The Shepherd s Voice. Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. August Words from Pastor Larson 2. Vacation Bible School 3-4. August Scriptures 4

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1 Good Shepherd Lutheran Church A Congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 701 Iowa Avenue Decorah IA The Shepherd s Voice August 2017 Words from Pastor Larson 2 Vacation Bible School 3-4 Pastor Amy Larson Assistant Pastor: Marion Priutt - Jefferson Music Director: Brooke Joyce Administrative Assistant: Jenny Werner decorahgoodshepherd@gmail.com Website: Church Office: August Scriptures 4 August Ministry Team 5 GS Announcements 6 Laura Hoeg Celebration 7 Social Justice 8 WELCA News 9-10 Treasurer s Report 10 Music Page 11 GOOD SHEPHERD IS A RECONCILING IN CHRIST CONGREGATION August Calendar 12 1

2 The Shepherd s Voice August 2017 Words from Pastor Larson Beloved of God, As we look ahead to Vacation Bible School and fall programming, I wanted to let you know about the faith formation happening for children and youth through Good Shepherd these days. Exciting things are happening and you can be a part of them by offering your time, financial gifts and prayers. This summer, eight Good Shepherd kids have attended Camp Ewalu: Mason and Weston Cote, Oliver and Adeline Bollinger, Lulu and Poppy Bellrichard, Nathan and Abby Larson. Camp plays a huge role in faith formation for young people. Thank you, Good Shepherd, for providing camperships for these kids. Let them you re excited that they went to camp and ask them to tell you about it. We will have Vacation Bible School August This year the kids will be learning about the four parts of worship and will help prepare a worship service for the congregation. You won t want to miss this, or the ice cream social afterwards. Worship begins at 6:30pm on Aug. 10. Last year our youth grew in their leadership skills and developed a faith community as they served as shepherds for the younger kids. I m excited to see that happen again this year. You can get a firsthand view of this as an adult helper or food helper. Our Sunday School is growing! The thirteen kids that ended the year together have become good friends. The same happened with the five in our Confirmation class. This year, Confirmation will be on Wednesday nights; we re starting a Youth Forum for Middle Schoolers and older youth on Sunday mornings. We have wonderful middle school youth. They are smart, interesting and funny. You can be part of this forum if you d like to get to know these young people and learn with them. Talk with me if you can help with the Youth Forum. We ll be doing overnight retreats and an Urban Immersion Servant Trip this year. My son Nathan did Urban Immersion with a Cresco church this year and he learned a great deal about the city, poverty and service. He and the kids from Cresco will telling us about their experiences soon. We ll join the group of Decorah area churches traveling to the National Youth Gathering in Houston, TX, June 27-July 1, These gatherings are life changing experiences. I hope we will have a number of Good Shepherd youth take part. Kathryn Thompson and Sara Hanssen will be helping us prepare and fundraise. God is at work to nurture faith through Good Shepherd. Thank you Good Shepherd for all the ways you support our kids and nurture faith. Let s do even more together this year! Peace, Pastor Amy 2

