SHEEP BUZZ NEWSLETTER

February 28, 2025

 We are called gathered and blessed to be a community and instrument of grace for all sheep of the Good Shepherd.

NEW MEMBER SUNDAY

We will welcome new members to Good Shepherd this Sunday, March 2nd at the 10:45 AM service, and will celebrate their membership with cake following that service. Be sure to take a look at the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall to learn a little bit more about these people.

FAREWELL AND GODSPEED

This Sunday at the 8:30 AM service we will send Paul and Cynthia Christensen off with a special Farewell and Godspeed liturgy. We offer our prayers for a safe move and journey and continued blessings throughout their new life. Come and say goodbye as we share a slice of cake in Fellowship Hall.

Dear Good Shepherd,

Thank you for welcoming me so warmly into this congregation as your pastor.

The Holy Spirit was alive during the installation, and I loved the

energy and enthusiasm and singing - to break out in song together was glorious! 

I will treasure the gift of the stole with the image of our Good Shepherd. I am grateful for this opportunity to serve together with you each of you.

In Christ,

Pastor Karen

Starting March 9 -

After many discussions, the Worship and Music Committee decided to move the announcements from the end of worship to the beginning. We'll enter into worship, have the welcome and the announcements, then transition with a just a moment of music to prepare our hearts and minds for worship. This will retain the continuity of our worship together through to the end of the service and we pray this will be a meaningful change for all of us. 

TWO-CAN SUNDAY

This week we will begin our drive to FEED HOPE with our food ministry partners, Papa's Pantry (Encompass Ministries). Next week we will collect again for MUST and the week of March 16th we will collect for Timothy's Cupboard. If you plan to attend our local hunger walk at Good Shepherd on March 9th, please bring a canned good for that event too! Together we can really make an impact for those around us.

HEFTY BAG RECYCLE

This Sunday is also time to bring those Hefty recycle bags to church. Did you know the plastic material which are collected from the Hefty Bags are burned and the material is used to create cement? It is not sorted for plastics. As a reminder the materials going into the orange bags are plastics numbered 5 and up including foam products, plastic dinnerware, packaging and bags. Thanks for working to create a better environment.

ASH WEDNESDAY

March 5th - Noon (livestreamed) and 7:30 PM. We will host Drive-thru ashes and prayer from 5 - 6:30 PM in the parking lot.

Each Wednesday during Lent, we will gather at noon and 7:30pm. A simple soup/salad supper will be available before the evening service. Our services will use Vespers: A Service of Evening Prayer by Carla Gioma, a beloved sung liturgy from Good Shepherd’s past. Our reflections each week will focus on the messy middles of our life, inspired by resources from Sanctified Art.

The fellowship committee will be hosting soup and salad dinners prior to the Lenten evening services (Not Ash Wednesday) beginning at 6:30. We need some help with people making soup and/or helping to set up and clean up. There are sign up sheets in the Fellowship Hall. 

INSPIRITUS

A special Sheep Buzz announcement from Inspiritus was sent yesterday concerning a need for refugees in our area needing our urgent support. If you didn't get a chance to look that over and want to help, you can read that announcement here.

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!

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.

Sunday Servant Schedule-March

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.

BE WARY OF SCAMS

It seems that scams at churches are again on the rise. Please remember that the church will never ask for gift cards for payments and to always check the email address of the sender before acting on any emails. If an email is coming from Good Shepherd, the extension will be ...@gslutheran.org. One popular scam is to obtain a church directory so the scammer can have easy access to everyone's email and phone numbers. Never give out names, e-mail addresses and phone numbers of others, ask them to contact the church if anyone needs that information.

Be diligent in Google searches too. Always double check website addresses before putting in any personal information or financial information, scammers can make a website look like an exact copy so know where you are going, don't just assume.

Lastly, don't fall for scams from IRS or other Government offices. As tax time approaches, these tend to ramp up so always check and double check and don't click links in texts or emails from unsolicited sources. Some good information can be found here. https://www.usa.gov/scams-and-fraud

If you aren't sure, ask a friend first.

CAREGIVERS SUPPORT GROUP

Our next Caregivers Support Group in connection with the Alzheimer's Association is scheduled for Saturday, March 8th, 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.

Don't want to walk downtown? On March 9th, we are preparing for a local walk to support reducing food insecurity in our area at Good Shepherd. Bring your pets and a can of food and enjoy a great healthy afternoon with friends.

Beginning March 2nd, we are distributing coin boxes (just ahead of Ash Wednesday) to fill throughout Lent to support families that struggle paying for school lunches at Carmel Elementary School.

Lastly, we will place more emphasis on collecting food donations for our food ministry partners throughout Lent. Beginning with Two-Can Sunday on March 2. Find more details on all of this at gslutheran.org/hunger.

EXPLORING EVANGELISM

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 EVANGELISM! We're planning for all the current weekly and Sunday morning classes to use the study, as well as provide an evening session with an online Teams option on March 24, 31, and April 7th. If you normally attend any of these classes, you do not need to sign up, however if you would like to participate in this offering, sign up sheets are available with all the class options at Sign-Up Central. Most of the current classes will begin the study the week of March 11th.

YOUTH FUN EVENT

Please join us in serving at Mostly Mutts Market on Sunday, March 16th from 1:00-3:30pm. This is the first opportunity for the youth from the three congregations to come together in fellowship and service. We will be working together to sort donated items, assist the Market in whatever ways needed and learn more about this animal rescue organization. Afterwards, we can grab some ice cream together at Brusters and continue to get to know each other! We hope you can join us!

LADIES NIGHT OUT

Ladies Night Out for March will be on March 18 at 7:00 pm at

Kani House Japanese Steakhouse

2455 Towne Lake Parkway

Woodstock, GA 30189

Please sign-up in Fellowship Hall.

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:

. 

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/

INTERGENERATIONAL SERVICE TRIP-LAST CHANCE FOR INPUT

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and the Youth and Family Ministry Committee is investigating the opportunity for an inter-generational group to travel to Florida this summer in connection with NovusWay to serve communities affected by recent storms. Details, dates, and costs are listed on the Sign-Up Genius interest form.

Kindly, yet as soon as possible, indicate your interest using this link, in participating in this service trip so that we can finalize details and work on fundraising. Even if you are unable to participate, please respond so that we have that information as well.

Thank you for taking the time to consider participating in this service opportunity

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.

NEW: Look in the card bins for LARGE PRINT cards. We now have a few Large Print cards available for your friends and loved ones who have vision problems. They will be distributed throughout the bins, but labeled as Large Print.

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. Our current study is: “Searching for Sunday” by Rachel Held Evans. We will be participating in the Evangelism study during the Lent season, beginning March 12th, and will resume the Rachel Evans 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: We will meet at 10:45 AM in Mtg. Room and finish our study on “Jesus & Woman: In the First Century and Now”. We will then meet at 11 AM on March 12th for Lent with the first three weeks focusing on the Exploring Evangelism study.

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. On March 13th, we will begin our Exploring Evangelism study. Join us anytime.

Theology On Tap: We will break during Lent.

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

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.

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.