Good Shepherd Lutheran Church 2211 Inverness Drive Lawrence, KS 66047 The Shepherd’s Voice Good Shepherd Lutheran Church When Opportunity Knocks I recently read in Backpacker Magazine an invitation to play a game in which the reader could get an idea what kind of environmentalist they were. The game board was laid out to lead you through various environmental issues like overuse of wilderness areas, mine runoff killing fish, or the problem of fire prevention over the past 100 years. The reader was given three options to solve the problem but each choice impacted the environment in different degrees, from a “leave it alone” approach to “bulldozing the problem” away. Each choice had a numerical point given and at the end of the game you could total the points and see what kind of environmentalist your were. I wonder if this is just one’s perception, or are there consequences, too, with opportunities. The Good Shepherd community is offered opportunities all the time to engage various ministries, projects, and issues. What happens if our choice to seize an opportunity or not impacts the success of the outcome of that opportunity. Isn’t that a consequence? The Justice Network is such an opportunity. Good Shepherd has been invited to participate in this opportunity to change and be the vehicle for change in our community. The choice to engage in this kind of opportunity can change one’s life and change the community. 2014 Cottage Meetings The game idea got me thinking about choices and opportunities and whether there is a difference. The more I think about choice versus opportunity it appears to me that there is a very subtle difference in the connotation of each. When I think of choices I have to make (even the use of the word sometimes implies harsh overtones, “I have to”) there are consequences with the choice, the road not taken, life or death, left or right, paper or plastic, etc. On the other hand opportunity has a softer connotation. There seems to be less of an implication that one is driven to decide one way or another or that there is a consequence if you choose to engage the opportunity or not. Mark your calendars! The Stewardship Committee has scheduled the following meetings to be held at the church: November 1, Saturday, 10:00 am November 7, Friday, 7:00 pm November 9, Sunday, 2:30 pm 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 Miranda Huff Preschool Director Deborah Lundmark Administrative Assistant 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] For updates and scheduling changes, see the GSLC Calendar at www.gslc-lawrence.org Newsletter submissions Due December 15 for the January/February 2015 issue. Weekly Bulletin Announcements are due Wednesdays, 10 am. Seventeen quilts were made by Quilting for Others and blessed during worship service on October 13. The quilts will be donated to the Lawrence Community Shelter. But it may not be for everyone. The strength of a community is that it gives people the freedom of choice. The strength of a Christian community is that if gives people the freedom of choice. INSIDE THIS ISSUE Music & Worship 2-3 You are invited to explore three new opportunities Good Shepherd has been given at this year’s Cottage Meetings. When we meet November 1st at 7:00 pm, November 7th at 10:00 am, and November 9th at 2:30 pm we will hear about the ways we are reaching out with Worship 2.0, engaging the broader community with the Justice Network, and how we can extend a hand to a fledgling Lutheran Fraternity at KU. Social Action 3 Fourth Friday Fellowship 3 Worship 4 Sign up, show up, it’s your choice, your opportunity. Refreshments will be provided. All meetings will be in the Fellowship Hall in the basement. Sign-up sheets are available in the narthex. By David Thiel Fourth Friday Fellowship 7 Cottage Meetings 8 November/December 2014 Christian Education 5-6 Ministering to the Congregation through Volunteering! November 2014 Music & Worship Thank you to everyone who helped with our outdoor worship on Sunday, August 31, including those who played music, brought food, set up, transported items, organized, worshiped, ate, and played! We had a great time. Thanks also to all the Gather Band instrumentalists who played in September. All Saints' Day—On Sunday, November 2, we will celebrate All Saints' Day at our 10:30 worship. We will give congregation members the opportunity to light candles to remember saints gone before, to celebrate living saints, or to rejoice in the life of a new saint born this year. In addition, we will celebrate the lives of congregation members and loved ones who passed away in the previous year by reading their names during worship. Please join us. Chicago Folk Service—On Sunday, November 23, we’ll celebrate Christ the King Sunday with music from the Chicago Folk Service. This service was especially popular in the 1970s and 1980s and includes parts for various instruments. If you’d like to be part of the band that will accompany worship on this day, please contact Lara West. Advent: Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room—As we prepare for Christmas, many of us may feel overwhelmed by the many tasks, events, and duties that accompany this holiday. In our worship at