Good Shepherd United Methodist Church is a fellowship of believers in Christ called to be servants, who worship God, love others, and reach out to the community and the world.

From the Study

Do you have a favorite word? There’s a story of when Mark Twain was at the pinnacle of his writing career. He was paid five dol-lars per word for every word he wrote. During this time, someone wrote him a letter. Enclosed was a five dollar bill asking for his favorite word. Mr. Twain wrote back with a simple one-word note: “Thanks.” Thanks seems to be one of Jesus' favorite words as well. Luke tells us of a time when Jesus cured lepers of this horrible disease. But only one leper returned to praise and thank God (Luke 17: 11-17). This man was a Samaritan, an outsider. Jesus asked, "Where are the other nine? Was there no one to return and give thanks to God ex-cept this one?" Jesus then told him “Your faith has made you well.” It seems that gratitude comes from the ability to recognize and to express our appreciation for the gift of a blessing. Even more, gratitude is a grace which is received best whenever it’s shared with others.

Not long ago I was talking with friends who were preparing to leave on a mission trip to Honduras. They were going on a medical missionary trip for the fifth time. As they shared what they were planning to do, they said, “You know, if anyone would have told me five years ago that I’d be spending two weeks in the hill country of Hondu-ras, I would have told them they were nuts!” They

went on to tell me of the deplorable living conditions for so many of the people. And so I asked them why they went back year after year and they said, “It’s not just that they need us, but because we get so blessed in being with these people, they have virtually nothing, and yet are so grateful and feel so blessed

for everything in their lives.” My friend then con-tinued to say, “it’s very humbling, almost embar-rassing, to have these people so grateful for having so little.” Being thankful, true gratitude, isn’t just a once a year occurrence. It doesn’t just happen! Gratitude is something that comes from the heart. So, if someone ever asks you, “What’s your favorite word?” What’s your answer?

G O O D S H E P H E R D U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 4

“It seems that gratitude comes

from the ability to recognize and

to express our appreciation for

the gift of a blessing.”

Hospitality—A Key Practice of Fruitful & Growing Congregations

By: Rev. Robert Machovec, Jr. Scripture reminds us of the importance of welcoming the stranger in our midst. Jesus shared with his disciples, “I was a stranger, and you wel-comed me” (Matthew 25:35). Even the writer of Hebrews tells us: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2).

Bishop Robert Schnase has helped thousands of congregations look at those practices common in fruitful churches. Like an athlete, who contin-ually practices to improve themselves, Schnase identifies five things churches must practice for effective ministry. Those five practices are: radical hospitality, passionate worship, intentional faith development, risk-taking mission and service, and extravagant generosity. Over the next several months we will be exploring these practices and how we may uti-lize them for the most effective ministry for here at Good Shepherd.

John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, believed that before people are more ready than we may realize to accept the invitation and initiative of Christ that comes through gracious hospitality. What Wesley knew in the early years of the Methodism is still true today.

The mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the trans-formation of the world. As we may think about our mission, in terms of the practice of hospitality the questions we must ask ourselves are: What are the signs of hospitality we practice at Good Shepherd? How do we extend hospitality? Radical hospitality has to do with the ways in which we go above and beyond ourselves to extend ourselves to show hospitali-ty to the stranger.

The Administrative Board and several committees will be exploring each of these practices. We welcome your input and suggestions. Feel free to drop me a line as we explore together the ways in which we practice radi-cal hospitality.

Worship Services EVERY SUNDAY

Traditional Service 9:15 AM Praise Service 11:25 AM Sunday School for all ages 10:30 AM

Special Worship Service

Thanksgiving Eve Service November 26, 2014 - 7:00 PM Location: Ridgewood UMC Join us as we join with Ridgewood UMC in celebrating Thanksgiving. The service will begin at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, November 26. Choirs from both Good Shepherd and Ridgewood will sing together. Bring your family as we begin to celebrate Thanksgiving with one another!

