Greetings!
REGULAR SCHEDULE
Divine Services are at 10:00 AM on Sundays, in person and on Facebook Live. Share our services and invite friends to tune in.
Sunday School is on Sundays at 8:45 AM.
Adult Bible Class is on Sundays at 8:45 AM. We are continuing our series on Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The schedule can be found at this link.
Bible Matters is a discussion group is on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM. The topic for February 10 is “Male and female he created them.” Why is this controversial? This will be the final Bible Matters session before Lent.
OFFICE HOURS
Office hours are Monday-Thursday, 9:00 AM – Noon.
The pastor will be in his office unless a meeting has been scheduled elsewhere (consult the weekly schedule). The pastor is also available by appointment. Call or text (248-719-5218). You may also email (welsnovi@aol.com), but the response may be slower.
Good Shepherd 40th Anniversary Photo Compilation
This year is the 40th anniversary of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church! To commemorate the occasion we would like to put together a compilation of photos to develop into a video. If you're interested, please find up to 6 photos of your time with the congregation that you would like to share and email them to Brian Wilder, Pastor, or Dan LeFevre so we can compile them into a video. Also, if anyone has experience developing a video for this type of project and would like to assist in the creation any help would be greatly appreciated! Please submit your photos no later than March 17 (Ash Wednesday).
CHANGES TO THE SERVICE
We are continually striving to find a good balance between limiting the risk of spreading the COVID virus and enjoying the full benefits of our liturgical worship in the Divine Service. We are continuing to maintain social distancing in the chairs, and we are still encouraging the use of masks. Even if you are convinced that masks are useless, others have a different concern. We do not want to be dismissive of those concerns. Based on attendance for some of the Sundays in January, more people seem ready to return to the service. If attendance tampers with distancing between worshipers, we will direct people to the fellowship hall where the service will be projected on a large screen.
With a reasonable amount of precautions already in place, our Church Council has encouraged the return of more elements of the service. Beginning in Lent, we will return the order of Holy Communion to the regular part of the service rather than do it separately after the live-stream has concluded. Those who worship online will still be able to sing a hymn during the distribution of the sacrament. We will likely add more singing to the service as well, particularly the canticles during the Communion portion of the service.
If you have any concerns about these additions, please speak to Pastor Schroeder or one of our elders—Dan Rauchholz, Ken Reisig, and Dan Schneider. We want to strike an appropriate balance, but we will need people to let us know if they believe the balance is off.
As always, let us continue to pray for one another and to seek each other’s good.
ANNUAL MEETING / OPEN FORUM / VOTERS’ MEETING
On Sunday, February 21, we will have our Annual Meeting after church. This will be done in person and over Zoom. Registration will be necessary for Zoom. Please contact Pastor Schroeder for Zoom links.
The Annual Meeting is where we report what has been accomplished in this past year, but more importantly what we want to do this year and in the longer term. Some plans have already been made, but other plans need people to help. We can set goals and strive to achieve them based on how much our own members are invested in them. All of us can play a part, and this meeting is where we all get to see what can be done.
After the Open Forum, the Voters’ Meeting will be held. All confirmed men in the congregation are urged to participate. Men, God called you to be leaders. We need you to lead, which is both honorable and necessary. If you are new to the Voters’ Assembly, then come and get familiar with what we are doing.
CONCERNING PASTORAL CARE
Pastor Schroeder is available for private devotions, Holy Absolution, and Holy Communion to members in small groups or to individuals. You may call to set up an appointment at any time. Visits by appointment can be done either at church or at your home.
If you want to ask for intercessions for loved ones, we will certainly remember them in our prayers, too. If your loved one has no pastor, ask if they would like Pastor Schroeder to visit them.
GOOD SHEPHERD ON YOUTUBE
Feel free to share the videos. For other services, do a search for "Good Shepherd Novi." The service from January 31 is here: Good Shepherd Novi, Divine Service - Jan. 31, 2021 - YouTube
Bulletins for services can be downloaded from here (scroll down):
OFFERINGS
While we may not be meeting for worship, we do have financial obligations to meet. You may either mail your offering into Good Shepherd, or you can set up your offering to be transferred electronically from your bank. If you are interested in the automatic transfer of funds for your offering, please contact the church at (248) 349-0565 or welsnovi@aol.com.
DO YOU LIKE US?
Look for Good Shepherd on Facebook. Then “LIKE” us for updates and other postings. Be sure to share posts with friends.
SHARE THIS POST!
We desire as many as possible to rejoice in the Gospel which we proclaim and confess. Share the information from our weekly email blast, links to our web page, and even to the pastor's blog to let others know that we have a space in our congregation for them!
SHARE THIS POST!
We desire as many as possible to rejoice in the Gospel which we proclaim and confess. Share the information from our weekly email blast, links to our web page, and even to the pastor's blog to let others know that we have a space in our congregation for them!
BAD WEATHER POLICY FOR SERVICES AT GOOD SHEPHERD
We will always have services as scheduled at Good Shepherd. Since I live across the parking lot, I can get to the church no matter how bad the weather gets. Even if the service is just me and my family, we will be here. For everyone else, please use your God-given common sense to determine whether or not you will get on the road to attend any service when the weather is bad. We don't want anyone to risk his or her life to be here. But if you do venture out, the scheduled service will take place. It may be only a handful with a cappella singing and/or spoken liturgy, but we will be here.
Bible Classes and meetings may be canceled due to weather. Check your email regarding announcements to see if any of those scheduled events is canceled. If there is no email about it, it is not canceled. But again, use common sense to determine if you can make it, and call the pastor to let him know if you will not be coming.
In Christ,
Pastor Schroeder
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REGULAR SCHEDULE
DIVINE SERVICES -- Sundays at 10:00 AM (We also stream on Facebook Live )
SUNDAY SCHOOL & ADULT BIBLE CLASS on Sundays at 8:45 AM.
BIBLE MATTERS on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM
ASH WEDNESDAY is February 17.
GOOD SHEPHERD’S WEBSITE
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