SHEEP BUZZ NEWSLETTER

November 8, 2024

THE SEMI-ANNUAL MEETING of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church will be held this Sunday, Nov. 10^th following the one worship service at 10 AM. Following the meeting, we will celebrate the year in Thanksgiving at our annual Thanksgiving Luncheon.  A special Sheep Buzz announcement which included the Annual Report of the Congregation and the names of the Council Nominees can be viewed here.

STEWARDSHIP GIFTS OF ABUNDANCE

TO BE CONSECRATED THIS SUNDAY

Please remember to bring your intent forms to church this Sunday and drop them in the wooden box as you commune this week. A big thank you to those who have already returned their intent forms.

Additional forms are on our website.

A special booklet titled, "Stories of Abundance" will be available on Sunday at the dessert table at the luncheon. This booklet contains all of the wonderful stories that we heard during worship the last few weeks. Please take one per family.

O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own.

1 Chronicles 29:16

Our next SECOND SUNDAY FAMILY AFTERNOON will be on November 10th, at "The Fringe" mini-golf, located at the Aurora Cineplex in Roswell. 5100 Commerce Parkway, Roswell 30075. All families, young and not-so young are welcome!  The Fringe at Area 51 lays just outside the entryway to Aurora Cineplex. Home to two 18-hole, family-friendly miniature golf courses, The Fringe is a enjoyable place to "putt up" your best shot. GSLC will cover the cost of one round of 18-holes of mini-golf, so join us after the annual Congregational meeting and Thanksgiving meal.

TAKE A LOOK BACK

Take a moment to look at the screens at church this Sunday. We have captured a snapshot of all the wonderful events, services and outings that have been happening at Good Shepherd since our last Semi-Annual Meeting. Be a witness to the love being spread in and around this place and then go and share it with others!

ANGEL TREE

We are happy to share the news that Good Shepherd will again participate in the annual Angel Tree Project. Our church has partnered with Carmel Elementary School to provide Christmas gifts for 35 children.

The Christmas tree will be up this Sunday, November 10th. Please choose an angel (or two). All angels will have the child's name, age and gift requests. We ask that you return all WRAPPED gifts to the church no later than Sunday December 1. 

PLEASE RETURN THE ANGEL WITH THE CHILD'S NAME WITH YOUR GIFTS! If you have any gift receipts, please put in an envelope for the parents.



We will deliver all gifts to the school on December 9th. If you have a truck, and would be available to help with the gift delivery, please contact the church office.

POINSETTIA FORMS

It is that time of year when we begin to think about Christmas and all the decertations. Again, we will be ordering poinsettia plants to help beautify the Sanctuary on Christmas Eve. This week, Dedication Forms are on the welcome desk as you enter in the morning and will be near the flower chart in the Administrative Hallway. You can also find one on our website.

SAVE THE DATE

Join us on November 30th, if you would like to help add decorations to the Sanctuary to begin the Advent Season. We will begin decorating at 12 PM. Many hands make light work for all.

GSLC CALL COMMITTEE NEWS

Ask a committee member to share one of the orange prayer cards with you, updated for October. It is our hope that you will take these home and keep GSLC in your prayers as this process continues.

If you have any questions, please ask us! We invite you into a conversation with as much information as we can give, understanding that some information must remain confidential. Look for our blue name tags or email us at callcommittee@gslutheran.org.

LADIES NIGHT OUT will be on

Tuesday, November 19, at 7:00 PM at

Chili’s Restaurant

1460 Towne Lake Parkway

Woodstock, GA 30189

Please sign up in Fellowship Hall

WHAT IS EVANGELISM

In the feedback gathered from all of you by the Long-Range Planning Task Force, the congregation indicated a strong need to explore and re-ignite evangelism at Good Shepherd. To do this, we'll start with a gathering to talk about what evangelism is, brainstorm low hanging fruit, especially with Christmas ahead, and talk about strategies for moving forward. Let Pastor Karen or Debi Radcliff know that you'd like to come and talk and brainstorm with us on Sunday, December 10, after the second service. No commitment to be a member of Evangelism for the next 50 years - promise! We just want your feedback and ideas! Sign up in Fellowship Hall.

ALZHEIMER/DEMENTIA CARE GIVER SUPPORT GROUP

Please join us on December 7^th at 9 AM, for a kickoff meeting for an Alzheimer/Dementia care giver support group at Good Shepherd. During this one-hour meeting you will learn more about the program and how you can directly help care givers dealing with these types of patients. This informational meeting is open to anyone. Please invite others that might be interested in learning more and participating in this group.

