This Month //

news December 2017

Pastor’s Message

Sunday Services at 7:45 AM (30 Minute Service), 8:30AM (Classic), and 11:00AM (Contemporary). Fellowship at 9:30AM.

Educational Hour from 10:00AM-10:45AM: Adults (Fireside Room), Youth (Ikon Room—6th-12th grade), Kids (GS Kids Room—

age 2 years - 5th grade). Library open on Sundays 9:30-11:00AM. Prayer Room open 7:15AM-12:00PM.

As I continue my tradition of writing something personal for the December newsletter let me start

with the theme: “The only constant in life is change.”

It all began by moving my mom from Minnesota to California at the end of February.

When I wrote to you last year my mom was under hospice care. Well, the Lord had other plans; she got much better and the joyous prospect of her living for more years became a reality. And I just could not live any longer with her being so far away from me. So, we sold her possessions, packed two suitcases, and now she lives in a wonderful facility in Orangevale. With her memory and dementia issues she is not fully aware that she is now a California girl but she does love seeing me

on a regular basis and I adore having her nearby.

Next, this year Cathi and I retired after 27 years of full-time parenting as Noah graduated from High School and started his new life at West Point. I will never forget sitting in a huge auditorium at West Point with him next to us as we all received a classic military

briefing. At the end of the briefing the Colonel said, “You have 30 seconds to say good-bye.” We only used fifteen.

Seven hours later he and 1200 other new cadets marched on to the parade ground, swore in, and then marched back into the bar-racks. We could not even see him in the sea of faces. When the last one marched through the huge doors the doors were shut and

that was the end of our everyday parenting career.

He is thriving at West Point. His parents are figuring it out.

Our daughter Joy and her husband Moses did not move. They still live in Jakarta Indonesia. But with no kids at home Cathi and I decided to fly over and visit them and we had an awesome time in Jakarta, then Bali, and finally Malaysia. It is so rewarding and just

darn fun to enjoy your grown kids as friends.

The oldest, Nate, finished his time at the air wing and has moved from Southern California to Meridian, Mississippi. We had the incredible thrill of watching him take his last flight in his E2 Hawkeye when he flew here to Sacramento, performed a series of touch and goes at Mather Airfield, and then flew back to base. I have to admit it was a really proud moment. Nate is going to be in Meridian as a flight instructor for the Navy for three years so he has bought his first house. And there is a serious and lovely girl-

friend so…..

This year included the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther posting the 95 Theses which is regarded as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. As a pretty decent Luther scholar, I had such a great time teaching about Luther and discussing his on-going relevance in a number of venues. And in the spirit of the Church always reforming we worked very hard on a long-range strategy plan that will

have Good Shepherd thriving in the purposes of the Lord for many years to come.

At the end of each day I go home and Cathi is there. And when I am with her I am home, and at this stage in our lives that is taking

on a new and deeper meaning.

I keep piling up years as the Pastor of Good Shepherd but with each passing year there is so many exciting things yet to do and I

can’t wait to do them all.

And finally, to all of you who read these words because of how we share life together:

A joyous Christmas and may you have a new year filled with faith, family, and the next phase of your life’s adventure.

Pastor Todd Wallace

December 2017 Looking Ahead //

12/2/17 — Men’s Breakfast @ 7:30AM in Fireside Room

12/3/17 — Resume Café @ 9:30AM

12/6/17 & 12/13/17— GS Kid’s Choir rehearsal @ 5:00PM

12/10/17 — Christmas Sing-A-Long @ 5:30PM

12/17/17 — Traveler’s Christmas @ 8:30AM

12/17/17 — GS Kids Christmas Program @ 11:00AM

12/24/17 — One Advent service @ 10:00AM (NOTE only one service Sunday morning)

12/24/17 — Christmas Eve Family Service @ 4:00PM, Christmas Eve Celebration Service @

5:30PM, Christmas Eve Classic Service @ 7:30PM

12/25/17 — Christmas Day worship @ 10:00AM

Good Shepherd Church * www.gschurch.us * 1615 Morse Ave, Sacramento, CA 95864 * 916-483-0451

Christmas Sing-A-Long You are invited to our 3rd Annual Christmas

Sing-A-Long! Join our awesome Worship Team and guest musicians as we share a night of fantastic

Christmas Music! All are welcome to this FREE event. Bring your friends!

