Church Directory
We are updating our church directory. Please check the Master Directory located in the Narthex to ensure your contact information is correct. After the corrections have been made, we will have directories available in the New Year! Thank you for helping us keep our records straight.
WORSHIP
Welcome Harmony Creek
Please join us in welcoming Harmony Creek Church after services on December 11 in the fellowship hall with light refreshments. We are blessed and excited to have them share in our facilities and to see other ways we can work together to praise our Lord’s name.
Parking Lot Communion will be offered on the 3rd Sunday of the month from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm. December 18 will be the next time we have it.
Worship With Us Online!
Good Shepherd will continue to offer online worship on Sundays and our parking lot Holy Communion on the third Sunday from Noon – 1:00 pm.
Please use the following links below to connect online to the Sunday Church Service:
Facebook click here: Facebook
YouTube click here: Youtube
Advent Midweek Services
On November 30, December 7, December 14, and December 21 there will be Advent Midweek Services in the Sanctuary at 7:00 pm. We will be streaming all our Advent Midweek Services on YouTube & Facebook. This year’s theme for Advent Midweek is Holy Darkness.
Annual Poinsettia Project
To raise money for ELCA Good Gifts we are asking for donations to the Poinsettia Project. Donations can be made “in honor of” or “in memory of” in ANY amount. Anyone donating can have the opportunity to purchase a specific gift (i.e., pig, goat, chickens, honeybees, etc.). If a specific gift is requested, please indicate this on the Poinsettia order form. Order forms are available in the Narthex. If you would like to take a Poinsettia home, there will be a place on the form to check, and we will make sure enough poinsettias are purchased. All donations in honor or memory of a loved one will be acknowledged by a card on the poinsettia Tree in the Narthex and listed in an insert in the Christmas Eve bulletins. You can use an envelope from the pew and make checks to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and indicate Poinsettia Project. All forms need to be submitted to the office by Sunday, December 18. You can also find the poinsettia forms here.
Christmas Eve Services
Please join us on Christmas Eve at 4:00 pm for Christmas Carols and 4:30 pm for service, our Praise Team will be leading the service. We will also have a 7:00 pm Christmas Carol and 7:30pm service lead by our Chancel Choir along with the choir from Harmony Creek. Both services will be candle light services. We are excited and blessed to be having a combined Christmas Eve service with Harmony Creek. Hope to see you at one of our Christmas Eve services.
OUTREACH AND SERVICES
Adopt-A-Family
Once again, it is time for our Adopt a Family at GSLC. For those who may not know, the Adopt a Family program is our opportunity to help bring Christmas joy to families who otherwise struggle financially. This year, we have two families we will support. One family is a retired couple, who have custody of their 13-year-old grand-daughter. The second family, a couple, both with severe health concerns, who have 3 daughters (ages 1 year, 9 years, and 17 years). Please select a Christmas tag (or 2) off of the tree in the Narthex. Please return the gift, with the gift receipt included, already wrapped and place it under the tree. All gifts need to be placed under the tree, by Sunday, December 11. Thank you for supporting this important ministry. Lisa Connelly, Outreach Commissioner.
We Need Volunteers!
GSLC is in need of four new Commissioners (Finance and Administration, Parish Life and Response, and Worship and Celebration). If you would like to volunteer for these positions, please let Pr. Jamie, Roger Bauser or Wayne Rosholt know.
Jeremiah’s Letter –December 18
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.
Food Pantry News
Your generous donations for the month of September totaled 240 items. This is a great start to our first month of the fiscal year . Thanks for your continued faithfulness to this important ministry. Food was delivered to three food pantries on November 8 and 9, helping support their efforts to provide food for families in these difficult economic times. The primary food pantry donation bin is in the narthex; so, if you come to church on Sunday morning you can bring your donations and place them there. During the week, you can still place your donations inside the fellowship hall doors. Monetary donations may still be made by placing a check (payable to Good Shepherd with “food pantry” in the memo line) in the offering or mailing it to the church office. The food pantry has told us that the following items are among the most needed and useful for donation: noodles and pastas, cereals, canned fruits and vegetables, kids’ canned pastas, boxed “helper” meals, canned meats, chicken and tuna, instant potatoes, canned soups (Campbell’s or brand name Chunky soups or Progresso soups – if on sale – are especially useful because they can be stretched by adding pasta and/or vegetables to make a complete casserole meal).
CONTINUING EDUCATION
FAITH FORMATION: Luther’s Small Catechism
Our first “household” study was warm and welcoming!
