June 14, 2024
SUNDAY, JUNE 16
WORSHIP
8:15 a.m. | Sanctuary
10:45 a.m. | Sanctuary + Livestream
Classical acoustic guitarist Hugh Chandler joins us at 8:15 and 10:45. Read his bio here.
BREAKFAST FOR ALL
9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. | Gym
Make your morning hassle-free and enjoy this chance to socialize and catch up with friends.
DISCOVER
9:30 a.m. | Campus and Creation Tour | Gym
Bring the whole family as the Caring for God’s Creation Team talks about recycling and organic gardening, and takes us on a tour of the spiritual spaces they create and tend. Wear sensible shoes and discover the prayer labyrinth, prayer walk, and the proactive act of recycling. Check the calendar for the full list of Discover topics.
Check the calendar to see what we’ll learn each week over the summer during the Discover Series.
ADULT BIBLE STUDY
9:30 a.m. | Library + Zoom
Join us this summer as we discuss the book, “Bad Girls of the Bible: And What We Can Learn From Them” by Liz Curtis Higgs. This Sunday we will consider the temptress of Joseph from Genesis 39 as presented in Chapter 2 of the book. Don’t have the book? Just read the chapter from the Bible and you can participate in the discussion from the standpoint of tempting others as well as being tempted. Hope to see you there! Contact Ruby Cadenhead.
CALENDAR
Find out about special summer gatherings at ShepHills.org/Summer 2024, and check the calendars on Realm or the website for a complete list of events!
FIRM BELIEVERS YOGA
Tuesday, June 18 (Every Tuesday )
3:30 p.m. | Room 203 + Zoom
Yoga is back! Come honor and celebrate your mind, spirit, and body in this holistic practice. Contact Richard Arndt.
PARABLE PICNICS
Tuesday, June 18 (Tuesday Evenings in June)
6:00 p.m. | Meet in the Courtyard
In last Sunday’s Gospel, we heard Jesus ask, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it?” He used familiar, everyday items to help us understand heavenly truths. That’s why Tuesday evenings are for EVERYONE across all generations with games, dinner, and worship designed to bring us together!
CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED
Wednesday, June 19
The church office will be closed in recognition of Juneteenth, commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States.
WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY
No study this week!
DISCOVER
Next Sunday, June 23 (Sunday Mornings in June and July)
9:30 a.m. | Sewing Workshop for LWR | Gym
This is a hands-on opportunity to learn to crochet, quilt, or sew baby blankets! No supplies are needed, just bring yourself. Check the calendar for the full list of Discover topics.
NEXTGEN MORNING BREW
Thursday, June 27
10:00 a.m. | Trianon Coffee
Join us at Trianon Coffee for coffee as we dive into some real talk about life, faith, and everything in between. Contact Joel Timmons.
TEA FOR TOTS + SILENT AUCTION
Saturday, June 29
2:00 p.m. | Gym
The big day is almost here! RSVP and we’ll put the kettle on. The silent auction is now open for everyone (whether you are attending or not) to begin bidding on items such as UT football and basketball tickets, a Hill Country vacation, wine-tasting events, and more! Proceeds from the event and silent auction support Lutheran World Relief Baby Care Kits. Contact Kathy Gerhardt.
FAITH IN ACTION
Join us in celebrating the upcoming 2024-25 school year by helping Upbring with their School Supplies Drive! They’re on a mission to collect hundreds of school supplies for over 200 children in foster care and need your help to make it happen! Here are three ways you can help:
- Purchase supplies from their wish list.
- Sponsor a backpack with a donation.
- Volunteer to stuff backpacks on July 25.
SNAPSHOTS
VOLUNTEER AT BREAD FOR ALL (BFA)
Summer is a great time to gather the family and volunteer at Bread for All! Volunteers are welcome to help with setup (12-3pm) and food distribution (4-6pm). Show up as your schedule allows (you don’t need to be there the entire shift) and we’ll put you to work! For more information on descriptions, times, and locations, please visit the calendar or contact Weldon Allison.