Good Shepherd this season, we plan to focus on an important preparation: preparing our hearts. Amidst the hectic days of December, we will seek to make room in our hearts for Christ. We will focus on this during the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, known as the season of Advent. This year, Advent begins on Nov. 30. During this time, we will work on making room for Christ by refraining from Christmas celebrations in worship until December 24. We also omit the hymn of praise in this reflective season. We use the color blue to symbolize hope, and we light candles on an Advent wreath to mark our time of waiting. Families may wish to make or purchase an Advent wreath to use at home. The circle of the wreath represents Jesus' eternal victory over death, and the candles remind us of Christ's light. A wreath may be made out of evergreens, which symbolize God's faithfulness. They can be treated with a flame retardant substance. Holly, laurel, and other green shrubs retain their freshness longer than pine. Candles may be blue, deep purple, or natural colored. Wednesday Schedule for Advent During the season of Advent, we will come together during the week to experience God’s peace and listen to God’s word. Please join us on Wednesdays, December 3, December 10, and December 17, for food, fellowship and worship. 6:00 pm Supper 7:00 pm Holden Evening Prayer Lawrence Community Taizé Please RSVP to Stacieto promote Schroeder Taizé is an ecumenical movement peace at 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 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 of the month, with weekly services in Advent and Lent. November and December dates are as follows: • Friday, 5 December, 6 pm: St. John’s United Church of Christ, 396 E 900th Rd, Baldwin City • Friday, 12 December, 6 pm: First United Methodist, 946 Vermont St., Lawrence • Friday, 19 December, 6 pm: St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 1234 Kentucky, Lawrence For more information on the Taizé Community, its history and on-going work see www.taize.fr. Young musicians—We want you to share your gifts in worship on Sunday, December 14, the day of the Sunday School Christmas program. If you would like to play or sing in the prelude, or play along with the hymns on that day, please let Lara know soon. If you’re not available that day but you’d like to play another day, let me know that also. Your prelude piece can be an Advent, Christmas, or general piece (preferably sacred in nature), and it doesn't need to be long. You may use your music (no need for it to be memorized). Christmas Caroling—Plans are made to go Christmas caroling on Saturday, December 20 at Vintage Park, 321 Crimson Avenue, Baldwin City, where Good Shepherd member, Dorothy Knudsen, resides. We will meet at Good Shepherd at 3:45 pm to carpool to Vintage Park, where we will sing for the residents from 4:30-5:00 pm. You are also welcome to meet us at Vintage Park at about 4:20 pm or so. Please note: The Pastor’s Page will return in the January/February 2015 issue. 2 Position Worship Coordinator Assisting Minister Reader Communion Ushers Greeter Acolyte Potluck Coordinator Clean Upstairs Mowing Nursery Assistant Prayer Partner Visitor Volunteer 2-Nov 9-Nov 16-Nov 23-Nov 30-Nov Walter Willmert David Thiel Becky Foerschler Susie Brooks Walter Willmert Jake Rapp Kris Sterbenz Mark Algren Walter Willmert Kathy Algren Claven Snow Rethman Laurie Tietjen Childers Jake Rapp Halverson David Rasmussen Mosher Joan Willmert Brooks Brooks Sanden Pope Brooks 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 Judy & Jerry Pope Jodie & Luis Garcia Kris Sterbenz Merlin Halverson Erin & Allen Halfen Ministering to the Congregation through Volunteering! December 2014 7-Dec Position Worship Coordinator Becky Foerschler David Thiel Assisting Minister Gary Sanden Reader Nielsen Communion 14-Dec 21-Dec Dec 24 - 5PM Dec 24 - 9 PM 28-Dec David Thiel Susie Brooks David Thiel Walter Willmert Becky Foerschler Mark Brooks Becky Foerschler David Rasmussen Jake Rapp Kris Sterbenz Kris Sterbenz Matt Foerschler David Thiel Foerschler Pope Rethman Brooks Mortensen Neilsen Harris/Thiel Ushers Pope Sanden Schaible/Meyer Tucker Greeter Taylor Mosher Haven Rethmen Isaac Bailey Braxton McCullough Acolyte * * * Potluck Coordinator Mosher/Harris Case Neilsen Ratzlaff Brooks Clean Upstairs Foerschler Case Neilsen Rapp Mowing Aimee Neilsen Isaac Bailey Thomas All not needed Nursery Assistant Barbara Schaible Becky Foerschler Kathy Algren not needed Prayer Partner Kim Mosher not needed Visitor Volunteer Audrey Mortensen Susie Brooks Stewart Cooper Childers Halverson Halverson Sanden Ebert/Butschle Brooks Kambree Judy Marguerite Cooper * * not needed McCullough Juracek Foerschler not needed Taylor Mosher not needed Joanne Hickey not needed Judy & Jerry Pope Ministering to the Congregation through Volunteering! January 2015 Position Worship Coordinator Assisting Minister Reader Communion 4-Jan Susie Brooks Walter Willmert Barbara Schaible Mosher 11-Jan Walter Willmert Mark Algren Faith Nilhas Brooks 18-Jan David Thiel Kathy Algren Jan O'Connor Nielsen 25-Jan Becky Foerschler David Thiel Merlin Halverson Pope Ushers Greeter Acolyte Potluck