Weekly Connections

May 5, 2023

Experience worship and check out what’s happening around campus as we celebrate creation!

THIS SUNDAY, MAY 7

WORSHIP
8:15 a.m. | Sanctuary
10:45 a.m. | Sanctuary + Livestream
Easter Season continues as we celebrate creation in Word and praise! We’ll have an update from The Caring for God’s Creation team and sing our favorite hymns that celebrate our Creator. O Lord, what a variety of things you have made…When you send out your breath, life is created, and the face of the earth is made beautiful and is renewed. Based on Psalm 104.

BREAKFAST
9:15 a.m.| Activity Center
Food for Fellowship serves breakfast every Sunday beginning at 9:15 and ending at 10:15 a.m.  Plenty of time to eat and enjoy time with new friends and old (psst…please refrain from bringing your breakfast food and drink into the Sanctuary). Thank you!

CARING FOR GOD’S CREATION TEAM (CGC)
During the Breakfast Hour | Activity Center
Take some time during breakfast to learn and experience how CGC is helping us be better stewards of what God has entrusted to us and future generations with initiatives that we can implement here at ShepHills and at home!

ADULT BIBLE STUDY
9:30 a.m.
 | Library + Zoom
Great discussions of the Good Book. Contact Ruby Cadenhead for more information.

SUNDAY’sCOOL & MUSIC WITH KEVIN
9:40 a.m. -10:30 a.m. | Meet in Choir Room, Pick up in Family Ministry Center (upstairs)

We are back in the groove with Music with Kevin and Sunday’sCool. Contact Megan Getman with questions.

GRIEF GROUP
This Sunday

12:00 p.m. | Room 205
Each person grieves in a different way, yet we don’t have to grieve alone. Join us in gathering for lunch and a time to share in a safe space where crying, laughing, anger, silence, and any other emotion is welcome. Please R.S.V. P. to Rebecca.

NEXTGEN
6:30 p.m. | Activity Center
Calling all 5th thru 12th graders for a night of laughter, friendly competition, and spiritual growth. Bring your A-game and your bible, because faith and fun go hand in hand! Contact 

ABOVE AND BEYOND

WHAT IS ABOVE AND BEYOND?
We are paying it forward by paying it off!
We are working to eliminate our remaining debt from the Campus Renewal with a matching fund campaign of $250,000 provided by generous donors.

WHAT’S A MATCHING FUND CAMPAIGN?
We will match your one-time gifts dollar-for-dollar
, doubling your impact. Our goal is to meet the match with $250,000 in gifts by June 18, thereby raising $500,000 to significantly reduce our debt.  

HOW’S IT GOING SO FAR?
Fantastic!
We now have gifts totaling $108,361 as of this Wednesday, May 3!

HOW CAN I GIVE?
Make a one-time gift
to help us become debt-free! Gifts can be made online, through Zelle (use controller@shephills.org), or by cash or check. You can also give stock, IRA transfers, and donor-advised funds. Contact Kevin Marlow, Finance Controller.

ABOUT…

BABY CARE KITS!
Sponsor a Baby Care Kit for $50 (or as you are able) in celebration of the women in your life. Mother, daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, friend – it’s a beautiful way to acknowledge your admiration for them. Look for tables in the Activity Center and the Gathering Space with directions on how to sponsor a Baby Care Kit online or by check. This also makes the perfect Mother’s Day gift. Baby Care Kits are distributed by Lutheran World Relief, an internationally known nonprofit. Each kit costs approximately $50 and helps a mother in need care for her baby with items such as baby clothes, soap, and diapers. Contact Kathy Gerhardt with questions.

DO YOU HAVE A GRADUATE?
Let us know!
Graduating is an achievement! Whether it’s preschool or college, we’d like to celebrate with you. Let us know the who, what, and where of your graduate by emailing Amanda Forsberg before May 15 for inclusion in the May 21 Bulletin.

CALENDAR

Check the calendars on Realm or the website for a complete list of events including Yoga, Pickleball, Choir and Bells, PALS, and Bread for All.

PALS
Mondays

7:00 p.m. | Library + Zoom
Parents and families of loved ones who struggle with addiction are invited to weekly meetings for hope, education, and an opportunity to share. Please contact Rebecca Guengerich, Spirituality and Wellness, if you have questions or would like Zoom information.

WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY
7:30 a.m. | on Zoom

10:00 a.m. | Library + Zoom
Pastor-led studies of the Good Book. Contact Pr. Lauren or Pr. Tom

QUILTING
Wednesday, May 10
1:00 p.m. | Rm 205
Saturday, May 13
9:00 a.m. | Rm 205

Sewing quilts for Lutheran World Relief. Let us teach you what we know, no experience necessary! Contact Ruth Felger.

MEN’S BREAKFAST
Saturday, May 20
8:00 a.m. | Activity Center

Start your day off with food, fellowship, and a side of stimulating conversation. Who knows, you may even learn something new before your second cup of coffee! Contact Weldon Allison.

CAMPUS CLEANUP
Saturday, May 20
9:00 a.m. | Courtyard

Smear on some sunscreen and bring some tools. We will be mulching, trimming, repairing irrigation, and removing and replacing some small dead trees before summer’s onslaught of heat. BSA Troop 31 will join us. As always, breakfast tacos will be on hand for the hungry. Contact Dave Wegner.

FAITH IN ACTION

WORLD LABYRINTH DAY (WLD)
Saturday, May 6

Come walk the labyrinth in the Shepherd’s Garden at 1:00 p.m. local time (wherever you are) on World Labyrinth Day and help create a rolling wave of peaceful energy passing from one time zone to the next around the globe. Learn more about WLD!

GIVING

Giving is an expression of joy and gratitude for the bounty of God’s goodness! There are so many ways to give-both financially and through serving.

PLEDGES, GIFTS, AND DONATIONS
Keeping current with your pledged or regular giving has never been easier because you can do it all online!

SERVING
Serving is a great way to give back and get to know others in our community. Whether you are interested in serving locally, being part of a global mission, or volunteering to help in a variety of ways on Sundays, we have a place for you!

PRAYERS

In need of prayer? Please contact a pastor to be put on the prayer list.

We pray for Mary Allison, Rodney Varner, and Deb Pollock Darnell.

We pray for family and friends of Shepherd members: Krista Bowers, niece of Herb and Kathy Palmer.

Creator God, you make all things and weave them together in an intricate tapestry of life.
Teach us to respect the fragile balance of life and to care for all the gifts of your creation. Guide by your wisdom those who have power and authority, that, by the decisions they make, life may be cherished and a good and fruitful Earth may continue to show your glory and sing your praises.

Merciful and Loving God, as war and violence rage in Ukraine and other parts of the world, we pray that leaders of the world will practice peace-making, bringing together people of every tribe and race under the umbrella of your amazing grace.

We pray for our global ministry partners: Rev. Karen Castillo in Guatemala; Iglesia Luterana Augustina Virgen del Rosario, Aurora 8 de Octubre, Guatemala. We pray for Malcolm and Joy Henderson and the ministry of CHARIS in Haiti. 

We pray for our local ministries: Mariposa Family Learning Center, Bread For All, and Upbring Ministries.

We pray for our faith community, that we may be a church without walls and live out loud…faithfully!

Would you like someone to pray alongside you during troubling times? Contact a Stephen Minister who can travel with you on life’s sometimes bumpy road.

*Prayers for family and friends are listed for 2 weeks unless we are notified otherwise.