Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocked the island country of Haiti on Tuesday, January 12, 2010. Buildings are destroyed, the search for survivors is intense and the streets of Haiti are filled with people in shock and searching for loved ones among the rubble. While many humanitarian organizations are unable to get aid into Haiti, ELCA Disaster Response partners are already on the ground assisting survivors. Your help is needed now to bring immediate relief and continued hope for our sisters and brothers in Haiti. One hundred percent of your gifts designated to Haiti will be used in this vital response effort.

The GSLC Constitution and Bylaw Amendments and the FAQ are posted in the member only section. Please log in to access the member only section. If you have trouble accessing your account, please call Cathy at 708 848 7083 or email cathy.theys@YesTrainingAndEducation.com

Public Shepherd's Staff for the Web November 2009. Good Shepherd members should login to see the Members Only version of the Shepherd's Staff and other Member publications.

Do I have to join to be involved?

You are welcome to attend worship, take communion, and engage in ministry with us at Good Shepherd even without official membership, except for things such as serving on the board or in certain other elected positions or voting at officially called congregation-wide meetings.

How do I join?

If after visiting for a while you would like to become a member, just let the pastor know. We usually hold membership classes in the fall and in the spring. The main goals of our new member gatherings are to build a stronger sense of community with others interested in Good Shepherd, to help you know more about this church and some of its members, to answer any questions you might have, and to help you find a satisfying place to plug in.

The precise content varies a little from group to group. Generally, in four or five sessions, you will connect with others interested in joining; experiment with a variety of ways to pray; experience different ways to read, study or meditate on the Bible; consider a variety of faith questions; maybe learn more about your spirituality type; and discover a little about your gifts and talents and where you might plug in at Good Shepherd to make a difference in something you care about and in ways you enjoy.

There's usually a good deal of laughter in these groups as well as substantive conversation. And the beverages and munchies are pretty good, too. Childcare can be provided.

At Good Shepherd, we value diversity. Our mission statement, in its brief form, says it well: Embracing the diversity of God's creation and celebrating our oneness in Christ. We embrace diversity by welcoming all people regardless of race, gender, class, sexual orientation, physical ability, or family composition. In embracing diversity we seek to be a bridge of understanding among people, to live in the creative tension of differences, to be a blessing to a community and a world where dialogue, understanding and collaboration among diverse people is needed.

We celebrate our oneness in Christ by recognizing that it is Jesus' embrace that comes to us and holds us together. And that embrace is broad. Any relationship with the God we know in Jesus Christ grows throughout a life-long journey of seeking, deepening, questioning, praying, serving, learning, caring. Both faith and doubt are part of the journey in this dance of life-giving relationship.

A warm and caring place, Good Shepherd is noted for

• A friendly, welcoming atmosphere
• Vibrant Worship with musical variety
• Social Ministry and Social Justice
• Spirituality

As a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Good Shepherd is part of a church body comprised of almost five million members in more than ten thousand congregations throughout the U.S. We share in ministry with Evangelical Lutheran churches throughout the world. And we partner with a variety of Christians, Jews and Muslims for social ministry and social justice.

Other ELCA organizations include Lutheran Social Services, disaster relief, prison ministries, immigrant and refugee services, hospitals, nursing homes, camps and retreat centers, schools, colleges and seminaries.