CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE:

 5:00 p.m. December 21 – Sunday School Christmas Program

 4:15 p.m. December 24 — Pre-Service Music

 4:30 p.m. December 24 – Christmas Eve Candlelight Service with Holy Communion

 9:30 a.m. December 25 – Christmas Day Festival Service with Holy Communion

                  (No service December 27)

8:45 a.m. December 28:  Join Brooke on Sunday morning, December 28, to rehearse the marvelous carol “Good King Wenceslas” for our worship service. All are welcome, no need to sign-up or RSVP.

THE CHRISTMAS OFFERING this year will be divided between a local agency, the Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation, and a global organization, the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS).

Volunteers from the Landscape Committee have been refreshing garden beds at the church.  Yews, stumps, and a honeysuckle were removed from the large bed nearest the parking lot and replaced with Red Feather Viburnum, Little Lime Hydrangea, and Amber Jubilee Ninebark shrubs.  Two pots of annual, deep orange Dragon Wing Begonias were added for color during the first season of the perennials’ growth. The ground was tilled, fertilized, and covered with landscaping groundcloth before being mulched.   The beds in the parking lot have been spread with shredded hardwood mulch as well.  “Before” photos are below.

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.