Worship with us this Christmas! We will have one Advent service @

10:00AM on Sunday morning

December 24th. That evening we have

three Christmas Eve worship services.

On Monday, Christmas Day, we will

have one service @ 10:00AM.

Annual Staff Appreciation //

Stay Connected! // Stay connected to your church by following us on Facebook. Search Good Shepherd Sacramento in the search bar and “Like”

our page!

Enjoy easy access to our calendar, sermons, and more by downloading our free mobile app! Search Good Shepherd

Sacramento in the App Store or Google Play Store.

December 2017

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 3rd and deposit them into the offering plate or in the designated collection box in the narthex. Thank you in advance for your

generosity!

SUNDAY December 17th //

Traveling this Christmas? Have no fear! Join us on Sunday 12/17 @ 8:30 for a classic Christmas Eve service

complete with candlelight hymns and Holy Communion!

Our GS Kids are taking over the 11:00AM worship service on 12/17! Join us for special performances by our GS Kids

Sunday School, GS Kids Choir, and our GS Preschool!

You don’t want to miss this!

December 2017

Good Shepherd Church * www.gschurch.us * 1615 Morse Ave, Sacramento, CA 95864 * 916-483-0451

GS Kids Choir//

Library Book Review // submitted by Penny Zacher

GS Kids Choir will spend 3 weeks preparing a song for the

GS Kid’s Christmas service on December 17th. All kids

ages kindergarten thru 5th grade are welcome! We will be

meeting on Wednesdays 12/6 & 12/13 from 5:00-5:30PM in

the GS Kids Room.

See you there!

LUTHER & KATHARINA BY Jody Hedlund This is a story written in fiction form with many true facts woven throughout the book. It begins with Katharina leaving the convent she had been living in for several years since her father placed her there after her mother passed away. There were several girls who escaped with her one night in the back of a wagon. They eventually arrived in Wittenburg where Martin Luther was living. Her first home was with the Reichenbachs family and she met Jerome Baumgartner who promised to marry her but left the area and never returned. Then she was placed in the Cranach’ home and learned from Barbara how to run a large home. This was very advantageous for her. It was the custom that girls should be married by their early twenties. Katharina was approaching this age and unmarried with no one in sight except she thought it would be nice to be married to Martin Luther. She was very interested in his preaching, books, and all the Reformation information he stood for. However, Luther arranged a match for her with a Dr. Glatz. Katharina opposed this and said she would rather marry Luther. He answered by saying he was never going to be married and opposed any such suggestion. However, after several meetings and discussions, a wedding was arranged. It took place with a good deal of merriment by the followers of Luther attending. The book continues with information about the Reformation and Peasants’ War. Luther was in constant danger of his life because of his teachings and belief. Katharina became a great help to him, especially since she was very learned with herbs and could treat Luther when he suffered from depression and dizziness. She stood by him and strengthened him in his work in the Reformation. Martin and Katharina were married over 20 years and had five children. Another interesting book about Katharina in our library is under biography:

“Queen of the Reformation”.

2018 Offering Envelopes// Box sets of offering envelopes are available to pick-up on Sunday mornings. If you have given using

an offering envelope in the last year, you will find your 2018 envelopes in the sanctuary foyer. If you

haven’t used a personalized boxed set in the past and would like to start, please visit the table in the

sanctuary foyer, email cathy@gschurch.us or call the office at (916) 483-0451.