Coordinator Clean Upstairs Mowing Nursery Assistant Prayer Partner Visitor Volunteer * Case/O'Connor Sterling Judy Brooks/Ebert Foerschler Neilsen Helena All Barbara Schaible Jodie & Luis Garcia Pope Matt Foerschler Jadyn Underwood * Neilsen Case Kambree Judy Becky Foerschler Kris Sterbenz Dresbach Halverson Halle McCullough * Ratzlaff Rapp Haven Rethman Kathy Algren Merlin Halverson Foerschler Dresbach Skyler Vanderbilt * Brooks Juracek Aimee Neilsen Joanne Hickey Erin & Allen Halfen 7 Christian Education Annual Sunday School Christmas Program The congregation is invited to enjoy our Sunday School children’s program in celebration of the birth of our Savior on Sunday, December 14 at 9:45 a.m. Following the program, we hope you will continue the celebration with Christmas cookies and fellowship in the Fellowship Hall. Social Action Sunday School Christmas Program Rehearsal and Party All Sunday School children are invited and encouraged to attend a fun day of crafts, games, food and preparation for the Christmas program on Saturday, December 13 from 10 am to 1 pm. Please RSVP to Stacie Schroeder at [email protected] if your child(ren) plan to attend or if you would like to help. Dates to Remember 11/30—No Sunday School—Thanksgiving 12/13—Christmas Party & Christmas Program Practice 10 am—1pm 12/14—Christmas program—9:45 am 12/21—No Sunday School—Christmas break 12/28—No Sunday School—Christmas break Celebrating Advent Advent is the four-week liturgical season beginning Nov. 30, marked by a spiritual time of prayerful waiting, expectation, and preparation; for remembering the birth of Christ in the past, his coming into our hearts today, and even his coming in the future. Advent traditions are a great way to encourage and strengthen the natural bonding of families with each other and with God. Several Advent traditions have emerged as favorites among families and help teach kids about the Christian faith. Try one or all this Advent season! The Advent Calendar counts down the 24 days of December ending on Christmas Eve. They are a great way to engage children in the entire Christmas season by helping them channel their anticipation and excitement of the approaching Christmas Day, while keeping that anticipation focused on the birth of the baby Jesus. Instructions for many easy homemade calendars can be found on the internet. The Advent Wreath symbolizes our spiritual preparation for the birth of Jesus on Christmas day. Beginning with the First Sunday of Advent, the lighting of a candle can be accompanied by a Bible reading and prayers. An additional candle is lit during each subsequent week until, by the last Sunday before Christmas, all four candles are lit. Many Advent wreaths include a fifth, Christ candle, which is lit at Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. The first nativity manger scenes was created by St. Francis of Assisi in the 13th century. Ever since, nativity scenes have been a popular Christmas celebration in Christian homes and churches across the world. Displaying a nativity scene near the Christmas tree is a reminder for the whole family of the reason for the season. Using a child-friendly nativity scene that can be touched, held, and played with allows children to be a part of the Christmas story. 6 Music & Worship continued Christmas Worship Schedule Wednesday, December 24, 5 pm and 9 pm Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship Sunday, December 28, 10:30 am Lessons & Carols Greening the Church—Join us after Sunday morning worship on December 21 for a simple sandwich lunch and a joyful time of preparing our sanctuary for Christmas. We will put up and decorate the Christmas tree and hang the greenery and other decorations. Many hands are needed to make the transformation, so save the date. If you plan to come, let Becky Foerschler, Lara West, or the office know so we can have enough sandwiches available. (If you don't let us know, feel free to come anyway!) GSLC Choir: Rehearsals are on Thursdays, 7-8:15 pm (except for Thanksgiving Day, Dec. 25, and Jan. 1). New members are always welcome! Contact Lara 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. Lara West, Music Director [email protected], 913-367-6486 Becky Foerschler, Worship Committee Chair: [email protected], 785-842-0904 Fourth Friday Fellowship Because the fourth Fridays of November and December conflict each year with the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, we always combine the two into one event. This year, we will gather at the church at 6:30 on Friday, December 5 for our annual international holiday potluck. This has proven to be one of our most popular events! Everyone is invited to bring a dish that reflects their ethnic heritage, possibly something that was traditionally prepared at Christmas. You may also simply choose an ethnicity that you like, and cook accordingly! Holiday punch will be on hand to add to the festive atmosphere! All adult members, visitors, and friends of Good Shepherd are invited to attend. Contact Susie Brooks at [email protected] for more information. Social Action Ministry With the coming of the Thanksgiving holiday followed by Advent season, we at Good Shepherd are blessed with many opportunities