SHEEP BUZZ NEWSLETTER

November 13, 2026

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

🌟Indicates something NEW this week!

FALL OUTDOOR CLEANUP

Join us this Saturday, Nov. 14, for our Fall Outdoor clean-up day beginning at 10 AM. We will be working on cleaning out our retention pond and outdoor spaces. Bring water bottles, work gloves, and any tools to help make the project easier. Many hands will make for lighter work for all.

Thank you to the Garage Sale group led by Clint Gruwell, who coordinated the sale of old tools and equipment from our garage. Following the sale, we also donated many of the tools to the McCaysville effort and The Encouragement Project. The sale raised over $200.

Thank you also to the team of volunteers that helped with the Electronic Recycling Drive. Once tabulated by our recycling partner, we will learn the amount we earned through our efforts. The next date on the calendar is April 3, 2027.

CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP

We are a group of facilitators trained by the Alzheimer's Association to assist in communication, prayer, and support for those caring for others. We meet regularly on the second Saturday and the fourth Thursday of every month at 1:00 PM, at Good Shepherd. Anyone is welcome to attend these group sessions. This Saturday, Nov. 14th, we will meet in the Meeting Room. We will not meet on Nov. 26th. Our next meeting is December 12th in Fellowship Hall.

SERVICE OF HOPE

Join us on Saturday, November 14th for a Service of Hope at Good Shepherd at 4 PM. Whether you are full of hope this season or looking for something to hope in, we invite you to gather with us in a space of contemplative prayer, music, candles, and scripture, as we remember together that Christ Jesus is our hope for this broken world. All are welcome.

🌟 The Twenty-fifth Sunday After Pentecost

November 15, 2026

Worship Bulletins:

8:30 Traditional

10:45 Praise

Announcements | Readings

We have large-print bulletins available for the service. If you would like a copy, please ask one of the ushers, who will be happy to provide one.

You can also watch the 8:30 AM service LIVE this week on our Facebook Page. (You do not need an account to view the service.)

If you join us online, please sign our attendance book.

If you would like to submit an offering, please donate online.

This Sunday, Nov. 15th - Pancakes and Trivia! Come enjoy good food at 12 PM with friendly competition and fellowship while supporting our youth. $10/person. $30 maximum/ family. These proceeds will help support the youth at Good Shepherd for their trip to the National Youth Gathering in June, 2027.

🌟 Please remember to fill out your intent forms and bring them with you this Sunday. They were also included in your stewardship packet. We are thankful for the 76 forms already turned in. Place forms in the offering plate or the gold wall slot in the Administration Hallway.

Pick-up the special booklet highlighting all the Temple Talks that were given during worship. You can access that booklet here, or feel free to pick up a copy in the basket in the Entryway.



We are thankful for the many blessings at Good Shepherd. We are thankful for the service of Council members finishing their terms: Deborah Ezell, Mary Wilson, Craig Stichtenoth, and Eva Schwartz. We are also grateful for our newly elected Council members, David Abbott, Carrie Finney, and Kris Hebeisen. If you haven't already, take a look at our recently published Annual Report. It is full of the many blessings we both share and receive.

🌟SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES:

Youth Sunday School Classes at 9:45 AM

PreK/Elementary: Room 111

Middle/High School/Confirmation: Youth Room Downstairs

Adult Sunday School Classes: 9:45 AM

Coffee and Conversation: We will continue our study entitled “Disciple and Mission”. The lessons in this study will cover passages from various books of the Bible in New Testament.  

Faith Stories: Room 117. We will begin a new study on Nov. 15th titled "Voices of Advent." The book is available on Amazon for $10.79 for paperback or $9.99 on Kindle. We will be looking at the introduction over the next two Sundays and then beginning Chapter 1 on November 29th.

Men in Mission: Room 116. This is a casual group studying the Bible together.

🌟SUNDAY SERVANT SCHEDULE

NOVEMBER

Consider serving in a new capacity.

We are looking for a few volunteers to serve in our Fellowship role, serving coffee and snacks after both of our Sunday worship services. Please contact the office if you are interested.

