GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
2211 Inverness Dr.
Lawrence, KS 66047
SEPTEMBER/NOVEMBER 2014
The Shepherd’s Voice
Worship 2.0—Inviting Others
The Worship 2.0 implementation team is excited about Worship 2.0 because
it will allow us to share God's love with more strangers. After you have been
at Good Shepherd for a little while you notice that it is a friendly place where
strangers are welcomed and invited by people who always make the
sanctuary welcoming, individuals who invite us to get involved in service to
others, and people who share meals with everyone. To me this makes it feel
like home. Visiting my mom and dad at Christmas or Easter, I am never
really sure who mom may have invited to the meal. When I was in college I
was sometimes bothered by that because I did not want my parents wasting
time on strangers but I have learned that mom always has time for me even
when we share a meal with neighbors or strangers. I wanted to tell you
about one special Easter when mom invited some strangers to the meal.
SERVING THE CONGREGATION OF
GOOD SHEPHERD
LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA
2211 INVERNESS DRIVE
LAWRENCE, KS 66047-1962
785-843-3014
[email protected]
www.gslc-lawrence.org
Ted Mosher, Pastor
[email protected]
Lara West, Music Director
Dates to Remember
Outdoor Worship on August 31
Don’t Miss It!
Where:
When:
What:
Provided:
Bring:
Dad Perry Park, North Shelter House
off of Harvard Road (east of Monterey Way)
Sunday, 8/31 (Labor Day Weekend),
10:30 am
Worship, Potluck, and Fellowship
Fried/baked chicken (free will offering),
paper and plastic-ware, drinks
A side dish to share
Folding chairs or lawn chairs if desired
Your own table service if you prefer that to disposable
Games or activities for the afternoon
Insect repellent might come in handy, too!
Our location provides restrooms, plenty of parking, lights and
electricity, barbecue grills, playground equipment, nature trails,
and room to play basketball, tennis, sand volleyball, soccer,
frisbee, and more. If the weather is questionable, call the
church office at 843-3014 after 9 am for a message stating
whether we will be in the park or at the church.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
...will be a great day to be a Lutheran in the ELCA,
especially in Lawrence, Kansas, especially at Good
Shepherd Lutheran Church! That morning we begin
a new year of Christian Education at
Good Shepherd by celebrating Sunday School,
Confirmation and Adult Education with Rally Sunday
and during worship we will install our Sunday School
teachers and helpers. We will observe our tradition
of “Passing the Word” by giving Bibles to our new
third graders and confirmands. And we will joyfully
receive new members.
Later, beginning at 1 PM, we will gather at Trinity
Lutheran Church with members of Trinity and
students from Lutheran Campus Ministry—KU
(LCM) to begin an afternoon of service, joining other
ELCA Lutherans across the world to observe “Gods
Work. Our Hands”—a dedicated day of service in
the ELCA (please see related article page 6).
For more dates and scheduling changes, please see the calendar at www.gslc-lawrence.org.
PLEASE SEND NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS TO THE CHURCH OFFICE
BY OCTOBER 15TH FOR OUR NEXT NEWSLETTER (NOVEMBER/DECEMBER)
BULLETIN ANNOUNCEMENTS ARE DUE WEDNESDAYS.
Debbie Lundmark
Administrative assistant
Miranda Huff
Preschool Director
Congregational Council:
Dennis Rethman, President
Sue Kristiansen, Vice President
Collier Case, Treasurer
Sonja Holmgren, Secretary
Brian Judy, Barbara Schaible,
Claven Snow, JD Tucker
Prayer Chain:
[email protected]
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Pastor’s Page
2
Music and Worship Notes
3
Volunteer List
4
Christian Education
5
Worship
6
Fourth Friday Fellowship
7
Dates to Remember
8
At Easter services, my parents noticed a couple nearly their age that they
had never seen before was worshiping with them. So mom made sure she
talked with them after the service and discovered that they were traveling
from Portland back to their home in Indiana and their car had broken down
in the middle of nowhere, Paxton, Nebraska, and they were stranded there
until their car was fixed on Monday. Well there was no way anyone was
going to sit alone in a motel room and miss Easter dinner, so mom insisted
that they join them for dinner because there was always plenty of food. The
strangers were thankful for the shared meal and afterward began sharing
their story. They were hurting, returning from Portland where they had just
buried their son. He had left home on not the best of terms and had
committed suicide and their pastor and their home church had told them that
there was no hope for their son. Their hearts were broken and hurting on
their long drive home. Mom and dad comforted them and told them there
was reason for hope because Jesus had died to save sinners and only their
son knew what was in his heart at the end.
