We will be holding our annual Vacation Bible School here at the church from Sunday, July 9th through Thursday, July 13th. We will be starting on Sunday with our VBS Kickoff event from noon till 3:00 pm following the worship service. The sessions on Monday through Thursday will be held in the evening from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Please invite your children, grandchildren, neighbors and friends. All are welcome!
This year’s theme is God’s Wonder Lab. Children will look into God’s holy word, and discover that Jesus does the impossible, giving us eternal life with him! Come and join us for stories, games, crafts, music and snacks!
We are so excited to be bringing God’s Wonder Lab to the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church VBS this year. VBS is open to children ages 3 through 11. Registration is available through the following:
We will be holding our annual Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday, April 2nd, 2023 from 12-2pm! This event is for all children up to the age of 12. Parents are invited to attend with their children.
Refreshments will be provided! We ask all children to bring their own basket or bag to collect their eggs! For those who forget or don’t have one, we will have extras for you to use! We will also have some games, and a craft table for the kids!
Please register on our facebook page or by calling the church office at (412) 372-2934. Registration will end on March 26th.
We have some exciting events planned for Sunday September 25th and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone who can make it!
Our Worship Committee, Christian Education Committee, and Service Committee are inviting you to join us for a special day at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on Sunday, September 25th!
Beginning with worship at 10:30 am we will be celebrating our annual kickoff to the fall season. We are hoping that everyone will come out for in person worship that day as we bid farewell to the summer season and a hearty “hello” to fall. (Livestreaming of worship will also be available)
Sunday School Rally Day will begin immediately following worship. We will be joining with our students and their families for fun, food, games and service to officially kickoff the Sunday School season.
Our Service Committee is coordinating a service project to assemble Personal Care Kits for those in need through Lutheran World Relief and the Northside Common Ministries Men’s Shelter. Donations and volunteers to put the kits together are invited to join the Service Committee immediately following worship on September 25th. Lunch will be provided and sign-up is encouraged.
We are so very thankful to be back together worshipping in person. We are blessed to have both an active in-person and an online worship ministry at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. If you are interested in sharing in the joy of serving during worship services, there are plenty of opportunities. The Altar Guild, Chancel and Bell Choirs, and Usher team are always seeking new members. These groups enhance our worship services for all who participate. At this moment, we are particularly interested in finding additional ushers to serve during worship. Our usher roster has dwindled since the dawn of the pandemic and has not returned to a level that is consistent with weekly worship services. Usher duties are fairly simple yet very important. Please prayerfully consider joining our usher team. It doesn’t take a lot of time but definitely makes the worship experience better for all who attend.
If you are interested, please contact the church office or Leigh Pogue.
As Christians and fellow members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, we are called to live out God’s plan for the church, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to all and to love and serve our neighbors. That calling includes the many opportunities within the church to share your good gifts. For the Good Shepherd, we currently are seeking additional people to join the Congregation Council. The Council members serve as your voice and hands in the leadership of the church’s ministries. This is a very important time for the Good Shepherd, with many opportunities to hear God’s call for us in the community and to lead our congregation into the future. Please prayerfully and thoughtfully consider whether you are called to be part of the Congregation Council. Seats on Council are generally for 3-year terms. The commitment includes participation in a monthly Council meeting as well as a brief Council check-in meeting each week. In addition, Council members are encouraged to be involved in at least one committee. If you are interested, please contact Pastor Bob or any member of Council. Nominations are being accepted and will be presented on January 30th at the Annual Congregational Meeting.
As part of our Good Shepherd holiday tradition, we will again be hosting a “Deck the Halls” event to adorn the sanctuary in preparation for Christmas! The event will be held on Sunday, December 19th immediately following the Worship Service. Lunch will also be provided. Please join us as we celebrate the joy of this Advent and Christmas season, beautifying the church and spending time in fellowship together. A sign up sheet will be available in the narthex. Or contact the church office to sign up. Hope to see you there!
