before you “buy” in. Any questions contact Don Bennett at don.bennet@goodshepherdkettering.com or call the church at 9237-298-0136. ~ Michele Weyhrauch, Worship Commissioner
ELCA Disaster Relief Fund
Thank you to those members of the congregation who made donations to Lutheran Disaster Response during the month of September. The funds raised will help those affected by the US Wildfires in the west. With the support of the congregation, $300.00 has been sent to the ELCA.
GriefShare
GSLC continues to offer GriefShare to our community. If you or someone you know is interested, please be in touch with Pastor Jamie or call Pam Bauser (937-602-8385) or Kathy Seim (936-901-0532). GriefShare is a faith based ministry that combines group discussion, video input from experts and others who know the grief journey, and individual study in the resource book. This ministry is available to all who have experienced the loss of a loved one at any time. Further information and registration is available at https://www.griefshare.org or by calling the GSLC office (937-298-0136).
THIS WEEK:
SURVIVING THE HOLIDAYS
Meeting ONLINE for health and safety of all who attend.
Saturday, October 24, 2020
10:00 am – Noon
This is a ONE TIME session focused on the challenges of facing the holidays without our loved ones. It can be especially helpful to all of us this year as we face the very different holiday season COVID-19 brings. Register at www.griefshare.org with your name and email OR contact the church office (937-298-0136), Kathy Seim (937-901-0532) or Pam Bauser (937-602-8385).
GriefShare’s Mourning to Joy is OPEN to ALL!
Now through Sunday, December 6 from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Come share in this ministry of healing and hope. This is a great time to join the group. It’s easy to join online by going to https://www.griefshare.org, enter the zip code 45429 and select Good Shepherd. Enter your name, phone number and email to register. Contact the church office (937-298-0136), Kathy Seim (937-901-0532) or Pam Bauser (937-602-8385) for more information.
GriefShare will be ONLINE. We are following the same format as in-person sessions. We gather online, share the devotions, watch the video sessions, and discuss. We connect via the same Zoom link each week. Participants will view the videos with the group. We have resource books available for $15.00 that we will deliver to each registrant. The resource book is an essential part of the GriefShare experience. Contact Pastor Jamie, Kathy Seim, or Pam Bauser for more information.
Topic: GriefShare
Time: SUNDAY 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
OCTOBER WELCA BIBLE STUDY
This is open to all women to come together and reflect on “holy time” — GOD’S TIME! This is the second of three studies on Holy Time focused on The Holy “now”: recognizing and responding to God’s kairos time. We will circle together to remember what we learn in Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
TOPIC: Holy Time Women of the ELCA
WHEN: Tuesday, October 27 at 10:00 a.m. OR 7:30 p.m.
The same material will be offered in the daytime and again in the evening to allow more women to participate.
LEADER: Pam Bauser
WHERE: Online from the wherever you have internet access
HOW: from your home via ZOOM
Holy Time is the fall Bible study in GATHER for Faith and Action, the monthly magazine of the Women of the ELCA. If you have the magazine, the study is on pages 22-28. IF you do not have the magazine and want a copy, please contact Pam Bauser (937-299-5186). We will meet on the fourth Tuesday in September, October, and November.
WEDNESDAY DISCUSSION GROUP: Does Racism Exist in the Church? GSLC Discussions on Racism- Part 2
This week brings the conclusion of our discussions and review of the Holy Post videos by Phil Vischer.
TOPIC: Racism and Justice and Church
WHEN: Wednesday evenings at 7:00 pm – Week FIVE, October 28
WHERE: Online from the comfort of your home
Join ZOOM Meeting at 7:00 pm Wednesday, October 28th
Lifelong Learning
SUNDAY MORNING ADULT BIBLE STUDY
Topic: ACTS of the Apostles: a Biblical study on The Book of ACTS!
Facilitator: Roger Bauser
Time: 9:00 am – 10:00 am
Place: Comfort of your home – connect online!
Bring your coffee. Have your Bible handy. COME BE RENEWED by the power of the Holy Spirit! COME LISTEN to God speak to each of us through the Book of ACTS. This week read and ponder Acts chapters 8.Hear more of God’s love as Philip preaches in Samaria and shares the Good News with an Ethiopian eunuch.
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 is ONLINE on Thursday mornings at 9:00 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. Join Zoom Meeting at 9:00 am Thursdays.
Food Pantry Donations
Our October 5, Good Shepherd delivery of 356 food items to the Greenmont-Oak Park-Ascension Neighbor to Neighbor Food Pantry was greatly appreciated. In addition to the food items our property commission donated a box of about 50 still very usable light bulbs which had been replaced around our facility with new cost-saving LED bulbs. It was a win-win for Good Shepherd and for the families receiving help from the food pantry. Many thanks to all who continue to support this vital ministry with their donations. With Congress and the President currently unable to reach an agreement on economic assistance for pandemic victims our donations now are more important than ever. If you are coming by church for drive-in communion this Sunday, it would be a great time to drop off a food donation. Or if you prefer, you can send a check, payable to Good Shepherd and marked for food pantry to the office. You can also drop food off during the week by ringing the fellowship hall entry bell and placing items in the donation box immediately inside the door.
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 website, 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.
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.
Lutheran World Relief Sustainable Development. Click here.
ELCA Global Links. Click here.