New Women's Bible Study

Inviting all Ladies! There is a new women's Bible study beginning on Sunday 3/19. We will start a 4-week study authored by Donna Pyle focusing on the single verse of Isaiah 53:5, encapsulating the focus of this season of Lent - "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed." (ESV). There is no cost - see you Sunday at 9:45am in the Duchow Room!

A Few Good Men

Looking for a few good men

At Good Shepherd, our constitution requires us to vote on Elders once per year and goes further to ensure a rotation of the members of the board of Elders by only allowing those serving to fill two terms. This election cycle we are looking to fill four (4) positions.

 As an aside, you are not too young or too old to serve as an Elder. My first time serving as an Elder I was 25 years old and of course there are many who have served on the board who are older than I am today.

What does the Elder do?

At Good Shepherd, the role of Elder for the church is to watch over the spiritual health of the congregation. Specifically to call members who are irregular attendance. We measure the spiritual health of the congregation through the member’s regular attendance at worship and partaking in communion. Our other role is overseeing the worship and music of the Church as this is directly tied to Spiritual health. 

We have been blessed at Good Shepherd with capable Pastors and Church musicians. In the past the Elders have become involved in details on worship and music. As the church moved from being a mission congregation our “style” has become set and we spend little time in this area.

As the church considers projecting elements of the worship service we first discussed this in the monthly meeting of the Board of Elders. We next brought it to the council and then the voters. The Board had an initial approval of the idea and then a committee was formed to see the elements required through. If changes are needed the Congregation would ultimately make that decision as the impact will be on more than just the Board.

We have sometimes worked with Christian Education on appropriate materials. We approved general guidelines for the discussion and purchasing of materials. Our goal is to remain faithful to our Lutheran beliefs and allow the various boards to perform their work.

On Sundays we are responsible for opening and closing the church buildings. I can imagine 100 years ago the role would have lit the stove to heat the sanctuary in the winter or open the windows to cool the building in the summer.

On Sunday mornings you can often see us as we assist our pastor in the communion distribution. This is a great blessing for us to assist the Pastor serving communion. We always keep in mind that we are there for you, the members of Good Shepherd, and not to just open up and close the building or serve communion.

Here is what the Good Shepherd constitution says about the board:

A.     This Board shall consist of four (4) or more members, including the Chair/Head Elder. They shall all be elected by the congregation. Elders shall be male members of the congregation.

B.     The Board of Elders is responsible for the supervision of congregational worship, the spiritual welfare of the congregation and its members, and the welfare of the called church workers and their families.

C.     Specific duties of the Board of Elders shall include:

1. Oversight of the compensation and benefits for called church workers.

2. Counsel and assist the Pastor in the spiritual care of the congregation.

3. Monitor church and Communion attendance by the members and make personal contacts with members who are irregular in their attendance at worship and The Lord’s Supper.

4. Maintain discipline within the congregation according to the Scriptures, the Lutheran Confessions and the Constitution and By-Laws of this congregation. In cases of contention and strife, the elders shall endeavor to bring about reconciliation and harmony among the members.

5. Supervise the work of the Worship-Music Committee. One elder shall be appointed to serve on this Committee.

6. Supervise the work of the Altar Guild.

7. Offer assistance and comfort to those members who are in distress.

8. Assist the Pastor with supervision of confirmation instruction for youth and adults.

If you are feeling called to serve on the board of Elders please let me know. We are indeed looking for a few good men to serve. Please ask me any questions.

Blessings on your week.

Glen Leavens, Head Elder

Join us for Lent!

The scenes of Lent are familiar. The Upper Room, the Garden of Gethsemane, the halls of Pontius Pilate, and the hill of Golgotha—these are the places we remember when we meditate on our Lord’s Passion. Yet when Jesus enters a place, He never leaves it as He found it. The most troubling places in our lives become the most amazing places of God’s grace when Jesus visits them.

For this reason, each week in our midweek Lenten series, the Gospel of Luke will take us to a different place, the places of the Passion. Our focus, however, will not be on these physical places. Instead, we will gaze in wonder on the spiritual work that our Lord does there. Jesus will share His strength in our times of weakness. He will fill us with His praise in the midst of our sorrow. We will enter the places of the Passion only to discover our Lord waiting for us, willing to share with us a love that was set in place before the foundations of the world.