December 2017

Pray For Our Men and Women in the Military// Ryan Baker * Heather Campbell * Christopher Day * Blake Fair *Joseph Fullerton * Michael Harrison *

Gregory Houghtby * Zachary Jensen * Cody Johnstone * Alex Kraal * Christian Lucero * Cosme Munzo *

Michael Nolan * Liam O'Brien * Matthew Sirko * Eamon Turnbull * Nathan Wallace * Noah Wallace *

Update: Sierra Arden Food Closet // We have been blessed many times over in mind, heart, soul and body with the tremendous outpouring from our congregations and community. Our numbers increased from 200 households in May to 230 in September and 253 served in October. Thanksgiving baskets were handed out November 20-22. Of the 292 households served, 266 received a turkey. During the food distribution we also had clothing, linens, kitchen items, and hygiene kits available. Every blanket, bed sheet and jacket was given out. Our

neighbors were extremely grateful for all of it. The donated clothing was new or next to new.

Now we are looking forward to our Christmas holiday distribution. Normally we have about 215 households request food. We have enough corn, pasta and spaghetti on hand to meet this need. We plan to give pancake or muffin mix for a Christmas breakfast so are in need of 150 of those as well as jams, syrups or honey to go with those pancakes. For this distribution we will be giving turkey or ham as the main choices. We are still in need of peas, peaches, pineapple, mandarin oranges, and jello to go with the meats. We will accept fresh food of potatoes and fruit on Wednesday, December 19 at the closet. We are distributing the food Thursday and Friday mornings, December 20 and

21.

For our regular distribution the urgent need is for tuna, chili, ramen, pork and beans, oatmeal packets, fruit cups and hot

chocolate packets.

None of this could happen without you the donors and our wonderful volunteers! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. God has richly blessed us all.

Donations are accepted during regular hours Monday through Friday: 9:30 to 11:30 am. Call us at 483-1942 if you have questions or know of anyone in need of food

St. John’s Program for Real Change //

DECEMBER NEEDS: St. John’s Program is currently in need of pillows, washcloths, and socks for babies,

toddlers, and young children. Please bring your donations to the Giving Corner. Thank you!

You may have heard the recent news that Sacramento County voted to end it’s financial support of

St. John’s Program to a loss of $60,000 every month. We are lovingly urging you to show your

support for a continued partnership between the County of Sacramento and Saint John’s by

signing a petition. It takes less than one minute to complete the petition. Please text RealChange

to 797979 (the caps are intentional, as is leaving out the space in between Real Change). You will

be sent a petition immediately which will then ask you to fill out your name and email address

only. It is that simple and your support is crucial as there is tremendous need for this program in

our community (their current waitlist has over 600 women and children in queue!). Thank you for your continued support!

Good Shepherd Preschool // December 2017

Sunday Services at 7:45 AM (30 Minute Service), 8:30AM (Classic), and 11:00AM (Contemporary). Fellowship at 9:30AM.

Educational Hour from 10:00AM-10:45AM: Adults (Fireside Room), IKON YOUTH (Ikon Room—6th-12th grade), Kids (GS Kids

Room—age 2 years - 5th grade). Library open on Sundays 9:30-11:00AM

Hello Friends of the Preschool!

Merry Christmas to you from Good Shepherd Preschool! I hope you enjoyed our singing performance at the Advent Christmas Tree Lighting. We will be singing with our GS Kids friends on Sunday, December 17, 2017 at the 11 a.m. church service. Hope to see you there. Getting new electronic equipment for Christmas? Just want to get rid of the old, or it just does not work anymore? You can help our preschool by donating it to EWASTE FOR GOOD. Just call Tri-Valley Recycling and schedule a pick up at your home. Yep, they pick up. The number to schedule a pick up is 1-800-317-3112, and let them know that it is for Good Shepherd Preschool. Simple. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Sandy Oakes, Preschool Director

IMPACT Fall Highlights 1. Pie Bake: Thank you Mr. Morat for teaching 6 of our kids how to make Apple Pie!!!

2. Donut Wall: Thanks to David Rochester for making this new donut wall display to be used monthly at Resume Cafe.

3. Girls of Grace: The girls learned how to sew!

4. Resume Cafe: High School youth are trained in Money Handling Skills, Customer Service, Interview Skills and Resume Writing with help from trainers Rick, Simone, Nick and Ms. Amy.