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4 Vacation Bible School 2017 GOOD SHEPHERD VBS PROGRAM AUGUST 8-10 Registration is open for VBS and can be found on the Good Shepherd website. Remember that ALL children ages 4-12 are welcome to attend, not only Good Shepherd members. Help to spread the word in our community! Spread the word. VBS invites the community to attend a youth-led experiential worship service on Thursday, August 10 th at 6:30pm. It will be followed by an ice cream social. We hope to see you there! Sign up to bring ice cream or toppings for the ice cream social that will follow the experiential worship service of VBS on Thursday, August 10th. The signup sheet is located on the table in the Narthex. Ice cream, toppings, healthy snacks and help with setup and cleanup are all needed. Adult volunteers are needed as extra hands and eyes at multiple stations during VBS, Tuesday-Thursday, August 8th-10th. Kathryn Thompson for details and to sign up. August Scriptures Sunday, August 6 9th Sunday after Pentecost Sunday, August 13 10th Sunday after Pentecost Sunday, August 20 11th Sunday after Pentecost Sunday, August 27 12th Sunday after Pentecost Isaiah 55:1-5 Eat and drink that which truly satisfies 1 Kings 19:9-18 The Lord speaks to Elijah on Mount Horeb Isaiah 56:1, 6-8 A house of prayer for all peoples Isaiah 51:1-6 The enduring foundation of God s salvation Psalm 145:8-9, You open wide your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. (Ps. 145:16) Psalm 85:8-13 I will listen to what the Lord God is saying. (Ps. 85:8) Psalm 67 Let all the peoples praise you, O God. (Ps. 67:3) Psalm 138 O Lord, your steadfast love endures forever. (Ps. 138:8) Romans 9:1-5 The glory of God s people Israel Romans 10:5-15 Hearing and confessing the word of faith Romans 11:1-2a, God s mercy to all, Jew and Gentile Romans 12:1-8 One body in Christ, with gifts that differ Matthew 14:13-21 Christ feeding five thousand Matthew 14:22-33 Jesus walking on the sea Matthew 15:[10-20] The healing of the Canaanite woman s daughter Matthew 16:13-20 The profession of Peter s faith 4

5 August 2017 Ministry Team DATE LITURGY USHER * Head Usher SUNDAY, AUGUST 6 Broadcast 9:30 a.m. ASST. MINISTER: Karl Jacobsen COMMUNION SERVER: Jerrine Jacobsen CANTOR: Jason Rausch 1.* Lindsay Erdman 2. Karla Erdman GREETER: Erik Berg ACOLYTE: Lindsay Erdman FELLOWSHIP *Coordinator (F) Food Only 1.* 2. Jane Suntken (F) 3. Lindsay Erdman 4. Marilyn Rue SUNDAY, AUGUST 13 Broadcast 9:30 a.m. ASST. MINISTER: Jane Kemp COMMUNION SERVER: Judy Schoel CANTOR: Tom Buresh 1.* Lindsay Erdman 2. Karla Erdman GREETER: Connie Buresh ACOLYTE: Lindsay Erdman 1. *Marilyn Rue 2. Jane Suntken (F) 3. Lindsay Erdman 4. Connie Buresh SUNDAY, AUGUST 20 Broadcast 9:30 a.m. ASST. MINISTER: Chris Hick COMMUNION SERVER: Linda Wolfs CANTOR: Megan Buckingham 1.* Lyle Otte 2. Tim Schoel GREETER: Janeen Christy ACOLYTE: 1. *Carol Hasvold 2. Jane Suntken (F) 3. Lois Finanger 4. Bev Nelson SUNDAY, AUGUST 27 Broadcast 11:00 a.m. ASST. MINISTER: Harland Nelson COMMUNION SERVER: Jane Kemp CANTOR: Kate Narveson 1.* Lyle Otte 2. Jerry Aulwes GREETER: Amalia Vagts ACOLYTE: Maggie Norris 1.*Anna Norris 2. Jane Suntken (F) 3. Diane Kruse 4. JoAnn Aulwes August Altar Guild: Glendalu Wuest (convener), Kim Kavan, Jane Kemp September Newsletter Deadline August 17 5

