Update from Good Shepherd (April 3, 2025)

Greetings!

REGULAR SCHEDULE 

Divine Service is Sunday at 10:00 AM.
Adult Bible Class is on Sunday at 9:00 AM.
Mid-week Lenten Services are on Wednesdays through April 9.
          Supper – 6:00 PM.  Vespers – 7:00 PM.
Bible Matters will resume on Wednesday, April 23 at 6:30 PM.

CALENDAR: For a calendar of events and meetings, click here.

LENTEN VESPERS

          Our final Lenten Vespers will be on Wednesday, April 9.  Our preacher will be Pastor Gibbons who will focus on a Lenten theme of his choosing. There will be a supper served at 6:00 PM. Vespers will be at 7:00 PM. 

WORSHIP NOTES FOR LENTEN SEASON
          We will be making use of Service Setting 2 throughout the Lenten season.

          You will also notice elements missing from the service to highlight that this is a penitential season.  We will omit the Gloria in Excelsis and Alleluias.  The altar will be devoid of flowers.  

          As we enter the season of Passiontide, the final two weeks of Lent, other elements of our worship will be omitted as well.  Notes for Passiontide can be found here.  This is a Lenten fast for our ears and eyes.  All these elements will be restored when we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord on Easter.

ADULT BIBLE CLASS
          The prophet Malachi was the last prophet among the Old Testament writers. He prophesied about 400 BC. The next prophet from the Lord was John the Baptist, beginning his preaching about 29 AD. What was going on between these two prophets? Was God silent? Was he active? What was going on with God’s covenant and with God’s people?
          Our Bible study will consider “The Time Between the Testaments,” as the Lord was setting the stage for the coming of the Christ.  The tentative schedule can be found here.  

NOTE: There will be NO Bible Class on Sunday, April 6.

PASTOR HOSPITALIZED

On Sunday, Pastor Schroeder went to the hospital with a fever and sepsis.  He is fine and expects to be discharged soon.  For more details, you can find his health update at this link.

OPEN FORUM HIGHLIGHTS (March)

>    The new cabinets for the renovation of the kitchen at the church have been ordered.  We expect them to be here about April 7.  Renovations will not occur until after Easter to allow us to use our existing kitchen for Lenten dinners and Easter breakfast.  Sadly, the dates of our renovations will mean that we will not be able to host the Ladies’ Brunch this year.

>   Our Evangelism & Stewardship Committees met to set up some tentative dates of interest:

               Lenten dinners – Wednesdays through April 9.
               April 12 -- Easter for Kids (10:00 AM - NOON)
               April 20 -- Easter services and Easter breakfast
We welcome members to join us and to help plan these various events. Even if you take charge of one event, that will benefit us all.

>  We are looking at options to replace the windows in the chapel that are above the altar and the organ pipes.  We are also looking at options to reduce or eliminate the blinding sun.  Inquiries can be made to Bob Wozniak.    

>  Five large print hymnals have arrived!  They are the same as our regular hymnals, but much larger.  Unfortunately, that also means they are heavier.  Anyone interested in the large print hymnals should request them from the ushers. 

>  We are eager to follow up on our Everyone Outreach seminar from last fall.  While we have set up some congregational events at which we could invite guests, we also want to encourage individuals to be more zealous in confessing their faith or in inviting friends to church for worship or fellowship outings.  

ROOF ISSUES

          There has been a leaking issue in our roof, resulting water pouring into the old cry room behind the organ bench and ushers' station.  Bob W. has been working with Kearns Brothers to address this.  It is more urgent with rain being pretty common in the forecast.  We pray the damage is limited.

NEW VESTMENTS

          A generous gift was given to Good Shepherd.  We have received a new set of vestments for each season of the church year.  Most noticeable will be chasubles.  They will be dedicated to the glory of our Lord in an upcoming service, and the chasubles will make their debut on Easter Sunday.  To understand more about the chasubles and vestments in general, you can check out this blog post.

GOOD SHEPHERD ON YOUTUBE
           Services are uploaded to YouTube each week. Feel free to share the videos. Here is the service from March 23, 2025: Good Shepherd Novi, Divine Service, March 23, 2025

REGULAR OFFICE HOURS

            The pastor will try to hold formal office hours Monday-Thursday, 9:00 AM – Noon. It should be noted that some meetings are scheduled for those times. It is best to call or text to confirm any meetings with the pastor (248-719-5218).

INTRODUCTION VIDEO FOR GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH
          Here is a video to introduce people to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Novi. Share it as much as you can.

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!

In Christ,
Pastor Schroeder

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REGULAR SCHEDULE
DIVINE SERVICES are on Sundays at 10:00 AM.
Adult Bible Class -- Sundays at 9:00 AM.  

Mid-Week Lenten Vespers -- Wednesdays through Apil 9.

     Supper -- 6:00 PM.   Vespers -- 7:00 PM

GOOD SHEPHERD’S WEBSITE
www.GoodShepherdNovi.org

PASTOR SCHROEDER’S BLOG
www.LutheranSubject.blogspot.com