Blessing of Backpacks
Children, youth, and college students brought their backpacks to church for a “Blessing of the Backpacks” May the Lord be with you as you encounter another year of learning.
7th & 8th Grade Confirmation Ministry
Confirmation Kick-Off was Wednesday, September 4th. 7th and 8th grade students and parents gathered for a meal.
Bedtime Bible Story night for 3-year olds and parents:
(SEPTEMBER 11 @ 6:00 P.M.)
Children who turn 3 by September 1st and their parents are invited to get ready for starting Sunday school. Wednesday, September 11th from 6:00 – 7:00 pm will kick-off the next step in your faith journey with Bedtime Bible story night.
Students are encouraged to come in pajamas and bring a favorite stuffed animal and “blankie”. We will enjoy a bedtime Bible story and become familiar with your Sunday school classroom, have a treat, and tour the church. (This will prepare the children to begin Sunday school this fall on September 15th when activities will begin for parents and children at 9:15 a.m. in the sanctuary.)
All students also will be presented with their own Beginner's Bible that evening. The Beginner’s Bible is a wonderful tool for sharing stories of God's love. We encourage you as parents to read Bible stories daily with your child. This can be a great bedtime tradition.
Growing in faith and passing on the faith! Third Grade Bibles
During worship on September 15th, we will celebrate the milestones of 3rd graders receiving Bibles from their parents. The Bibles are a gift from Good Shepherd, and are presented by parents to children. This is one step of fulfilling the promises we made at baptism. Third graders and their parents will take part in two special class sessions on September 22nd and 29th to help them get more familiar with their Bibles.
A big thank you to everyone who has helped and contributed to the wonderful new expansion and renovations at church!!! The new Gathering Space, kitchen and offices are already being enjoyed by staff and congregation members. This fall we look forward to using the kitchen even more and having new Sunday school rooms available. The congregation's generosity has helped to make all of this possible. We will be closing on our loan in August. While we were approved for a million dollar loan, right now we are looking at closing the loan at $840,000. 
Thank you to all who participated in VBS on June 10-13! 27 students + 11 youth leaders + 11 adults leaders = fun and learning about how Jesus saves. The offering was $195 to help families experiencing homelessness. Click here to see a bunch of fun photos.
GATHERING OF MINISTRY IDEAS
IN MAY AND JULY
Over the summer Good Shepherd hosted two meetings with the hope of gathering ideas from families on ways that we could more fully utilize our new space and any ideas on changes that might better enhance Good Shepherd’s ministries and worship services to reach families in our community. Both meetings brought about great discussion! Here we will highlight some ideas that attendees brought forward, please download the pdf.
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Statement of Intent
During the summer months with weekend events and family vacations, we know church attendance tends to slip. Even if you are unable to make it to church, you can still help us meet our monthly expenses through your continued giving. Offerings can always be mailed to the church or dropped off during the week. We have both Simply Giving and On-Line Giving systems all set up for easy and free access – just let us know how we can assist you. Please feel to contact the church office or Tom Anderson directly (507-993-8326)
EBENEZER / DEDICATION SUNDAY
Ebenezer Sunday is a day Good Shepherd has set aside to look back over the past year and remember all the ways God has helped us grow in our ministry. We raise our “Ebenezer” or
“stone of help” and give thanks to God who is our ever-present help. This year we will celebrate the completion of our newly enlarged and renovated building. Because of the grace of God and the hard work and financial contributions of our members, we look forward to using the new space in support of ministry.
Sunday School Registration
All children age 3 through 6th grade are invited and encouraged to participate in Sunday school at Good Shepherd. Regular Sunday school classes will begin on September 15th. If you haven’t registered yet, do it today!
- Register on-line at http://goodshepherdlutheran-plainview.org/sunday-school/
- Or pick up a registration in the church narthex.
- Or complete a form emailed to parents with a valid email address on file.
We need ALL children to register so we have current information. We ask you to do this as soon as possible, so our teachers can be prepared and ready for the kids who are planning to attend Sunday school.
New students are always welcome! Invite a friend or neighbor and invite their children to participate too.
