Thursday, January 29, 2026

Update from Good Shepherd (January 29, 2026)

Greetings!

REGULAR SCHEDULE
Divine Service is Sundays at 10:00 AM.
Sunday School is Sundays at 9:00 AM.
Adult Bible Class is Sundays at 9:00 AM.

Bible Matters meets on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM. 

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

LADIES OF GOOD SHEPHERD will have a brief meeting after church today.  Among the topics of discussion will be bringing food for some of the Lenten Dinners.

BIBLE MATTERS

          Bible Matters is a discussion group. We meet on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM. Each week, we will read through a chapter of, “Your Life Has Meaning: Discovering Your Role in an Epic Story,” and discuss how God’s word applies to our lives. The weekly topics are listed here.  Even if you feel you have a good handle on our topic, perhaps you can think of how you would speak to others who struggle with it. Or, perhaps you could invite those people to come to our class with you. All are welcome.

BIBLE INFORMATION CLASS
          Our next Bible Information Class will begin on February 2. We will meet on Monday evenings (7:00 – 8:30 PM). This class is a review for long-time Christians and an opportunity for anyone to come, ask questions about God and the Bible, and to grow in faith and knowledge. Consider whom you might bring to this class. Many people have spiritual questions. This class will address many of them.  The tentative schedule can be found here.

ADULT BIBLE CLASS
          Sometimes we have a hard time understanding parts of the Bible. Some of those words come from Jesus himself. We are considering the Hard Sayings of JesusThe weekly schedule can be found here.  Adult Bible Class meets at 9:00 AM. All from grade 7 on up are welcome to attend.  

MURDER MYSTERY – OH, HORRORS! IT’S MURDER!
           Good Shepherd will be hosting an interactive theater experience on Saturday, February 7 at 7:00 PM.  (Doors open at 6:15 PM.) “Oh, Horrors! It’s Murder!” will be presented by a local theater group which will feature congregational members Diane Wozniak and Tom Mattison. We will watch the first act which will depict the murder (it’s not going to be gruesome; it’s church outing!). Then, we will interact with the characters during an intermission. In the second act, we will vote on who we think the murderer is, and the actors will respond based on our vote. Tickets are $25.  Look for tickets at the QR code in this link. Refreshments will be served before the play and during the intermission. You are encouraged to invite friends to this event.

GOOD SHEPHERD ON YOUTUBE
           Services are uploaded to YouTube each week. Feel free to share the videos. Here is the Divine Service from January 25, 2026: Good Shepherd Novi, Divine Service, January 25, 2026

CHURCH COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS (January)

>  A test for our texting service was done on January 19.  If you did not receive a text message but would like to receive them, speak with Terry Barber. 

>  In an effort to engage more members with more opportunities to serve, we are summoning more men to serve as ushers.  We also intend to be more organized so that we don’t grab people at the last minute to fill in for absent people.  We will be recruiting people who will count and deposit the offerings.  We will also be recruiting more women who can serve in handling the sacred vessels for holy communion.  Training for all of these areas of service will be scheduled in the months to come.

>  Every four years or so, the pastor conducts visits at the homes of all the members.  It is intended to stay connected with everyone and to allow people to address any issues that may bother them or confuse them.  Every Member Visits will begin in February.  A sign-up sheet will be posted at church to allow people to schedule their visit.  As the year goes on, phone calls will be made to those who have not yet signed up (ominous music inserted here).

>  The Michigan Lutheran Seminary Choir will be conducting a sacred concert at Good Shepherd on Wednesday, March 25 at 7:00 PM.  While the concert is a ways off, we will need to prepare for them.  We will be providing a supper at church before the concert.  After the concert, host families will be needed to provide lodging, breakfast, a sack lunch, and a return trip to church on Thursday morning.  More details will be offered later.  For now, consider if you could host some teens and how many you would be able to take home for the night.

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 are 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.

OPEN FORUM AND VOTERS’ MEETING

We have scheduled our Open Forum, followed up by our Annual Voters’ Meeting, on Sunday, February 15 at 11:15 AM.  We will present proposed projects for the coming year as well as various opportunities for our members to serve the congregation.

ASH WEDNESDAY is February 18.  This will also mark the beginning of our Lenten Dinners.  We will need people to provide for meals on February 18 and 25 and March 4, 11, 18, and 25.  March 25 will also be including the supper for the Michigan Lutheran Seminary Choir.  If necessary, we can have a meal catered, but we will need to know which Wednesday to do that if no one is available to provide a dinner.


REGULAR OFFICE HOURS
          For the most part, the pastor will be observing formal office hours (Monday-Thursday, 9:00 AM – Noon). Occasionally, duties will take him away from the office during these scheduled times, so you will still want 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

Sunday School -- Sundays at 9:00 AM 
Adult Bible Class -- Sundays at 9:00 AM 
DIVINE SERVICES -- Sundays at 10:00 AM.
Bible Matters -- Wednesdays at 6:30 PM.

GOOD SHEPHERD’S WEBSITE
www.GoodShepherdNovi.org

PASTOR SCHROEDER’S BLOG

www.LutheranSubject.blogspot.com  

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