The Shepherd’s Voice ■ September 2020

TheShepherd’s

Voice

September 2020In This IssueSeptember 2020

Staying connected with our social media keeps you up

to date on the latest news and events. Share how God is

working within your life by tagging Good Shepherd in

your photos on social media.

• Interim Pastor Steve Sathre

• ABC's of Change

• God's Work Our Hands

• Youth Plan of Action

• Scholarship Awards

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Welcome Pastor Steve SathreMission Statement“Good Shepherd Lutheran Church’s mission is to share the Shepherd’s love with all of God’s Children.”

Core ValuesCalled by our Savior Jesus the Christ, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church is a Lutheran congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) that is ...• a welcoming and accepting community

where all people are welcome to receive God’s love, mercy and salvation. (Romans15:17, Galatians 3:28, Mark 9:37)

• a worshiping community of God’s children that invites all to join us in worship that involves a variety of musical, liturgical and artistic expressions. (Psalm 100:1-2, Hebrews 12:28-29, Acts 2:1-4)

• founded in adult and youth ministry education; we build on that foundation by working to facilitate the faith formation of parishioners and community members across generations and support one another in our faith journeys. (Matthew 5:3-11, Matthew 28:19-20, John 13:34-35)

• committed to serve others by living the word daily in action and deed; offering our church facilities as a gathering place for member and non-member alike; and giving of our time, talent and financial resources to support local, domestic and global ministry and mission. (Matthew 25:35-40, Mark 10:45, Luke 10:25-37)

Areas of Ministry FociEngaging the Faithful

Forming FaithHolistic Stewardship

Outreach to Community

2

Sam ArndorferChurch Coucil - President

Hello and thank you for your continued support of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church through this unprecedented year. It is with great joy I am announcing that Rev. Steve Sathre will join us as the interim Senior Pastor, beginning September 8. We thank the Western North Dakota Synod for their assistance in connecting us with Pastor Steve. He retired from Trinity Lutheran Church, Bismarck, after 33 years in ministry and recently served as interim senior pastor at Faith Lutheran. Just as our mission states “To Share the Shepherd’s Love with all of God’s children” please help me welcome Steve to our church.

Craig’s last day with Good Shepherd was Aug 14 and the congregation helped to release him from his call. It was sad to see him leave but also sweet to see him still active with our church as Bishop. The most exciting part of this is where we are as a church. Craig and the staff have formed a culture at GSLC that no matter what happens we continue to focus on the mission of our church. I think the congregation is doing a great job of this as we look at the committees that are still serving and focusing on the future. The long range planning committee recently sent out a letter with an opportunity, if you did not see this please reach out to Jason or myself. Good Shepherd Lutheran Church is still active in the community and serving many groups that need the support of our church. Thank you. It would not be possible without each and every one of you giving of your time, talents, and treasures.

I am looking forward to what God has in store for this place we call our church home. More info on our youth ministry is to come as we continue to make adjustments due to Covid. Thank you for your support and as always feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.

The Shepherd’s Voice ■ September 2020 Engaging the Faithful 3

Rev. Steve Sathre

15 I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and

understanding. ~ Jeremiah 3:15

Good Shepherd Lutheran ChurchForming Faith

ABC's of Change

Rev. Julie AndersonAssociate Pastor of Congregational Life

& Pastoral Care

4

September is one of those times of year when we deal with a fair amount of change. The season, our clothing, our schedules and our very way of life naturally adapt to the new time of year. It is the natural cycle of life.

As I have been reflecting on these times in particular we as Good Shepherd are dealing with more change than usual. We are still dealing with the effects of Covid-19 and Pastor Craig is now the Bishop for our Western North Dakota Synod. So how do we as the members of GSLC address these changes with hope and intention?

