Shepherd S FALL NeWS. Pastor s Message November We Enthusiastically. - With our love, Pastor Remo and Jo Ann Madsen

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1 Shepherd S FALL NeWS We Enthusiastically WELCOME you to church. Feel right at home; you are with family God s family! - With our love, Pastor Remo and Jo Ann Madsen 3434 Hempstead Turnpike Levittown, NY Tel: Pastor s Message November 2014 I quietly opened the door to the twins room and peeked in. I had an early start to my day and just stood gazing at them and then to the bed where Jo Ann and our daughter Sara rested from their night with the twins. They do this so that Anne can rest and be ready for her very full day with her precious girls. As I stood in the doorway I was overwhelmed with thankfulness to God for not only the twins but a family that has joyfully taken on the task of ensuring the first weeks went as well as possible in their lives. Our two boys, Jens and Paul, have also done their part. I am one thankful guy. November at our church is a month of thanksgiving and this year we invite everyone to state their blessings. We are providing envelopes for you to use to note the person and within which to enclose your Thankful Offering. The names and their association to you will be posted on the sanctuary wall, noted in the bulletin and permanently listed in our Memorial Book. This year our thanksgiving offering will be specific and this opportunity will be yours throughout the month of November. No special "Thanksgiving Offering" will be taken this month as these "Thankful Offerings" take it's place. Normally we take a generic Thanksgiving Offering. This year we are stepping it up and asking everyone to personally declare what they are thankful for. It may be, like me, for the twins and also the caring family which has pitched in. It might be for a deceased person who has made a difference in your life. Or maybe you wish to honor an individual who has made an impact in your life. Perhaps all of the above.

2 Volume 6, Issue 11 Page 2 Never Give Up is still ongoing. You still have time to join our group. We meet at 7:30PM on Wednesdays. Our topics of discussion include: Never Give up on yourself, Never refuse to live in fear, Confronting your fears, Never give up on what s important to you. We hope you will all join this very enlightening series. ~Offered by Jo Ann Madsen ~ Congratulations to the winner of our First Fitness Challenge Barbara Montelione. Many thanks to all our participants and a special thanks to Kevin Honig for helping us keep track and stay on track. challenge will begin in February. forward to our next Fitness Challenge! Our next We look Our Young at Heart program for Seniors continues to flourish. We will be offering Painting Classes, N e w g a m e s, Ceramics, Knitting and soon to come - Free Hearing Screening and Questions & Answers on hearing. Last but not least, our very successful exercise program. WE hope you will join us for these activities. We will be packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child on Sunday, November 16th. at the 10:30 service. If you are able to help, we need volunteers to wrap. We also need donation of items for the boxes. Please take a copy of the supply list from the lobby. All donations must be received on/before November 16th. Due to a scheduling conflict, our Bus trip to The Thomas Edison National Historic Park has been cancelled. All money received to date will be refunded within the next couple of weeks. Watch your bulletins for our next bus trip. We look forward to a fun adventure. We would like to thank all the volunteers who came to help us during our pumpkin patch this year. We would especially like to thank Ginette Gambella, Beverly Shaw, John & Rose Kallas, Anthony Ferraro, Peter Potocnick, Steve McDougal, Jack Kinder, Curt Neznamy, Al Ott and all other volunteers. Your love and dedication is an inspiration to us all.

3 Page 3 This November is the month of Thanksgiving for God s many blessings upon us. On November 2nd we will especially be counting our blessings. For all those who have gone before us and those still among us that we would like to celebrate, we are dedicating a special page in our memorial book. We are inviting you to give a special donation in honor of a loved one that you would like to celebrate. Envelopes will be mailed with the newsletters and available next week in the bulletins. In addition, we will also be listing the names of our loved ones passed. Please complete the form in the middle of your bulletins and leave in the offering basket. Come celebrate with your church of Joy. The flowers in the Altar are used for celebrations, in Memory of a loved one or a special occasion. If you would like to dedicate the flowers on a special date, please sign your name and list the reason. Cost of the flowers is $25. Join us on November 23rd at the fellowship hall after both services for a slice of Pie. Let s all join together to count our blessings and enjoy the company of o u r c h u r c h family. Join us on Saturday, December 6th from 10AM to 5PM for our annual Holiday Craft Fair. Vendor opportunities are available for $40 for an 8foot table and 2 chairs. If you would like to be a vendor, please come down to the office and pick up a form or contact the office at Our Kitchen committee is looking for volunteers to help with the Setup & Clean up of the coffee on Sundays. If you are able to help, please let us know so we can add your name to the calendar. Contact our church office by: gslcoffice@gmail.com or call

