Pastor s Pen Stewardship:

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1 Pastor s Pen Stewardship: FIRST AND FOREMOST, A GIFT FROM GOD TO YOU! In This Issue From the Pen of the Pastor Church News & Events Birthdays & Anniversaries May Calendar Kids Page

2 SOMETHING IS IN THE AIR! We can feel it in the Mid-South and it s the sure feeling that He alone is my Rock and Salvation.! As Christians, we can be confident Jesus will always be there for us, we can count on Him and trust in Him. One of the things Chattanooga is known for is the nickname, Rock City. Lookout Mountain is the rock we can see in the distance from just about every vantage point. We count on it being there, it has always been there. But for strength in faith and everlasting salvation, our eyes look upon Jesus Christ, for He truly is our only Rock and Salvation. He has always been there for us, and will always be there for us! The LWML needs our help!! The ladies of the Lutheran Women s Missionary League are doing TWO servant events and are in need of certain items now un l June. Servant Event 1: Collec on for District Conven on Items Needed: 300 each of Travel Size: Soaps, Lo ons, Shampoos and Condi oners. These items will be assembled into Hygiene Kits for the Cha anooga Community Kitchen on Friday, June 22 from 12 noon-2:30 pm at the conven on. Servant Event 2: LWML In-Gathering Items needed: Regular size: Laundry Detergent, Paper Towels, Dish Detergent, Flip Flops, and all size Feminine pads. These items will be donated to the Cha anooga Room in the Inn, a Chris an non-profit shelter, that runs 24 hrs. Their mission is to empower local homeless women and their children to become self-sufficient through programs while offering a temporary home.

3 Is Grace Place a Success? How does one measure the success of a ministry? Attendance? Donations? Baptisms? Number communing? New members? Some things cannot be measured in the present time. I recall a quote by Henry Adams when I was in public education, A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. I feel the same about our third service on Saturday nights that we call Grace Place. We can look back at the beginnings of our second service, the Contemporary Service, and see over the 23 years of its existence, how God has blessed Good Shepherd as well as the hundreds of worshippers who have attended. Following the history of our third service, one can see the workings of the Holy Spirit, especially as we realize that this service is less than six months old. How did it all begin? First, the Board for Lay Ministry brought a recommendation to Servant Council in the summer of 2017 to consider a third service for the purpose of reaching out to the community. The service was intended for those who cannot worship on Sundays due to work commitments or family obligations. We realized that there were a small number of Protestant churches providing this opportunity for worship. One can see the popularity of various service times by looking at the Catholic churches who provide as many as five services each weekend including Friday and Saturday nights. Servant Council liked the idea of a Saturday worship and called a special Voters meeting for the purpose of having an open and informational discussion as well as receiving any suggestions from the voters. The feeling was positive, so Servant Council proceeded with a second called Voters meeting to authorize moving forward. On Nov 5, 2017, a third Voters meeting was held, and a limited call was extended to Pastor Ed Rosser for the position of Assistant Pastor to lead the Saturday service. The work and planning began within our membership to prepare for the first service on December 9 th. The advice of other churches who had a Saturday service suggested that a special season like Christmas might help attendance initially. A committee of various leaders from the church boards was formed to provide input to Pastor Rosser and the Board Lay Ministry. The committee liked the name, Grace Place. It sets a tone of a relaxed, informal, accepting, come as you are, non-threatening worship service. The name suggests a place where the love of Jesus can be explained in everyday and easy to understand terms. How to get the word out and what to do about music were two major concerns. The Board for Church Growth answered the first concern by planning and directing a canvassing on the Sunday before the first Saturday service. Thirty routes near GSLC were designated, and over 50 members placed flyers on mail boxes or doors. Church Growth continues their outreach by contacting apartments in our surrounding area and asking to place an announcement on their community bulletin board. The second concern, music, was taken care of by the Holy Spirit. Anna Hipp, wife of the choir director at First Lutheran, talked with Pastor Rosser about assisting on the piano. Later she was joined by her husband, Justin. Like the other two services at Good Shepherd, the music is a spiritually uplifting part of the service. So how do we measure the success of Grace Place? Attendance averages each week. Ten to twelve of those attending are visitors. Fifteen to twenty of our members who work or are busy on Sundays attend. About twenty of our members worship both Saturday and Sunday. Each week seems to bring someone new. To date (4/21/2018) there have been 537 attendees. In the twelve services there have been in attendance: forty different visitors, nine inactive GSLC members and 101 active GSLC members. At a recent service, a lay minister videoed the sermon, as well as a musical selection by the Hipps. By nine o clock the next morning the sermon had 50 views, and the musical selection had 125 views. The next time a recording was made, the sermon had 225 views, and the music had 1225 in a week s time. By utilizing Face Book Boost, Church Growth is now spreading the news about Grace Place into East Ridge and other communities. Pastor Rosser offered a Bible study Saturday, April 21, beginning at 4:45 and seventeen people attended. In measuring the success of Grace Place, we only need ask, Do we see the Holy Spirit working at Good Shepherd in the ministry of Grace Place? The answer comes back a resounding, YES! I believe that Grace Place will have an effect on eternity, and we may never tell where its influence stops. Jimmy Smith President, GSLC

4 Saturday evenings! 4:45-5:30 pm, before the Grace Place service. Led by Pastor Rosser

5 Questions? Contact Lane McKown May 6 Confirmands May 13 Mark Steele May 20 Daryle Massengill May 27 Dan Jacobs June 3 Mike Cameron Questions? Contact Bernie Hilbrandt May Chair: Nicole Chadwell Questions? Contact Ruth Ebert