Adaptive Agility has been our status for the past six months. As things have changed, we have been able to adapt our ministry to the current circumstances. Our guide and reference is our mission statement, “Good Shepherd Lutheran Church’s mission is to share the Shepherd’s love with all of God’s Children.” It has allowed us to try some things that we have found were greatly needed. The implementation of the Digital Campus has allowed us to share the Shepherd’s love far outside the walls of the sanctuary. We are now reaching three to four times as many people with the Shepherd’s love as we did with livestreaming. The people we needed to complete these tasks came forward or were already in place. In our world today reaching people digitally is often the first contact and this community has reached out with love to many in need of hearing the Good News in a welcoming way.

Basic Biology is change. Our bodies are constantly replacing cells that have died with new cells to maintain the structure. On average a person replaces all their cells every 7 to 10 years, so each of us is a copy or adaptation of an original. An organism that is changing is alive and responsive to its environment. With each cycle we are given a chance to make adjustments to better live and grow in our environment. The older we get we need more upkeep but we also have wisdom to know what needs some change. There is an excitement and a pause with change, one drives us the other gives us time to reflect. GSLC has grown significantly in almost 60 years and the future seems to indicate we have more growth ahead of us. This is one of those time of reflection and renewal to keep us healthy and vital in a changing world.

Community Care means we work together to help each other. It takes those who see the need for change because what we have been doing feels like it needs to be updated. It takes those who can see a vision and hold it before the community to set a new path. It takes those who can assist individuals and the community through a process of reflection, refocus and renewal to establish a revised vision that uses our gifts to continue the mission we are called to. Each of us has a part to play in this process, some have the vision others the means to make it come to life. Together we respect our past on which we build our new future.

When we look back God has been preparing us for such a time as this. Our foundation is strong and the future is ripe with ministry opportunities. Now is the time to reflect and review what we need to do individually and as a community. It is amazing how when you are aware and looking you find God’s hand at work all around you. Breathe in God’s spirit of life, for our very breath is the change and source of life. The history of pastors at Good Shepherd is listed below. Pastors are called for a time to a congregation as leaders of Word and Sacrament. This timeline reflects the history of Good Shepherd as staff pastors were added to address the growth of GSLC. Good Shepherd is to be proud of the many leaders they have helped develop for the Church. It’s not every church that has been the home of two bishops who will help to lead many churches using their experience at Good Shepherd. We celebrate this legacy of leadership.

Pastors of Good Shepherd

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church -60Yearsofafirmfoundationonwhichtobuildthefuture.

Continued on next page

The Shepherd’s Voice ■ September 2020 Engaging the Faithful

September 6Ezekiel 33:7-11Psalm 119:33-40Romans 13:8-14Matthew 18:15-20September 13Genesis 50:15-21 Psalm 103:[1-7] 8-13Romans 14:1-12 Matthew 18:21-35 September 20Jonah 3:10--4:11 Psalm 145:1-8Philippians 1:21-30 Matthew 20:1-16 September 27Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32Psalm 25:1-9Philippians 2:1-13Matthew 21:23-32

SeptemberReadings

5

Bible @ Home is back With the new program year comes a new opportunity to engage the Bible stories. Since the Bible is a series of stories that build on each other, with different connections, we’ll begin at the beginning and see how these stories fit together. There are several different ways you can participate.

• Watch the weekly video reflection on the weekly story beginning Mondays at 5 am (Starts September 14). Join the BAH group on the Facebook page or Check the Bible @ Home playlist on YouTube on the Good Shepherd channel.

• A seasonal devotional book will be available at the church, website and BAH group. Do it with your household during the week or daily.

• Be part of a discussion group that meets online (for the time being) on Wednesdays at 10:30 am. Bring your questions and insights.

Experience the depth and breadth of the greatest story ever told.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church -60Yearsofafirmfoundationonwhichtobuildthefuture.

