Here's what's happening at . . . .

Worship & Education
ADULT CLASS THIS SUNDAY
On May 19, Ellen Dozier and Judy Nebrig will share their experiences from a recent mission trip in El Paso, where they provided assistance to newly-arriving refugees from Central and South America. The class will take place in the Fellowship Hall beginning at 9:10 a.m. and will include a slide show.

CALL COMMITTEE TO BE INSTALLED
This Sunday in worship, our call committee members will be installed. They are: David Gresham, Caroline Smith, Dave Carlson, Judy Caldwell, Roy Larson, and Kate Reinke. These members will continue to lead Good Shepherd's efforts over the next months in the search for a full-time pastor. We appreciate their willingness to serve in this way. 
PENTECOST IS JUNE 9
On Pentecost, we will hold one worship service at 10:30 a.m. Before worship, there will be an inter-generational Sunday School time beginning at 9:10 a.m. 

To help with the festivities, we need donations of ribbons: solid colors in red, orange, yellow, gold. Pieces need to be at least 5/8" wide and 12" long. Please bring your ribbon donations to the church office and label "for Jackie Jenkins." The Holy Spirit will appreciate it!
At Good Shepherd
PG'S PEN
It happens in every church. Eventually every one will have a pastoral vacancy. With Pastor Mary's departure, it is Good Shepherd's time. We have an excellent Call Committee in place and the search for the next pastor is underway, but it will take some time before she or he is here. So in the mean time what do we do (other than put up with the Interim Pastor)?
 
Here are some tips to keep LCGS a healthy Gospel Church full of Easter People, during this transition period. In fact, these are tips for any congregation with or without a pastor to be healthy as a Gospel ("Good News") Church.
 
1. Make extra efforts to build unity. Voices of discouragement and discontent are always present, and may be heard more often during a pastoral vacancy. Searching out ways to bring the congregation together in worship, learning and fellowship, giving support and encouragement to promote peace, unity and a positive attitude ("talking up" the church) always contributes to a thriving community of faith.
2. Volunteer more. Especially when there is a pastoral vacancy, but actually all the time, the more participation there is the healthier the congregation is. A church isn't as much like a restaurant where patrons are served and "pampered" as it is like a pot-luck dinner where everyone brings a dish to share.
3. Be extra faithful and understanding. During a vacancy, and any time, tasks may fall through the cracks or be forgotten about. When is the time to criticize or find fault? Never! Misunderstandings and inaccurate perceptions happen in human organizations and relationships. In the Church, health is always served when patience, kindness, readiness to help, and acknowledgment of self-fallibility are abundant.
4. Be faithful in attending worship. When a permanent pastor is missing, unfortunately absences or visitations to other churches become more frequent. But if there was ever a time your church needed you, this is it. Regular attendance in your church is always important to both promoting the attendance of others and keeping the congregation healthy.
5. Continue to contribute financially. It is vitally important to any church to have the commitment to its life and ministry through regular and generous financial contributions. In too many churches, members see not having an obligation to pay a permanent pastor as an excuse to reduce giving. Remember, we don't give to a budget, we give to the Lord and the ministry of God's Gospel. Everything we have belongs to God anyway. In our giving we both acknowledge and are enriched by that reality.
6 Be a person of prayer. People in a church must always be people sincerely devoted to prayer...but even more so during a pastoral vacancy. The future of this church or any church is in God's hands. Don't leave him out of the conversation!
 
To God be the Glory!
Pastor Graf  
CALL PROCESS UPDATE
The task team working on the Ministry Site Profile (MSP) has completed the initial draft, which will be reviewed at a special Council meeting within the next couple of weeks. It will then be revised to address Council's feedback and sent to the Call Committee for use in their training. It will be made available to congregation members following any final revisions requested by the Call Committee and subsequent approval by the Council.

DIRECTORY UPDATES
Good Shepherd staff will soon update our congregational directory. Please give any changes in your contact information to Whitney in the church office ( lcgs@comporium.net) by June 2. Thank you.
HIKE ON MAY 22
Everyone is welcome to join this group to hike the Pink Beds area on Wednesday, May 22. Meet at church at 9:30 a.m. to carpool there. The hike will include a waterfall, and will be about two miles long and mostly easy, with some elevation gain. The group will eat lunch out afterwards. 
2018 ANNUAL REPORT
The  LCGS 2018 Annual Report was sent via email to congregation members earlier this week. It is also available by clicking the link above, and hard copies are available in the church office.
AAUW BOOK SALE DONATIONS

The yellow AAUW book box in the entry area by the coat rack will be removed after church on June 2. If you have been intending to drop off books for the AAUW book sale, please do so by June 2. Thank you!
BATTER UP!
The Fellowship Committee needs your help to determine how many people would be interested in attending the afternoon Asheville Tourists home game on Sunday, July 14. With a group rate and other applicable discounts, the estimated ticket price would be only $10 - $12 per person, and we would carpool from the church parking lot following the 10:30 service coffee hour. It will be a great afternoon of fun and fellowship for LCGS members and guests of all ages!  Please sign up on the bulletin board by June 16 if you would like to attend. 
COMING SOON AT GOOD SHEPHERD . . .