to serve our community! A partial list follows: November 1 (Saturday)—Good Shepherd will offer a hot and delicious meal to guests at Lawrence Interdenominational Nutrition Kitchen. See the sign up sheets in the narthex for volunteer shifts and food donations needed. We have also been asked to provide a few items for the annual community Thanksgiving dinner served at the LINK dining site (First Christian Church). A sign up sheet will soon be posted; food needs to be delivered to Maceli's the day before Thanksgiving. November 5 (Wednesday)—Lawrence Family Promise will host a one hour volunteer training session at the day center (905 Tennessee). Time is 7 pm, and there is absolutely no obligation to sign up for volunteering. It is a good way to learn more about this valuable ministry, and to actually see the center of daytime activity for the participating families. Good Shepherd will serve as support congregation for Immanuel Lutheran Church when they host families November 9-16, so this is a perfect opportunity to learn about Family Promise and decide if you wish to be actively involved. December 6 (Saturday)—Cheerful volunteers from Good Shepherd will ring the bell for Salvation Army Red Kettle Drive! We will have one hour shifts all day long at a location to be determined later. It was very cold last year, so we hope to have much better weather! Good Shepherd will again sponsor struggling Ballard Center families at Christmas by providing gifts and holiday dinner. There will be a "Mitten Tree" display in the narthex after Thanksgiving with gift suggestions and sizes provided. Many thanks to Linda Strole for coordinating this project! In addition to our annual dedicated food drive in May, we always have a plastic bin in the narthex for Ballard Food Pantry donations. The needs are great, so please remember these families as you do your own grocery shopping. Social Action Ministry meets on the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm. Meetings are brief to accommodate choir members. Please contact Susie Brooks at [email protected] if you have questions, or if you would like to be added to our email contact list. 3 Worship 2.0 Christian Education WHAT ARE THE YOUTH UP TO? New Members & New Opportunities Each of us walk a unique path with Christ every day. Sometimes we run, sometimes we face barriers, sometimes the path is all downhill and easy. Regardless of our path, Christ is always with us helping to guide us. My own path with Christ began when I was 21 years old. Unlike many of our congregation, I was not baptized as a child. This was not necessarily because my family was not religious, but due to multiple reasons I won’t get into here. I made the decision to get baptized because I felt something missing in my life, and despite my attempts to fill that void, I always felt empty. My emptiness disappeared when I attended church and was part of a special community. So after a year of weekly classes, there I was, during Easter Vigil, standing in a handmade font in the middle of St. Mary Catholic Church with 300 plus people watching. Yes, I was “standing” in the font. I proclaimed my faith in the Lord and renounced sin with conviction that echoed off the walls in the large church. Then came the seemingly huge pitcher of water, which I had been promised had been warmed at the beginning of the service, but had since cooled off considerably. Father Charles said, “I now baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” as he poured the water over my head. What I felt at that time that night is something I can never really explain, but I do know for sure that the water was absolutely freezing! At the same time it gave me new energy as I knew I had just started my life with Christ. While this story is part of my unique path with Christ, I think it also potentially speaks towards many of the new members we hope to bring to Good Shepherd with Worship 2.0. People who are un-churched, people who maybe were baptized as children, but have fallen away from Christ, and even those people, who like I did, have an emptiness in their lives that cannot be filled. These people will likely all be new members of our Good Shepherd family. While we as a congregation have been very good at inviting all to our family, there will be many new and exciting opportunities to be inviting with Worship 2.0, and we as an Implementation Team will be calling on the congregation for help and support with being inviting to new potential members. Part of being inviting to all also includes responsible stewardship. As a congregation we need to continue to be exceptional stewards, both financially and through our many other gifts. As Worship 2.0 brings new members to our family, it is important we lead by example and teach responsible stewardship as a key part of our Good Shepherd values. As you think about how you might take advantage of new opportunities with Worship 2.0, and there will be many, please pray for the Implementation Team and our continued planning. We have made much progress, and we will be providing an update on our service planning at the Cottage Meetings. Please also pray for those people in the world with unfilled emptiness––may Good Shepherd help fill