Bible Studies

Attend one of our weekly Bible Studies! Mondays For Men Every Monday (Excluding Holidays) 6:30—8:00 pm Location: Stage Room Pastor’s Bible Study Every Thursday 10:00 AM Location: Library

Christian stewardship from a biblical perspective is more than merely the view of giving money to the church as a way to pay its bills. Rather, stewardship is a way to help people grow spiritually in their rela-tionship with God by supporting their church’s mission and ministry with a percentage of their incomes. This year we are participating in the New Consecration Sunday Stewardship Program as a way to teach the biblical and spiritual principles of generous giving in our stewardship education emphasis this year. New Consecration Sunday is based on the biblical philosophy of the need of the giver to give for his or her own spiritual development, rather than on the need of the church to receive. Instead of treating peo-ple like members of a social club who should pay dues, we will treat people like followers of Jesus Christ who want to give unselfishly as an act of discipleship. New Consecration Sunday encourages people to-ward proportionate and systematic giving in response to the question, “What percentage of my income is God calling me to give?” We are asking each person to prayerfully consider your stewardship as you make your financial commit-ments to our church’s missionary, benevolent, and educational ministries in this community and around the world. Every person will receive an Estimate of Giving Card. You are asked to bring that card with your to wor-ship on November 16. We will do no home solicitation to ask people to complete cards. During morning worship you will have the opportunity to make your commitment as a confidential act of worship. Following the traditional worship service there will be a Consecration Sunday luncheon. We encourage your participation in Consecration Sunday events through the Consecration Sunday team and governing board members. Since we will make no follow-up visits to ask people to complete their cards, we will make every effort to inform, inspire, and commit everyone to attend Conse-cration Sunday worship. Thanks in advance for your enthusiastic participation in Consecration Sunday.

By Angie Lowrie, Stewardship Chairperson

Consecration Sunday is Coming

Pictured above: Giving Hands

Youth Group Open to all 7th – 12th graders. Sunday School 7th & 8th Grade – Junior High Room 9th – 12th Grade – Youth Room Latest News Our new classrooms are working great! Through-out the first four weeks of Sunday school the teens focused on the study of Noah, learning many new facts and lessons about a very familiar story. We are now following the NOOMA series and are en-joying the video clips with modern teaching and scripture combined.

Requirements: Permission Slip 2014 Medical Form Sign Up Deadline: November 4, 2014 Please bring a snack or drink to share. Contact Youth Director, Jennifer, to sign up.

Youth News

By Jennifer Sefl, Youth Director youthdirector@gsumparma.com | 216.741.8876

Coffee and Pastry Time will be Provided by the Youth on Sunday November 23, 2014

Look in the youth newsletter for more details.

Lock In November 7, 2014

8:30 pm - 8:00 am (Nov. 8) Location: GSUMC

Sunday, November 30 Advent Tea A special program for women of all ages to celebrate the beginning of the Advent sea-son. A great time for women, mothers and daughters, and grandmothers and grand-daughters to connect with one another. Free Program 2:00 – 4:00 pm Entertainment by Bill and Jacque Setny Tea with Tea Sandwiches and Cookies All attenders are asked to bring a plate of cookies to share. Please bring them in the morning before the program begins if possible You are welcome to bring your favorite tea cup and teapot!

Save the Date

November 27, 2014

Open Thanksgiving Dinner

A free meal with a reservation required.

More information coming soon.

Friday, November 7 The Jungle Terry Show The Family Ministry Board invites you to attend the Jungle Terry Show on Friday, November 7, 2014. We will begin serving Pizza at 6:00 p.m. and the show will be at 7:00 p.m. Come enjoy dinner and the animal show. The Family Ministry Board will provide cold drinks and coffee. All are welcome to attend this evening of fun and fellowship. Donations appreciated.

Saturday, November 22

Bread Baking

A free program for children grades second through

fifth with lunch provided. The program is from

10:00 am—1:00 pm.

Reserve your child’s spot by calling the church

office no later than November 17, 2014.

