granting different gifts and talents to shape life in this world
we ask for your Spirit to unite us
where we face lack of understanding and disunity
in our churches, in our communities, in our countries.
We lay before you the burdens of our hearts.
--from a prayer written by Roddy Hamilton
Sunday evening, about 10 of us gathered in the parking lot to pray together. It was a lovely time to see one another's faces, and to pray for our faith community, our nation, our world. The times feel so uncertain and heavy: hurricanes, deep and difficult conversations about race, a divided nation in the midst of an election, all on top of a pandemic. In the midst of that, all over the world, schools started, laughter happened, and new life bloomed. It is easy to get caught up in all of this, the good and the bad, and to forget that God is near.
And yet, that is the very call of the Christian faith: to remember the nearness of God, God's presence with us in the person of Jesus, God's conquering even death itself in the risen Christ. In this beautiful snippet from a larger prayer we shared Sunday evening, we are invited to remember that God sees and holds all of it - our joy and our pain, our beginning and our end, our unity and our separateness - and we are called to remember that God is near.
So, dear ones, as we walk through another week in this time, remember that we walk through it together - with God, with each other - as we lift up the burdens and the joys of our hearts.
Peace, Pastor Jill
Prayer Service Gatherings Continue
Join us again, on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of September at 6:15 pm for outside Prayer Services! All are invited to join in-person, with masks and safe distancing, outside the church in the back-lawn area. Please bring your own chair or blanket. For those not able to be together, we are attempting to also view the service via GoToMeeting.
September 13th @ 6:15 pm: "Reflections"
September 27th @ 6:15 pm: Pet Blessing
(please bring your pet on a leash or in a carrier)
Meeting Pastor Nina
Our "meet and greet" small groups with Pastor Nina are being scheduled out by Shepherding Groups. Since there is some confusion with the earlier sign-up process, we will be contacting each of you by early next week with information on which group you belong to and your group's scheduled date and time. We will also be adding a few more extra dates. There are options for meeting via GoToMeeting or in-person with masks and safe distancing. Please know that other dates are available if your group date/time does not work for you. We ask that you just let your Shepherding Elder know. Pastor Nina is eager to meet everyone in the congregation, and we expect the feeling is mutual among us! Thank you!
Labor Day Holiday
The GSCC office will be closed Monday, September 7 due to the Labor Day holiday. Please note that the next "Mini" update will be sent Tuesday, September 8. Please check your emails on Tuesday for some new, important announcements. And please have a safe, happy, and blessed holiday weekend!
Live Stream Worship Continues
For the protection of our faith & larger community as the Coronavirus pandemic continues, worship will continue to be offered via live stream or dial-in until otherwise announced. Please join us on: YouTube or go to the Good Shepherd Christian Church website and click the "Live Stream" button.
Make sure you click the "like" and "subscribe" buttons under the live stream video to help us improve the access to our YouTube channel! Thanks.
For easy audio dial-in access using only your home phone, without a computer:
Call this TOLL FREE number: 1-866-899-4679
When prompted dial this access code: 668-689-701
We also have DVD’s of weekly worship. If you are interested in receiving a weekly DVD, please contact the church office.
No Remaining in-Person Gatherings for this Week.
No Remaining Virtual Gatherings for this Week.
Gatherings for the week of September 6 through September 12:
To join us from your computer, tablet, or smartphone please click here or go to https://www.gotomeet.me/GSCCOH
If you do not have access to a computer, tablet, or smartphone, you may also dial-in using your phone. To join us using this method please call this toll-free number 1-866-899-4679, and when prompted, dial this access code: 668-689-701.
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app: Click here: GoToMeeting or visit https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/668689701
Welcome Table Food Ministry
Community meals are the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month! We now distribute dinners through a drive-thru format, placing bagged meals directly into the guest's trunk so we protect our guests and volunteers through social distancing. Please be respectful and adhere to social-distancing policies while using this service. We will also have bags of shelf-stable food available for pick-up at GSCC on Wednesdays from 11:30 am - 12:00 pm. Please email us here or here for assistance.
Welcome Table Volunteer Opportunities
If you would like to volunteer your time with the Welcome Table Ministry, there are multiple opportunities to do this. Below are the links to the sign-up forms.
Birthdays:
Gretchen Nahas - September 7
Mary Weigand - September 7
Mary Lee Pinkstaff - September 10
Anniversaries:
Terry & Diane Bartlett - September 7
*This section will be a permanent addition to our biweekly updates and will be updated every week.*
Monthly Newsletter Information
Due to the "day to day planning" nature of our lives right now, all of us at Good Shepherd Christian Church have agreed that we would be able to better serve you by keeping you updated more often! This is why we are temporarily suspending the monthly newsletter to be replaced by these biweekly "mini newsletters". If there is anything you would like to share with the congregation, we would be happy to share it for you in these updates! The "minis" will be sent out every Monday and Thursday afternoon. If there is something you would like to add please submit those requests by 9am Monday (for Mondays "mini") and 9am Thursday (for Thursdays "mini"). Those submissions may be sent to office.gscc@gmail.com. As always, you may also visit our website for more information at www.goodshepherdchristianchurch.org.
If you have questions, or difficulty with this email, please contact Pastor Jill at sfpastor.gscc@gmail.com