6 Good Shepherd Announcements HELLO GOOD SHEPHERD FROM THE WICKS FAMILY, Exciting times for us here as we look to the next steps in the seminary journey. Nathan completed his second year of study and will be serving as Intern at St. John's - Bliedorn in Grand Mound, Iowa, in the coming year. This will be a great opportunity to learn the ins and outs of pastoral work and life with a lovely rural congregation 40 miles south of Dubuque. Sarah will also be completing an internship this Fall as a hospital social worker at Mercy Medical Center in Dubuque and then anticipates graduating from her MSW program in December. Karl continues to grow like sweet corn, turning 4 in May. And the most exciting news is that our family has grown with the birth of Ellis Shea on June 17th, a happy and healthy boy. We celebrated his baptism at Good Shepherd on July 9th. Nathan and Sarah Wicks at Wartburg Seminary COMMUNION BREAD BAKERS WELCOME AND NEEDED: As you know, we bake our own gluten free Communion bread each week. If you would be interested in helping out with the baking, please contact Jeri Laursen ( or jeri.laursen@gmail.com) who coordinates the baking schedule. We welcome new bakers. You do not have to be a member of Altar Guild to bake and the process is quite simple. All ingredients are provided and lessons or guidance for baking are available. NEW BENCHES INSTALLED: Three new chocolate brown benches with backs are being installed to replace the wooden benches on the Good Shepherd grounds. Paid for from the 2016 Depot grant, the new Garden Benches are built by Berlin Gardens of poly lumber, also known as high-density polyethylene or HDPE. Constructed of 95% recycled content, with the majority coming from milk bottles collected in community recycling programs, the benches are in step with Good Shepherd s emphasis on proactive activity focusing on environmental stewardship issues. THANK YOU FROM THE BLAIRS: Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your expressions of love, support and prayers as we journeyed through our dear father Maynard s passing through the cross into New Life. Your prayers helped us move through this time and will continue to strengthen and help us in the days ahead. May God bless and console each of you as you have all so graciously consoled and loved us. Sincerely and with Thanks, Love and Resurrection, Hope and Joy, Pr. Mike, Sue, Kate, Ben Blair and all of the Blair Family. GOOD SHEPHERD'S COFFEE PROJECT ENDS After more than 15 years, Good Shepherd will be discontinuing our sales of fairly traded coffee. This social justice project through Lutheran World Relief has been well supported by the congregation and has made a difference in the lives of coffee farmers around the world. Now, LWR is changing suppliers and the new products are as yet unknown in terms of quality and cost. More fairly traded products are readily available in a variety of local outlets, so our sales have slowed. Consequently, we will be selling our remaining inventory and will no longer be ordering more products. We are not able to discount the remaining coffee and tea, as we sell everything with only a few cents of overhead included in the price. Please help us by purchasing the remaining coffee and tea when we are set up to sell during fellowship time during the next few months. The Congregation Council has committed to continue using fairly traded coffee for all fellowship events. For the time being, fellowship coffee will be purchased directly from the Oneota Food Coop. LEFT AT CHURCH: One adult red Eddie Bauer jacket and one adult blue Luther jacket. If yours, please claim at the coat rack by the Fellowship Hall. Will be taken to the Depot if not claimed by August 15. 6

7 Good Shepherd Celebrates Decorah s Nisse Lady Laura Hoeg During Nordic Fest Laura ( ), her husband Victor, and their children Carol and Bob were Charter Members of Good Shepherd. Her daughter, Carol Hoeg Oliver, has recently published a book about her mother, The Curve of Her Life: Folk Artist Laura Hjelle Hoeg. The book is available at Vesterheim s Museum Store and Dragonfly books. Carol signed her book at the Museum Store during Nordic Fest and attended Good Shepherd s Nordic Fest worship service and signed previously purchased books during the Fellowship Hour. Readers will find photos and many references to familiar Decorah and Good Shepherd folks and events as well as expressions of Laura s faith and appreciation for her friends and spiritual life at Good Shepherd. Good Shepherd s collections of Laura Hoeg s works were displayed on the Narthex table and in the Fellowship Hall during Nordic Fest week. Ten Nisse representing a variety of shapes, sizes, and styles were displayed and two of her five large Advent-Christmas panels, which depict the Nativity of our Lord in pictures and word, are currently hung on the wall. One panel provides the Christmas story from Luke; the other depicts shepherds tending sheep, listening to an angel. Photos of the Nisse display and the five Advent- Christmas panels can be found on our website About the Advent-Christmas Panels Five 4x8 panels depicting the Nativity of our Lord in pictures and words were created and painted by Laura and first hung on the east wall of the original sanctuary for the Advent-Christmas seasons of 1959; they served as a backkdrop for the altar. Over the years, these panels have been displayed in the renovated Fellowship Hall during these seasons of the church year; they were featured in 2008 as part of the congregation s 50th anniversary celebration. Grapevines, leaves, and flowers are integrated into the designs and borders of each panel. When hung in order, the first, third, and fifth pictorial panels depict shepherds tending sheep, listening to an angel; the Holy Family in the stable with angels above; and the Wise Men bearing gifts with the star overhead. The words on the second and fourth panels provide accounts of Jesus birth from Matthew and Luke. Submitted by Elizabeth Kaschins 7