Fifteen folks spanning the ages from 11 – 89 gathered for food, fellowship, and a lesson focused on baptism last Saturday.
Baptism is a gift from God. God does it all! We become a CHILD OF GOD, sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.
What have you ever wondered about baptism?
Martin Luther’s Small Catechism highlights The Ten Commandments, The Apostles’ Creed, The Lord’s Prayer, The Sacrament of Holy Baptism, and The Sacrament of Holy Communion. Luther believed that being connected to God and one another in faith grew from common practices and understandings. Lutherans still value the roots of faith that are shared through God’s Word and Luther’s Small Catechism.
This year in conjunction with our middle school youth, all folks at GSLC are invited to come and discover the gems of Luther’s Small Catechism. We are inviting the congregation to join our “household” as we study Luther’s Small Catechism once a month on the second Saturday November through April. Curious about this? Contact Pastor Jamie or Don Bennett.
Second Session: Communion on Saturday, December 10. Dinner and Discussion. Dinner served at 5:30 p.m. If you are interested in coming, please let Don Bennett know.
Lifelong Learning
Learn more about God’s Word for us. Join us ONLINE to learn together.
Our ADULT Lifelong Learning Classes are ONLINE. Everyone is welcome! Use the links below to join in the conversations. Discover the quality adult education we have at GSLC. Our Bible studies are open to ALL near and far. If you haven’t checked any of these out, please consider this invitation to join us now.
Sunday School for K-8 youth: ALL YOUTH are WELCOME! Come! Explore! Discover! We would like to make all our youth welcome in our learning experiences. Come share what works for you and your child. Our youth meet in the chapel from 9:30 – 10:20 am on Sunday morning. ALL youth K – 8 are invited. The Whirl curriculum is designed to connect the lessons in the church service with the discussions and projects in the classroom. For more information, talk with Karin Linch or Sandy Rosholt.
SUNDAY MORNING ADULT BIBLE STUDY
This Bible Study will resume in December. Watch for details to come.
THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY for Men
Topic: Gospel Lectionary Reading for worship
Facilitator: Roger Bauser
This online Bible study is on Thanksgiving break. Next session in December.
FRIDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY DISCUSSION for ALL
Topic: Gospel Lectionary Readings for worship
This online Bible Study will resume in December.
WELCA Bible Study
Thank you to ALL who joined in our fall study Jesus and Nature: Teachers of faith.
In January 2023 we will begin the study of The Ten Commandments prepared by Rev. Christa von Zychlin.
Check out the overview HERE
Griefshare
Good Shepherd offers GriefShare. This ministry offers biblical, Christ-centered teaching on topics associated with the death of a loved one. The DVD seminar features nationally respected grief experts and real-life personal stories, followed by a small group discussion about the weekly topic and personal grief experiences. Good Shepherd offers the 13 week GriefShare program in person and online from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm on Sundays. Our current GriefShare series ends on Sunday, December 4th. There will be no class on Sunday, November 27. Our winter GriefShare Mourning to Joy will be available on Sundays from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm from January 8 – April 2. If you or someone you know is interested, please register online at www.griefshare.org or call the church office. No prior registration is required for folks coming in person. If you have any questions, contact Kathy Seim (937-901-0532) or Pam Bauser (937-602-8385).
MISCELLANEOUS
GSLC Council Meeting Minutes – November 10, 2022
Please find a copy of GSLC Meeting Minutes by clicking the link here.
Stewardship Snippets – November 27
Romans 13:12b-13 – “Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy.” How are you stewarding your life? Paul reminds us that we are not created for darkness — living to satisfying our desires and fighting with other. Rather, we are created to walk boldly in God’s light of truth and love. Doing so, our lives become filled with God’s joy and satisfaction and love.
Offerings for last week: $1,130.00
The amount reported applies to contributions used towards the annual ministry plan which requires contributions of $5,243 every week.
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
AmazonSmile
It’s easy to do. Go to our website for Youth Donations, Good Shepherd Youth Donations, scroll down and 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.
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! Click here to fill out the form: Gift Card Order Form
A PLACE FOR NEWS
ELCA NEWS:
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
Holiday Cooking Class
Centerville SDA Church (456 W Spring Valley Pike, Centerville, OH 45458) invites anyone who wants to attend a Holiday Cooking Class on December 4th at 1:00 pm. Plant based appetizer, entrée, veggie, dessert, and drink will be demonstrated with samples to try. Donates will be accepted. To register by November 30 by Noon to reserve your spot click here. You can also call at 937-433-7007 or email to centervillechurch@sbcglobal.net.