Author: Donna Wenger

Angel Tree– We anticipate receiving 25 names for the Angel Tree within the next few weeks. If you take a child’s name, remember to sign the sheet that corresponds with the number on the bell. Gifts are due back to the church by December 10. If you are purchasing a gift card, Pastor John suggested Target gift cards. If you would like to help but don’t want to go shopping, you can make a donation and we will do the shopping for you. Put your donation in a green envelope labeled “Service Committee/Angel Tree”. Unused donations will be put toward the men’s shelter for their “needs” list which includes essentials like socks, underwear, personal hygiene supplies, etc.

Harvest Sunday-Harvest Sunday will look a little different this year. We will collect food items, cleaning supplies, baby food, diapers, wipes and formula. Since the Good Shepherd Food Pantry is well stocked (thanks to Donna and the synod grant), we will take items that we need and donate the rest to the local food banks. Food collection is always on-going but this special collection will run from November 14-December 12.

Homebound Member Gift Bags-We plan to make small gift bags for our homebound members, but please remember them and send a card as the holidays approach, even if it is just some of the people you have not seen at church for a while.

The Good Shepherd Lutheran Church is hosting a Food Truck Event and Basket Raffle on Saturday, July 24, 2021. If you would like to donate a basket for the raffle, baskets should be at the church by noon on July 18. The committee will package the baskets since we want to list what is included in the basket. We will also accept monetary donations to purchase items for baskets. If you have questions, please call Mary at 413-559-3756.

As a result of the great response we had with our last collection of new and used medical equipment and new supplies, our collection will continue. Spread the word to family and friends that we are a collection site, please! Once we have collected enough items, Brother’s Brother Foundation will be scheduled for a pick-up. Please call the church office at 412-372-2934 to schedule a time for drop-off. And please keep in mind, a small collection of items is kept at the church for use: wheel chairs, walkers, canes. Thank you for keeping this mission alive!

The “official” start of spring, regardless of what the weather is doing outside, is Saturday, March 20th. Spring is about 92 days long! The Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a stormy, mild and wet spring for the Pittsburgh area.

Daylight Savings Time 2021 begins at 2 am on the second Sunday in March, March 14. That means that sometime on Saturday evening our clocks should be set FORWARD one hour. Yes, that also means that we actually lose one hour of sleep! But, we are better able to take advantage of the sun’s natural light and get out and do more in the evenings. As warm weather arrives, wouldn’t it be nice to have more time to enjoy the evening? Let’s hope the weather cooperates!

Try some of these easy ways to help your body adjust to the time change:

1. Let sunlight into your room as soon as you wake up.
2. Don’t drink caffeine after lunch time.
3. Exercise in the morning, afternoon or early evening and not close to bedtime.
4. Dim the lights in your house an hour before bedtime and make your bedroom as dark as you can.
5. Take a bath before bed and add some lavender essential oil.
6. Some herbal teas are known to help relax and destress. Try Lavender, Hops, Catnip, Lemon Balm or Chamomile, but, make sure it is okay with your doctor first!
7. Go to bed 15 to 30 minutes earlier during the week before the time change. If you can’t do that, make sure you don’t miss any sleep that week and get to bed on time!

Hopefully some of these tips will help you ease into the Spring Forward time change!

On Monday, February 8, a pick-up of medical equipment which has been donated to The Good Shepherd Lutheran Church has been scheduled with The Brother’s Brother Foundation. This equipment includes wheel chairs, walkers, canes and adult diapers. These donations “provide our partners with goods that help many projects in developing countries” Brother’s Brother states. This will be the second donation in a few years collected here at Good Shepherd. If you have medical equipment in good condition or unopened supplies that you would like to donate, please call the church office at 412-372-2934. Donations must be made by Thursday, February 4, 2021.

We will not be able to provide gift bags to our homebound members this year for Christmas, SOOOO let’s shower them with Christmas cards! A list of our homebound members is available from Donna, our secretary. It is available as a paper copy or it can be emailed to you. While you are at it, think of some of our other members that could use some Christmas cheer and send them a card too!

Val Corbin has placed a sign by our church driveway entrance which contains FREE masks. She could use some help keeping it supplied. If you can help, there are Joann Fabrics gift cards available in the church office to help purchase supplies. Please call the office if you are interested.

Please wear your mask, limit group activities and stay 6 feet away!

Harvest Sunday was November 22 but we are continuing to collect non-perishable food and personal care items. These items will go to local food banks, restock the pantry at Good Shepherd and, be used to provide food for several families in the Gateway School District. Recently a request was made to the Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium. The Gateway School District asked for food and cold-weather clothing items for families in the district in need. The Service Committee used some of the money in their budget to purchase food and Giant Eagle gift cards. Bags were delivered to Ramsey Elementary on November 17th. Seven additional bags have been assembled and will be taken to University Park Elementary next week. If you have new or gently used hats, gloves, coats or boots that you can part with, we will be collecting those at Good Shepherd too. We will donate those to families in the school district as soon as we get more detailed information. Thank you for all that you do for our neighbors in need!