Recycling Bins
The bins outside in the church parking lot will be removed soon. Please make sure to find another recycling location for your paper. Thanks!
Face Masks are Optional
Masks are not required in our Good Shepherd facilities. Those who choose to wear a mask are welcome to do so. Masks are available in the Narthex.
THRIVE: Equipping a Vibrant Church Together
The THRIVE! Campaign initiated by the Southern Ohio Synod seeks to raise $1.2 million by December 2022. The THRIVE! Campaign focuses on five initiatives that were developed in 2018 through extensive conversations with folks around the synod in large and small congregations from urban, suburban and rural settings. Ideas were gathered from pastors and worshippers. All these conversations led to five goals that extend the ministries of the SOS.
Goal 1: Equipping Lay Leaders
Goal 2: Raising Up Leaders for Smaller Congregations
Goal 3: Strengthening Rostered Ministers
Goal 4: Launching New Congregations and Reaching New People
Goal 5: Enhancing Worship Practice
The initiatives associated with each of these goals are beyond the day-to-day responsibilities of the SOS leadership and staff. The intent of these goals is to involve all 181 congregations in sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. Good Shepherd has already benefitted from several of the initiatives the THRIVE! Campaign supports. Our members on the Vitality Team, the Digital Ministry Team, and Church Council have all participated in workshops and events supported by THRIVE! in the SOS. Each of these events has emphasized the importance of being connected beyond ourselves, reaching others with the Good News, and relying on the Spirit to lead us in directions we never thought possible. The THRIVE! Campaign lives into the Southern Ohio Synod’s mission: STRONGER and BETTER TOGETHER…Joining Jesus in the Restoration of the World!
Good Shepherd leadership has endorsed a goal of $9000 for our congregation’s donor contributions to the campaign over a three-year period. We will give everyone the opportunity to participate in reaching this goal. Our commitment weekend is May 21-22. Watch for more important information to come.
Here is the information distributed in worship on April 30-May 1: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VDr9955VCgXvQ_fapPNjp-tIcf5Wp1cf/view?usp=sharing
Here is the link to the video to begin the Mission Moment this week for THRIVE! Campaign: Goal 2 https://youtu.be/IPxYwvNDF3k
WORSHIP
Parking Lot Communion will be offered on the 3rd Sunday of the month from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm. May 15 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
OUTREACH AND SERVICES
Food Pantry News
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).
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Amazing Grace Daycamp
Summer is just around the corner. Soon it will be time for Amazing Grace Daycamp. Circle July 18-22 on your calendars! Those are the important dates to remember. We will have a team from Lutheran Memorial Camp to lead the programming. We will need lots of volunteers to help with the campers, serve meals, provide support, and house the LMC staff. Hold this important outreach ministry in your prayers.
Graduation Weekend – May 28/29, 2022
Each spring Good Shepherd honors our graduates from high school, college, and graduate programs. This year our graduate recognition will be the weekend of May 28/29. We need your help identifying this year’s graduates. Please submit the names of those members of your family who are graduating this spring to the church office as soon as possible. This will help us plan for the event. Please indicate the graduate’s full name, the name of school, and the degree earned, including the field of study. Thank you for helping us gather this information! It is a blessing to honor those graduates who are special to our congregation.
Financial Peace University
Tell your money where to go instead of wondering where it went! Join our Financial Peace University class and learn to make a budget you’ll actually stick to. We’ll meet at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in the Lounge at 7:00 pm for 9 weeks. Visit fpu.com/1148266 to sign up for our class and start your 14-day free trial of Financial Peace! Classes have already started. Contact Martin Pierce at 937-287-4021 with any questions.
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: Our youth will meet in the chapel on Sundays at 9:15 am. ALL youth are welcome!
SUNDAY MORNING ADULT BIBLE STUDY
Adult Crossings: God’s Journey with Us!
Facilitator: Roger Bauser
Time: 8:50 am – 9:50 am
Place: Comfort of your own home – connect and discuss with others online!
Life is a journey – one we measure in passages of time, accomplishments, transitions in education and vocation, and relationships. In all circumstances, God journeys with us! The Bible tells us so! The Word of God is filled with powerful stories of God’s presence in the lives of individuals and communities. God keeps the promise to be present in the Bible. God keeps the promise to be present in our lives.
The Adult Crossings explores the Bible through eight core stories: God’s call; the Exodus; Sinai covenant; Promised land; Davidic rule; Jesus’ life; the Cross; Resurrection life. These stories will carry us through Lent and into the Easter season. Use this time to grow your relationship with God as God keeps the promise to journey with you!
The format is online to provide a safe, healthy way to connect. The sessions are designed to allow folks to come to one or all of the conversations.
THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY for Men
Topic: Gospel Lectionary Reading for 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 weekend. 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.
FRIDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY DISCUSSION for ALL
Topic: Gospel Lectionary Readings for worship
Come on FRIDAY mornings! Bring your own coffee and treats along with your BIBLE. The focus is on the Lectionary Lessons for the upcoming weekend. 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.
WELCA BIBLE STUDY – WEDNESDAY, MAY 25
Mark your calendar. Wednesday, May 25 at 10:30 am or 7:30 pm
Across the Generations: One act of welcome can beget another
In the month of May, Gather invites women to consider the value of intergenerational relationships both in Scripture and in our daily lives. Plan to join us as we heard and respond to the stories shared.
MISCELLANEOUS
Stewardship Snippets – May 1, 2022
“Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord.” – Psalm 22:30
Who first told you the good news about Jesus? Chances are it was a beloved elder, either a family member or pillar of the church. We receive the wisdom of our ancestors, and then we take on the mantle of responsibility and good stewardship to pass that good news along to future generations.
Offerings for last week: $3,095.00
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.
NEW Lutheran World Relief. Click here.
ELCA Global Links. Click here.
ELCA World Hunger – 40 Days of Giving. Click here.
COMMUNITY EVENTS AND NOTICES
Good Shepherd is a major sponsor as The Supper Club Returns!
Supper Club, a program started by Fairmont West Unit principal, Jenny Britton, brings adults in the community into the high school to share a meal with students. Supper Club provides the perfect atmosphere for students to connect with adults and practice networking skills. A huge “THANK YOU” to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and to our Craft Fair Chaiman Rich Kellstrom for making this donation possible. If you are interested or know someone who might be interested in participating in or sponsoring a Supper Club dinner, please contact Jenny Britton at jenny.britton@ketteringschools.org.
Kettering Block Party
On Wednesday, June 8 from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm located at the Fraze Pavilion the City of Kettering will have a block party. Enjoy free hot dogs, live music, and a variety of booths featuring City resources and information. Contact the Volunteer Office with any questions at 937-296-2433.