That Easter was not only a gift for the weary travelers that had hope
restored but also a gift for my parents who witnessed God's love.
Please continue to pray for Worship 2.0 to become a new way for God's love
to be shared through all of us with strangers that may be hurting and
needing to hear the Good News.
Mike Neilsen
Worship 2.0 Implementation Team Member
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Pastor’s Page
Greetings in the name of the One who
brings life and brings it abundantly, our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
As you know, beginning on September 1st, I am going to
begin a sabbatical. This sabbatical will be from September
1st and will go through November 23rd.
Central States Synod guidelines recommend a sabbatical
for ordained pastors at every 5 years of service to a
congregation. In a recent communication, our Council
President, Dennis Rethman, provided a good explanation
as to what a sabbatical is all about. I share this Central
States Synod definition with you here:
“An extended sabbatical leave provides an
opportunity for rostered persons to reflect on their
call to ministry and relationship to God. While
continuing education on an annual basis provides
regular short-term opportunities for growth in
learning, an extended sabbatical leave provides
the needed opportunity for in-depth learning and
renewal, free from current responsibilities,
following a length of service to the congregation,
agency, or institution. An extended sabbatical
leave should be holistic, including time for prayer,
reflection, relaxation, and refreshment of body and
spirit, as well as further developing gifts for future
ministry.”
Many of you have asked me what I will be doing during this
time. I wanted to share these sabbatical plans with you
along with some “rules” during this time, as well.
Here is what my sabbatical will consist of:
A major part in terms of learning and spiritual
growth will be a trip to the Holy Land. It has
long been a goal of mind to visit the Holy Land
and I am excited about this trip. I am praying
for peace and calm for that part of the world
first and foremost, for all of the people that live
there. And, secondarily, so that Kim and I can
take this trip. This 10-day trip will take place
toward the end of the sabbatical time, so there
is still hope that things may reach a more
stable place and that this trip will go as
scheduled and planned. I look forward to
sharing my observations and experiences of
this trip with you after my return.
I will be participating in an intensive leadership
program based out of Wichita, Kansas.
I will be spending intentional time focused on the
task of preaching, specifically exploring
different preaching methods. Both the
leadership program and preaching method
exploration are of interest to me and will be
highly engaging during my time away from
day-to-day pastoral ministry.
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SOCIAL ACTION MINISTRY
The last area for this sabbatical is time for spiritual
renewal, rest and re-creation. In addition to
taking time to reconnect to meaningful spiritual
practices and time for the renewal of body,
mind, and spirit, this last objective is what has
often been described as “wasting time with
God.”
There is no doubt that our 24/7 culture tries to convince us
that if we are not doing something all the time, accomplishing something, or “have something to show” for our time and
effort, then we have simply wasted time.
And yet, God cares just as much about our “being” as with
our “doing.” Wasting time with God is about our simply
“being” with God - taking time for prayer, reading Scripture,
meditation, journaling, and any variety of means, not the
least of which is silence. We all need to connect with that
small, still voice that speaks in the silence and fills the empty
spaces. I am truly looking forward to “wasting time with
God.”
Now, for a few “rules” for this sabbatical time:
Please continue to send and include me on those
emails you would normally send my way.
However, don’t expect a response. It is my
hope that this will allow for an easier reentry
coming back from sabbatical which will be right
at the beginning of a new church year as we
head into the busy Advent and Christmas
seasons.
Please continue to pitch in. This is something that
you already do, but there may be a few more
places over this sabbatical time where you will
need to pitch in.
Please continue to worship. This is also something
you already do well. I will be doing the same
thing wherever I may be during this time away.
This will also be an opportunity for me to
worship with Kim and my family in a way we
don’t usually get to.
