Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Good Shepherd news
December 2016 | www.sactownchurch.com
Pastor’s Message This month I continue a tradition that started 27
years ago, as I share with my church family the latest news from my family.
In years past I have always started with an update on our children but this year I want
to start with us-with Cathi and me.
I have been married to this remarkable person for more than 33 years and to me she
is more beautiful, wise, and godly with every passing day. We have poured so much
of ourselves into our children and into the congregations we serve but our love for
each other has remained strong. We are happy together and our plan for the future is
to keep it that way.
Lieutenant Nathan Wallace is active duty Navy and flies the E-2 Hawkeye. I will be
spending a week with him early this month on vacation because after the new year he
will be deploying to the Pacific theater and we will not see him for 5 to 6 months. This
is what he signed up for but please pray for him and ask the Lord to keep him safe
and encouraged.
When she was born, our daughter was Hannah Wallace but now she is Joy (her
middle name) Lo, (her married name). Some of you attended her wedding here at
Good Shepherd and that was 5 years ago at the end of this month. Amazing. She and
her husband live in Jakarta, and don’t feel bad if you don’t know that Jakarta is in
Indonesia. They are launching a start-up business there and Joy is also on staff at the
church they attend. I have had a blast giving her advice on how
This Month //
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church * www.sactownchurch.com * 1615 Morse Ave, Sacramento, CA 95864 * 916-483-0451
Official Church Acts // Baptisms:
Nancy Espinoza Perez 11/20/16
New Members Received in November:
Curtis & Marjorie Gee
Mike & Lonnie Murphy
Sway & Sara Phal
12/8/16—GS Senior Adult Advent
Gathering @ 11:00 in Fireside Room.
12/8/16—Preschool Christmas
Program @ 7:00 in the Sanctuary.
12/11/16—Christmas Sing-A-Long @
5:00 in the Sanctuary.
12/18/16—GS Kids Christmas Service
@ 11:00 in the Sanctuary.
12/24/16—Christmas Eve services @
4:00, 5:30, & 7:00.
12/25/16—Christmas Day Service @
10:00. (No Education Hour).
1/1/17—New Year’s Day Service @
10:00. (No Education Hour).
(Continued on next page)
December
to survive and thrive as a church professional.
And by the way…no grandchildren yet.
Noah is your boy and you can be proud of him.
He was 10 when we moved here and he is a
product of Sacramento and Good Shepherd. He
is a high school senior and has just completed a
successful season in cross country. The next big
thing is to see where the Lord will lead him to go
to school next fall. Stay tuned for further
developments.
Many of you have been praying for my mom.
Earlier this year she began to decline noticeably
and as a result hospice was added to her care
team. In the last 2 months, she has rallied and is
actually doing significantly better. In fact I just
received a call from hospice telling me they need
to resign. God’s ways are truly awesome.
And I…well…I am your Pastor; and that is
exactly what I want to be.
So, from all of us to all of you-
May the Child in the Manger who is the Lord of
the Empty Tomb bless you abundantly in this
Season and always.
Pastor Todd
Pastor’s Message Cont. //
Good Shepherd is excited to announce that you can now manage your giving online!
Our online giving program offers convenience for you and provides donation consistency for
our congregation. Simply follow these easy steps:
1) Visit the church website at www.sactownchurch.com
2) Click the “Give and Serve” tab
3) Once at the Giving Site, enter your donation amount.
4) Enter the required donation information using bank account (no cost to you or the church) or debit card information
(processing fee charged to the church)
5) You have the option to “select password” to create a profile that allows you to set up recurring contributions or review past
contributions
6) Voila! You have successfully given online!!
Help bless our wonderful Pastor and church staff this Christmas! If you would like to contribute to a Staff Appreciation Gift to acknowledge their yearlong dedication and hard work, please look for red envelopes on Sunday mornings starting December 11th and deposit them into the offering plate or in the collection box in the narthex. Thank you in advance for your generosity!
Staff Appreciation //
Sunday, January 1, 2017. One service @ 10:00. No Education Hour)
GS KIDS// December 2016
This month, the GS Kids took your Operation Christmas Child donations and boxed them up to send the toys, hygiene products and school supplies to kids all over the world in need. Every box was prayed over by a GS Kid! Thank you for your donations!
This month we are preparing for our Christmas Service at 11:00 AM on December 18th. The kids will be praying, singing, and acting out the Christmas Story. Even if you usually attend the 8:30 Service, We strongly encourage you to hang around to be a part of the fun! Thank You for supporting and praying for our GS Kids!