Join us for our midweek Lenten Services on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. Soup and sandwich suppers precede the services beginning March 8th at 6:15 p.m.

 

March 1  A Place at the Table for You (Luke 22:1–13)

Ash Wed. Imposition of Ashes & Holy Communion will be offered.

March 8 The Upper Room: A Place of Service (Luke 22:14–38)

March 15 Gethsemane: A Place of Strength(Luke 22:39–46)

March 22 The Betrayal: A Place of Eternal Love (Luke 22:47–53)

March 29 The Courtyard: A Place of Renewal (Luke 22:54–62)

April 5  The Trial: A Place of God’s Will (Luke 22:63–23:25)

VBS 2017

Save the Date! 

VBS 2017 - June 12-16, 6-8:30 pm

At Mighty Fortress, we’ll learn about Jesus, our Savior, through five Bible stories, meet new friends, do fun activities, sing great songs, make crafts, play games, eat snacks, and more! It’s going to be fun, but it would be more fun with you there. More details to follow!

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)

Love

February is often a time when we reach out to our loved ones and show them how much we love them.  We might do this by buying flowers or a gift.  We could do this by having a special dinner, or we could do this by doing something nice for them.  Whatever it is we do, the meaning behind it is the same – to show our love and appreciation for them.  So what exactly is love? The dictionary states that love is “an intense feeling of deep affection.”  The apostle Paul says that “Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn’t jealous.  It doesn’t sing its own praises. It isn’t arrogant.  It isn’t rude. It doesn’t think about itself. It isn’t irritable. It doesn’t keep track of wrongs. It isn’t happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth.  Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up." 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

When Jesus breaks bread with the disciples he says to them, “I’m giving you a new commandment: Love each other in the same way that I have loved you.  Everyone will know that you are my disciples because of your love for each other.” John 13: 34-35. Oh to be like Jesus!!!!  He truly did love everyone!  Remember the woman at the well?  How about Zacchaeus?  Bartimaeus? The Bible gives many examples of Jesus and his love, so to love like Jesus is a very tall order!  I am not sure about you, but I often find myself fighting inwardly between what I know Jesus would want me to do and what I want to do.  Truly loving and showing love takes time, and in our busy lives time is something that is very valuable and hard to give.  Sure, we can be nice to one another.  We can easily greet each other with a hug and a smile.  That is the easy stuff.  To take the time to love like Jesus is not easy.  Shamefully I am often a Martha instead of a Mary.  To me loving like Jesus means to take the time to really listen to someone when they are sad or hurting.  It means taking the time out of your busy schedule to help someone who needs help.  Sometimes this means that what we had planned for that day is not going to get done.  If you are a scheduler like me, this can be very hard to give up.  The task of loving becomes even harder when the person who needs your love the most is a person that you do not like.  However, God made it very clear that we are to love our enemies like we love ourselves.  It is our duty as followers of Christ.  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  Phillipians 4:13 - that includes loving my enemies.

I am so thankful for my church and my church family.  Every Sunday I am able to come to church and renew my spirit which in turn fills my heart with love.  I am also very thankful for my Bible and other religious books that give me something to turn to during the week that also help to fill my heart with love.   By surrounding myself with these positive influences it makes it easier to fulfill God’s commandment and to love others as he has loved us.  Don’t get me wrong, it is still a daily struggle, but without these tools I would be lost.  I am very thankful for, and truly do love, all my brothers and sisters in Christ!

Yours in Christ,

Becky Aragon, GSLC President

Sign up today for Financial Peace!

YOU'RE INVITED TO FINANCIAL PEACE UNIVERSITY! 

Good Shepherd will be hosting another session of this life-changing program from Dave Ramsey. Participants will learn God's way of handling money as FPU presents Biblical, practical steps to get from where you are to where you've dreamed you could be. This plan will show you how to get rid of debt, manage your money, spend and save wisely, and much more!  This class will meet each Sunday from February 12 through April 9 at 6:00 p.m. in the Family Life Center.  Course materials cost $93 plus shipping per family.  To ensure that your materials arrive in time, please register in advance by clicking here. Hope to see you there!