Please continue to pray. Please include me in your
prayers and know that I am continuing to
include you in mine, as always.
Say hello. I will be around Lawrence for much of my
sabbatical time. So if you see me around town,
please don’t hesitate to say hello. While one of
the purposes of a sabbatical is to not be responsible for day-to-day pastoral duties, that
doesn’t mean we are to pretend we don’t know
each other. I’m going to miss you, my friends,
my sisters and brothers in Christ.
I thank you and the congregation of Good Shepherd for this
opportunity to renew, recharge, and re-create during this
sabbatical time. I am already looking forward to returning
and beginning a new church year with you.
Grace and peace to you,
Pastor Ted
Green Pastures
Preschool
Several important events are coming up, offering
opportunities for community service and learning:
September 7—ELCA day of dedicated service, "God's
work. Our hands." Different locations in Lawrence will
welcome help from Trinity and Good Shepherd Lutheran
Churches.
Green Pastures is getting started with the
school year. We had our “bring your parent to
school” day on August 28th. The kids are all
very excited! We have a great group and we
are looking forward to a new school year. The
teachers have been working very hard to prepare for the kids coming back.
We will have fire station #4 coming to the
school on September 29th. The kids will be
learning about fire safety. The fire truck will be
parked in the parking lot that morning for the
kids to see. It is always a fun time and the kids
really enjoy it. We will also be having our first
field trip in October. We will be going to
Shaake’s Pumpkin Patch.
September
20-25th—Anniversary celebration for
Lawrence Habitat for Humanity, 4-6 pm at South Middle
School. Keynote speaker will be Jose Quinonez, Director of
Volunteer and Advocacy Engagement, Habitat for
Humanity International. The public is invited.
October 5—Lawrence CROP Walk, 2:00 pm at Westside
Presbyterian Church. CROP is Communities Responding to
Overcome Poverty. Sign up in the narthex to be a walker,
or to support a walker by making a pledge. 25% of funds
raised stay in Lawrence (15% to
LINK, 10% to Jubilee Cafe).
Contact Susie Brooks at
[email protected]
for more information.
Thanks, Summer Time Coffee and
Fellowship Providers
The hospitality ministry team would like to thank all those who
provided wonderful and tasty hospitality this summer with treats
following worship: Neilsens, Motensens, Brooks, Foerschlers,
Jan Loux, Coopers, Popes, Moshers, Soukups, Sandens,
Halversons and Rethmans!
Fourth Friday Fellowship
September 26
We will attend the Taize service at Good Shepherd, which
starts at 6 pm. Plan to meet downstairs in Fellowship Hall
afterwards for a potluck dinner.
All adult members, visitors, and friends of Good Shepherd
are invited to join our gatherings. Contact Susie Brooks at
[email protected] for more information, or to add your
name to our email contact list.
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Music &
Music & Worship Notes
Becky Foerschler, Worship Committee Chair
[email protected]
785-842-0904
Lara West, Music Director
[email protected],
913-367-6486
Lawrence Habitat for Humanity Celebrates 25 Years
A celebration is planned for Sept. 20th, 4 PM at South Middle School, 2734 Louisiana St., featuring guest speaker Jose
Quionez from Habitat for Humanity International.
The following Habitat for Humanity events will also take place in September:
• September 13th—86th Habitat for Humanity Nail Drive will take place at 9:00am at 1233 New Jersey
• September 13th—The Re-Store is having a special sale in honor of the 25th Anniversary
• September 20th—Habitat for Humanity 25th Anniversary
• September 21st—Habitat for Humanity International Day of Prayer.
• September 27th—Join us for the completion and dedication of the Comfort Neighborhood from
9 am to 11am. Three Build on Faith homes and one Thrivent home were built in
the Comfort Neighborhood. The dedication will include a pancake feed by Chris
Cakes, and there will be games for the kids
Lawrence ELCA Lutherans Observe
Community Day of Service
September 7
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has designated September 7, 2014 as “God's work.
Our hands." Sunday. ELCA congregations nationwide will celebrate a dedicated day of community service.
