Christmas Services at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

December 22, 2015 by

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CHRISTMAS SERVICES
AT
GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH
Pastor Amy Larson
Brooke Joyce, Music Director

Thursday, December 24 – Christmas Candlelight Service
4:15 p.m. – Special Gathering Music
4:30 p.m. – Worship Service with Holy Communion; Children invited to join opening procession with gold and white streamers and spontaneous bell-ring during a carol; Choir offerings; Luminarias placed along entry sidewalk

Friday, December 25 – Christmas Day
9:30 a.m. – Worship Service with Holy Communion; Low Brass Ensemble offerings

Sunday, December 27 – Service of Lessons and Carols
8:45 a.m. – All are welcome to join the pick-up choir at 8:45 to rehearse for the Offertory, “Good King Wenceslas”
9:30 a.m. – Service of Lessons and Carols (No Communion)

Filed Under: Announcements, Events

Christmas Program

December 21, 2015 by

Full Creche

The Good Shepherd children presented a Christmas Program on Sunday, December 20. The program included special music as well as scripture readings and hymns.  Children processed into the sanctuary in costume, then read Bible passages and narrated a short poem.  The program sequence was News for Mary: Luke 1:26-28; The Family Arrives: Luke 2:1-7; The Angels and Shepherds Arrive: Luke 2:8-16; The Magi Arrive: Matthew 2:9-11; and The Sending: Isaiah 9:6.   The program concluded with a live creche scene in the the front of the sanctuary.

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After the program, a simple supper was enjoyed in the Fellowship Hall.

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Simple Supper

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Filed Under: Events, Featured

News and Events, December 21-27

December 20, 2015 by

News Events
Wednesday, December 23
2:00 p.m. – Pastor Amy at Aase Haugen
No Evening Worship

Thursday, December 24
No Adult Bible Study
3:45 p.m. – Choir Warm Up
4:15 p.m. – Special Gathering Music
4:30 p.m. – Christmas Candlelight Worship with Holy Communion and candle lighting.  Special music beginning at 4:15 pm, choir offerings; luminaries placed along entry sidewalk.   All children are invited to join an opening procession with gold and white streamers and to come forward for spontaneous bell-ring during a carol.
6:00 p.m. – Church Building Closed

Friday, December 25
9:30 a.m. – Christmas Day Worship with Holy Communion
12:00 p.m. – Church Building Closed until Sunday, Dec. 27, 8:00 a.m.

Sunday, December 27
8:45 a.m. – Pick Up Choir
9:30 a.m. – Service of Lessons and Carols- 1st Sunday of Christmas
No Communion
10:30 a.m. – Fellowship Hour

The Christmas offering will be split between the Institute for Ecumenical Research in memory of Pr. Mau and scholarships for CNA (Certified Nursing Aide) Training program being held at Good Shepherd.

Filed Under: Announcements, Events

Nathan Wicks Featured in Wartburg Seminary Publicity

December 17, 2015 by

nathan

First year Seminarian and Good Shepherd member Nathan Wicks has recently been featured  in the Wartburg Seminary magazine, Life Together, and on the Seminary website.  The magazine asked two students to “share their compelling call stories” and “very different journeys that led them to be formed as future leaders for the church.”  Nathan’s story is also told on the Seminary website,
http://www.wartburgseminary.edu/voices/sharing-stories/student/nathan-wicks/

Filed Under: Announcements

Letter from Bishop Eaton to the Muslim-American Community

December 17, 2015 by

imgres

In a Dec. 11 letter to the Muslim-American community, the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), said, “I am writing on behalf of many Christians in this country who wish to share a word of solidarity, love and hope with you in these difficult days.”

The full text of the letter follows:
Grace and peace to you. I am writing on behalf of many Christians in this country who wish to share a word of solidarity, love and hope with you in these difficult days.

“In this season of Advent, we, your Christian neighbors, are preparing to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who commanded that “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart … [and] you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31, NRSV).

In our love for you, our Muslim neighbors, we are distressed by the ways in which you are being forced to bear the fears held by many in our nation. Therefore, we renew our commitment to find even more effective ways to protect and defend you from words and actions that assault your safety and well-being. We believe God calls us to resist what is divisive, discriminatory, xenophobic, racist or violent, and we want you to look to us as allies and friends.

The global refugee and migrant crisis and the acts of terror committed in this country and around the world are challenges that demand our collective efforts and our common prayers. Therefore, we will seek to stand shoulder to shoulder with you as agents of peace, justice, understanding, welcome and reconciliation for the sake of the world that God so loves.

In this holy season, when we anticipate the light that the darkness cannot overcome (John 1:5, NRSV), we are reminded of God’s gift of life abundant for all. Together with you, we are committed to building a stronger society based on the dignity of each human being, the value of diversity, the holiness of creation and the common good. We pledge our partnership and invite our local communities into continued dialogue and engagement to this end.

The letter is available at
http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/Open_Letter_to_Muslim_American_Community.pdf

Filed Under: Announcements