October Events

Outreach

The Good Shepherd Endowment Fund was established in 1997 and offers us the opportunity to share our faith with the future. The fund serves as the means by which those who hold Good Shepherd dear may give financial gifts to be invested to support our church in the future. Only the interest earned by the fund is spent each year to support the various ministries of Good Shepherd. Your actual gift, called the “principal,” is never spent. That’s why we can honestly say that a gift to our Endowment Fund is the “gift that keeps on giving.” The Endowment Fund is meant for the future. It will strengthen op-portunities for ministry and mis-sion that God will give to those who come after us. Over the last several years, Endow-ment Fund interest has been used for these purchases:

Modern technology for the Youth Room

A pager system for the Nursery Television displays that adver-

tise coming events Cribs that meet current safety

standards in the Nursery Updated membership software

for the church office New electric roasters for the

kitchen Pastor’s Discretionary Fund Written materials to support

Small Group programs Publicity and materials for the

Christmas outreach program As you can see from this partial list, endowment interest is spent for things that are above and be-yond what our regular budget could provide. The funds can nev-er be spent for salaries, utilities, or shared ministries apportionments. It remains part of an overall stew-ardship strategy that demon-strates both faithfulness to the everyday needs of the church, and confident hope in what God will do for future generations.

The Schiering Family Memorial Endowment Fund By Rea Cantwell, ECC In 2012 a new and separate en-dowment fund was established to honor the memory and lega-cy of the Schiering family.

As many of you know, Rev. Har-ry Schiering served the church as senior pastor for more than 30 years, retiring in 1957. His family remained active here for many years following his death.

When his daughter-in-law, Eunice, passed away, the re-maining family established the endowment to support our mis-sions program, a cause which was very dear to Eunice.

In 2013 and 2014 fund interest from the Schiering Endowment was used to defray the cost of the youth mission trips.

For more information about ei-ther the Good Shepherd Endow-ment Fund or the Schiering Family Endowment, please con-tact Rea Cantwell at (440)238 -668 or cantwell45@gmail.com.

The Good Shepherd Endowment Fund By Rea Cantwell, Endowment Committee Chairperson

Serving Others

Help Your Community United Methodist Women There are multiple ways to make a difference in our community with the United Methodist Women of GSUMC.

Save and turn in:

Acme Fresh Market receipts

Certain items purchased from Acme receive a rebate which will support the UMW’s charitable work.

Campbell soup labels for Ohio Guidestone.

*The entire label needs to be removed from the can in order to qualify. Ohio Guidestone serves children and families on the full range of community-based services including mental health services, foster and residential care.

Cancelled Postage Stamps for Church Women United

*Only Excluding Forever Stamps with American Flags. Church Women United is a group of west-side churches that support multiple agencies in the area such as the Parma Heights Hunger Center.

Used Glasses

Glasses will donated to various organizations that give new life to old glasses for those in need.

Boxes for these items will be located in the hallway of the Church office which is located on the main floor of the building. Please contact Betty Mead or Pat Bridle with any questions. Betty Mead - (440) 888-7735 Pat Bridle - (440) 843-6047

Christmas Gift Collection for Ohio Guidestone and West Side Community Center Donation boxes will be located in the Narthex in November for the collection of gifts for those in need. Requested items are below. Baby Supplies

(blankets, diapers, etc.) Toys Games Clothing for all ages

(Newborn – Senior Adult) Handmade items

(scarfs, mittens, dolls, etc.) All items will be appreciated. Please do not wrap. Your donations will help make a family’s Christmas a special time. Contact Pat Bridle with any questions at (440) 843-6047.

Thank You

We thank all who have entered their pictures and recent infor-mation to make this directory as up to date as possible. We also thank the donors who made this financial-ly possible. Finally, we thank Julie Weigand, our administrative assis-tant, for the time and talent she has given to this project.

Many Thanks to the Good Shepherd UMW and to those who donate their loose change to “Change for a Change!” Through your generosity we have been able to purchase many gently used uniform tops and pants for the children of Wilbur Wright School. With-out your support children who do not come to school properly clothed are sent home and do not receive the much needed education, direction, and structure in their lives. We are truly blessed to be part of such a caring community. Blessings.

Thanks again to everyone who helped make our Fall Rummage Sale a success. If you donated anything to be sold, if you helped set up, sort, arrange and price, if you worked the sale, or helped clean up, we thank you. A special Thank You goes out to those who came and helped load the truck to take away our unsold rummage. Keep in mind for our Spring Rummage Sale in 2015, that it is not only a fund-raiser, but also a mis-sion project, providing a very low-cost shopping op-portunity for the poor. It is also a green event in that it helps put used items in the hands of people rather in a landfill somewhere. You are invited to get in-volved as a member of the Rummage Team!