A committee from Trinity, Good Shepherd, and Lutheran Campus Ministry at University of Kansas (LCMKU) is coordinating service opportunities for volunteers on September 7. If you are interested in helping,
please indicate your interest on the signup sheet on the easel in the church narthex. Opportunities include
working at Family Promise, Lawrence Humane Shelter, Lawrence Community Shelter, The Villages (and
others).
Please Note—some details have changed since the last report—
Participants will gather at 1 pm in the parking lot of Trinity Lutheran
Church, 1245 New Hampshire St., to receive work assignments. We will
disperse to the different service locations for approximately two hours of
work. Beginning at 3:00 pm, participants will gather at Westwood House,
1421 W. 19th St., home of LCM-KU, for refreshment and fellowship to
celebrate the day (those working until 4 are encouraged to join in as well!).
UPCOMING MUSIC & WORSHIP SCHEDULE:
Sunday, August 31
10:30 am: Worship at Dad Perry Park
Sunday, September 7
10:30 am Worship at Good Shepherd
God’s Work. Our Hands. Sunday
Sunday, October 26
Reformation Sunday
Lawrence Community Taizé
Good Shepherd Hosting—MARK YOUR CALENDARSGood Shepherd will be the host for the regular 4th Friday
Taizé service in September, at 6 pm on September 26.
GSLC friends and members are needed as readers,
musicians, and worshipers for this service. Please contact
Lara West if you’d like to help.
Taizé is an ecumenical movement to promote peace in the
world. All are welcome to this hour of simple song, prayer,
reflective readings, meditation, and candlelight. A bookmark with all the dates and locations is available (or will be
available soon) on the information table in the church
narthex. If you would like more information or would like to
be notified by email about upcoming services, please contact the Taizé coordinator at [email protected].
Lawrence Taizé services are co-hosted by several
Lawrence churches, including Good Shepherd. This group
regularly holds Taizé services at 6 pm on the 4th Friday (or
Sunday) of the month, with occasional extra services.
Thank you to Becky Foerschler for bringing ice cream for
our August Hymn Sing, to all who provided prelude,
offertory, and postlude music this summer, to all who
helped choose hymns for the fall, to substitute musicians
Kelley Witmer, Lorri Oddo, Steve Eulberg, and
Faith Nilhas, to Joanne Hickey for organizing
Steve Eulberg’s visit, and to all who led or assisted with
worship volunteer training meetings.
GSLC Choir: Rehearsals are on Thursdays, 7-8:15 pm.
New members are always welcome! Contact Lara West
for more information or to be added to the email list.
Instrumentalists/Vocalists/Cantors—Solos and ensembles are welcome to provide prelude or offering music, and
accompany anthems, hymns or liturgy. Contact Lara to
volunteer.
Worship Schedule—10:30 am worship resumes on August 31 (Labor Day weekend), with our annual outdoor
worship at Dad Perry Park. Sunday morning worship will
continue to be at 10:30 am through the end of May.
Gather Band: From September 7 through September 28,
the Gather Band will once again be accompanying our
hymns and liturgical music. The Band is open to all instrumentalists; just show up at rehearsals on Thursdays, 6-7
pm starting 9/4. If you play a transposing instrument, let
Lara know you're coming a day or two in advance and
we'll have some music ready for you.
Continuing Education Report: For my continuing education this year, I attended the Association of Lutheran
Church Musicians regional conference at Grace and Holy
Trinity Cathedral in Kansas City. This event lasted 2½
days in late July. We had around 90 attending the conference, with many more joining us for the Tuesday evening
Hymn Festival. I enjoyed learning about Baroque choral
music techniques, thinking about how the organ can evoke
the cultural heritage of a hymn, and gathering information
about involving all ages of people in worship. I appreciated the emphasis on visual arts made during the conference, including some items created by participants that
were used in our worship. My favorite parts of the conference were the evening hymn festival, led by Rev. Peter
Marty and organist Chris Nelson, and the closing worship,
planned and led enthusiastically by organist John Ferguson. Some added excitement came from the fact that
President Obama stayed in our conference hotel while we
were there, and his motorcade passed by the conference
location twice. Unfortunately, he didn’t stop by to sing
hymns with us!