High School Ministry
We will kick off the high school year with a sundae bar on Wednesday, September 25th at 7:30 pm. Parents and youth are invited to come as we plan for the year. Parents and youth will break out into separate groups to choose priorities for the year.
Opportunities to Grow and Serve – YOU ARE NEEDED!
We give thanks to God for the awesome leaders who will be teaching Sunday school this year! Please keep them in your prayers as they commit to sharing stories of God’s love with our children and youth. We still need partners to work with teachers already committed to the 2nd grade class and 4th or 5th-6th grade class. (Team teachers share the job so they don’t teach every week.) Talk to Carole Joyce to volunteer or find out more! Do you know anyone who would like to be a helper? High school youth and adults are welcome. Talk to Carole Joyce to find out where helpers are needed.
All Sunday school teachers and helpers will meet on Wednesday, September 11th at 7:00 pm. This is an important time to learn about students, curriculum, and the year. Most important, we will pray for our children. Please plan to attend. Contact Carole Joyce at 269-9374 if you have questions.
HELP WANTED - Worship Assistants
Many of our worship assistant groups are getting pretty small. It takes a large number of people to do a Sunday morning worship service (approximately 20 worship assistants per service on a communion Sunday). These jobs aren’t hard and training will be provided, so please consider signing up for an area (or two or three) that you have an interest in. Just fill out a “Count Me In”
form or contact the church office. Our schedulers for each group will work with you to accommodate the time and date of the services you would be willing to help out with. Just let them know which dates will or will not work for you and which service you prefer to help out with and they will schedule you accordingly.
Kick Off the Sunday School Year:
Sunday, September 15th at 9:15 am
- Meet your Sunday school teacher & class!
- Important parents meeting for ALL parents!
- All are welcome so bring a friend.
Please join us on Sunday, September 15th at 9:15 am for the Sunday school kick-off event. Parents will start out in the sanctuary for information and fellowship. Kids will start out in the sanctuary too but will be dismissed by grade to their Sunday school classes.
Feed My Starving Children:
High School Mission Trip
Chicago
July 28th - August 2nd, 2019
Seven Good Shepherd youth, plus adult leaders Larissa Jurgenson and Carole Joyce, experienced urban life and served in Chicago through CSM—City. Service.
They served a children’s program, served at a soup kitchen, visited the elderly, and learned at a shelter for men experiencing homelessness. We had the chance to experience different cultures as they dined in local ethnic restaurants.
GOD'S WORK, OUR HANDS
Thanks for providing school supplies for kids who need them in the PEM district.
You were an important part of ministry in Chicago too! Thanks to your generosity we delivered 55 toothbrushes, 37 tubes of toothpaste, 44 pairs of men’s underwear, 53 pairs of socks, 45 bars of soap, 30 bottles of shampoo, deodorant, tampons, pads, and shoes. Thanks for sharing God’s love!
Lutheran World Relief Personal Care Kits.
Start gathering the items listed below for the Lutheran World Relief Personal Care Kits. On October 20th the whole congregation will work together to will pack these and do other service for our community and world.
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN UPDATE - GROWING TO SERVE, GROUNDED IN FAITH
County commissioners approved the conditional use permit. The County Commissioners voted on Good Shepherd's standing for a conditional use permit. Currently, CMS is reviewing our plans for their approval. Once we have approval on these two things, we plan to start the renovation and construction project. We will keep the congregation informed by email. Please be aware that during much of the renovation and construction project the front doors will not be available for use. The back door to the church will be our only handicap entrance, and we will move the handicap parking close to that back door. During some of the project, the kitchen door will not be accessible and all will need to use the back door. If the kitchen door is accessible you may use that door. For the safety of everyone, during the construction project we are asking parents to bring their children into the building and pick up their children inside the building. If you have any questions, please contact the church office.
Attached are pdf files to download:
Thank you for your continued support and dedication to make Good Shepherd a great place to worship and the opportunity to build lasting relationships in a place with people we call our church family! Godspeed!
The Capital Appeal Campaign Committee,
Nicole Engler
Shelley Henry
Pastor Krista
Nate Pfeilsticker
Franny Schwantz
Tina Wangen