No Sunday School class until January 8th.

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Following the service we will post the recorded service to our YouTube channel and our website on the sermon page gslutheran.org/sermons.

You do not need a Facebook account to view our livestreamed services.

Pre-packaged communion will be available for anyone interested in participating in the sacrament of Holy Communion while watching a livestream/taped service. Please stop by during normal office hours, or contact the church office if you need help in obtaining these sacraments for your at home use. Pastor Rosy has offered to deliver it to anyone in the area. 

We give thanks to God for the opportunity to gather together and celebrate as the Good Shepherd community.

It is not too late to submit your offering pledge forms. As a reminder, please be sure to submit a new Simply Giving Authorization Form if you are changing your Simply Giving amount in any way. 

COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS

At the December meeting the 2022 Church Council voted to:

• Approve Atlanta Arbor as the vendor for the following work: removal of trees from retention ponds, removal of unsightly trees and trees overhanging church parking lot  
• Approve Pr. Rosy's housing allowance for 2023

Council discussed:

• November cash flow was ahead, although YTD is still slightly negative

Council lifted up for accolades:

• Outgoing Council members Tony Endozo, Alena Ezell, John Bost, Ron Mixon, Ben Setzer, and treasurer Carrie Escamilla.

The 2023 Council elected officers for 2023:

President: Holly Jones

VIce President: Matt Provost

Secretary: Gordon Swordsma

Treasurer: TBD

Financial Secretary: Sharron Ryan  

Final Wednesday Morning Advent Devotion

Pastor Rosy will be leading a time of lighting Advent candles, song, devotion and prayer every Wednesday, at 10AM LIVE on our Facebook page during Advent.

Week 4: Philippians 3: 3-11

These services will be livestreamed at facebook.com/gslcwoodstock

You do not need a Facebook account to watch any of our LIVE services.

Pastor Rosy will be doing House Blessing during Epiphany from January 9-26. You do have to sign up using the link below. You do not have to be home when she comes by. She will be using chalk to mark the exterior portion of your home door frame. If you’d like a home blessing in the new year, use the link below to sign up!

If your address has changed in the last year, please email Pastor Rosy to ensure she is blessing the correct home!

https://doodle.com/bp/rosalinarivera/home-blessings

New Member Class

A new member class will meet every other Sunday, beginning January 15th and use the study “Come and Grow with Us”. The study will introduce new and prospective members (or current members) to Christian faith and Lutheran practices in a nonthreatening, airy, user-friendly format. All are welcome to attend. Classes will be in between services in the small room adjacent to the Entryway. New Member Sunday will be March 5th.

The church office will be closed December 26 & 27 & January 2^nd and 3^{rd for the Christmas and New Year holidays.}

You May Have Been Assigned a Servant Role in December and January

The Sunday Servant Worship Schedule can be found by clicking the button and viewing on our website. There is a link on our home page under "Quick Links."

We have very limited servants signed up for Assisting Minister, Acolyte and Crucifer for both services. Please prayerfully consider if you are willing to serve in one of these roles.

If switching to a new role, please email our Office Coordinator so she can add you to our schedules. Also, please let the office know in advance if you are scheduled, or future plans have you going away and cannot serve. Thank you.

LADIES NIGHT OUT

Tuscany, December 20th, 7 PM. Sign-up in Fellowship Hall. We are looking for a new Ladies Night Out Coordinator for 2023. Contact the church office, if you are interested.

CARE FOR CREATION

Soles 4 Souls (S4S) has been collecting new and gently worn shoes for years, and our GSLC youth have spent several mission trips sorting shoes at their facility in Nashville, TN.

Our Caring for Creation Team and youth will be collecting new and gently used shoes for S4S during the month of January. Collection boxes, decorated by our GSLC youth, will be in the Fellowship Hall. A friendly competition of whose box gets the most shoes wins a prize for our youth. Now clean out that closet! 

We are now collecting used eyeglasses. A box is located in Fellowship Hall. These will be donated to the Lion's Club.

