Saturday, December 20, will be the Hanging of the Greens at Good Shepherd to decorate a beautiful tree courtesy of Jerry and Kris Frank, assemble our stable and manger, and generally feel the Christmas spirit.  All ages are welcome as are treats!  Also on Saturday, red poinsettia plants donated for the Christmas season for the altar area are to be delivered to the Narthex table in the afternoon.  Members may wish to place a plant in memory of or to honor family members and friends.  On Sunday, December 21, the Youth Christmas Pageant will be held at 5:00 pm.  All youth are encouraged to participate. Everyone is invited to celebrate with sandwiches and cookies following the pageant.

Good Shepherd is one of four area Lutheran churches that have planned a community Easter Vigil Worship Service. It will be held on Saturday evening, April 19, at Good Shepherd. The pastors and congregations of First Lutheran, Washington Prairie, Glenwood/Canoe Ridge, and Good Shepherd invite the community to participate in the ancient traditions of this dramatic service.

Easter Eve begins with a fellowship gathering. Light refreshments will be served in the Fellowship Hall, or outside near the bonfire in the church’s backyard, from 7:00 – 8:00 pm. The Vigil worship service begins at 8:00 pm when the Paschal Candle is lit from the bonfire in the church’s backyard. It is carried at the head of the procession into the darkened church. Worshipers process from darkness into light as they light their individual candles from the Paschal Candle when they enter the sanctuary. The service includes Affirmation of Baptism and Holy Communion.

This Lenten season, Good Shepherd is helping new mothers with essentials for themselves and their babies. In connection with Partners in Health and Good Shepherd member Julie Jensen, the congregation is collecting money to buy clothes, shoes, and other necessities for the mother as well as clothing, blankets, washbasins, and bottles for the baby. Cost for each mother/child package is about $50 and will be purchased locally in Rwanda, creating an economic impact there.

Partners in Health, co-founded in 1987 primarily by Paul Farmer and Tom White, began in Haiti. In the 25 years since its founding, the organization has expanded into nations around the world including Rwanda. The mission of Partners in Health, according to their website, is to provide health options by working with sister organizations in countries where there is extensive poverty. Partners In Health strives to achieve two overarching goals: to bring the benefits of modern medical science to those most in need of them and to serve as an antidote to despair. They consider their mission to be both both medical and moral.

Rwanda was one of the world’s poorest countries even before the 1994 genocide devastated the nation and its fragile health care system. In 2005, as part of its rebuilding, the Rwandan government asked Partners In Health to help strengthen its public health system. In Rwanda, PIH is working in three rural districts, serving 800,000 people through three hospitals and 41 health centers.

Good Shepherd member Julie Jensen has been in Rwanda since August 2012 working as the associate director of health information systems (HIS) for PIH’s Rwanda team. In collaboration with colleagues from the Rwanda Ministry of Health (MOH), the PIH HIS team in Rwanda contributes to the development and customization of the electronic medical record (EMR) system the MOH has implemented at public health facilities in Rwanda. Julie’s team also assists with technical support of the implementation and operation of the EMR system at facilities in the 3 districts where PIH works in Rwanda.

Sunday School children will design blankets to represent one package collected—or $50. They will add blankets to a clothesline as the project moves forward, providing a visual of the progress made. The goal is to have 20 blankets displayed by the end of the Lenten Season. All members of the congregation are invited to participate in the project.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church is sponsoring a Lenten Organ Recital Series with three concerts to be held on three successive Wednesdays, March 12, 19, and 26 in the Sanctuary. The concerts will start at 12:15 and finish by 12:45. A free-will offering will be taken. The opening recital will be played by Brad Schultz, Instructor at Luther College and organist for the Luther congregation on Sunday mornings.

The Hook and Hastings Organ at Good Shepherd was acquired in 2009. This 2-manual, 8-stop, 11-rank organ was built in Boston in 1883 as a parlor organ for use in a private home. Acquired in 1973 by Pastor Paul and Ruth Tweeten, the organ was moved to the Midwest and in 1990 underwent an extensive rebuild by J.C. Taylor Organmakers, in Kaukauna, WI. After being damaged in a storage location, the organ was once again refurbished and restored by Jim Taylor in 2008, prior to its installation at Good Shepherd.

The public is invited to bring brown bag lunches which can be eaten in the Fellowship Hall afterwards. Coffee and light refreshments will be served. For further information contact Brooke Joyce, Good Shepherd Organist and Interim Director of Music, who coordinated this series.

Recitals by Date

March 12: Brad Schultz
March 19: Christine Skogen and Shayla De Jong (Luther students)
March 26: Brooke Joyce