8 Social Justice For Such a Time As This Pray. Fast. Act. On May 18 th of this year, ELCA Bishop Elizabeth Eaton and Bishop Michael Curry of The Episcopal Church issued a joint statement in response to the proposed deep cuts to the federal budget which, if enacted, would adversely affect programs that are vital to hungry people struggling with poverty. In their statement they said: God s intention is the flourishing of all people, and we are called to participate in God s loving purpose by standing with our neighbors who struggle with poverty and hunger. The title of their joint statement, For Such a Time as This is taken from the book of Esther, in the Hebrew Scriptures. Esther, a Jew, was the wife of the Persian king. When plans were made to slaughter all the Jews in the empire, Esther s cousin Mordechai pleaded with her to go to the king and use her voice to advocate for the Jewish people, even though this might place her own life in danger. He urged her not to remain silent, as she may have been sent for such a time as this. Esther asked people to fast and pray with her for three days to fortify her advocacy before the king. With faith and courage Esther then went before the king to advocate for her people. The king relented, and the Jewish people were saved. Bishops Eaton and Curry believe that the times we are living in call for prayer, fasting, and concrete action on behalf of the most vulnerable members of our society, and the global community, whose well-being is threatened by the proposed budget cuts. They ve urged churches to undergird their advocacy by engaging in the spiritual disciples of prayer and fasting. They have designated the 21 st day of each month as a day set aside for fasting and prayer, in solidarity with those who are dependent on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and who often exhaust that important benefit by the 21 st day of the month. They are encouraging congregations to participate in this action throughout the duration of the 118 th Congress. You can find out more about this initiative by going to the following website: You can also learn more about other initiatives that are taking place through the ELCA Advocacy Network. And best of all, you can discover practical ways that you can participate and make your voice heard on behalf of vulnerable people for such a time as this. Pr. Marion FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH FOOD PANTRY UPDATE The Social Concerns committee of First Lutheran Church is pleased to announce that the food pantry located at First Lutheran has a new title: The Decorah Community Food Pantry. We have been actively reaching out to area congregations for their community support. We have also established a new pantry board of representatives from local church congregations. It is exciting that this ministry will one day have a new venue that will be much larger and better equipped to handle the day-to-day operations. Going forward, it is important that all future contributions and memorials be made out to The Decorah Community Food Pantry. Thanks for your past and future support! Note: Pastor Amy reports that Steven Zittergruen is Good Shepherd's representative to the new pantry board. 8