NOW HIRING - PART-TIME OFFICE COORDINATOR

We are hiring for a part-time Office Coordinator Position. This position will be 12 hours/week and will work a set schedule Monday-Thursday from 9AM -12 PM. We are seeking a friendly outgoing person with working knowledge of many administrative functions including software knowledge of Excel, PowerPoint, and databases. If interested please contact personnel@gslutheran.org.

WORSHIP ATTENDER SURVEY

Our congregation has been given the unique opportunity to participate in a national study of worship attenders. The study is being conducted by Faith Communities Today (FACT), a research partner of the ELCA. Since 2000, FACT has conducted research that provides religious leaders of all traditions with critical information about the changing nature of congregational life and how to respond effectively.

For participating in this survey, our congregation will receive a $200 Amazon gift card and, if at least 10 people respond, a report of our responses.

Anyone 18 or older who is a regular participant can complete the survey. It should take between 12 to 15 minutes. Our Good Shepherd goal is to have a minimum of 50% of our regular worship attenders complete the survey. To take the survey, please click the link below.

TAKE THE SURVEY HERE

Please complete the survey by Friday, Nov. 22.

If you are interested in learning more about this study, please visit: https://www.covidreligionresearch.org/attender-survey/

Thank you for your participation.

SUNDAY SCHOOL | 9:45 AM

All youth classes will meet downstairs. K-5 in B3, 6-8 in B8 and High School will meet in B1.

Faith Stories: Rm 117: Book study on “Life Together” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  

Coffee and Conversation: Rm 118: "Hope in the Lord" series. The series draws from numerous parts of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. The author writes that "Through our study of God's word, Christ's Spirit strengthens us to people who hope in the Lord.

Men in Mission: Rm 116: Various topics and discussions just for men. 

WHAT'S NEW

Wednesday Lunch and Learn will begin a new study for Advent titled, "The Weary World Rejoices" by Lifeway Women. Join us at 11:30 AM. Bring your lunch if you'd like.

WEEKLY BIBLE STUDIES

We are blessed to have great lay leadership to host weekly Bible studies on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Roughly 40+ people attend these studies each week. Check out the Bible Study page on our website to see where you might want to join us.

THANKSGIVING WEEK

All mid-week Bible study groups will NOT meet the week of Thanksgiving.

HANDMADE CARD MINISTRY AT GSLC

ALL OCCASION cards are available, most for a suggested donation of $2.00 per card. All proceeds will support our Good Shepherd Youth Mission Trips. This ministry is being hosted by Molly Maher, Linda Rowell and Pam Hough. Thank you for your wonderful support of this GSLC ministry.

LOOK FOR WAX SEALS!

Look for new cards that have beautiful wax seals on the fronts. Once again, the cards provided are mostly one of a kind and a wonderful gift for anyone who receives one. Also, there are a few hand painted cards left that were donated to GSLC from a local artist. Surely someone you know would love to get one in the mail!

CARING FOR CREATION

We continue our recycling initiatives. We appreciate all help from congregation members to keep these items out of landfills. Looking for more info? Visit our website page.

1. ORAL CARE WASTE

2. HEFTY ENERGY BAGS: (first Sunday of the month)

3. BATTERIES: (Size D and smaller) 

4. OLD EYEGLASSES

5. POPTABS

6. CLEAN-NO LABEL-PRESCRIPTION MEDICINE BOTTLES

7. DRAKE HOUSE: SEASONAL, PROFESSIONAL, WOMENS CLOTHING,

8.METAL RECYCLING: Drop off your scrap metals in the white 55-gallon drum located at the north side of the garage and we will take it to the Metal Recycler in Woodstock.

Chase would love to SEE MORE YOUTH in both the Chancel Choir and Bell group. Please contact him if you have questions or interest.

These rehearsals will continue weekly or as noted by Pam or Chase.

Do you love your church? Consider giving Good Shepherd a 5 Star review on Google. It helps other know about who we are and what we do!

CHURCH CALENDAR

This is our submission form for you to submit non-urgent prayer concerns. Prayers will be posted to the Prayer Circle, via e-mail, during normal business hours, usually around 3 PM. As always, if you have an urgent prayer request, please contact Pastor by cell or email. 

If you would like to pray for others, as part of our prayer circle, please contact our Media Coordinator and she can add you to the Prayer Circle group.