Author: Leigh Pogue

Beginning Sunday, September 6^th, our church family is stepping forward in faith towards the future God is preparing for us.  While our surroundings may look different, our foundation remains unchanged: one Lord, one faith, one family in Christ.   We are grateful to our neighbors in Christ and now in residence, the congregation of the Garden City United Methodist Church for opening their church building to us.

Come and worship with us in a space where old traditions continue, new ministries grow, and God’s presence meets us just as faithfully as ever.

You can find us at:

500 Laurel Drive

Monroeville, PA 15146

Lutheran Worship Services – Sundays 9:00 am

Our church office will be moving later this month.  If you need assistance from the office, please call us at 412-372-2934. 

Please join us for worship on Sunday, August 30th at 10:30 am where we will worship together for the last time in our current building. We will be honored in worship with Bishop Melissa Stoller alongside Pastor Bob Schaefer. The bell and chancel choirs have prepared special music for the service and we are looking forward to being together. We will be sharing in the creation of a collaborative art project to make a banner – with each of us adding their own special thought or message.

A luncheon will follow at 1:00 pm for those who have registered.

While this closes a chapter for our congregation, we look forward to the next chapter that God has opened for us at our new home, 500 Laurel Drive with our neighbors, the Garden City United Methodist Church.

Sunday, August 16th – Lutheran Multi-Congregation Worship in the Park

Where: Monroeville Community Park West, Pavillion 1

When: 10:30 am Worship Service followed by a Potluck Lunch. Worship will be livestreamed on Youtube.

What do you need to bring? You may bring a dish to share and a lawn chair if you choose. Neither are required to come and enjoy!

Worship Service at the Good Shepherd will resume in our building on Sunday, August 23rd.

__________________________________________________________

Sunday, August 30th – Final Worship Service in our building (10:30)

Catered lunch to follow at Jaden’s; RSVP Please! on or before August 23rd on our website or by completing a Registration Form – Forms are available in the Church Office or in the Narthex

__________________________________________________________

Sunday, September 6th – First Worship Service at Garden City

Worship will begin at a new time: 9:00 am!

Please join in coffee and fellowship after worship!

 We are grateful for God’s provision and blessing and with that we share the following update:

Sunday, August 30, 2026 at 10:30 am – Will be our final worship service in our current building. The service will be followed by a luncheon at Jaden’s in Monroeville. Please RSVP at www.goodshepherdlife.org or sign up in the church office or on the sign-up sheet in the Narthex. RSVP’s by Sunday, August 23rd, please!

Sunday, September 6, 2026 at 9:00 am – Will be our first worship service in our new location; 500 Laurel Drive, Monroeville, PA. Please join us there for worship with Holy Communion followed by fellowship and coffee!

We look forward to sharing these important moments together in the life of our congregation!

We are preparing for the final worship service to be held in our current building on Sunday, August 30^th.  This special service will be held at 10:30 am followed by a catered lunch.  We are working to make this service a beautiful homage to this place that we’ve called home for so very many years while at the same time, looking forward to making a new home together in Garden City.  More details will be available in the coming weeks, please “Save the Date”!

On Sunday September 6^th, we will be holding our first worship service in our new location.  That worship service will begin at 9:00 am.

We are excited to be joining some of our neighboring ELCA Lutheran churches for an outdoor worship service and picnic on Sunday, August 16, at 10:30 am at Pavillion 1, Monroeville Community Park West.  This worship service will replace our regular Sunday worship here at the Good Shepherd on that day.  The service will also be streamed on YouTube for those who prefer to participate remotely.

There will be a potluck lunch following worship.

What will be provided:

• Hamburgers, hot dogs and buns
• Paper plates, napkins
• 2 cases of water

 All are encouraged to bring chair(s) for the lawn and any games. All are welcome for worship, food, fellowship and f

The following information was shared with the congregation at worship on Sunday, July 19, 2026.

While we do not have a final date for the closing of the sale of our property, we have a high level of confidence that sale will close sometime on or before the end of September 2026. We are hoping to sign a lease agreement on the new property at Garden City United Methodist Church before the end of this month.  Members of our Property Committee and Transition Coordination Team (TCT) have been working to ensure that our designated space there is as move-in ready as possible when we arrive.  A date for the final worship service in our current building has not yet been set but we are hoping to make that decision very soon.

As we continue to prepare ourselves for vacating our current buildings, we are in need of additional volunteers to sort, pack, label and move items for disposition.  There are sign-up sheets in the narthex for anyone interested in helping out.  Please consider lending a hand to this important work!  If you have any questions, please contact any member of the TCT or the church office.

The following are highlights from a message that was shared with the congregation during worship on Sunday, June 21, 2026. Copies of the full message are available in the narthex and the church office.

The Transition Coordination Team (TCT), the Council and our congregation members have been actively working to prepare for our upcoming move to the new location. 

Rummage Room – Items continually change as new things are added and other things find new homes. Please continue to check out what’s in the room – you never know what you may find!

Items/boxes to be moved – The Fellowship Hall has designated areas for staging things that are to be moved to our new location. Labels and instructions are available in the church office.

GSLC/GCUMC Planning Team – A joint liaison team between members of our congregation and the Garden City Methodist Church has been identified and has begun planning and coordinating the many big and small things that will need to be addressed in our transition to our new location.

Lease at Garden City – We have signed a Letter of Intent with the GC UMC confirming our commitment to lease space from them in line with the recent congregational vote. 

Final Worship Service at 4503 Old William Penn – The Worship Committee is planning a very special worship service for our last Sunday in this space.  We do not have a definitive date at this point, but our intention is to hold that final worship service 3-4 weeks before we are contractually obligated to vacate the property.  Stay tuned for more information!

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this important work for our congregation’s future!  

As our church family continues the exciting work of transitioning to our new location, we will be pausing our annual Vacation Bible School this summer. After much discussion, the Education Committee members have decided to forego a week-long VBS for summer 2026.  We considered either holding it at our current location or Garden City UMC and for a variety of reasons, decided we would be better off pausing on a full VBS program for this year and planning to resume in 2027 when we expect to be fully operational at our new location.  

The Ed Committee and Sunday School families are planning a VBS Express for our Sunday School children sometime over the summer in lieu of a 2026 VBS program.   While we will miss this special week of learning, laughter, and faith‑building, we are already looking forward to welcoming our community participants back next year—refreshed, renewed, and ready to celebrate VBS in our new home. Thank you for your understanding and for your continued prayers during this season of change.

As we continue the efforts to determine what items – big and small – will be moving with us the Garden City location, we have heard from some members who are interested in repurposing some of our things in their own homes or other places.  If you are interested in any items; including but not limited to pews, padded chairs, plastic chairs, Bibles, hymnals, larger décor), please submit your request in writing to Donna Wenger in the church office.  Donna will log all requests including the date received.  As items become available (meaning a decision has been made not to move it with us and the item(s) haven’t been donated to another church), they will then be distributed on a first come, first come, first served basis.