9 WELCA Triennial Convention/Gathering Report Beverly Nelson and Bev Sheridan recently attended the 10th Triennial Gathering of the Women of the ELCA in Minneapolis. Bev was a voting member representing the Northeast Iowa Synodical Women s Organization. The NEISWO had six voting members. A total of 302 voting members were at the Convention from July We elected a new executive board for with Lisa Plorin from the Western North Dakota Synod as our president. Lisa brings a lot of energy to the board. We have a very diverse group of women with 11 in the age group and 5 under 50 and 5 over 65. Also there are 14 Caucasian, 3 African American, 2 Asian American, 1 Native American Hawaiian and 1 Hispanic women elected to the board. We approved a $3,123,000 budget and resolutions to raise awareness of domestic violence and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. We also had a worship service with Holy Communion on Tuesday and heard from Bishop Elizabeth Eaton regarding the State of the ELCA. God is Good, All the Time. The Gathering started on Thursday afternoon for all women with a service of Holy Communion and Bishop Eaton giving our message. A meet and greet with Bishop Eaton was held at the outside plaza of the Convention center. In the evening, Kelly Fryer discussed the summer Bible study, Saying Goodbye to Nice, from the Gather magazine and then was part of a panel discussion along with Bishop Eaton. On Friday, we heard from Leymah Gbowee, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and ELCA International Leaders scholarship recipient. Saturday s speaker was the Rev Alexia Salvatierra who spoke to us about upending the tables. We concluded on Sunday with a service of Holy Communion and a very dynamic preacher in the Rev Angela Khabeb. In the afternoons, we were able to go to the Ra ah village to visit exhibits, do hands-on projects, walk the labyrinth, vote on the quilt challenge and have our picture taken with Martin Luther, among other activities. Workshops were offered twice on Friday and Saturday afternoon. We attended Sabbath: the Revolutionary R&R; You are not Alone: Facing shame with faith, courage and love; Five Gifts of Discipleship: Living our faith in Daily life; You, God s Children, End Trafficking; Reading the Women of the Hebrew Bible and Peace at the Last. Ask us about our favorite workshop. Beverly also attended a first time attendee breakfast on Friday morning for over 1300 women. There was a total of 3,322 women in attendance at the Gathering. She was able to visit the LWR warehouse in St Paul on her way to the Gathering. We also had the opportunity for a morning worship each day, a contemplative Nordic evening prayer service, a midday organ recital and a National Lutheran Choir Concert, all at Central Lutheran Church. Thank you to all for your support, it was truly a great experience. We would encourage all women to attend one of these events. The 2020 event will be July in Phoenix, AZ. All the Time, God is Good. Submitted by Bev Sheridan 9

10 THANK YOU to all who helped to make our Krumkake Demo and Sale a success. It takes many hands for this project and we are so happy to have everyone s help. It was a fun couple of weeks baking and getting to visit with members of the congregation. We have been asked to provide a hearty snack for our Vacation Bible School, August Signup sheets for food and kitchen help will be available in the Narthex on Sundays. If you have suggestions for a healthy snack for young people, contact Bev Sheridan-new ideas are always welcome. I am in need of a couple of people to coordinate this project. Again this year, we will be collecting items for LWR SCHOOL KITS. School supplies are on sale right now so it is a good time to start stocking up. Items needed are 70 sheet notebooks of wide or college-ruled paper, 30 cm ruler, pencil sharpener, blunt scissors, #2 unsharpened pencils, black or blue ballpoint pens, box of 16 or 24 count crayons, 2 ½ eraser. A donation box will be set up in the Narthex. August Circle Schedule 8/22- CLA Circle - 7:00 p.m. - Jutta Anderson hosts No Other Circle meetings scheduled in August Mid-Year Treasurer s Report 1. As of June 30, our finances were in good shape. This year we budgeted for $218, in expenses and half way through the year we have spent $109, (we are a bit ahead in benevolence payments so it is not quite as tight as the numbers suggest). Our total income through June was $110,512.46, which means we are running a surplus of almost $1, For the record, our income this year is approximately $1, higher than last year. That s good news, but keep in mind that Pastor Marion s salary is not included in our budget because it comes out of a gift from an anonymous donor. As an aside, this means that as we take on new projects and activities, we will need to increase our giving. 2. I think it worth noting that during the first half of the year our members responded generously to individual appeals. By my count members have contributed, through the church, $7, to thirteen different appeals (ELCA Disaster Relief, Path to Citizenship, LWR Drought Relief, flood relief buckets project, Natalie Tapscott s work in Thailand are just some of the causes we have supported). It keeps Joyce Epperly busy writing checks, for which we owe her much thanks. 3. It is too early to provide a final report on the roof costs but you should know that Decorah Bank and Trust has agreed to lend us up to $30,000. The first and largest payment was to the roofing company for $30, Recall that we began the year with $10, in a designated fund (most was from last year s surplus) and $4, in the budget for roof repair, so to date we have used $20, of that loan. 4. Giving has not slipped too much this summer (in part this may reflect the increase in automatic, electronic giving) but it appears as if we will be a little behind at the end of July. We encourage you to keep up your giving during the summer months so that we do not fall too far behind. Submitted by John Moeller 10

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