Please direct all updates, vacation plans, and changes to the schedule by the 15th of the previous month to Office@gslutheran.org. 

Please remember to try and find your own replacements. Thank you.

Council Highlights

• McCaysville Flood Relief: We had a huge response to our emergency appeal providing gift cards, cash, water, and food for those affected by the floods in McCaysville. Financial contributions alone exceeded $1,500.
• New Website & T-Shirts: Our new website is live, featuring our updated logo and improved navigation. New t-shirts featuring the new logo will also be available soon (they make great Christmas gifts!).
• Christmas Carol Sing-Along: Plans are moving forward for a community casrol sing-along in the lower parking lot scheduled for December 12. If you have large outdoor Christmas decorations (such as inflatables) that we could borrow, please let Jason Launders know.
• Stewardship & Finances: Anticipated intent cards for 2027 are coming in faster than in previous years. Congregational giving remains on target and on budget, though we continue to closely monitor major facility expenses.

Accolades

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to:

1. Everyone who welcomed the community during Trunk or Treat.
2. Everyone who helped prepare and serve the Thanksgiving meal, coordinated by Tracy Launders.
3. Brenda Kviten Schumaker, David Abbott, Karen Epstein, and Deb Ezell for sharing their Stewardship generosity Temple Talks.
4. Clint Gruwell, Jennifer Taylor, Tom and Lee Heibeisen, Mike Dooley, and Max Epling for organizing the tool sale and raising $215. Remaining tools are being donated to local thrift stores.
5. Donna Garges for organizing the electronics recycling event, along with the Men in Mission for their help.
6. Karen Yerkes for organizing the McCaysville emergency response, and the entire congregation for donating food, 19 cases of water, and over $1,500 in financial aid.
7. Chuck Storla, Donna Garges, Alan Boda, and the Pastor for designing, building, and launching the new website.
8. Holly Jones for coordinating the new logo t-shirts.
9. David Abbott, Pete Dumpis, Carrie Finney, Kris Heibeisen, Eric Holm, and Garret Sworsdma for standing for election to the Council.
10. Clint Gruwell, Melinda Mundis, and Craig Stichtenoth for serving on the Council Nomination Committee.
11. Lily Champion for her leadership as President of the Southeastern Synod Lutheran Youth Organization (SESLYO).

Accolades from the Semi-Annual Congregational Meeting:

We also celebrate the many highlights recognized during our recent congregational meeting:

• Music and Worship staff and volunteers
• Thanksgiving lunch decorators
• The beautiful service today
• The Fellowship Committee
• The Pastor and Vicar Sam
• General congregational support and generosity
• Janice’s leadership
• Al Reynolds’ life of service
• VBS organizers and volunteers
• Donna and Michelle’s hard work in the office
• Aaron Frink for making our events possible
• The new sound and livestream system
• Our ongoing community involvement

URGENT: HELP OUR NEIGHBORS IN McCAYSVILLE, GA

Continuing our efforts through this Sunday.

Our neighbors in McCaysville are facing the devastating effects of flooding, and they need our help!

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church is organizing an emergency response to provide immediate assistance to individuals and families impacted by the flooding.

We are thrilled by the generosity already poured into this initiative. To date, we have collected over $1,500 in gift cards and monetary donations, along with dozens of grocery bags of food, candy, and 19 cases of water. Good Shepherd people are amazing! Below are a few photos of your donations already at work in the community.

TAKE A LOOK AT OUR NEW WEBSITE

Don't be fooled; when you go to gslutheran.org, it will look dramatically different than before. A team of people has been planning, coding, reviewing, writing, uploading, photographing, and so much more over the past year to get this up and running. A huge thank you goes out to Alan Boda and Chuck Storla for leading the effort. The main focus of our new website is geared to help a visitor find good information about us quickly. Prayer requests are now front and center on the home page, and Sunday Servant Schedules are now under a new members area. Take a moment to check out this amazing accomplishment that shows all the goodness of Good Shepherd.

CHRISTMAS HELP NEEDED -- Last plea!