their voids so they can also walk along their path with Christ. God Bless, Alan Halfen Lutheran Campus Ministry at KU Volunteer Board Members Needed Lutheran Campus Ministry at the University of Kansas (LCM-KU) is an exciting and expanding outreach ministry for KU students and the college community. LCM-KU is currently looking for 3 volunteer board members with communication and/or organizational skills to help the ministry continue its mission with young adults. We are also looking for a treasurer to assist with the management of the organization's finances. The LCM-KU board meets monthly to every other month in Lawrence; the treasurer is needed approximately 5 additional hours a month. For more information, or to offer your help, please contact Becky at [email protected]; or 785-766-6891. 4 Chili Cook Off The students of LCM at the University of Kansas invite everyone to help them launch a new tradition: a Chili Cook-off! This chili competition fundraiser will be held Saturday, November 8, 2014. The festivities will be located at Westwood House, 1421 W. 19th Street, in Lawrence. If the Iowa State vs Kansas football game kickoff is 11 am, the cook-off will begin following the game. If the game begins at 1 pm—or later—the cook-off to start two hours before game time. Anyone not attending the game at Memorial Stadium is welcome to watch the game at Westwood House. Chili cooks are asked to give a $20 donation to enter the competition. Tasters are asked to give a $2 donation for student tasters and a $5 donation for adult tasters. Tasters will be able to vote for the best chili. Our Chili Cook-off Winner will receive a special gift basket and have their picture placed on our new “Chili Wall of Fame.” For more information please contact Becky at [email protected]; or 785-766-6891. The Good Shepherd Youth Group (or FLOCK,) have had an easy start to the year but are really ramping up in October. God's Work, Our Hands had a good showing from the youth contingent and we ended up going to different places. Claven Snow went with one group to the Humane Society. They split up into groups. One for cleaning and one for sorting. The cleaning group cleaned kennels and the sorting group went through donations. We even had some younger children helping in that group- so there were many hands on deck! Sonja Holmgren went with several of the Youth to the Villages. This is a home for children whose parents are incarcerated. There they worked along side the residents to clean up brush and weeds that had grown up in the low-ropes course, as well as along the driveway. On October 12th, we took off to Schaake's Pumpkin Patch for some Autumn fun and Pumpkin selecting! We took a hayrack into the Pumpkin field, where we found pumpkins big enough to hide behind! As a general rule, you had to be able to carry the pumpkin you selected, but I guess rules were made to be bent, so we ended up getting a wheelbarrow for our haul. A few of us got creative this year, selecting dark green pumpkins, white pumpkins, red pumpkins and two-toned pumpkins. We made our way through a maze of hay bales, with Isaac Bailey a clear winner, jumping from the finish line and taunting the lesser skilled navigators. As of the writing of this article, the pumpkins are at church, awaiting the grand carving event at the youth Halloween party on October 17th. It will be interesting to see how those unusual pumpkins turn out in the carving event, so keep an eye out for pictures upcoming! Coming up October 25th, we have a food packaging event through United Way. Last year we had a great turnout and a lot of fun doing. October 2013 we staffed one table out of 10 working the 3 pm-4pm shift, and the whole shift packaged over 2 thousand meals in the hour that we worked. The table staffed by FLOCK exceeded our goal. We packaged 6 boxes with 18 meals to a box- though our beginning goal was 5. We are thankful to again have that chance to be Christ's body to a world that needs him. Looking ahead—we should have a great November, starting out right on the 1st -joining in efforts with the whole church to serve at LINK. Last year, we had a solid youth turnout with a few youth bringing friends, so I hope to see as much enthusiasm this year! We've got a couple of chances for down time as a group and catching our breath before our traditional Christmas Party (and Bell Ringing) but Fall has served us well, and we're looking forward to a great 2015! At Green Pastures Preschool we have had a great start to the school year. The children have grown so much already. The teachers and the students are all falling into a great routine. We have a great group this year. The firefighters came to our school to teach us about fire safety. We had our first field trip to the pumpkin patch. It was muddy, but we had a lot of fun. The kids are all very excited about their upcoming Halloween party. We are also starting to prepare for our Thanksgiving skit and feast. We have a lot to be thankful for. We do currently have a few openings in our program. If you know of anyone who has a preschool age child please pass along our contact information. Miranda Huff, 785-760-5658 [email protected] 5
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