SHEEP BUZZ NEWSLETTER

February 14, 2025

 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us.

1 John 4:12

Council highlights:

 - A job description and proposed salary was agreed upon for a Youth Coordinator position to be shared by Good Shepherd, Christ Lutheran and First United. GSLC's portion of the salary to be covered is within our already established budget.

 - A three week Introduction to Evangelism class will be available for the congregation during the Lenten period.  

 - The Social Justice task force will be reconvening. 

Accolades:

 - Those who served at Mostly Mutts on Martin Luther King day - Champion Family, Ruth Clark, Max Epling, A. Ezell and her friend Kendall, Cathy Mattocks, Myers Family and Tom Wilson

 - Gina Crittenden and Holly Jones for reestablishing the Social Justice task force

CELEBRATION OF LIFE SERVICE

Luella Harris– Saturday, February 15th, 11 AM-Luncheon will follow.

BOOK DRIVE

Hi! I'm Sara P, a senior in high school. I attend the first service and as part of a school project, we're collecting books for foster children. We need your help! While we are primarily focused on early elementary educational books, we'll take anything! The Children's Haven is an organization that provides a healthy environment where foster kids can maintain relationships with their biological parents. The books you donate will go directly into that space, providing comfort to the kids and interactive opportunities for the families. Collection bins will be set up in the Fellowship hall for the next three weeks. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out!

ONLINE CALENDAR

Please note, we are aware that there is a glitch with our online calendar found on our website. When you open the calendar, the date defaults to December, 1899. Refresh the calendar by clicking the today icon and the calendar should reset to the current day and show the correct events. Microsoft is aware of the problem and we are awaiting a fix for this issue. Thank you for your patience.

Februrary Sunday Servant Schedule

Direct all updates and changes to the schedule to our new Office Coordinator, Alissa at Office@gslutheran.org. Please remember to try to find your own replacements. Thank you.

SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVANTS - Final Week!

This is the final week to review the sheets with your Sunday Servant interests at Sign-Up Central. There are a couple copies (you only need to look at one of the copies, they are all the same) of our “Sunday Servant Worship Assistant groups” as they are currently recorded in our database. Please take a moment to check your name and the worship servant roles that you are currently involved with. Write in any corrections on the sheet and initial if you have looked it over. If you are new to Sunday worship servant opportunities, mark your interests on a Spiritual Gift Form located at the Welcome Desk. This process will help the office staff to update our database with correct information.

THE LUTHERAN COALITION AND HABITAT BUILD

The Lutheran Coalition Website lutheranhabitat.org has been updated with the latest Habitat build information. Use the site for everything you need to know about the current build in Canton and signing up for it.

If you receive the Cherokee Tribune, an article about Good Shepherd and the installation of Pastor Karen was in the Thursday edition of the paper this past week. Clip it out and share with a friend. Remember to RSVP for the luncheon this Sunday in Fellowship Hall.

NEW MEMBER CLASS - FEB 16 AND FEB 23 - 9:45 AM- Room 115

Use the button below to let Pastor Karen know you are interested in joining us.

Congregational Wide Study

Get excited because it's coming! Our second annual congregation wide study will be launched during Lent! It's a three-week study on the "E" word (hint, "E" doesn't stand for Elephant or Eucalyptus). We're planning for all the current weekly and Sunday morning classes to use the study, as well as provide an evening session. Stay tuned for all the details that are coming soon!

Ladies Night Out

Tuesday , February 18th at 7 pm

El Ranchero

1025 Rose Creek Drive

Woodstock, 30189

Sign up in Fellowship Hall

CAREGIVERS SUPPORT GROUP

Our next Caregivers Support Group in connection with the Alzheimer's Association is scheduled for Thursday, February 27th at 1 PM in Fellowship Hall. Anyone in the community who is supporting and/or caring for a loved one experiencing dementia or other long term debilitating issues are invited to attend and become a part of this group.

HUNGER WALK/RUN 2025 AND MORE

Registration for the Atlanta Food Bank Hunger Walk has begun. If you would like to register or donate use the link below to be a part of our Good Shepherd Team. The date is set for March 9th and the event opens at noon with the Walk/Run starting at 2 PM at the Home Depot Backyard in Atlanta.

We are also again preparing for a local walk to support reducing food insecurity in our area at Good Shepherd also on March 9th. In addition, we are distributing coin boxes during lent to support families that struggle paying for school lunches and collecting food donations for our food ministry partners. Find more details at gslutheran.org/hunger

EMPTY NESTERS CARTER MUSEUM AND LIBRARY

Saturday, March 22nd join us at the museum from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM and a early dinner (approx. at 2 PM) at a nearby restaurant (TBD). Visit Sign up Central to sign up!

• Cost for museum (payment goes to GSLC cash or check with Empty Nester's Carter on the memo):
• Seniors (62+) and Military: $10
• Adults: $12
• Please arrange your own carpooling.
• more information here: Carter Museum and Library:

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The next activity will be on Saturday, May 3 to Uhuburg Castle in Helen, GA. Did you know that there's a castle less than two hours away from Woodstock? We'll tour the castle and grounds and then go into Helen to enjoy the remainder of the day enjoying the "German" shops and dining as a group in one of the delicious restaurants that Helen has to offer. https://www.uhuburg.com/

HANDMADE CARD MINISTRY

ALL OCCASION cards are available, most for a suggested donation of $2.00 per card. All proceeds 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.

There is a basket on our table in the Fellowship Hall with simple cards, some have messages inside and some are blank inside. Suggested donation is $1.00. Get a few to have on hand when you need to send a one of a kind handmade card to someone!

We have a new donation supply of HAND PAINTED cards from a local artist. If you enjoyed the hand painted cards previously, check out the new ones in our card bins. They are beautiful and special. 

Weekly Bible Studies

Word on Wednesday 10:00 AM Fellowship Hall. “More Beautiful Than Before-How Suffering Transforms Us” by Steve Leder.

Our current study is: “Searching for Sunday” by Rachel Held Evans. We will be participating in the Evangelism study during the Lent season and will resume this study again after Easter. As always, both in-person and Teams options are available for our group. Please contact the church office for Teams link.

Wednesday Lunch and Learn:11:30 AM in Mtg. Room. “Jesus & Woman: In the First Century and Now”

Thursday Bible Study: We are doing a lectionary study each week, reviewing the texts for the upcoming Sunday. It's a great way to prepare yourself for worship each week and marinate in the Word of God. Join us anytime.

Theology On Tap: Hickory Flat Kitchen, Canton, February 19th, 6:30 PM.  Join us for casual conversation over a meal and various topics in a non-biased format.

CARING FOR CREATION

We continue our recycling initiatives. We appreciate all help from congregation members to keep these items out of landfills. 

NEW WAY TO RECYCLE THOSE PLASTIC BAGS

Mostly Mutts Market is accepting plastic bags from various businesses - Target, WalMart, Publix, Kroger, etc. to use at the store. They are also accepting cardboard boxes, flattened or not, as well. Their address is 5505 Bells Ferry Rd. Acworth 30102.  

1. ORAL CARE WASTE

2. HEFTY ORANGE ENERGY BAGS: (First Sunday of month) Please remove labels (see below)

3. BATTERIES: (Size D and smaller) 

4. OLD EYEGLASSES

5. POPTABS

6. PRESCRIPTION MEDICINE BOTTLES

We need to remove labels from these bottles try these methods:

1. Warm the label in the sun
2. Use a hairdryer for heat
3. Put bottle in a glass of very hot water

MORE NEWS AND INFORMATION

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.