4 Volume 6, Issue 11 Page 4 Our church s All Saints Sunday will be celebrated on November 2nd to remember and honor the saints and the saintly that have passed from this life to life eternal. We annually reflect upon the good life that these people have led on this Earth. We are encouraging everyone to join us in celebrating the saints and the saintly, throughout the month of November here at Good Shepherd, those that have gone before us and those that are still living among us. On each of the Sundays in November we will accept the names and your relationships to those people that you would like to have publically honored and remembered in our lobby, on our church walls, on the screen at the beginning of the service, and permanently entered into our church memorial book. An optional donation to the church to honor these special people would be welcome. Please note that we will not be having our traditional Thanksgiving stewardship drive this year. Forms and envelopes to use for this occasion have been mailed. Extra forms (if needed) are available in the pews or you can make additional copies. Place the completed forms and/or envelopes into the weekly offering plate. Please add the following name to our Memorial Book: In Loving Memory In Honor of In Celebration of ENCLOSED $: ENVELOPE # Name: Address:

5 Page 5 Jessie Collins, John Boglioli, Barbara Dolise, The Neznamy Family, Sally Ducey, Rose Kallas, Evelyn O Brien, Linda Stilianos, Arlene Giese, Diane Marone, Nori Ott,, Joan Blitzer, John Strouse, Jr., Camie Kalliher, Natalie and Dixie, Ray Dean, Sr., Ralph Greener, Rania Talhani, Gary Regan, Allison Keeshan We would like to thank all the members who donated mittens, hats, scarves & gloves for our Mitten Tree. May God bless you for your kindness and generosity. The Ladies of WELCA The ladies from our WELCA team are collecting box tops for education for our local schools as well as the Navajo Indians in Arizona. We ask that you save these labels and donate as many as you can. Thank you in advance for your generous donations. FOOD PANTRY ITEMS FOR NOVEMBER 2014 The following items are needed: Mashed potato mix, canned yams, tin of cookies, boxed stuffing, gravy, cake mix, bath tissue, Coffee, Apple juice, canned milk, tuna fish, oil, paper towels, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, dish soap. We are also accepting store cards from supermarkets Please give your store card donations to Sonia Schmidt or JoAnn Madsen on Sunday. Any items you are able to donate will be greatly appreciated and we thank you for your continued love and dedication. Also, we serve God in this way. All donations can be brought to the secretary s office during the week or to the lobby on Sunday.

6 Page 6 As the season of giving thanks approaches, we continue to be grateful that we have accomplished so much towards our deficit drive. We are almost there!!!! To Date $14,358 Our current receipts for the deficit total are $14,358. We are more than halfway there, but still need your help to reach our goal. Let s join together so that we can continue to thrive with our programs for our members as well as throughout our community. Please consider making a donation towards our deficit. Every little bit counts!!! On Sunday November 16 th we will welcome our Thrivent Representative, Derrick Lundquist for a brief introduction. Thrivent is a fraternal financial firm that has been working with Lutheran and other congregations to help them with personal financial decisions. Hear how Thrivent makes a difference to its members and congregations and how they matter here at Good Shepherd and around the world. At this time also our representative will be presenting our congregation with a special gift. In addition to the introduction, Derrick will also be available during the coffee hour to set up individual appointments.. We encourage you to bring your friends and family to this opportunity as well. All are welcome.

7 Volume 6, Issue 11 Page 7 Easy Shepherd's Pie 1 lb. ground beef 2 cups hot mashed potatoes 4oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed 1 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 cups frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn and green beans), thawed 1 cup beef gravy Preparation Instructions: Heat oven to 375 degrees BROWN meat in large skillet; drain. MIX potatoes, cream cheese, 1/2 cup Cheddar and garlic until blended. COMBINE meat, vegetables and gravy; spoon into 9-inch square baking dish. COVER with potato mixture and remaining cheddar. Bake 20 min. or until heated through. SHARE THE WEALTH: We invite you this summer to Share your recipes with us. Every month, we will be selecting 1 or 2 recipes to include in our newsletters. Perhaps you have a recipe that you d like to share? Or one you ve seen. Together we can make our newsletters more inviting and appealing.

8 Good Shepherd Lutheran Church A Church of Joy!!! ALL ARE WELCOME Nonprofit Org. US Postage Paid Permit No. 111 Levittown, NY 3434 Hempstead Tpke Levittown, NY Phone: gslcoffice@gmail.com pastorremo@gmail.com Upcoming/Current Events November 16 December 6 December 14 Operation Christmas Child Holiday Craft Fair Christmas Pageant Visit our New refreshed Website at to find out more about our upcoming events. We are always available for you - please call us anytime... Pastor Remo: Jo Ann: