Face Masks Love your neighbor as yourself. – Mark 12:31
Please wear your mask to keep you and your neighbor safe from the spread of COVID19. Please wear your mask when you are inside the church building. Masks are required for worship at GSLC. GSLC leadership monitors the health advisories for our area. Under the current conditions, health officials recommend wearing a mask indoors for everyone’s safety. This includes people who are fully vaccinated. Given the current rise in COVID19 cases in our area, we are requiring MASKS during worship at GSLC. You may remove your mask for Holy Communion and then put it back on to return to your seat. If you prefer not to wear a mask, please join us for worship online. From the CDC website: To maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission. Montgomery, Greene, Preble, Butler and Warren counties are all areas with substantial transmission.
WORSHIP
Parking Lot Communion will be offered on the 3rd Sunday of the month from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm. December 19 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
Blue Christmas
So the holidays are not what they used to be. Circumstances in life have made it harder to enjoy the Christmas Season? Well then come join us for our Blue Christmas service in the Sanctuary at a time to be determined and will be live streamed in the Fellowship Hall. This is a chance to be together and take a moment to realize the Christmas Season is not always joyous for everyone. When we are having trouble getting excited about the holidays, that’s ok, we can get through it together.
Advent Midweek Services
On December 1, December 8, December 15, and December 22 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:
Facebook click here: Facebook
YouTube click here: Youtube
Advent Calendars
Please pick up an Advent Calendar available in the Narthex before the start of Advent which is November 28th. If you are unable to pick one up, please call the office and I’ll make sure you get one. They go along with the Advent study that the Pastor will be doing midweek through Advent. The calendars have songs, bible verses, and prayers to help make the study and the season more meaningful. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email at micheleweyhrauch6832@hotmail.com or cell phone 937-510-4264.
OUTREACH AND SERVICES
Coat and Shoe Drive
Winter Coat & Shoe Drive for the First Lutheran Clothing Room. First Lutheran Church needs our help to fill their shelves & clothes racks for the upcoming winter season. The organizer of the clothing room requests donations of the following: men’s & women’s gently used work shoes, hiking boots and athletic shoes. In addition, winter coats are also needed. Please place all items in the marked box in the narthex. All items need to be brought to church by Sunday, December 5. Thanks so very much!
Food Pantry News
Thank you to everyone for the 260 food items donated in the month of October and delivered on November 1. 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 Chunky soups or Progresso soups – if on sale – are especially useful because they can be stretched by adding pasta and making a casserole meal).
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. 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 the Poinsettia Project. All forms need to be submitted to the office by Sunday, December 19. Click here to fill out the form: Poinsettia Project
CONTINUING EDUCATION
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! 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: Our youth meet in the chapel on Sundays at 9:15 am. ALL youth are welcome!
FRIDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY DISCUSSION for ALL
Topic: Gospel Lectionary Readings for Sunday worship
THANKSGIVING BREAK November 26.
Sessions resume on Friday, December 3, 2021
Come on FRIDAY mornings! Bring your own coffee and treats along with your BIBLE. The focus is on the Lectionary Lessons for the upcoming Sunday. Come join the discussion facilitated by Roger Bauser. 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.
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.
SUNDAY MORNING ADULT BIBLE STUDY
THANKSGIVING BREAK November 28.
Sessions resume on Sunday, December 5, 2021
Topic: Advent Reflections
Facilitator: Roger Bauser
Time: 8:50 am – 9:50 am
Come prepare for the birth of our Lord as we reflect on God’s Word for us in the season of Advent. Set aside the holiday preparations and open your heart to hear God speaking to you.
THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY for Men
THANKSGIVING BREAK November 25.
Sessions resume on Thursday, December 2, 2021
Topic: Gospel Lectionary Reading for Sunday worship
Facilitator: Roger Bauser
Time: 9:00 am – 10:00 am
Place: comfort of your home – connect online!
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 Sunday. Come join the discussion. This is a chance to go deeper before hearing the lessons on Sunday. If you experience any difficulty, please contact Roger at rebauser@me.com or call 937-299-5186.
Griefshare
Mourning to Joy – Good Shepherd offers a fall and winter session of 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 is offering the 13 week GriefShare program in person and online from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm on Sundays. If you or someone you know is interested, please register online at www.griefshare.org or call the church office. If you have any questions, contact Kathy Seim (937-901-0532) or Pam Bauser (937-602-8385).
There will be no GriefShare session on Sunday, November 28. The final session of our fall GriefShare groups will be Sunday, December 5.
The winter/spring session will begin on Sunday, January 9. We will continue to offer hybrid class sessions, both in person and online. The spring sessions will conclude on Sunday, April 8. Registration and more information is available online at www.griefshare.org
If you would like to support this ministry with more than your prayers, please contact Pam Bauser or Kathy Seim.
MISCELLANEOUS
GSLC Council Meeting Minutes – November 11, 2021
Please find a copy of GSLC Meeting Minutes by clicking the link here.
November Stewardship Snippets – November 28, 2021
Psalm 25:4 – Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.The First Sunday of Advent’s theme is hope. Christians find our hope in God. We hunger for God and ask for guidance and strength to live fully as steward/disciples.
Offerings for last week: N/A
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!
A PLACE FOR NEWS
ELCA NEWS:
Lutheran World Relief Christmas Match. Click here.
Lutheran Disaster Response. Click here.
Lutheran World Relief Sustainable Development. Click here.
ELCA Global Links. Click here.
COMMUNITY EVENTS AND NOTICES
We Care Arts The 10th Annual Cookie walk will be a drive-through pick up this year! They have cookie pre-orders available online now and pick up will be on Saturday, December 11 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm in the We Care Arts Berkeley Center parking lot.
PLACE YOUR COOKIE ORDER HERE: https://one.bidpal.net/cookiewalk2021/welcome
Here’s How You Can Help!
• Bake and donate your favorite holiday treats! During the holidays, it’s those “special” treats that we all love! The more unique or cleverly decorated, the better!
• Buy cookies! Donate a few dozen and place an order online for cookies for your family to enjoy. Tell your friends too!
• Volunteer: We need folks to help us to box cookie orders on the Friday before, and we’ll need “cookie runners” throughout the day on Saturday in the back parking lot.
You may deliver cookies in a sturdy container to We Care Arts on Friday, December 10 between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm to 3035 Wilmington Pike, Kettering, OH 45429.