Pat Nichols thanks everyone who sent a card for her 99th birthday on Octo-ber 6! She just loved looking at the photos and reading the loving senti-ments her friends wrote in the cards. The new church directory helped also in reminding her of all the wonderful people she used to spend precious time with there. My sister, Nanci Arnold and her hus-band Mark, spent a week with Moth-er at her apartment. We all had a su-per birthday celebration togeth-er. The family is so grateful for the love that was shared from Mother's home church, Good Shepherd UM!

Care Committee Allen and Linda Garrett

David Dieball Linda and John Dahlstrom for Pat Nichols

Christmas Poinsettia Order Form

You are invited to order Christmas Poinsettia plants to decorate our chancel area for Christmas! The plant can be in memory or in honor of someone or an event. You may take your plant home after the 10:00 pm Christmas Eve Worship Service, pick it up during office hours, or take it home with you after worship on December 28th. Plants must be taken home by December 29th. Please complete the form below then turn it in to the office. Payment must accompany your order. $6.95 per plant. Orders must be in the church office by December 5, 2014.

Full Name: ______________________________________________ Phone #: ___________________ Number of Plants: _______ Total Money Enclosed: ___________

□ Check No. ________ □ Cash

In Memory of ___________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

In Honor of _____________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

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November 2014

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

2 All Saints Day

Communion

6:30 PM Bowling

League, YTL

3

6:30 PM MFM, SR

4

7 PM D14, SR

5

6

10 AM Pastor’s

Bible Study, L

7:30 PM TCM, L

7

6 PM Jungle Terry

Program

7 PM PTP, S

8:30 PM Lock In

8

9

12:30 PM Senior

Sunday, SR

10

6:30 PM MFM, SR

7 PM PSCM, O

7 PM Prayer

Shawl, P

11

12 PM RCM, SR

12

10 AM CCM ,SR

7 PM Choir

Practice, S

13

10 AM Pastor’s

Bible Study, L

7L30 PM WCM, P

14

7 PM PTP, S

15

11 AM Rose’s

Bible Study< YR

16 Consecration

Sunday

10:30 CSM, LL

6:30 PM Bowling

League, YTL

17

6:30 PM MFM, SR

18

7 PM D14, SR

19

7 PM Choir

Practice, S

20

10 AM Pastor’s

Bible Study, L

7 PM SPRC, L

21

2:30 PM Greif

Support Group, P

7 PM PTP, S

22

10 AM Bread Bak-

ing, LL

23

Youth Hosts Cof-

fee Time

24

6:30 PM MFM, SR

25

26

27

TBA Open

Thanksgiving Din-

ner, LL

28

7 PM PTP, S

29

30 The Children’s

Choir Performs in

both services

2 PM Advent Tea,

LL

6:30 PM Bowling

League, YTL

Titles

MFM—Mondays for Men

TCM—Trustees Committee Meeting

D14—Disciple 14 Bible Study

YTL—Yorktown Lanes

PSCM—Program Staff Committee Meeting

CCM—Care Committee Meeting

SPRC—Staff Parish Relations Committee

Meeting

PTP—Praise Team Practice

FCM—Finance Committee Meeting

RCM—Rachel Circle Meeting

WCM—Worship Committee Meeting

CSM—Consecration Sunday Meal

Locations O—Church Office SR—Stage Room S—Sanctuary P—Parlor YR—Youth Room YTL—York Town Lanes LL—Lower Level

Contact Us

Good Shepherd UMC

5930 State Road

Parma, OH 44134

(440) 884-9090

office@gsumparma.com

Visit us on the web at

www.gsumparma.com

Prayer Requests

Let us pray for you.

Submit prayer requests

through the website, by

phone, or by e-mail.

SAVE THE DATE!

Second Sunday for Seniors

November 9, 2014

12:30 - 1:30 pm

Topic:

Keeping Your Independence and Driving

Reserve your seat by calling (440) 884-9090

December’s Topic:

In-Home Services for the Aging

GOOD SHEPHERD

United Methodist Church

5930 State Road

Parma, OH 44134

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