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The Women’s Ministry will continue to have opportunities to gather for events virtually, with some events in person. All are welcome!
The Women’s Ministry email address is: womensministry@goserve.net. Send your questions, concerns, and thoughts.
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Your Input Is Welcome!
The Women’s Ministry Team would like to hear from you—the women of Good Shepherd—about activities and events you want offered in 2025. Please send your ideas to Lisa Foecke, President.
Additional members are also invited to join the Planning Team. The team meets via Zoom on the second Wednesday of each month, beginning at 7:45 PM. Interested? Please contact Lisa.
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Friday afternoon, February 7–Sunday morning, February 9: the Women’s Ministry Retreat will be held at Mar-Lu-Ridge. Deadline for registration is Tuesday, February 4, at 4:00 PM.
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Sunday afternoon, March 2, after the second service: the Women’s Ministry will host a Tea Party to honor all the women and girls in our lives: moms, daughters, grandmas, aunts, friends, and neighbors. See details in this newsletter.
- Regularly Scheduled Events
- Ways to Serve
Unless otherwise noted, all events are held on Zoom, using the link below. All times are Eastern time.
https://zoom.us/j/553298240?pwd=T0Njd3VuSUJITXdNdjVvalFrYlYzZz09
Meeting ID: 553 298 240
Passcode: 16420
To join by phone, call: 301-715-8592
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Renewing Mind, Body, and Spirit!
Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Ephesians 4:23
with Pastor Lynn Miller, Executive Director of Oasis Ministries
Worship led by Vicar Asher Vincent-Beckman
Deadline for registration is Tuesday, February 4, at 4:00 PM.
Rest and relaxation often come at a premium for women today. The perfect opportunity to do so is coming up for our weekend Winter Retreat at Mar-Lu-Ridge Inn Conference Center, in Jefferson, MD. Check-in will be February 7 at 4:00 PM with check-out on February 9 at 11:00 AM. If you can't attend for the weekend, a one-day option is available for Saturday!
The deadline for registration is extended to Tuesday, February 4, at 4:00 PM.
What to Expect:
- Inspiring workshops and worship
- Relaxing activities to refresh your mind and body
- Delicious meals to savor
- Comfortable motel-style rooms with full baths (linens provided)
- Cost for the full weekend including meals is $175
Day Option:
- Can't stay the whole weekend? Attend on Saturday for $45 (including lunch). Add breakfast for $10 or dinner for $15—enjoy the full day with meals for $70.
Confidential scholarships are available—don’t hesitate to reach out to Vicar Asher for assistance.
Do you have a talent that you would like to share?
Do you do arts and crafts? Practice or teach yoga, meditation, or stretching? Are you willing to lead a hike or nature walk? Another interesting gift? Then the Women’s Ministry team would love to hear about your gift to share with us at the Winter Retreat! Please contact Lisa Foecke at womensministry@goserve.net to discuss this further or with any questions.
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A Tea Party
to Honor the Women and Girls in Our Lives
You are invited on Sunday, March 2, at 12:30 PM to a light luncheon (with tea and other beverages) to honor all the women and girls in our lives: moms, daughters, grandmas, aunts, cousins, friends, and neighbors. Come and join the celebration!
Please sign up by emailing womensministry@goserve.net by Wednesday, February 26, at 4:00 PM. If you would like to donate food or beverages, please share that information as well.
If any men or teens are willing to help serve food at the event, please contact Lisa Foecke.
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Regularly Scheduled Events
(Please use Zoom link under “Coming Events” above)
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Sisters in Grace–Contact is Jeanne Wernly
Thursdays on Zoom, 9:30–11:30 AM
This group meets on Zoom on Thursday mornings, three times per month. One Thursday per month, we meet in person at Good Shepherd.
Sisters in Grace will continue our study of “Why I Believe” (“Straight Answers to Honest Questions about God, the Bible, and Christianity”), a video/book series by Chip Ingram.