5. Baptisms: Alyssa and her two sisters were baptized!

6. Thanksgiving Camp 2017! ***Thank you Good Shepherd for all of your love, support, financial donations, and recent in-kind donations for the upcoming Christmas season!!!***

IMPACT News // December 2017

Good Shepherd Church * www.gschurch.us * 1615 Morse Ave, Sacramento, CA 95864 * 916-483-0451

IMPACT Staff Highlight // December 2017

Celebrating 20 years of iMPACT: Get to know the people running the ministry, building the relationships, and making the difference. Faith Talk: With his 18th birthday quickly approaching [Sun., Nov. 19th], we're out reminiscing at Shepherds' Field where we first met Nick Rebholtz. Hi, my name is Nick. I’ve been around Good Shepherd since 2010. I started as a camper, which led to: Camp Counselor, Resume Cafe trainee, then to an iMPACT staff member. The church has become a second home to me, and the people within have become family. I also got very involved with IKON in my 7th grade year, and have been going ever since. This youth group made me view religion, God, Jesus, and friends in all new ways. The same goes for iMPACT, the Smith family basically took me in as one of their own when I needed them, and have always been there for me. When I started High School at El Camino, I also dived deep into the teachings of Jesus and took a very large interest in making myself a better Christian. So in my Sophomore year, I got baptized at the church, which ultimately changed me into who I am today. I’m not sure what life has in store for me, but I know what God wants for me, and to me that’s all that matters. I am very thankful for EVERYTHING that Good Shepherd has done for me, and for the people that I’ve learned to adore. Thank you.

Sunday Services at 7:45 AM (30 Minute Service), 8:30AM (Classic), and 11:00AM (Contemporary). Fellowship at 9:30AM.

Educational Hour from 10:00AM-10:45AM: Adults (Fireside Room), IKON YOUTH (Ikon Room—6th-12th grade), Kids (GS Kids

Room—age 2 years - 5th grade). Library open on Sundays 9:30-11:00AM

GS LIFE // November 2017

GSLife allows our Good Shepherd family to securely communicate with one another. It brings together a church directory, calendar, group information, service

opportunities, event signups and more.

WHY USE GSLIFE

Access our church directory

Connect with groups

Find ways to serve

Manage your giving

Update your personal information

Direct your church communication

Sign up for events and classes

HOW TO ACCESS GSLIFE

Three different ways!

App: GSLife icon in the Good Shepherd Sacramento app

Website: GSLife link at gschurch.us from the MORE tab

Internet: GSLife URL at https://gschurch.ccbchurch.com

SIGN UP for a username on the login page. You will receive

an email response to set your password

WHAT TO DO NEXT

Review your personal profile

Update information for you and your family

Adjust your communication settings

Assess your privacy settings

Manage your service schedule

Explore groups

Set up a recurring gift

Find tips in HELP and on the HOME page

Is my information secure? The information contained in GSLife will not show up in any search engine and can only be viewed by members with a login and password.

Who can use GSLife? Church members are the only people who can view the online directory. Attenders may be granted GSLife logins, but with absolutely no access to people information.

What can others see about me? Church members can see your name, contact phone, email address and gender until you update your personal privacy settings. Your picture will also be visible if one is uploaded. You will only be identified with a group or class you participate in if you are the leader of that group.

Why should I add personal information? There is a difference between what you put in GSLife and what you choose to share. What you put into GSLife is important for our church records, but you may choose to display as much or little of your personal information to other members in GSLife as you prefer.

Is information about children protected? Children under the age of 14 are only visible in GSLife to their parents and appropriate church leaders and staff.

Who can see my giving? Only you and appropriate church leaders and staff can view your personal and family giving records, or download your giving statement.

What if I don’t have internet access? Inside News is available weekly inside your worship program. Our monthly publication, Good Shepherd News, is available in the Welcome Center. Contact the church office to receive a printed member directory.

Who do I contact with questions? Call the church office at 483-0451 or email info@gschurch.us with any questions.

FAQ

Good Shepherd Church * www.gschurch.us * 1615 Morse Ave, Sacramento, CA 95864 * 916-483-0451

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

1615 Morse Avenue

Sacramento, CA 95864

Good Shepherd Church

www.gschurch.us

1615 Morse Avenue

Sacramento, CA 95864

916-483-0451

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