We are delighted to receive Carol Brumback into membership. Carol and her family were members almost back to the founding of the congregation. After a few moves in her adult life, Carol has come back home to The Good Shepherd. Welcome!
It’s November in PA – the nights are getting longer, the days are getting chillier and the leaves are turning colors and decorating our lawns. With the change in weather, we say goodbye to Worship at the Gazebo for the cold months, and have moved indoors.
Because Covid-19 has stubbornly plateaued at a high level in Allegheny County this fall, we still are taking measures to make indoor worship as safe as possible:
As we look toward the winter, we are optimistically planning for an in-person Christmas. The worship committee is working on a plan to hold multiple services on Christmas Eve to allow for an appropriate number of people in the sanctuary.
Covid has thrown us many curveballs before, so nothing’s for sure, but we’re hopeful that we can gather in safety and joy this year.
Keep your eyes on this space for more information as we get closer to Christmas.
Don’t forget to set your clocks back an hour before you go to bed Saturday night! Daylight Saving Time ends at 2:00 am Sunday, Nov. 7. Enjoy your extra hour of sleep. 😊
The council has revised our covid policy to open indoor worship and events to all people, regardless of vaccination status. Our policy continues to require masking and physical distancing while in the building.
Although we’re relaxing the policy a little, we strongly encourage you to receive the vaccine if you’re eligible – it’s the best way to keep our members and our community safe and healthy. If you’re on the fence, ask any of your council members about their experience getting the vaccine.
We’ll continue to offer worship online, of course.
Have you struggled to find your spiritual center lately? We completely understand! We want to help you recover that sense of spiritual peace and balance that’s in such short supply these days.
That’s why we’re setting aside a few precious minutes each Sunday morning to ground you in faith.
From 10:10 to 10:20, please join us for a time of peaceful contemplation in the sanctuary. Week by week it might look a little different, but you can expect some or all of the following:
We hope you’ll find this time an uplifting way to transition from all the concerns of everyday life into the joy of our Sunday worship service.
And we want to know what would help you feel more grounded spiritually. If there are practices you’d like us to consider, please let our worship leaders know!
We look forward to growing with you.
Did you know that Google maps can take you right inside many buildings? We’re inviting the Street View cameras into The Good Shepherd next month so that members and guests can take a virtual walk through our lovely building!
In order to get our halls and rooms ready for their moment in the spotlight, we could use a little help. Would you be willing to do some tidying (organizing and decluttering more than scrubbing and cleaning) between now and early October? We’ll be scheduling small shifts rather than having a big clean-up day, in order to keep everyone safe and healthy.
Call or email the office to let us know when you’re available.
We’ll let you know when our virtual building is live on Google Maps!
Looks like we got it wrong – we thought the photography crew would be free, but it actually costs about $600! It would be fun to do this, but there are other things we’d rather invest those funds in. You’re still welcome to help us red up the church, though! 😀
We are hosting a special event this coming Sunday, September 12th, immediately following the worship service. Rally Day has traditionally been our chance to come together as a congregation to welcome in the fall and to be the official kickoff of our Sunday School Program.
Please join us following the 10:30 worship service for food, fun and fellowship! There will also be games for the kids. The event will be held outdoors, weather permitting. If the weather does not cooperate, the Rally Day celebration will be moved to Sunday, October 3rd.
As of August 1, Allegheny County is once again in the Red (High Risk) category. In keeping with our Covid policy, all indoor events – including worship – are now restricted to those who have been fully vaccinated.
In order to welcome as many people to worship as possible, the council has decided to move our services outdoors to the Gazebo every Sunday at 10:30. Communion will be offered every week. Please bring chairs or a blanket, or worship from your car if that’s more comfortable for you.
In the event of inclement weather, we’ll move the service indoors. You can check our homepage Saturday night or Sunday morning to see the current plan. If you have not been fully vaccinated, we ask that you join us online if the weather is bad.
Masks and socially distancing continue to be required indoors regardless of vaccination status.
Worship will continue to be livestreamed every Sunday. It’s easy to join us online!
We understand the frequently changing plans can be frustrating. Just a month ago we were green, but the Delta variant is spreading more quickly in our county at the moment than in 95% of all counties. (Allegheny County currently has the 152nd highest infection rate out of 3224 counties in the US.) Thanks for continuing to be flexible as we do our best to keep the congregation and our community safe and healthy!
And if you haven’t done so yet, please get the vaccination if you’re able to! It’s free, it’s safe, it’s easy, and it could save your life – or the life of someone you love. If you’re not sure yet, now’s the time to ask your doctor for their advice – they’re in the best position to help you evaluate what’s right for your health.
Congratulations to our newest confirmed members, Nicholas, Kaeden and Owen! We’re proud of you!
The church council will hold a second special meeting on Zoom, Monday, August 2 at 8:15 pm to discuss a request to use the church as a polling location. Any congregation member wishing to attend is invited to contact the pastor or another council member for the meeting link.Following the special meeting, the council will hold it’s customary Monday night check-in.