Thank you for helping to make my attendance at this event
possible. Let me know if you’d like to see bulletins, pictures, or notes from the various sessions.
~Lara West
Lenten Planning Team: We are currently assembling a
Lenten planning team. This team will focus on the theme
of Hunger as they plan our worship for Lent 2015 (Feb.Mar.). The team will meet in October, either in one longer
retreat-type meeting or a few shorter meetings, depending
on availability. Please contact Lara or Becky if you’d like
to join us in creating meaningful worship for our congregation.
Ministering to the Congregation through Volunteering! September 2014
Position
Worship Coordinator
Assisting Minister
Reader
Communion
September 7
Walter Willmert
Kris Sterbenz
Faith Nilhas
Foerschler
September 14
David Thiel
Jake Rapp
Merlin Halverson
Rethman
September 21
Becky Foeerschler
Mark Algren
Sherry Brun
Halverson
September 28
Susie Brooks
Walter Willmert
Barbara Tucker
Mosher
Ushers
Greeter
Acolyte
Potluck Coordinator
Cleaning Upstairs
Mowing
Nursery Assistant
Prayer Partner
Visitor Volunteer
Sandens
Meyer/O’Connor
Isaac Judy
Not Needed
Ratzlaff
Halfen
Aimee Neilsen
Barbara Schaible
O’Connor
Foerschler
Schaible/Harris
Haven Rethman
Not Needed*
Brooks
Dresbach/Sanden
Kambree Judy
Becky Foerschler
Pope
Brooks
Tucker
Pride Leggins
Not Needed*
McCullough
Foerschler
Haven Rethman
Kathy Algren
Garcia
Mortensen
Butschle/Mosher
Taylor Mosher
Not Needed*
Foerschler
Case
Tristan Rethman
Joanne Hickey
Sterbenz
Ministering to the Congregation through Volunteering! October 2014
Position
Worship Coordinator
Assisting Minister
Reader
Communion
Ushers
Greeter
Acolyte
Potluck Coordinator
Cleaning Upstairs
Mowing
Nursery Assistant
Prayer Partner
Visitor Volunteer
5-Oct
Walter Willmert
David Thiel
John Childers
Brooks
Neilsen
Butschle/Mosher
Braxton McCullough
Sanden/Mortensen
Neilsen
Case
Kambree Judy
Barbara Schaible
Erin & Allen Halfen
12-Oct
David Thiel
Becky Foerschler
Angela Rapp
Nielsen
Harris/Thiel
Childers
Kambree Judy
*
Ratzlaff
Rapp
Haven Rethman
Becky Foerschler
Audrey Mortensen
19-Oct
Becky Foerschler
Mark Brooks
Walter Willmert
Pope
Halverson
Case/Foerschler
Marguerite Cooper
*
Brooks
Halfen
Aimee Neilsen
Kathy Algren
Susie Brooks
26-Oct
Susie Brooks
David Rasmussen
Kathie Rasmussen
Foerschler
Childers
Dresbach
Sterling Judy
*
McCullough
Dresbach/Sanden
Isaac Bailey
Joanne Hickey
Kim Mosher
Ministering to the Congregation through Volunteering! November 2014
Position
Worship Coordinator
Assisting Minister
Reader
Communion
Ushers
Greeter
Acolyte
Potluck Coordinator
Cleaning Upstairs
Mowing
Nursery Assistant
Prayer Partner
Visitor Volunteer
2-Nov
9-Nov
16-Nov
23-Nov
30-Nov
Walter Willmert
David Thiel
Jake Rapp
Kris Sterbenz
Becky Foerschler
Susie Brooks
Walter Willmert
Mark Algren
Walter Willmert
Kathy Algren
Claven Snow
Laurie Tietjen
Jake Rapp
David Rasmussen
Joan Willmert
Rethman
Childers
Halverson
Mosher
Brooks
Foerschler
Sanden
Pope
Foerschler
Dresbach
Halverson
Harris/Foerschler
Mortensen
Nielsen
Mosher/Thiel
Jadyn Underwood
Halle McCullough
Skyler Vanderbilt
Brylee Judy
Pride Leggins
Foerschler
*
*
*
*
Thiel
Nielsen
Ratzlaff
Brooks
McCullough
Foerschler
Case
Neilsen
Rapp
Juracek
Thomas All
Taylor Mosher
Helena All
Kambree Judy
Haven Rethman
Barbara Schaible
Becky Foerschler
Kathy Algren
Joanne Hickey
Becky Foerschler
Kris Sterbenz
Merlin Halverson
Erin & Allen Halfen
Judy & Jerry Pope Jodie & Luis Garcia
Christian Education
Sunday School News
From the makers of Weird Animal VBST comes Hands on Worship Sunday
School! Sunday School begins on Sunday, September 7, at 9:15 am with a new
and fresh curriculum called Hands on Worship for PreK – 5th graders. With weekly
Bible Points, interactive learning and great music, kids will experience Sunday
School in a fun, new way. All kids Pre-K through 5th grade will meet in the sanctuary for an opening worship time.