Our next Caring for Creation meeting will be Wednesday, January 11, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom. We will be working on new ways to care for God's glorious creation during the coming year. 

We continue to collect oral care waste for recycling. These items are mailed to TerraCycle where they are made into plastic pellets which can be made into outdoor furniture of playground equipment.  

Hefty energy bags for hard to recycle plastics are available in the Fellowship Hall for a nominal charge. These are collected on Two-Can Sunday and taken to the appropriate recycling facility. 

We also continue to collect used batteries to take to the appropriate recycling facility. This keeps the toxic materials out of landfills. 

YARN ANGELS

Our next meeting will be on Monday, January 16th, from 11 AM to 1 PM, at the home of Susan Epling.

Connect with the ELCA and SE Synod

•  December Edition: Southeastern Synod E-News (new edition)
• December Edition: ELCA Monthly publication "Seeds Monthly"
• Southeastern Synod Advent/Christmas Devotional
• Christmas Story - Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton

Faith Stories meets Sunday mornings at 9:45 AM titled, "“Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the US”. Book available on Amazon. We meet in room 117.

Thursday Morning Bible Study

We will have our potluck luncheon on December 22. We will start a new study on January 5th.

Our next study, beginning January 5th at 10 AM, “An Unexpected Revival”: Experiencing God’s Goodness through Disappointment and Doubt An 8 week study of Ezekiel.

Encounter a unique picture of revival through Ezekiel's prophecies in this 8-week Bible study, An Unexpected Revival: Experiencing God's Goodness through Disappointment and Doubt. God chose to spark revival through people who seemed counted out, cast aside, and disregarded. However, God pursues us with His goodness desiring to bring revival to our broken hearts.

THEOLOGY ON TAP

 New location at Game Day. Every other week, beginning January 4th at 7 PM. Join us for fun, fellowship and answers/discussions challenging your faith. All are welcome.

Blood Drive

The next blood drive is January 7th, from 8 am until 1 pm. If you want to give blood please go online to redcross.org and sign up. All presenting donors are offered a chance to win Super Bowl tickets in Phoenix and a Cheeseburger Bobby's coupon!

The Outreach Committee will be collecting gently used children's books to give to The Encouragement Project the entire month of January. They will deliver them to children in need. There will be plastic bins in the Fellowship Hall labeled for the collections. 

HOLIDAY OUTREACH

Thank you for supporting Clark Creek Elementary school with your generous gifts. You all have gone above and beyond and made Christmas special for so many families.

Thank you!

BENEVOLENCE FUND

Many of you know that we have a Benevolence Fund. This fund allows us to assist people in our community with utilities, groceries and emergency fuel for vehicles. We currently have depleted most of these funds and would like to ask members to prayerfully consider giving funds specifically for benevolence. You can also purchase gift cards for gas or groceries and donate those too. If you are writing a check, please indicate in the memo line “Benevolence”. Thank you to those who have already contributed to this fund.  

LAST CALL FOR REGISTERING FOR VBS

BUILD OUR LIBRARY

As Youth & Family Ministry continues to expand, so does our library! We are looking to start a book drive & donation for new books to fill our Worship Bags and Children’s library. All you have to do is grab one of the pictures of books hanging outside of Melina’s office, purchase it, and place it back in her mailbox. With Christmas season right around the corner, what better time to tell the tales of celebration via books! Please contact Melina with any questions. 

PRAYERS@GSLUTHERAN.ORG

This is our e-mail address for you to submit prayer concerns. Prayers will be posted to the Prayer Circle, via e-mail, during normal business hours. You can also drop us an e-mail at this same e-mail address if you would like to be a part of the Prayer Circle.

Keep costs at GSLC down: print Sunday's bulletin today and bring it with you Sunday morning to service.

 Sunday's worship bulletin access here: 

Worship Bulletin: 10:30 insert page

Donate Online

Go in peace. Christ is near.