News

Last Updated July 1, 2025   

Adult Bible Class will be at 9:15 a.m.in the fellowship hall.

High Youth Bible Class meets on Sunday Mornings at 9:15 a.m. in the Youth Room on the School Lower Level. Youth who have graduated from 8th grade through Senior year in High School are invited to join us for Bible Study, Fellowship, and Snacks!

Sunday School – Join us this Sunday, from 9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. for Sunday School!
- Parents & Babies (birth - 2 years old) will meet in the Nursery in the Church Lower Level.
- Preschool 3 year olds - Kindergarten will meet in Tracks 
- 1st - 6th grade will meet in the school cafeteria
- 7th & 8th grade in the learning center. 

Pastor Packer has a Fascinating Finds page and a Book List page. Please visit these links.

Just a reminder there will not be a LWML meeting in July.

Portals of Prayer for July-September are available in the narthex.

Help and food needed for SOS: GSLC will be serving at the SOS (Spirit of Sharing) Soup Kitchen at St. John UCC in downtown Collinsville Thursday, July 31. This will be our last time to serve in 2025. We are planning to serve approximately 200 people and will need at least 12 volunteers, 8 to prepare the casserole and put it and the other food into the bags for take-out service and 4 to serve the take-out meals through the church’s take-out window, and then clean- up. Please call or text Kathy Bohnet at 618-910-1698 if you can help. Start times will be 3:00, 3:30 or 4:45 pm. Serving is completed by 6 pm. We will also need donations of six packs of applesauce and Nutri Grain (or other brand) soft baked breakfast bars. The donations can be placed in the marked crate in the connecting hallway. THANK YOU!

Parking Lot work begins on July 7th, weather permitting. The upper and lower parking lots at Good Shepherd will be sealed and restriped. There will be limited access to the property during this time. Please call the church office with any questions

We’re updating our church directory! If you would like to set a time during the week to come and get the photo taken please email Pastor Gray at pastorandrewgray@gmail.com.  We will have them set up in the hallway connecting to the school.Thank you for helping us keep our directory current!

LCMS Youth Gathering: As the youth continue to raise money for the upcoming Youth Gathering, you can be part of our support system.  Pick up one of our "Take Stock in Our Youth" Forms from the Narthex, make a donation, and become part of our "Stock Holders Meeting" after we return from our trip.  This special meeting will be a chance for you to see what our group all did and experienced at the gathering.   Thank you for your continued support!

THANK YOU to the over 50 adults and youth who served at Vacation Bible School. Whether you prepped crafts, helped decorate, taught, guided children to their stations or served in another capacity, your help was invaluable. We had over 200 children join us on an Epic Australian Adventure; throughout the week students discovered how Jesus calls us to Him and helps us navigate the adventure of life. Thank you for making this possible!

Do you have an Used, Reliable Car that you could donate or sell for a reasonable price to one of our members? Emmanuel and Joyce Ben need a car. Joyce is starting a class in August and will be taking their son, Mitota, to daycare. Please call the church office if you could help!

Mama Bears - Mama Bears is an apologetic/worldview summer book club for all women where we read a chapter from “Mama Bear Apologetics” out loud and discuss it each Wednesday at 7:00 PM. You don’t have to pre-read and each chapter stands on its own so you can join any time. Locations vary by week as we rotate houses to meet at. It’s a great time of fellowship and growth. For more information and to be added to the weekly email, please email Destiny Packer at Destiny_packer@yahoo.com. 

Good Shepherd Running Club - Join us Tuesdays at 6:30 PM in July. Open to all ages and speeds—even walkers! This week meet at the church. We’ll rotate locations to meet and run in July. Great for families, especially those interested in cross country this fall. Come run, walk, and have fun together! Questions? See Pastor Gray.

Church Co-Ed Softball Team - We’re forming a men’s softball team for a 6-week church league on Tuesday nights in September and October in O’Fallon. All skill levels welcome! If you’re interested in playing or want more info, talk to Pastor Gray soon so we can get a team organized. 

Metro-East Lutheran High School Football Team is looking for someone to supply a meal before one of their home games. The meal will be served at the high school at 4pm before a game. The dates available are October 3rd, 10th or 17th. If you are interested please call the church office or Joni Oberhauser at (618) 623-5080.

The 22nd Annual Good Shepherd Golf Classic is scheduled for Saturday, July 12 at Arlington Greens, starting at 8:00 am with a shot gun start. The forms are available in the church narthex, school office and online at gslcs.org (Front page and Banner). https://www.gslcs.org/support-our-school/golf-classic-scramble/.Proceeds go towards the GSLS Athletic Program. Sponsorships available with Golf Signs. Please contact Ron Hartmann at 314-420-4510 or Robert Mayhew at the school office for more details at 618-344-3153.

Metro-East Lutheran High School is looking for HOST FAMILIES for foreign students who would like to attend MELHS in the 25/26 school year.  Host Families can host for a semester or an entire school year and there are Host Family stipends involved as well.  For more information please contact Dr. Jay Krause, MELHS Principal, at 618-656-0043 or jay.krause@melhs.org."

MELHS is accepting applications for the following Head Coach positions for the 2025-2026 school year: 
Boys Tennis
Girls Tennis
Golf
Softball 
Track
If you are able to share your time and talents with our athletes, please contact Jason Batty, MELHS Athletic Director, at jason.batty@melhs.org or at (618)656-0043 ext. 134. Thank you for your prayerful consideration.