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Thursday Evening Women's Study–Led by Elise Bowman
Thursdays on Zoom at 7:00 PM
We will be looking at the books of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles using the Guidebook Be Distinctive by Warren Wiersbe. The 13-week study will begin on Thursday, February 6, at 7:00 PM on Zoom.
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Friday Evening Bible Study–Led by Heidi Mann and Lisa Foecke
Fridays on Zoom at 7:00 PM
Our February study will be from “Acts: Catching Up with the Spirit” by Matthew Skinner
1) What God Has Done
2) What God Does
3) Discernment and Change
4) Opposition
5) Saints Around the Edges
6) This Changes Everything
All interested women are welcome to join us. Questions? Contact Lisa at: womensministry@goserve.net.
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Women's Tuesday Night Book Club–Led by Beth Cole
Fourth Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM.
The books for February and March appear below. Beth suggests participants buy used books from Thrift or Abe books online, as few are on the shelves at our county libraries yet.
Contact Beth at womensministry@goserve.net with any questions. Join us for any or all Book Club dates. We will be reading a variety of genres or topics.
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February 25 (Zoom)
The Price of Children: Stolen Lives in a Land without Choice by Maria Laurino. Investigative journalist Maria Laurino details the shocking story of mothers and children deceived and exploited as directed by the highest levels of the Vatican. There was a recent 60 Minutes on this book.
March 25 (In-Person)
The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri. Sometimes the best thing about book club is that it prompts us to read things that we might otherwise turn away from. There are parts of the world that are in crisis, and it can be hard to know how to help. One thing we can do is to bear witness to the stories of those who have had to flee, to try to understand what they have been through.
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Resettlement of Good Shepherd’s Afghan family in Frederick–Good Shepherd continues to support the Sidiqi family with housing, health care, transportation, and other areas. Co-leading the Afghan Allies Resettlement Team (AART) are Dennis Luther, Mark Walters, and Meredith Walters. Please contact them to learn more about service opportunities with the family.
Prayer Shawls–Holy Cross Hospital has requested prayer shawls for their patients. This is a tangible way to show God’s love. Questions? Contact Anne May. There’s no deadline for submitting the shawls. The yarn donated for these projects is in the glass-enclosed room across from the main entrance doors in the closet in plastic bins. Please leave completed items at the Donation Center at church in a bag marked for Anne. Each shawl is tagged with a label the church provides to note the origin.
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Holy Crafting Ministry–Recent projects include making masks, twiddle muffs (sensory therapy tool), hats for nurses, quilts, and more. Please contact Carole Weikert for quilting questions or Anne May for general crafting questions. Thank you—and keep crafting! | |
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Thank You to All Who Contributed to
the Interfaith Works Women’s Shelter in January
The Women’s Ministry would like to thank MaryLynn Gonsalves for organizing the meals for the Interfaith Works Women’s Shelter. Good Shepherd served three meals a day for the week of January 12. Doing this took many people working together. Thanks to the people who provided food and supplies. Thanks to all of the groups that served the food and made lunches.
Special thanks to: Mary Beth Stahlburg and the Youth Group, Beth Cole and the Book Club, Lisa Foecke and the Women’s Ministry, Peggy Luther and the Outreach Committee, MaryLynn Gonsalves and the original Young Families group, and Kristen Phillips and Sisters in Grace.
The women at the shelter deeply appreciated all the time and care you took to serve them throughout the week. Thanks to all who helped make this week a success!
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Leadership Team Calls
The Women's Ministry leadership team meets monthly to plan our events, retreats, and service projects. The next meeting will be Wednesday, February 12, starting at 7:45 PM. Join with the Zoom link at the top of the newsletter. All are welcome!
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Donna Nelson,
Vice President
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More Info
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Are you on the Circle of Sisters Facebook Group? Click here to join.
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Did you know the ELCA has a magazine for women? Gather has inspirational articles, Bible studies, and more. Click here for more info. If you never know what to ask for yourself, a subscription to Gather makes a great gift as well.
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Want to include something in the next email? Contact Lisa Foecke.
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