Our Financial Secretary, Steve Smith, provides monthly reports to the Congregation Council – contents of which are available through financial reports made available in the church hallway and hard copies of the Council Meeting minutes. In addition, we are providing this same information here on the website. The spreadsheet below provides the actual financial information so far this year. Prior years’ information was available in the Annual Report that you would have received in January.
September 2021
Year to Date
Total Contributions and Income for Budgeted Items
$8,355
$90,207
Expenses
($17,214)
($133,631)
ActualSurplus/Deficit
($8,859)
$(69,761)
Transfer from Keeping God’s House
$1,826
$19,129
Adjusted Surplus/Deficit
($7,033)
($43,424)
Overall, the financial situation continues to present challenges for the Council and the congregation. The year-to-date deficit continues to grow. Contributions for budgeted items remains insufficient to cover expenses. The church has benefited from the use of the federal PPP Loan/Grant received in 2021 along with lower than normal expenditures from Committees such as Worship, Education, Witness and Service. One other positive is that contributions to Keeping God’s House have remained strong and have served to offset some expenses. Despite those favorable items, the year-to-date adjusted deficit sits at $43,424. Council is continuing to work through the Centennial Plan agreed by the congregation and prays for continued blessings as opportunities become available.
As Pastor Bob announced at worship yesterday, we will now be holding Sunday morning worship services at the gazebo on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of every month for July, August and September, weather permitting! Attendance at outdoor worship has been favorable and both the Worship Committee and the Congregation Council thought it best to increase those opportunities during the summer months. All worship services will be held at 10:30 am whether indoors or outdoors and will continue to be live streamed via Zoom or You Tube. In the event of inclement weather, the worship service will be moved indoors. Masks are not required for outdoor worship.
Our Financial Secretary, Steve Smith, provides monthly reports to the Congregation Council – contents of which are available through financial reports made available in the church hallway and hard copies of the Council Meeting minutes. In addition, we are providing this same information here on the website. The spreadsheet below provides the actual financial information so far this year. Prior years’ information was available in the Annual Report that you would have received in January.
May 2021
Year to Date
Total Contributions and Income for Budgeted Items
$11,276
$56,979
Expenses
($5,394)
($78,053)
ActualSurplus/Deficit
$5,882
($18,420)
Transfer from Keeping God’s House
$1,359
$10,654
Adjusted Surplus/Deficit
$7,241
($6,406)
Total Contributions and Income for Budgeted Items during May totaled $11,276. This represents a decline of $2,185 versus April contributions. Contributions to the Crossroads Food Pantry (Food Bank) were $145. Contributions to Keeping God’s House during May totaled $1,650. On a Year-to-Date basis, we have now received $13,975 in contributions to Keeping God’s House.
During May, our recorded expenditures totaled $5,394. These expenditures, coupled with our May receipts, generated a surplus of $5,882. Normally, a surplus of any amount would be something to celebrate. However, we need to look a little behind the scenes for this one. During May, we utilized $12,952 in PPP Loan funds to pay our Payroll, Electricity, Natural Gas, Water, Sewer, Telephone, and Internet Connection invoices. If these expenditures would have been recorded through the normal channels, our $5,882 surplus would have been reversed to a $7,070 deficit. At the current rate, the PPP Loan account should be exhausted at the end of June.
On a Year-to-Date basis, our expenditures have totaled $78,053 during 2021. When compared to our Total Contributions and Income for Budgeted Items of $59,633, it generates a significant deficit of $18,420.
The transfer of $1,359 from Keeping God’s House to cover our church utility bills and maintenance costs improved our monthly surplus to $7,241. After five months, we have now transferred $12,014 of Keeping God’s House funds to cover church utility bills and maintenance costs. Our Year-to-Date deficit after application of Keeping God’s House funds stands at $6,406.
Back by popular demand, we will once again be worshipping outdoors at the gazebo on the following Sunday mornings at 10:30 am, weather permitting – July 4th, August 1st , September 5th
Join us on the lawn or from your car for worship outdoors! Masks are not required! In the event of inclement weather, the worship service will be held in the sanctuary.
All other Sunday worship services will be held in the sanctuary at 10:30 am.