SUPPORT FOR ACL MINISTRIES
Read below and visit these websites for more information on how you can support the ministries of Austin City Lutherans! Bread for All and the Move-In Ministry, Mariposa FLC, and Austin City Lutherans. You can also follow them on Facebook @austincitylutherans.
AUSTIN CITY LUTHERANS (ACL) RENT ASSISTANCE
Online Fundraiser
Let’s help prevent homelessness! Austin City Lutherans’ Rent Assistance fundraiser hopes to raise $75,000 in June for distribution to Austin families, thus ensuring they can meet rent and stay in their homes. Here’s how it works: 100% of your donation goes directly to families who apply, present a photo ID, rental or mortgage contract, and an explanation of need. For those approved, checks are hand-delivered by ACL to office managers and property owners. Donate by June 28 at www.breadforall-atx.org.
DONATIONS FOR BREAD FOR ALL (BFA)
BFA is asking for special assistance. Food deliveries from the Capital Area Food Bank, their primary supplier, are currently sporadic. Please contribute canned beans, tomatoes and veggies, dry beans, and peanut butter. Bring your donations to the bins on weekdays from 9am-4pm, Saturdays from 9-11am, and Sunday mornings.
GIVING
Giving is an expression of joy and gratitude for the bounty of God’s goodness! There are so many ways to give 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! Questions? Contact Bill Dawson for help. Thank you for your continued support of our missions and ministries.
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 Pr. Lauren to be put on the prayer list.
We pray for: Dana Dertien, Bob Vorkoper, Betty Lueders, Marie Fortune.
We pray for family and friends of Shepherd members: LaWayne Guengerich, father-in-law of Rebecca Guengerich; Buddy Kopplin, uncle of Amy Bishop; Drew Officer and Kate Sheeran, friends of Kathleen Macaulay; Elward Reiss, mother of Dee Jackson
O God, we give you thanks for all the saints who have gone before us in faith, and now rest in your eternal life, especially: Pastor Norb Firnhaber, former pastor of Triumphant Love in Austin, and Nathzele Pfluger, mother of Marcy McNeil. We pray for your comfort and peace to surround all who grieve, as we trust together in the resurrection promise. We commend Norb and Nathzele to your never-ending love.
O God, you speak and the face of the earth is renewed. Revive your creation, that habitats and every kind of living thing might flourish. Protect endangered species and help us to care for all your creatures.
O God, give your blessing and peace to the nations. Shelter all who risk life and livelihood to protect others from violence, conflict, and injustice. We pray especially for war-torn regions of the world, for the Holy Land, for all places where peace seems far away.
God who sends us out to serve, we pray for Megan DeVaney and our Guatemala Team serving in Guatemala, and Arlene Morris serving in Angola. You have sent Megan and Arlene from this congregation to serve your people. Sustain them and bless them in their ministry.
God, you send us to serve. Bless the ministries of Austin City Lutherans, especially Bread for All and the Rent Assistance ministry. Draw near to those who find themselves in difficult times, and use us to help provide resources for our neighbors to stay in their homes. Empower ACL to continue to serve those in need, as we are your hands and feet.
O God, our heavenly Father, we give you thanks for fathers who have nurtured and guided us, shared their wisdom with us, and loved us with tenderness and strength. Bless all those who are fathers, those who long to be fathers, and those whose relationships are complicated or fractured. Comfort those who grieve and miss their fathers who now rest in you. We thank you for the gift of fatherhood and for your loving example.
O God, you hear the prayers of those who cry out for justice. We pray in remembrance of the Emanuel 9 who lost their lives in 2015 after welcoming a stranger into their church for Bible study. We feel the grief of those families, especially as we are connected through our Lutheran faith. We repent for the ways we have not loved all of your people in the ways you love us.
As we look to Juneteenth this week, we recognize that we encounter you in the faces of those whom society has pushed to the margins. Guide us, through the love you revealed in Jesus, to establish the justice you proclaimed, that all peoples might dwell in harmony and peace, united by that one love that binds us to each other, and to you.
Would you like someone to pray alongside you during troubling times? A Stephen Minister can travel with you on life’s sometimes bumpy road. Contact Alana Oehler with inquiries about this confidential ministry.
*Prayers for family and friends are listed for 2 weeks unless we are notified otherwise.