News

Last Updated August 25, 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. 

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.

Altar Flower Openings - October 5th & 19th.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.

Adult Choir continues this Wednesday, August 27th, 2025 at 6:50 p.m. after the Evening Prayer Service in the balcony. We would love new members with or without experience if you are willing to learn and serve in music! Contact Zach Stegman with questions zstegman@gslcs.org

First Communion: A meeting will be held on September 7th following the late service. Anyone interested in having their children go through the next First Communion class should attend If you have any questions please call the church office at 618-344-3151.

New Members Class/Adult Instruction: A new class will start Wednesday September 10th at 7pm in the Fellowship Hall.  If you know anyone who is interested, please invite them to come.  If you yourself want a refresher, please join us - it will be good for you and an encouragement to the new people. If you have any questions please call the church office at 618-344-3151.

All Women please join us at LWML on Saturday September 6th at 9:00am for a presentation from Mattie Carillo from African Vision of Hope.  Our mission outreach is a collection of Baby items to make Baby layettes and will be donating to Orphan Grain Train.  These items needed are:  receiving blankets, washcloths and sleepers.  We will be collecting the above  items until the September 6th. There will be a box in the connecting hallway.
LWML would like to Thank all who donated the Christian material for Love Packages.   We collected one thousand one hundred and fifty pieces of Christian material.  
If you have any questions about Lutheran women in missions (Lwml) please call or text Pam Hoffman at 618-409-3163.

Fellowship Potluck Sunday September 7th after late church. Hosted by the Table of Friendship and Congregational Life Board. Please join us for a fellowship meal and a chance to meet someone new and/or reconnect with old friends. A sign-up sheet is in the Narthex. Please call Jan Van Beek with any questions (217) 851-7417.

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

HYMN FESTIVAL: Good Shepherd Lutheran will be celebrating our annual fall hymn festival on Friday, September 12th at 7p.  Titled "The Church’s Year of Grace” Hymn commentary will be given by Pr. Will Weedon, host of the Lutheran Public Radio podcast "The Word of the Lord Endures Forever" (https://thewordendures.org). A reception will follow the hymnfest in the fellowship hall. For more information, call (618) 344-3151 or
go to https://www.godsownchild.org/.

Save the Date for Harvest Fest! - Please plan to join us on Sunday, October 5th from 3 – 6 p.m. for FREE food, games, bounce houses, music, and more. If you are interested in getting involved with Harvest Fest, please contact Jennifer Buchanan at buchanjL@gmail.com or 618-580-3150 to find out how you can help.

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.

!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.

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."

HYMN FESTIVAL AT HOPE LUTHERAN, HIGHLAND SEPT. 7th - The Lutheran Church has always been known as "The Singing Church!" Come continue the Lutheran tradition of singing great hymns at a Hymn Festival to be held at Hope Lutheran Church in Highland, IL on Sunday, September 7, 2025 at 3:00 PM. The Hymn Festival will focus on "Hymns of the Church: Militant and Triumphant." We will join together to sing "Lift High the Cross, "The Son of God Goes Forth to War," "A Mighty Fortress Is our God," "Built on the Rock," "Thine the Amen, Thine the Praise," "The Church’s One Foundation," and "Jerusalem the Golden." The instrumentalists for the Hymn Festival will include Johnathan Clayton (organ and piano) and Mike Trinklein (piano and cello). The hymn narrations will be provided by Rev. Dr. Kirk Clayton, Assistant Professor of Theology at Concordia University Chicago. Those who have gone before us have raised their voices boldly in song, "we follow in their train."

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.

Fall Music Lessons are being offered at St. Louis Christian Music Center. Call (314) 949-6590 or email musiccenter@ourredeemerstl.org for more information. 

Singles & Young Couples Roundup - Hosted by Zion Lutheran Church – Litchfield Evangelism Committee on Sunday, August 31, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. The roundup will be held at Gudgel's Ranch and Saloon, 14265 E 2nd Rd, Litchfield, IL 62056. There will be live entertainment, wine sold by the bottle, a cash bar, free hotdogs, icebreakers, conversation & LCMS fellowship. Please bring a Friend! Join singles & couples from regional LCMS congregations for connection & fun in a relaxed atmosphere. Registration not required but a heads up is helpful. Text 312-286-5800

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.- THE BOOK OF NUMBERS SERIES... 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 a series of interviews with Dr. Reed Lessing, author of the new book “Hope in the Wilderness: Practical Insights from the Book of Numbers,” at issuesetc.org/bookofnumbers.

LCMS Foundation - We can face competing priorities when we think about planning our estates. Am I giving things away or am I trying to control how things will be used? There are stories attached to the assets that we now manage in our estates. Celebrating those stories and allowing new stories to be written by family or ministries with these same gifts is exciting. Your LCMS Foundation Gift Planning Counselor can assist you in anticipating those new stories. Contact Scott Radden @ 618-977-4049 or scott.radden@lfnd.org

Altar Flowers - Given by Ken & Kay Jones in honor of their 62nd Wedding Anniversary

Attendance last weekend was 456. The offering was: General Fund $17,892, Specials $854, Total $18,746.

Thanks to those who serve this week
Usher Team:(5:30) D. Ulkus  (8:00) J. Fiudo (10:30) J. Hartke
Altar Guild: (5:30) Rich and Elaine Marmon (8:00) Jeff & Michelle Fiudo (10:30) Peg Rincker & Melissa Hasamear
Greeter: (8:00) Jeanne Lomax (10:30) Donna Kober

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Prayer List 

Click here to add someone to the Prayer List
 

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 Tony Zidolek, son-in-law of Rich and Linda Lubbert, hospitalized while waiting for heart transplant (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 Logan Kowalski, prayers for critical condition in the PICU due to his cancer (June 20, 2025)

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 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)

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.