Author: Pastor Bob Schaefer

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Help Wanted – Singers and Ringers!

Have you ever thought you might like to sing in the choir or ring with the bells, but didn’t want to make a long-term commitment? We are offering the opportunity for you to try one of these on a short-term basis, three months, now through Easter. Due to some travel plans, we will be without some of our regular members for Easter. We especially need sopranos and tenors, but would welcome all voice parts. Any new ringers would be given the easiest bells and plenty of help and encouragement from our experienced ringers.

Music, a wondrous gift from God, is such a vital and important part of our worship! Please consider sharing your time and talent to be a part of our music ministry.

Mary K. Walley, Director of Music

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Join us for Christmas!

Christmas at The Good Shepherd

We’re excited to announce our Christmas schedule for 2022! Please join us.

We’re offering two services Christmas Eve, as well as a Christmas Day service (since Christmas falls on Sunday this year). All of our services are livestreamed. You can learn more about each of them on our Christmas page.

The service times are:

  • December 24 at 4:30 pm – Family Friendly Christmas Eve Worship
  • December 24 at 7:00 pm – Traditional Chistmas Eve Worship
  • December 25 at 10:30 am – Christmas Day Communion

Be sure to stay after the 4:30 service for goodies and fellowship, and come early for the 7:00 service for half an hour of music and carols led by our musicians.

VIsit our Christmas Page
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Announcements

Missing Keys

A set of keys went missing last Sunday, November 27. It was last seen on the Angel Tree table in the narthex. If you might have grabbed them by accident, could you please let us know? Their owner misses them!

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Announcements News

Read the Bible with us in 2023!

We want to give you a Bible! All you need to do is read it with us. Beginning January 1, we invite all members of our congregation to join us in reading the entire Bible in 2023. We’re using the Daily Reader’s Bible, a unique arrangement of the easy-to-read New Living Translation. Each day’s reading includes three passages—a selection from the stories of the Bible; another from the teachings of the Bible, including the prophetic books of the Old Testament and the letters of the New Testament; and a third from the wisdom of the Bible. The entire text of the Bible is uniquely arranged for daily reading that can be completed in about 15 minutes per day. You can also follow the reading plan with a convenient app on your phone or tablet – or even listen to the audio version of the daily readings. We’ll be forming weekly discussion groups to share our questions, ideas and discoveries. Claim your Bible today!

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Enjoy our VBS songs all week long!

Our 2022 Vacation Bible School, Rainforest Explorers, begins today and continues every Thursday night through August 11. You can take the songs of the Rainforest home with you and come ready to sing each week.

If you aren’t already registered, it’s never too late! Visit our VBS page or just pop by Thursdays from 6-8p.

All VBS Songs (audio only)

Jesus Is My Treasure (Theme Song)

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Announcements

URGENT – Gift card scammer impersonating Pastor Bob

scam alert letting text on black background
Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com

This afternoon one of our members was the victim of a scammer pretending to be Pastor Bob. The scammer asked the victim to purchase and send photos of gift cards, supposedly for a church ministry.

If you receive a similar call, text or email, please DO NOT respond to it. Instead, report it to the church immediately. You can also use the link below to learn how to report it to the FTC.

If you’ve already become a victim, please preserve everything you can, contact local law enforcement and your bank, and let us know as soon as possible so we can help you, too.

Next Steps

Visit the Federal Trade Commission’s page about gift card scams to learn how they work, how to avoid becoming a victim, and what you can do if you’ve already been victimized.

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Announcements COVID-19 News

Covid Policy Revised to Reflect CDC “Community Levels”

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Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

The church council has made significant revisions to our Covid policy, aligning it to the CDC’s revised “Community Levels” risk assessment.

You can read our policy in its entirety on our website, or view our current status anytime.

The most significant change is that masks will not be required except when Allegheny County is in the highest level of alert. As of June 27, our status is green and the following will apply:

Green (Low Risk) Status: Worship and other indoor events are open to all individuals. Masks are optional in the building and social distancing is recommended.

We will continue to offer livestreams of our worship services, as well as Daily Prayer online.

If you have any questions about our new policy, you’re invited to contact any of our council members.

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2nd Annual Food Truck and Basket Raffle

Please join us Saturday, July 30 from 11:00-4:00 for our Second Annual Food Truck and Basket Raffle! We are once again raising funds to build a house for a family in need, through Food for the Poor.

Vendors will be announced at a later date, but we promise there’ll be good eats!

We are now accepting basket donations. Baskets should have a value of at least $35-50. Please let the church office know if you’ll be putting one together.

Please spread the word and help us make this event a great success again this year!

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2022-23 Confirmation Schedule

2022-23-Confirmation-ScheduleDownload
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Join us for worship this Holy Week!

We invite you to join us online or in person as we enter the holy mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection for the sake of the world.

Maundy Thursday, April 14 at 7:00 pm. This service of Holy Communion recalls Jesus last meal with his friends, his washing of their feet, and his commandment (“mandatum” ➡️ mandate ➡️ Maundy) that his followers must show their love for one another by imitating Jesus’ own acts of humble, loving service. The worship concludes with the stripping of the altar – a solemn removal of all decorations and ornamentation, leaving the worship space harsh and exposed as Jesus’ story moves rapidly toward the nakedness of the cross.

Good Friday, April 15 at 7:00 pm. The great “Three Days” continue as we mark the trial, crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus. It is an awful, terrific, tremendous day in the truest sense – a day that inspires awe, terror and trembling at the power of God laid bare in the frailty of a dying human body. But we call the day “Good,” because the power at work that day was for our sake and the sake of the world. With this in mind, our service emphasizes prayer for all the wounded creation Jesus died to make new. The central image is of the dead wood of the cross in actuality being the blossoming Tree of Life, in which was hung the salvation of the world.

Easter Sunday, April 17 at 10:30 am. Just as Jesus shared in our death on Good Friday, on Easter Sunday we rejoice that he has risen so that we might share in his eternal life! The bleak emptiness of the sanctuary erupts into a glory of petals, the cross bursts forth in blooms, and the Church’s song of “Alleluia!” (“Hallelujah!” ➡️ “Praise the Lord!) returns with vigor to our worship after forty days’ absence. Musical celebrations and Holy Communion complete the air of victory and joy.

Masks and social distancing will be required at all services. We will be utilizing windows and air filters to maximize airflow in the worship space. Vaccinations (and boosters) are highly encouraged, though not required. If you are not feeling well, we invite you to join us online rather than in person.