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. 😊
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Living Lutheran Magazine
Have you missed reading your copy of Living Lutheran, the magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)? Well, miss no more! There are copies of Living Lutheran dating back to March of 2020 available in the narthex. Just call the church office to make sure the secretary is in or just let yourself in! Copies can be found on the bookshelf under the coat rack. Please help yourself!!
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Service Committee Notes
Angel Tree– We anticipate receiving 25 names for the Angel Tree within the next few weeks. If you take a child’s name, remember to sign the sheet that corresponds with the number on the bell. Gifts are due back to the church by December 10. If you are purchasing a gift card, Pastor John suggested Target gift cards. If you would like to help but don’t want to go shopping, you can make a donation and we will do the shopping for you. Put your donation in a green envelope labeled “Service Committee/Angel Tree”. Unused donations will be put toward the men’s shelter for their “needs” list which includes essentials like socks, underwear, personal hygiene supplies, etc.
Harvest Sunday-Harvest Sunday will look a little different this year. We will collect food items, cleaning supplies, baby food, diapers, wipes and formula. Since the Good Shepherd Food Pantry is well stocked (thanks to Donna and the synod grant), we will take items that we need and donate the rest to the local food banks. Food collection is always on-going but this special collection will run from November 14-December 12.
Homebound Member Gift Bags-We plan to make small gift bags for our homebound members, but please remember them and send a card as the holidays approach, even if it is just some of the people you have not seen at church for a while.
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Financial Update – September 2021
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.
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:
- Inspiring music to calm your spirit
- An idea from scripture or our faith tradition to inspire your heart
- Images and art to focus your mind
- Short prayers that bring it all together
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.
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Red up the church for Google
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!
Update
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! 😀
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Rally Day this Sunday, 9/12
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.
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Covid Status change
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.
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Congratulations, Confirmands!
Congratulations to our newest confirmed members, Nicholas, Kaeden and Owen! We’re proud of you!