News

Last Updated September 15, 2025   

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

High School 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. 

Join us in representing Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and School in the Collinsville Italian Fest Parade on Saturday, September 20th. We will meet at 3:15 PM in Wood Alley, which is located between Clay St. and W. Main St. in downtown Collinsville, and will be distributing frisbees and Harvest Fest flyers. Please sign-up, so we can give you additional parade details when they are availabe.

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

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

Blood Drive - The next blood drive is on Monday, October 6, from 2 – 6 p.m.  The mobile bus will be in the Good Shepherd front parking lot. Click here to schedule your appointment today or call ImpactLife at 800-747-5401; group #9887. With your help ImpactLife is continuously able to provide lifesaving blood products to patients! Get a $20 e-gift card (or points to shop out Rewards Store) when you successfully give blood. 

Altar Flower Openings - November 2nd & 27th.The cost is $40.00 per vase. Please sign up at your convenience .Thank you.

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.

Midweek Prayer Service at 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday's.

Make A Joyful Noise Unto the Lord - join the handbell choir. Practice begins Tuesday, September 16 at 6:45 pm. We practice on Tuesdays from 6:45 pm - 8:00 pm in the balcony. We play one Saturday evening each month. Please come and join us on the 16th. For more information or questions, please call Cheryl Urban, 618-407-0867 or email at cherylurban55gmail.com

Italian Fest:   September 19 and 20: The 8th grade class is asking for your support!  Purchase our Famous 6 ounce Italian Chicken Sandwich at the Good Shepherd booth for $8 per sandwich.  Chips will also be available for $1 per bag.  THANKS for your support as we raise money for our 8th grade class trip!  “Be BRAVE” ... Deuteronomy 31:6

Join us for Harvest Fest on Sunday, October 5th from 3:00 - 6:00 PM for FREE food, games, bounce houses, music, and more. Be sure to invite your neighbors, friends and family as well! Your help is needed to make Harvest Fest a success. Please sign-up online to donate pies, help set-up, grill, serve food, clean-up and more! If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Buchanan at 618-580-3150. 

Wagon Parade starts at 4pm during the Harvest Fest. The theme this year – “This is how we make a Joyful Noise”. Decorate your Kid-size wagons to show your families joyful noise and happiness. Please email Lynn Sengele’ (lsengele@gslcs.org) to register your participation or if you have any questions. Thank you.

Sunday School Offering from preschool through 8th grade will go to Africa through Lutheran Heritage Foundation. It will go to provide students and teachers a Hymn Praise song booklet. Every five dollars collected will equal one Hymn Praise song booklet. Please help us with this ministry.

Attention Generous Youth Gathering Supporters! - We would like to say thank you to all of the generous donors who made this years Youth Gathering possible for 29 youth this summer. Please mark your calendars for Sunday, September 28th at noon for a New Orleans style lunch and presentation. Please RSVP to Carrie Kober if you are able to attend. 314-221-9722.

Clean out your closets for Good Shepherd Church Youth Group: Our Goal: $1000, 385 Tall Kitchen Bags (avg. 13 lbs.),75 Medium boxes Fundraiser Dates: 09/22/2025 - 09/26/2025
Save your clothes, shoes, books, and movies to donate!
Bag clothes and shoes in tall kitchen bags. Box books and movies and small household goods in small to medium boxes.  Label boxes with an "H" for household goods and a "B" for books and Media
Drop off in the church fellowship hall - starting Sunday, September 22nd - September 26th
We Are Collecting:
Clothes - men's, women's, & children's clothes, coats, shoes, scarves, handbags, wallets, fashion accessories, belts, backpacks, etc.
Household Textiles - bedding, comforters, blankets, sheets, towels, linen, tablecloths, curtains, pillows, etc.
Small Household Goods -kitchen items (such as pots/pans, dishes, silverware, glasses, serving pieces and hand-held appliances), home decorative items, knick-knacks, toys, games, and small electronics
Books & Media -  paperback, hard cover - all genres
*media needs to be boxed separately
*no encyclopedias or text books
Please use bags for clothes and textiles and tightly pack boxes of small household goods. Separate books from household goods and media. All items must be clean and in sellable condition.

