The Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

This week we are praying for:

Family and friends of Travis W.

Civilians, leaders, and peacemakers during the Iran conflict

As the Lenten season is well underway, the Altar Guild is making preparations for the festival of Easter. You are invited to join in the adornment of our sanctuary for Easter Sunday by purchasing flowers in honor or memory of a loved one. Flower orders are due by March 15th.

You can choose from a variety of flower types, sizes and colors including lilies, tulips, hyacinths, azaleas and a spring combo. Order forms are available in the church narthex and office. Help us to fill our sanctuary with the beauty of spring and the joy of the resurrection!

This week we are praying for:

Fred W.’s brother who will have back surgery

The responsibility of the Church Council is to lead the direction and vision of our church on behalf of the congregation. This is an important calling, and we are grateful for those who have stepped forward to serve in this role.

Our newly elected officers are:

President – John Lowe

Vice President – Matt O’Donnell

Secretary – Cathy Holm

Financial Secretary – Steve Smith

Treasurer – David Pogue

In addition, we welcome two members to Council, Cathy Holm and Carol Rader.

We thank each of the individuals on the 2026 GSLC Council and to our new officers for their continued commitment to the leadership of our church family.

The following message was shared with the congregation on Sunday, February 22, 2026.

In late September 2025, the Council communicated that Sampson Morris Group (the buyer for our property) offered to investigate, at their expense, the feasibility of moving the Parish House to the portion of the property that they do not intend to use.  A representative from Sampson Morris has recently informed us that while they believe it is structurally possible to move the building, the cost for the move including required renovations to make the space suitable to serve as our future home would be close to $1.5 million.   The cost would include the moving of the structure, a full walk-out basement and a completed parking area.  In addition, the estimate assumes needed renovations to include first floor bathrooms, new windows, kitchen, a new heating and cooling system, doors and other necessary improvements.

The Council carefully considered this option, however, after discussion concluded that this would not be a prudent financial decision for the longer-term viability of the congregation.  In order to effectively support the annual operating budget for the next several years, we need to invest a larger amount of the proceeds of the sale of the property.

While the Council was disappointed that this option did not turn out to be viable we are confident that we will find a suitable space for the Good Shepherd to continue its ministry and we are anxious to move forward with the other options that are still available to us. 

We will be actively pursuing the other two options that we shared previously:

• To rent commercial space in Monroeville that can be modified to serve the needs of worship, office, classroom and meeting space.
• To rent space from an existing, non-Lutheran, church in the Monroeville area for worship, office, classroom and meeting space.

As a reminder, per our agreement, the Sampson Morris due diligence period will expire on February 12, 2027.  It is still expected that we will need to vacate our buildings sometime between now and then – the specific date remains uncertain.  We will need to continue the transition work to clean out our buildings and prepare for the move.

We appreciate the congregation’s continued patience and support of your Council and the ministries of the Good Shepherd.

John Lowe                                                      Matt O’Donnell

GSLC Council President                                  GSLC Council Vice President

This week we are praying for:

Mark R.

Mary Ellen C.

Gary R.

Donna S.

Family and friends of Dennis G.

Family and friends of Rosemary F.

Family and friends of John F.

The season of Lent is upon us and we will be holding the following events to mark Ash Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Ashes to Go – Between 11:30 am-1:30 pm – Come and receive ashes and prayer in the parking lot in front of the church in your car (or on foot should you choose).

Worship with Holy Communion and Imposition of Ashes – 7:00 pm

This week we are praying for:

Family and friends of Richard M.

Family and friends of Lizzy W.

Dennis G.

Kelly S.

This week we are praying for:

Lacey G.

Erica O.

Carol P.

Samantha and James B. and baby Emmy

Family and friends of Jim B.

Family and friends of Tony M.