Christmas Sing-A-Long // You are invited to our Christmas Sing-A-Long! Join Jeff Schulz, our wonderful worship team, and fabulous guest musicians for a
night of music filled with holiday joy! This is a free, kid-friendly event and all are welcome! Invite your friends and family! Sunday,
December 11th @ 5:00 in the sanctuary!
You can do it!!!
Help spread the word of our
awesome church by liking our
Facebook page, liking our
posts, and sharing our posts
with your friends. It’s easy and
effective evangelism.
Email :
with any questions.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church * www.sactownchurch.com * 1615 Morse Ave, Sacramento, CA 95864 * 916-483-0451
December 2016
It’s A Dance, Moving With The Holy Spirit by Dr. Patrick Oden, Professor of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary Dr. Oden presents the reader with an unusual opportunity to eavesdrop on a gentle, but truthful, conversation about the Holy Spirit in a fictitious church by fictitious characters, primarily a pastor and a reporter. This insightful storytelling approach examines non-fiction theological insights that focus on the missional work of the Holy Spirit to embrace broken humanity and point the world toward Jesus and the healing community of the body of Christ. Even the newest babe in Christ or the Christ-seeker will find this book inspirational in the way Dr. Oden touches on the realities of life presented in light of the work of the Holy Spirit. Jürgen Moltmann (Professor of Theology, University of Tubingen, Germany) writes, “The whole book is inspired by the creativity of the Spirit. It's a 'dance' in the vividness of the Spirit. Let this dance never end!" In sum, the down-to-earth dialogue is compelling, the conversation is broad, the the-ology is sound, and the scripture references are spot on. Dr. Oden is scheduled to speak at the Good Shepherd Senior Adults gathering in February 2017 and highlight his newest book on the topic of praying for our oppressors. Reviewed by Connie Van Berkel
The Giving Corner//
The Giving Corner is located between
the Welcome Center and the Library!
Pray For Our Men and Women in the Military// Ryan Baker * Heather Campbell * Joshua Cole * Matthew Cournoyer * Blake Fair * Daniel Harrison *
Michael Harrison * Zachary Jensen * Cody Johnstone * Alex Kraal * Kiel Lovekin * Cosme Munzo*
* Michael Nolan * Liam O'Brien * Matthew Sirko * Eamon Turnbull * Nathan Wallace *
Library Book Review//
Thank you to everyone who took a tag
from iMPACT’s Gift Giving Tree! All
contributions need to be delivered to
the Giving Corner by Sunday,
December 11th. Thanks again!
St. John’s Program For Real Change
is continually in need of baby diapers
(all sizes) and baby wipes. Please
feel free to drop these items off at the
Giving Corner any time. Thank you!
Sunday Services at 7:45 am (Come As You Are), 8:30 am (Classic), and 11:00 am (Contemporary). Fellowship at 9:30 am.
Educational Hour from 10:00am-10:45am: Adults (Fireside Room), IKON YOUTH (Ikon Room—6th-12th grade), Kids (GS Kids
Room—age 2 thru 5th grade). Library open on Sundays.
iMPACT News //
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church * www.sactownchurch.com * 1615 Morse Ave, Sacramento, CA 95864 * 916-483-0451
Thanksgiving Service Project—66 meals served!!!
For over a year, our older Girls of Grace have asked to feed the homeless. We recently made their request happen—and we also decided to invite some of the older boys from our Sons of Thunder program.
On Sunday, November 20th, 12 neighborhood youth (9 girls and 3 boys), 5 staff, and a few volunteers participated in a service project that involved cooking a hot meal and then delivering those meals to the hungry in the Arden Arcade area.
Community Member Baptized
We’re excited to announce that baby Nancy was baptized at Good Shepherd on November 20th. She’s related to Hugo, Donovan and Daylon, participants of our outreach camps and Resume Café. We’ve known and served the family for 7-years now.
Christmas Dinner Event—Volunteers Needed!
Join us for a simple night filled with: 1. Sharing a meal together with our neighborhood families (those who participate in our camps/programs); 2. After dinner, we will head to the sanctuary and attend the Christmas concert; and 3. After the concert, it’s back to the Fellowship Hall for dessert and coffee.
Volunteer positions:
Food prep/cooks: Starts @ 2pm (2 hour shift)
Food servers: Starts @ 3:45pm (1 hour shift)
Dessert servers: Starts @ 6pm (1/2 hour shift)
Event set up: Starts @ 2pm (2 hour shift; set-up tables, chairs & decorations)
Event clean up: Starts @ 6:30pm (1 hour shift)
If available, please contact Amy Smith @ (916) 213-1586 OR [email protected]
Shepherd’s Field Updates
We’ve been very blessed to keep our community garden ministry going strong since 2010. And this is in great part to the volunteer work of Rick Morat. With Rick’s recent decision to retire from his role of Garden Coordinator at the end of the year—the church will work with an agency called IRC (International Rescue Committee) to keep the garden going. More details on this partnership will be made available soon.