Disaster Response Training (LERT): Disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes and floods can have a devastating affect on communities. Most community, state and federal agencies require volunteers responding to disasters be trained and certified. Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Collinsville, will be hosting a Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT) training on October 18. This training, will allow you to volunteer and to serve those affected should a disaster strike locally, or in other regions (such as St. Louis and our Concordia Seminary this spring). This training is part of the Synod-wide disaster response program, facilitated by a national network of District Disaster Response Teams. 
Training will take place at Good Shepherd Lutheran, 1300 Beltline Rd, Collinsville, IL, on Saturday, October 18, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. 
Registration for the training is on-line at www.LCMS-LERT.org. Click on the yellow ‘Sign Up’ box near the top to create a login (email address) and password (remember your password for future use). Note; each individual signing up must use a separate email address. You will then be asked to create a profile and to sign a generic release form. Click on the ‘Training and Deployment’ box on the left and look for the Basic LERT training to be held at Good Shepherd. Registration should be completed two weeks prior to the training date. 
Cost of the training is $35.00 and should be paid the day of the training (please make checks to Good Shepherd Lutheran). This fee covers the cost of the LERT manual, certificate, ID badge, t-shirt and lunch. 
This training will help you focus on the most important things to remember as you prepare for or respond to a disaster in your community or beyond. At the center of our LERT volunteer training is one thing: MERCY! Christ's mercy is the basis for everything we say and do. This training event will equip you to be an effective volunteer should a disaster strike your community.
If you have any questions regarding the training or sign-up process, please contact Bryce Cramer (one of our SID disaster trainers) at bcramer197364@gmail.com or 618-201-1806. 
Facebook users that wish to stay current on Synodical disaster activities can follow LCMS Disaster Response and those wishing to follow Southern Illinois District activities can follow LCMS Southern Illinois District Disaster Response. and Immanuel Lutheran Disaster Response LERT Team.

GriefShare - Grieving the loss of someone close to you? Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Collinsville is restarting their GriefShare group on Tuesdays, September 9th - December 2nd, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information call 618-344-3145 or go to griefshare.org

Table of Friendship is designed to provide GSLC members social time together to become better acquainted with each other. Five or six people (couples or individuals) are grouped together for three months. During that time they will take turns planning/hosting a dinner, brunch or lunch with the others in their group. The hosting person(s) decides whether to hold their event in their home, at a restaurant, at a park, etc. If the meal is in a home, it could be a potluck with the host providing the main dish and the others providing the side dishes. The second round will be September, October and November. Please email Jan Van Beek at janetlvb@yahoo.com or call 217-851-7417 with your questions and/or registration. Please register by AUGUST 29th. We hope you will give Table of Friendship a try!!!

Please join the Women's Christian Fiction Book Club at Panera in Collinsville on the third Monday of the month to discuss that months book choice and for fellowship. You can come for dinner at 6:00 or arrive at 6:30 for the book discussion.
September 15th - The Saints of Whistle Grove, Katie Schuermann

Join Crossroads for a potluck on Sunday, September 21st in the fellowship hall. Bring a DISH and DISCOVER more about families at Good Shepherd. BONUS an opportunity for a fall-themed photo shoot, games, and more! Crossroads exists to provide Good Shepherd families and individuals of all ages the opportunity to come together to connect in fellowship and faith through activities and service. 

New Women's Book Club: Exploring the Classics – Join us as we read and discuss classic literature! Whether you’re revisiting old favorites or reading them for the first time, this is a great opportunity for fellowship and thoughtful conversation. We will plan to read 2 to 3 books over the course of the year, meeting just once for each book. Our first meeting to discuss the first book will be in November with more details to come.
Fall Book Selection: Dracula by Bram Stoker
For more information or to sign up, please contact Rachel Gray at 319-855-9689 or rachel.k.gray@gmail.com.

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."