Sunday, May 19
  8:00 a.m.  Worship Service (Sanctuary)
  9:00 a.m.  Coffee Hour (Fellowship Hall)
  9:10 a.m.  Joint DiGG and Intersections Class (Fellowship Hall)
  9:10 a.m.  Elementary Children's Sunday School Class (Rooms 3 & 4)
  9:00 a.m.  Nursery/Preschool Class (Room 1)
10:30 a.m.  Worship Service (Sanctuary) 
11:30 a.m.  Coffee Hour (Fellowship Hall) 

Membership & Evangelism
COMMUNITY CARE CORNER
The "Community Care Corner" feature in the weekly newsletter allows us to update you on people for whom we are praying or to submit a new prayer request. If you have an update on someone or a new prayer request to share in the Corner, please email or call the church office (lcgs@comporium.net or 883-3680) by noon on Thursday. 

Mack Shuler, father of a friend and former co-worker of Susan Case, has been diagnosed with bladder cancer. He has undergone one surgery and will have another on June 10, before starting further treatment.

Brenda, Bill Johnson's daughter, was hospitalized with pneumonia and meningitis last week. 

Nick Sapin, Russ Sena's friend, died from a heart attack last week. 
SERVING THIS SUNDAY

Interim Pastor..............................................................................Rev. Dr. Richard Graf
Minister of Music ................................................................................... David Gresham
Guest Organist ......................................................................................Adelaide Kersh
Outreach Ministry Coordinator............................................................Kimberly Dunbar
Children's Ministry Coordinator..............................................................Heather Merritt
Assisting Minister ..........................................................Ellen Dozier / Karen Anderson
Reader ...............................................................................Caroline Smith / Jia Emaus
Ushers ..............Henry & Darrell Dixon / Frank McConnell, Paul Onnink, & Ian Merritt
Acolyte ....................................................................................Ellen Dozier / Joe Smith
Greeter. ...... Bob & Ginny Landwehr / Heidi Bullock, Parker Dickens, & Hadley Merritt
Child Care during Sunday School........................................................Laurie Johnson
Elementary Sunday School Teacher......................................................Zia McConnell
Elementary Sunday School Doorperson................................................. Heidi Bullock
Child Care during Worship ..................................................................Kimberly Dunbar
Altar Care....................................................................................................Barb Meyer
Communion Bread.....................................................................................Kate Reinke
Tellers .........................................................................Debra Whiteaker & Lorel Durlak
Doorkeeper of the Day............................................................................John Colflesh
Coffee Hour.................Jody & Bob Schuld / Debi & Wayne Drake, Carol & Pete Juhl,
                                                   Kathleen & Bob Milligan, and Betsy & Lamar Propst
                                                                         
World & Community
HOME REPAIR AND FIREWOOD MINISTRY
Rivers and Carolyn Smith are working on launching a home repair and firewood ministry in Transylvania County and surrounding areas. They have been talking to people and organizational leaders in the community for input about how to shape this ministry, and continue to do so. The next meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 21, at 6:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall at First United Methodist Church. Anyone who might be interested in participating in or supporting this ministry or who would like to find out more about it are welcome to attend. 
NEWSLETTER FROM A YAGM
Here is the most recent newsletter from Rachel Heckroth, one of the Young Adults in Global Mission serving in Senegal this year under Pastor Kristin Engstom, whose work Good Shepherd helps to support. 

Rachel H. is second from the left, in orange. 
Bonjour tout le monde! Hello everyone! 
 
I am sending out my 5th newsletter of my YAGM year! I can't believe I only have one more to write before this journey comes to a close! This update focuses a lot on my feelings with beginning the goodbye process. (Here's a hint: it's so much harder than I would have thought.) 
 
But I would like to take this time to thank all of you for following me through this adventure! All of your thoughts, prayers, and support have meant the world to me and I couldn't have gotten through all the ups and downs without you! Please keep them coming my way during my last month and a half here in Senegal! They'll be very much needed and appreciated! 
 
All my love, 
Diboor Ndour
(Rachel Heckroth) 
In Our Community
TRANSYLVANIA CHORAL SOCIETY CONCERT
On Sunday, May 19 at 4:00 p.m., TCS will present "With a Voice of Singing" at the Porter Center, under the direction of our own David Gresham. Tickets are $10 each and are available through Barb Meyer ( blmeyer@comporium.net or 885-5135),  on their website, or at the door. 
BLUE RIDGE RINGERS CONCERT

The Blue Ridge Ringers will present their hand bell concert "Songs of Spring" at The First Baptist Church in Brevard on Monday, May 20, at  7:00 p.m. This will be Bob Currier's final concert with the group as he is retiring with the completion of this season's concert series. We hope to see all of our Good Shepherd folks who have been so supportive of this choir.
ELCA, NC Synod, & LWF News
ADVOCACY IN ACTION
This article was taken from the ELCA's website and was written for Living Lutheran.

The 2019 ELCA Advocacy Convening was held April 29-May 1 in Washington, D.C., gathering bishops and community leaders around the theme "Prepared to Care: Our Advocacy in Light of Disasters Intensified by Climate Change."


The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd
(828) 883-3680     lcgs@comporium.net     lutheranchurchbrevardnc.com
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