Issues, Etc.- YOU CAN TEACH LAYPEOPLE THEOLOGY... Issues, Etc. is a radio talk show and podcast produced by Lutheran Public Radio in Collinsville, IL and hosted by LCMS Pastor Todd Wilken.  You can listen to recent in-depth interviews about: A Lutheran View of Natural Law, The Problem of Male Friendship, Christian Endurance, Did Martin Luther Remove Books from the Bible? and more.  You can listen at your convenience at issuesetc.org, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomePod, TuneIn, the LPR mobile app and a podcast provider.  You can also tune in live weekdays from 3-5 p.m. on KFUO, 850 AM in St. Louis.

LCMS Foundation - We can face competing priorities when we think about planning our estates someday. Will my plans preserve what I have gathered or give it away? If you have been careful about stewarding God’s gifts, you don’t want those things wasted after you depart. Sharing a statement with those who will take over that stewardship in your place may be a very wise and rewarding experience, allowing you to share your faith. Your LCMS Foundation Gift Planning Counselor can help you to begin thinking about what you would share. Contact Scott Radden, LCMS Foundation Gift Planning Counselor, at 618-977-4049 or Scott.Radden@lfnd.org.

We have many on-going Volunteer Opportunities. Check out our Volunteer page to see how you can get involved!

Altar Flowers – Given by Betty Smith in loving memory of her husband, O’Neal Smith, on their Wedding Anniversary & Given by James Emahiser in honor of his wife, Nancy’s 90th Birthday.

Attendance last weekend was 372. The offering was: General Fund $16,257, Specials $2,404 including memorials for Dorothy Hoffman & Myrna Schneider, Total $18,661.

Thanks to those who serve this week:
Usher Team:(5:30) D. Ulkus  (8:00) M. Scaggs (10:30) W. Curtis
Altar Guild: (5:30) Pam Hoffman (8:00) Paul & Lynn Lauber (10:30) Janice Wilson
Greeter: (8:00) Steve and Carol Hyatt (10:30) Kent and Kathy Splaingard

Download Good Shepherd’s App so that you have easy access to announcements, videos, online giving, and much more. Also, you can join our Good Shepherd Facebook Group to see additional announcements from the church and individual members.

Prayer List 

Click here to add someone to the Prayer List
 

For health and healing of cancer for Daylene Sullivan, sister of Cheryl Clessa (July 1, 2025)

For Logan Kowalski, prayers for critical condition in the PICU due to his cancer (June 20, 2025)

For Nancy Schilbe, prayers for healing from breast cancer recently found (June 16, 202)

Prayer of thanksgiving for Zoey Wagenknecht, a healthy baby girl born to Nick and Hannah Wagenknecht. Granddaughter of Kevin and Deb Wudtke and great-granddaughter of Jerry and Marie Wudtke (June 14, 2025)

Marguerite Krenning, mother of Carrie Kober, prayers for surgery for a broken hip (June 11, 2025)

For the family of Dorothy Hoffman, Asleep in Jesus (June 10, 2025)

For Judy Brombolich, friend of Sharon Mays, being placed on Hospice care with congestive heart failure (June 8, 2025)

For Jamie Rezabek, nephew of Amy and Ed Beyer, who has finished 4 rounds of chemo and will be having surgery on June 17th (June 7, 2025)

For Aaron Fisher, friend of the Beyer family, hiking the PCT and heading into the Sierras, with little phone contact for several days (June 7, 2025)

For the family of Myrna Schneider, Asleep in Jesus (June 2, 2025)

For Ester Bauer, friend of Carlene Wirth, prayers for cancer recently found (May 22, 2025)

For Michael Fedorsak, prayers for medical issues (May 21, 2025)

For the family of O'Neal Smith, Asleep in Jesus (May 15, 2025)

For the family of Dasima Bagby, sister of Sherolyn Goetz, Asleep in Jesus (May 14, 2025)

For the family of Kenneth Cole, father of Julie Fulton, Asleep in Jesus (April 21,2025)

For Pastor Walther, prayers for recovery from recent health issues (April 18, 2025)

For Jamie Rezabek, nephew of Amy and Ed Beyer, for comfort and strength as he has started chemotherapy (April 19, 2025)

For Aaron Fisher, friend of the Beyer family, for health and safety as he left Friday to hike the Pacific Crest Trail for the next 6 months (April 19, 2025)

Please pray for the people of Storm Lake, Iowa, affected by the severe weather early this morning (April 18, 2025)

Nancy Schilbe, prayers for hospitalization with GI issues (April 17, 2025)

For Jim Fritzsche, prayers for gallbladder surgery complications  (April 16, 2025)

Family of Karen Dall, mother of Valerie Fortner, Asleep in Jesus (April 13, 2025)

For Gary Engeling while he is recovering from a heart attack (March 22, 2025)

For the family of Ruth Clark, Asleep in Jesus (March 10, 2025)

Gary Whitehead has gone out of remission and has recently been recently re-diagnosed with Marginal Zone Lymphoma (December 8, 2024)

Note:  All prayer requests are kept on the list for one month unless you make a request for long term prayers. It is helpful to resubmit prayer requests with updates.