The Weekly Connections 06.03.2022


“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.”
Acts 2:1

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This Sunday, June 5, we celebrate our 45th Anniversary and Pentecost Sunday. So dress up in RED, and come sing, pray, eat, learn, and worship together all in one place!

Spirit-Filled Worship

8:15 a.m.  Worship |  Sanctuary
10:45 a.m.  Worship |  Sanctuary + Livestream

We celebrate the birthday of the Church with joy-filled worship featuring special music with Bob Cannon on trumpet, Justin Stephens on guitar, Josh Norem on drums, and Carter Leer on piano and organ. Keaton and Natalie Robertson, participants in For You: A Holy Communion Retreat, will serve communion and the chalices they made will be used on the Altar. Please note there will be no Saturday Courtyard Worship this week.

Pentecost Breakfast

9:30 a.m.  – 10:15 a.m. |  Activity Center
Grab breakfast and fuel up for this big day of celebration! After you eat, check out the Anniversary timeline of our 45 years together, and take a selfie at the photo booth to remember the occasion.

Adult Bible Study 

9:30 a.m. |  Library + Zoom
Celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit with an in-depth study of Acts 2:1-21.

45th Anniversary Lunch

Noon – 1:30 p.m.  |  Activity Center + Solomon’s Porch
Come catch up, dig in, and tap your feet to the beat (or even dance!) as we celebrate Pentecost and our 45th Anniversary with tangy BBQ, a bouncy house for wiggly kids, and country music by Thom McNeil’s band, Sundown by Morning.

Special 45th Anniversary Offering

Join us in blessing our commitment to 45 more great years of ministry with a special gift that uses the number 45…$4.50, $45.00, $450.00…or even $4500!

calendar highlights

Here are a few upcoming events you will not want to miss. Remember to check Realm Events or the website for a complete list of events.

Summer Message Series

Summer is the perfect time for journeys – the kids are out of school, life slows down, and we are free to take trips to see family, vacation in cooler locales, and even explore new places close to home. We invite you to travel with us, too, as we spend the summer focusing on Biblical journeys full of Spirit-filled lessons, and unpack what these teachings mean for everyday life.
Join us for The Journeys of Paul in June, The Journey of Joseph in July, and The Journeys of Jesus in August.

Grief Support Luncheon

SUNDAY, JUNE 19
12:00 p.m. |  Room 20
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The Shepherd of the Hills Care Team and Stephen Ministers invite you to gather for a luncheon to meet and share with others who are experiencing grief. Grief is not limited to the death of a loved one, and its duration and intensity are different for everyone.  It can be experienced at any time with any loss…unemployment, retirement, relationship changes, illness, or family conflict. 

Please RSVP for the luncheon by contacting Rebecca Guengerich, or calling 512-796-0991.   If you can’t attend the luncheon, we can talk about future support group options or receiving a Stephen Minister to personally support your time of changes.

Race to Jesus

BEGINNING MONDAY, JUNE 20
7:00 p.m. |  Location TBD

Be a part of this weekly gathering facilitated by Carole and Larry Morgan to read and discuss the book “Race to Jesus” in which author Dr. Clarence Hill identifies opportunities for building healthier personal and working relationships with others outside of our ethnic groups or any group outside of our comfortable and familiar sphere.

Please let us know if you would like to be a part of this group by emailing Dabney in the church office.

Stand Up – Speak Up! Prayer Vigil for World Refugee Day

TUESDAY, JUNE 21
7:00 p.m. |  Sanctuary

This Vigil is a part of LIRS’ (Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service) annual Stand Up, Speak Up program, which brings together interfaith communities across the country to lift a unified voice to welcome and advocate for immigrants and refugees coming to the United States. We invite you to stand up to welcome and speak up alongside our newest neighbors from Ukraine.

ways to give

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 and Gifts

Keeping current with your pledged or regular giving while you travel has never been easier because you can do it all online! In addition, here are a few special giving opportunities this month:

BIBLES FOR HAITI
Ends Sunday, June 19

Father’s Day is just around the corner, and you can honor the father figure in your life by giving the gift of God’s Word in the form of paperback bibles for Haiti. Your donation will help us reach our goal of purchasing 500 bibles at $3.00 each for CHARIS, our Haiti Mission Partner. These bibles are written on a third grade level in Haitian Creole-perfect for both children and adults in 5 new villages served by CHARIS in central Haiti.

SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY OF UVALDE, TEXAS
Donations may be given to the Southwest Texas Synod Disaster Response Team, and will be used locally in Uvalde, TX as concrete needs are identified in the coming days.

45th ANNIVERSARY GIFT
Join us in blessing our commitment to ministry with a special gift that uses the number 45…$4.50, $45.00, $450.00…or even $4500. Thank you for being a vital part of Shepherd of the Hills!

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! Here are some special opportunities to serve:

MENTOR NEEDED
UpBring

Willing to share what you’ve learned along the road of life? A mentor is wanted for a young man who will soon age out of BeREAL (he will turn 21 in October). He’s a responsible kid that’s been attending ACC but needs some advice and guidance in deciding on a career path, budgeting, saving, and general adulting. Please contact Kathy Gerhardt with all your questions!

prayers of the people

We pray for Tom Felger, Pam and Jeff Petterson, Sandy Nielsen, Rodney Varner, Tom Smith, Walter and Stacia DeBill, and Janice Pinckard.

We pray for Beth Getman, mother of Megan Getman.

We pray for Stirling Johnson, granddaughter of Sylvia & Curtis Johnson.

We pray for peace and comfort for Doe Smith and family upon the death of her husband, Jamie Smith.  We entrust Jamie to God’s unending love.  May the light of Christ shine upon Doe and her family as they trust in the resurrection promise.  (Doe is a longtime and beloved teacher at Butterfly Preschool.)

We pray for the victims of the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde–the 19 children and 2 teachers whose innocent lives were taken in violence. We pray for their families who grieve.  We pray for the survivors who witnessed such horror.  We pray that you will bring comfort to all who mourn. We pray for our state and national leaders to effect solutions to this tragic pattern. We pray for ourselves, that we may not grow numb to news of violence but rather work to end it and its causes.  

We pray for all friends and Shepherd of the Hills members to stay well and for a safe return from Greece and Germany this week. As they walked in the footsteps of Paul and experience the Passion of Jesus Christ in Oberammergau, Germany, may the inspiration of your Holy Spirit renew faith and grow hearts.

We pray for the people of Ukraine and all who find themselves in the midst of war, gripped by fear and uncertainty.  Send your peace. 

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!

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