Sixth graders and older will enjoy learning and activities together in the Youth
Room.
There’s something new for adults, too! While Pastor Ted is on sabbatical this fall,
Jake Rapp will lead a series of classes on the "Bible as Literature." Over the fall
months we will explore how the Biblical story and message are shaped by specific
traditions and stylistic choices, as well as make connections with more contemporary literary works. Equipped with a literary understanding of Biblical literature, we
will seek to make new connections with our Lutheran faith as individuals and as a
faith community, both in silent reading and in oral performance!
Dates to Remember:
Sept. 7
Sunday School Begins
Sunday School teacher installation
Passing of the Word
Nov. 30
No Sunday School—Thanksgiving weekend
PAGE
Little Lambs
We are excited to bring Little
Lambs back into action for the
Fall Semester! All children, ages
0-5 (preschool) and their parents
are invited to participate in a
preschool Bible study, a snack,
music and social time on
Sunday, September 21st from
2:30-4:00 pm at the Schroeders'
home. Please contact Stacie at
785-221-9221 to RSVP or for
more
information.
Little Lambs
F.L.O.C.K. YOUTH GROUP
Kicks Off the School Year
Our Youth Group took some down time this summer as Claven and Emily welcomed baby Noah into the Snow family—
but kicked back into gear on August 17th with the annual game of Back to School Baseball. It was a family event, with
some parents and siblings joining in. Some of the highlights included Mike Neilsen's fantastic and dirty slide into home,
and Braxton McCullough's home run! We played boys v. girls, and had a few good innings before the heat got the better of us and we packed it in. All in all, it was a good kick off to the season.
Our Senior High youth had a more eventful summer, as they attended the Mystery
Mission trip with the Kansas City Lutheran Youth Coalition (KCLYC.) As the
mystery unfolded, we found ourselves in Colorado working on flood relief for a
mountain community that experienced some serious losses in the flood of
September '13. The youth that attended the trip presented on their experiences
from the trip during the service on August 24th. The congregation provided a tremendous amount of support to make this possible, and we wanted to make sure
everybody got a chance to see what all their support went towards! As the youth
presented, they opened discussing the flood relief project, and worked in a video
that poked some good clean fun at youth leader Claven Snow. In their presentation,
the congregation was able to get a good illustration of the trip, and see the great
mix of work, fellowship, worship and fun that the youth were able to experience on the trip. The focus of the
presentation was where the youth saw Christ during the trip, and in what areas they experienced his presence. It
became clear that this trip was spiritually valuable to the attending youth, and we are glad to have been able to go!
On August 10th Sonja and Claven met with a group of youth parents to discuss the
Fall Schedule, which will be available soon. We intend to maintain our relationship
with KCLYC, which has been important for our Senior High youth, and we look forward to joining them in more activities as the year continues, including next year's trip
(which won't be quite as mysterious!)
Upcoming, the youth will all be encouraged to join with the whole church on
September 7th as the ELCA nationwide serves the community in the 'God's Work, Our
Hands' project. Despite the heat, we had a great turnout last year and it was meaningful to everyone who participated. This year we welcome Braxton McCullough and
Sterling Judy into our youth group and our first full group meeting will be on September 14th, after church until 2 PM. We thank you for the support you've given us this
past year, and look forward to some great things in the year to come!
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