If you didn't see our parade float for the Woodstock Christmas parade last year, you missed out! But good news! We need an interested group to plan and build the float. The parade date is Sunday, Dec. 6, and we need to have our float registered by Nov. 23rd. If you have some creative thoughts to contribute or can swing a hammer or hang some lights, please let Janice Swinford know. The more the merrier!

Nov. 18 - Theology on Tap - 6:30 pm at GameDay in Woodstock. Casual conversations and discussions on topics you may never have thought to ask in church. A great group of faithful people.

Nov. 21 - A Celebration of Life service is being planned for member Mark Martin at 11 AM, with a visitation taking place before the service at 10:15-10:45 AM in the sanctuary.

If you would like to help by bringing an item for the luncheon that will follow the service, please speak with Barb Kidder and/or fill out the sign-up sheet at Sign-Up Central in Fellowship Hall. Please continue to keep Linda and her family in your prayers.

Dec. 2 - Midweek Advent Worship begins on Wednesdays at noon and a new time at 7 PM. Each service will follow the Holden Evening Prayer sung liturgy by Marty Haugen. The meditation each week will be based on a chapter of the book by Amy-Jill Levine, Light of the World. Books are not required, but readily available.

Read more about welcoming the season of Advent from Pastor Karen. Advent calendars are now available on the Welcome Desk.

Dec. 5 - Christmas Caroling to our neighbors in Assisted Living and members who are unable to join us in weekly worship. We will meet in the Entryway at 11:30 AM.

🌟COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS SING-A-LONG

A Christmas planning team has met and found a wonderful way to share the spirit of Christmas with those around us. Save the date: Dec. 12 at 5 PM for a community sing-a-long taking place in our lower parking lot. This is a free event and will include cookies, hot chocolate, and lots of singing! To end the evening, we will have a tree lighting, too! Invitation cards are available at the welcome desk to invite your friends and neighbors.

WORD ON WEDNESDAY

Word on Wednesday now meets on Wednesdays in the Fellowship Hall at 10 AM. Please join us as our study leader, Lori Peters, guides us as we explore “What Grows In Weary Lands” by Tish Harrison Warren, which can be purchased on Amazon. We will return to meeting in Fellowship Hall with our Teams option available. Let the office or Lori Peters know if you need the meeting link.

THURSDAY BIBLE STUDY

This class meets every Thursday at 10 AM in Fellowship Hall. Led by Pastor Karen. We are discussing the book by Matthew Skinner, “Voices of Advent: The Bible’s Insight for a Season of Hope." Books are not required but are widely available. Next week we will cover “The Voice of John the Baptist: Preparing the Way of the Lord." There will be no class on November 26th, and our annual Holiday Lunch will be on Dec. 17th, before we break for the remainder of the year.

GREETING CARD MINISTRY- new Fall cards available

TAKE NOTE! Our card bins are FULL of new greeting cards, with lots of new designs! We also have a new supply of HAND-PAINTED cards, which are generously donated to GSLC by Liane Dolezar, a local Woodstock artist. All donated proceeds support our Good Shepherd Youth Mission trips. This ministry is being hosted by Molly Maher, Linda Rowell, and Pam Hough.

LADIES NIGHT OUT

Meets regularly on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7 PM. This is an evening out and a break from cooking, with good conversation and good food among sisters in Christ. In November, we will meet on Tuesday, November 17th. Please sign up in Fellowship Hall.

Henry’s Louisiana Grill

4835 N. Main Street

Acworth, GA 30101

MORE NEWS AND INFORMATION

UPDATE YOUR INFORMATION

If you have young adult GSLC members either living in your household or living outside the home who may still want news and information about Good Shepherd, please consider updating their contact information with the church office at office@gslutheran.org

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

BUILDING ACCESS REQUEST

& CHURCH CALENDAR

Online Calendar & Calendar Submission and Entry Request Form

Use this as a resource for all Good Shepherd Events. Need to add an event to the calendar or request access to our building use the form below. Questions? Contact our Media Coordinator.

Please note that all building access requests will not be added to the calendar. The office is primarily using one form to streamline the office processes for building entry and events.

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.