Thank you Rick for your many years of commitment to iMPACT’s garden ministry!!! We appreciate ALL that you’ve done to serve and reach our neighbors for Christ.
Christmas blessings to you and your family!
Amy Smith, Director of iMPACT
December 2016
December 2016
GS Senior Adults//
ADVENT BLESSINGS LUNCHEON
Thursday, December 8 from 11:00a.m. – 12:20ish p.m. Several of our church staff will join us for lunch and table fellowship
Signup on Sunday, December 4 or call the church office: 916-483-0451
$3 suggested donation
Scholarships available
Laugh your way through the skit
Sandy Long presents
Come on by, bring a friend and check out GS Senior Adults!
Did you miss Patsy Johnson’s presentation, “Demystifying Immigration,” in October?
Patsy Johnson, a gifted speaker and member of GS since 1969, spoke about her fascinating role as Supervisor of Citizenship and Immigration Services. She described the rigorous complexities associated with vetting, interviews, and testing that immigrants undergo to become naturalized citizens of the United States. It would not be a stretch to say immigrants must possess a fierce determination in order to complete the rigorous requirements and tests for citizenship.
Naturalization ceremonies are open to all so please consider attending at least one. Patsy is eager to shine light on the immigration process so connect with her at church, by phone, or email as listed in our directory.
Thank you Patsy Johnson!
Sandy Long will present an important seasonal message that reminds all of us that there is “joy to be found even in the most quiet
and saddest seasons of life.”
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church * www.sactownchurch.com * 1615 Morse Ave, Sacramento, CA 95864 * 916-483-0451
Hello Friends of the Preschool It's December already! Celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus is one of your preschool's favorite times of the year. The children have been learning and practicing some Christmas songs to share in honor of this special occasion. Our Christmas Program is Thursday, December 8th from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.in the sanctuary AND YOU'RE INVITED to come and share in the festivities. Our program is not very long, but always entertaining and a great way to get to say "hello" to your church preschool families. We sang for the Good Shepherd Seniors in November at the beginning of their monthly get together. It was so nice to be able to share and interact with others and make those positive connections. We look forward to visiting again. Do you have a talent you would like to share with us? Talk about your occupation? Hobby? Play an instrument? We would like to hear from you. It is always so exciting to have visitors share with us. Thank you to all the friends that help to support the church preschool ministry. Your kindness and generosity does make a difference. Your help is needed to spread the word. Your church preschool has openings for enrollment. We also offer childcare during holiday breaks for children from kindergarten through the 4th grade at reasonable rates. Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Sandy Oakes, Preschool Director 916-483-0466 [email protected]
Good Shepherd Preschool // December 2016
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church * www.sactownchurch.com * 1615 Morse Ave, Sacramento, CA 95864 * 916-483-0451
December 2016
Prepare The Way //
All men are welcome for breakfast and bible study! Join us the first Saturday of every month in the Fireside Room @ 730.
Rebecca Circle will not be meeting in December. We will resume on January 9th.
Merry Christmas!
Rebecca’s Circle //
Men’s Breakfast //
RESUME CAFÉ is on Sunday,12/4, during Fellowship
Hour. See you there!
Prepare the Way: Cultivating a Heart for God in Advent. Join us on Sundays, Dec 4, 11, & 18 from 10:00 - 10:40am in the Arden Meeting Center. Books are available in the Welcome Center. No sign up needed- just come and prepare your heart for what God will do in your life. Email Julie Dixon at [email protected] for information.
Submission Information Sign up for our weekly email by emailing your preferred email address to [email protected].
Submissions to Church News should be submitted by Wednesday at noon to [email protected].
Submissions to our Monthly Newsletter should be submitted to [email protected].
Parents Helping Parents // Continues on Tuesdays from 7:00 to 8:30 in the Arden Meeting Center. Email Jack
Lane, [email protected] or sign up at sactownchurch.com. All parents are
welcome!
Advent Prayer Gathering: Wednesdays Dec 7, 14, 21 from 6:30 pm - 7:00 pm in the Arden Meeting Center. Come and join your brothers & sisters in Christ as we pray to make our lives and our church more about Jesus in 2017. All are welcome!
Advent Prayers //
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
1615 Morse Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95864
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
www.sactownchurch.com
1615 Morse Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95864
916-483-0451
Contact Us
