Belong
You Belong.
Since 1957, Good Shepherd has been a place of belonging -welcoming all people to worship God, grow in the Holy Spirit, and serve others in the name of Jesus Christ.Will you contribute to the mission of your church so that stories of belonging, like these, can continue to be lived and experienced in the years to come? Consider this your invitation to prayerfully consider your gift to support God’s work at Good Shepherd in 2019.
Make your Commitment to God’s work at Good Shepherd
Generosity Packets will be available in the lobby on Sunday, September 30th. If you don’t pick up a packet it will be mailed to your home. After you prayerfully consider how to commit to your gifts to the Lord in 2019, please share your intent to give and worship volunteer cards on a Giving Sunday – October 7th, 14th and 21st or click below to submit your intents online!
GENEROSITY 2019Stories of Belonging
“Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”
Alvis’ Story“It truly feels like I belong at Good Shepherd”
“I am uplifted every time I come to church – not just during Sunday worship.” Alvis Koedam has been a member for decades but started to deepen his relationship with God by attending Bible Study. He also used his love of photography to take pictures for the new Good Shepherd website. “To see the commitment of so many people is inspiring.” Alvis took a big step toward deepening his relationship with God this July, when he reaffirmed his baptism. “This past year I was able to accept the gift of Grace with pastoral and family guidance. I now belong to the holy Christian church and am excited, and a little nervous, to see how I can best be of service to the Lord/Holy Spirit.”
Jeff’s Story“They showered me with love no matter what I did. That’s when real belonging happened.”
Jeff has been a member at Good Shepherd for 12 years, but he said he felt a sense of connection right away. Jeff has found his biggest connection by playing drums for Echoes of Grace, but also participates in other ministries like World Vision. He credits people like Alan Halverson with making him feel like he belongs. “He and others have convinced me that there is nothing I have done in the past that will keep me from being accepted now. They showered me with love, no matter what I did. That’s when real belonging happened, real healing helped.”
The Brinkman’s Story“Good Shepherd provides us space and time to get to know other believers.”
The Brinkmans have been members at Good Shepherd for nearly 20 years, but they continue to see their relationship with the church strengthen and grow. The family has spearheaded efforts to raise money for “Feed My Starving Children,” which provides meals for malnourished children in developing countries. They say activities like worship, youth group, and the chili cookoff help connect their family to God, and credit people like Sarah Iverson, Laura Clark and Stephanie Christensen for building a sense of belonging. They say Good Shepherd works, because it “provides space and time to get to know other believers.”
GENEROSITY 2019Sermon Series
Part OneYou Belong Here
Part TwoGrateful we Belong
Part ThreeWe Joyfully Belong
Part FourGiving Because We Belong
Part FiveGiving So Others Belong
Part SixThankful You Belong
GENEROSITY 2019Pastor’s Note
The Bible is full of stories about belonging. Over this past summer we spent 6 weeks exploring what it means to belong to Jesus together with all the people who walk through the doors of the church on any given day. Will you contribute to the mission of your church so that stories of belonging can continue to be lived and experienced in the years to come? Please take time in the coming days and weeks to pray about your financial commitment to Good Shepherd.
This year’s Generosity Drive is more important than ever, because there will a unified Generosity Campaign at Good Shepherd in 2019. We are asking members to combine their general fund and Mission in Motion giving into one gift. We would ask you consider giving this amount, or increasing your gift, on a single line on your intent to give card this year.
We believe a single Generosity Campaign is a better way to pay bills and simplify giving. However, to be successful, we need to increase the amount of money intended to give by $337,000 a year to cover mortgage payments and other operating expenses there were previously paid with Mission in Motion funds.
We will have three Giving Sundays on October 7, 14 and 21 this year. Giving Sunday gives you the opportunity to indicate your Intent to Give as an act of worship.
Your Intent to Give and Volunteer Cards may be returned by:
- Bringing them forward during worship any of the three Giving Sundays
- Completing the information online at gslcwi.com
- Mailing them back to church
It takes all of us to work together to make sure that this same sense of welcome is available for our children and grandchildren. I want my daughters to always know that there is a place called Good Shepherd where they can experience the welcome that comes from being gathered with other forgiven sinners around the baptismal font and the Lord’s Table. God has called us to be a community of welcome and to be a place where all people feel that they belong at God’s table. Please join me in making sure Good Shepherd enters 2019 with strong financial resources that will allow us to continue to be a church that welcomes, serves and loves all people in the name of Jesus Christ.
Thank you.
Gratefully,
Have a question?
If you’d like to know more about a specific program, we’d be happy to connect you with a member of our staff.Click below to connect via e-mail with someone from our team and we’d be happy to help!