Organ Vespers Book Presentation featuring Organist, Composer, and Writer Benjamin Kolodziej at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church. On Sunday, September 21st the afternoon begins with a 3 p.m. Organ Vespers Service followed by the presentation of Mr. Kolodziej's new book, Portraits in American Sacred Music, starting at 4:15 p.m. More information on the bulletin board in the narthex.

Be a Friend to an International Student at SIU-E - Is your family willing to get together with an international student studying at SIU-E once a month for their first year in the U.S.? You would invite them to join your family in things you already do. Couples and singles of any age, with or without children have found this rewarding. Contact jodi.olyseen@gmail.com or search for International Hospitality Program SIU-E on facebook.  

Issues, Etc.- BOOK OF PROVERBS BIBLE STUDY… The Word of the Lord Endures Forever is a daily 15-minute verse-by-verse Bible study produced by Lutheran Public Radio in Collinsville, IL and hosted by LCMS Pastor Will Weedon.  Pastor Weedon recently started a study on the Book of Proverbs.  You can listen at your convenience at thewordendures.org, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomePod, Tune In, the LPR mobile app and a podcast provider.

LCMS Foundation - We can face competing priorities when we think about planning our estates someday.  A big decision about estate gifts centers on whether they should be given all at once or spread over time.  If inheritance is to be all at once, it can easily be given by bequests from a will or trust, or even through a beneficiary designation.  If it should be spread over time, that might signal a great opportunity for a charitable trust to spread inheritance over up to 20 years, using those same 20 years to create a charitable gift as well.  Your LCMS Foundation Gift Planning Counselor can help you see clear pathways.  Contact Scott Radden @ 618-977-4049 or scott.radden@lfnd.org 

Altar Flowers - Given by Bob & Beverly Jones in honor of their 50th Wedding Anniversary.

Attendance last weekend was 489. The offering was: General Fund $21,911, Specials $779, Total $22,690.

Thanks to those who serve this week
Usher Team:(5:30) D. Ulkus  (8:00) C. Engeling (10:30) K. Splaingard
Altar Guild: (5:30) Pam Hoffman (8:00) Bruce & Ramona Cross (10:30) Tamara-Tucker-Lindsey & Mandy Kitzmiller
Greeter: (8:00) Julie Wrigley (10:30) Mike & Susan Kober

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 the family of Linda Shasteen, Asleep in Jesus (September 13, 2025)

For Cheryl and Bruce Clessa in honor of their 40th wedding anniversary (September 12, 2025)

Family of Vernon Meister, father of Tim Meister, Asleep in Jesus (September 11, 2025) 

For Ralph Montgomery, hospitalized (September 11, 2025)

For Thanksgiving for Tony Zidolek, son-in-law of Rich and Linda Lubbert, who had a successful heart transplant (September 4, 2025)

For Janet Martino, close family friend of Elizabeth Diggs, diagnosed with lung cancer and has upcoming surgery (September 3, 2025)

For Karla Werre, as she undergoes shoulder replacement on Friday, August 29 (August 25, 2025) 

For Paige Beyer and Aaron Fisher, starting their hike of the Pacific Crest Trail through Washington (August 23, 2025)

For Nancy Schilbe, for her upcoming surgery (August 22, 2025)

For Ken & Kay Jones in honor of their 62nd Wedding Anniversary (August 20, 2025)

For Gail Mayhew-healing from eye surgery (August 6, 2025)

For Amber Lynn Radford, niece of E. Antonovich, massive stroke (August 7, 2025)

For Richard Surface, brother in law of Mitzi Montgomery who is hospitalized (July 30, 2025)

For Larry Shasteen, beginning Chemotherapy treatment for cancer recently found (July 24, 2025)

For Ann Goldsmith, that God will continue to be her strength through her continuing battle with cancer & radiation beginning in August (July 24, 2025)

For Barbara Brown, friend of Kay Jones, prayers for cancer surgery (July 15, 2025)

For Jamie Rezabek, nephew of Amy and Ed Beyer, back in hospital with complications after cancer surgery (July 11, 2025)

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

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

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

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

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

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

For Gary Whitehead, being out of remission 
 

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.