6 Belvoir Chris an Academy announces New Principal, Mr. David Topp Dear BCA and Church Families, On behalf of the Belvoir Chris an Academy (BCA) Board of Directors, I am pleased to announce that Mr. David W. Topp of Houston, Texas has accepted the Call to serve as the principal of BCA. Mr. Topp will begin work on July 1, Mr. Topp is currently the principal at Pilgrim Lutheran School in Houston where he also serves as teacher and coach. Prior to serving in Houston, Mr. Topp was the principal, teacher and athle c director at Trinity Lutheran School in Kalispell, Montana. He began his teaching career as a teacher and coach at Christ Lutheran School in Murray, Utah. Mr. Topp is in his 23 rd year of his Chris an educa on ministry. Mr. Topp has earned a Master's of Educa on in Curriculum from Doane University in Crete, Nebraska, a Lutheran Teaching Diploma from Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska, and a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Elementary Educa on from Doane University. The Topps have four grown children. The Board of Directors would like to thank Mr. Frank Streufert for serving as the interim principal for the school year. Mr. Streufert provided both administra ve and spiritual leadership for the school, and the Board of Directors are very apprecia ve of his dedica on and service. Mr. Streufert will be teaching full- me and also serving as the athle c director effec ve July 1, The Board of Directors is looking forward to working with Mr. Topp as he begins his ministry at BCA. Please welcome David and his wife, Denise, to BCA and Cha anooga when they arrive in June. Sincerely, Edward A. Stephens, Jr. Chairman, Belvoir Chris an Academy Board of Directors

7 MAY 2018 EVERY SUNDAY Tradi onal Service 9 am Contemporary Service 11:15 am All Ages Sunday School 10:10 am Crossways 2 pm EVERY MONDAY Blessing Place/MDO 9am 2pm Library is booked 5:30 pm Square Dance Class 6:30 pm EVERY WEDNESDAY Blessing Place/MDO 9am 2pm Bulle n Ar cle Deadline Noon Wednesday Meal 5 6:15 pm Youth Group 6:30 pm Choir Prac ce 7 pm GSLC Orchestra 8:30 pm Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat May 1 10:30 am 2 3 National Day of Prayer Feed the Homeless 5:30 pm 4 Erlanger ICU Meal 11:30 am 5 6 Blended 10 am! Prayer Group 6 pm BCA Faculty/Staff LWML 10 am Appreciation Week Super Tuesday Meetings 14 BCA School Board 6 pm 15 10:30 am 9 10 Ascension Day Trad. Worship Comm. 7 pm 16 Last Wed. Night dinner until Sept. 17 Chemo Caps Group 10:30 am Prayer Quilt Group 10 am LWML District Workshop 9 am MITES Sunday BCA PTL Meeting 6 pm Servant Council 6:05 pm 20 Pledge Sunday Lay Ministry Board 6:30 pm Office Closed 22 10:30 am 29 10:30 am First Day of BCA Summer Camp 23 BCA Graduation 7 First 24 BCA Cook-Out, Fun Day & Talent Show JUNE Erlanger ICU Meal 11:30 am JUNE 2 BIRTHDAYS 5/1- Brogen Baker 5/2 Bill Thomas 5/4 Kaitlyn Brannan 5/5 Barbara Smith 5/5 Chuck Rankin 5/6 Gail Meyer 5/6 Tyler Meyer 5/8 Danielle Downey 5/8 Kathy Garner 5/8 Mark Steele 5/9 Gene Ebert 5/9 Brenley Baker 5/10 Ruth Ebert 5/11 Brandon Earnshaw 5/11 Nancy Graham 5/12 Frances Mayfield 5/12 Scott Jarvis Birthdays & Anniversaries 5/13 Toni Overby 5/13 Andrew Swain 5/14 Shelia Hall 5/14 Frank Sorrells 5/14 Ed Robertson 5/15 Kirsten Humble 5/15 Karen Meinert 5/15 Nicole Norey 5/16 Bailey Garner 5/16 Emily Patton 5/17 Krissi Whitaker 5/17 Michael Morris 5/18 Tiffany Mosby 5/19 Ansley Valencia 5/23 Chris George 5/23 Amelia McCall 5/23 Joanne Shilling 5/23 Joey Lutz 5/24 Dave Mietzner 5/26 Karen Lumpkin 5/28 Alex Mefford 5/28 Jim Hamblen 5/30 Juanita Hamblen 5/30 Rev. Ed Rosser ANNIVERSARIES 5/7 Jeff & Toni Fountain (1988) 5/10 John & Shannon Donahey (2013) 5/12 Robert & Peggy Alsop (1990) 5/14 Jeff & Donna Henson (1988) 5/15 Stephen & Carol Humble (1993) 5/20 Bill & Donna Thomas (1978) 5/21 Wayne & Shana Baker (1994) 5/26 Paul & Jan Ruud (1995)

8 822 Belvoir Avenue Chattanooga, TN ~ GSLC STAFF Rev. H. Christopher Sheets Head Pastor Rev. Ed Rosser Assistant Pastor BethAnn Lee Church Secretary Vickie Spiegelhalter Treasurer Sandy Morris Traditional Music Director Anne Fouquet Organist Makala Bumgarner Contemporary Music Director Jill Burns Director of MDO/Blessing Place Dr. James Smith President Servant Council Lane McKown Head of Lay Ministry Worship with us! Sundays Tradi onal 9 am Sunday School 10:10 am Contemporary 11:15 am Saturdays Abigail Jarvis Nevaeh Hoover Confirma on Sunday is May 6. Blended 10 am. Recep on to follow!