• Rev. Robert Lynne – 1960-1988 (resigned in 1988 to accept the position of Bishop of the Western North Dakota Synod of the new ELCA)

• Rev. David Kramer - 1973 to 1976 (first second Pastor)• Rev. Dan Wissmann - 1977 to 1990• Rev. Marvin Kormann – 1986-1995 (first third pastor)• Rev. Leslie Leppien Carver - 1988 to 1990• Rev. Peter Ruggles – 1990-1997• Rev. Jo Olson -1993-1997• Rev. Eric Saxvik - 1996-1999• Rev. Jeff Tengesdal - 1997-2010• Rev. Laurie Natwick – 2000-2008 • Rev. G.G. Neuberger – 1999-2006 - Visitation Pastor • Rev. Scott Fredrickson – 2003-2007• Rev. Dan Dornfield – 2006-2008 • Rev. Craig Schweitzer* – 2010-2020 (began serving as Music & Worship Minister in 2002

(Became Bishop of Western North Dakota Synod of ELCA on August 17, 2020)• Rev. Sara Akre – 2010-2012• Rev. Larry Thompson (Visitation Pastor) – 2008-2014 • Rev. Timothy Johnson – 2011-2014 (Interim Senior Pastor)• Rev. Bob Caranicas – 2013 to present• Rev. Pam Powers – 2014 to 2017 • Rev. Julie Kurtz Anderson- 2018 to present

In anticipation of the 60th anniversary a Celebration Team is being put together to help plan the celebration. Contact Pastor Julie or Erin Magelky at the office to volunteer or with questions.

Good Shepherd Lutheran ChurchOutreach to Community6

Laetitia Hellerud and her family God’s Work Our Hands on your own On Sunday, Sept. 13, congregations will observe “God’s work. Our hands.” This year our church — and our world — are living through the COVID-19 pandemic. Physical distancing has changed the way we worship and serve. But the need is great, and God’s church is at work. We encourage you to plan your day of service in compliance with local health guidelines. The safety and well-being of your volunteers and those you serve is a top priority. Follow all local guidance regarding physical distancing, mask-wearing, maximum gathering size and building capacity limits. As church, we are guided by our life in Christ to share the love of Jesus and serve our neighbors — even if such acts of service look different this year.

Pick up a Good Shepherd T-shirt to wear and post your pictures on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with the hastag #GSLCServes.

Little Free Pantry Our Little Free Pantry has become a vital resource for people in our community. Several people have asked how to support this ministry.

• Purchase items that are non-perishable food items, personal care and hygiene products, and other necessities are welcome. Place in the pantry or the designated carts in the church. • Designated donations of money for the purchase of items should be sent to the GSLC office,

online giving or placed in the offering baskets. Please note somewhere on the donation that you would like it used for the Little Free Pantry.

Service Projects at Home Make masks. Many sewers have already contributed their talents and fabric scraps to mask-making this year. Mask wearing could be common practice for a while, so people may need another mask. Drop off at the backet in the narthex.

Write cards or letters, or send care packages. Every community has people who are always ready to serve. Express your gratitude for emergency workers, teachers, frontline health care workers, postal and delivery workers, those in the military, and all essential workers, remembering especially members of your congregation.

Pack hygiene kits for people experiencing homelessness.

Participate in a 24-hour prayer chain. Members of GSLC can sign up for 30-minute increments around the clock to pray for a world in need. goodshepherdbismarck.com/gods-work-our-hands/

Outdoor/ Physically distanced Service Projects Identify neighbors who could use some help with yard work. Then roll up your sleeves and get to work with activities such as:

• Lawn mowing • Window washing • Raking • Chopping wood • Clearing brush • Painting • Weeding • Planting • Washing cars • Clearing gutters • Pick up litter to care for creation and beautify your community.

The Shepherd’s Voice ■ September 2020 Holistic Stewardship 7

Boundaries is a book that discusses how to use boundaries to bring new happiness and health to relationships which in turn allows people to be the loving, giving, fulfilled individuals God created them to be. Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend have excellent insights into the gift of boundaries that God gives to us all. The book discusses how to take responsibility for our lives and give us hope that we can set boundaries to survive and thrive. There are many kinds of boundaries. Physical boundaries help determine appropriate touch and under what circumstances. Mental boundaries provide freedom to have our own thoughts and opinions. Emotional boundaries help people with their own emotions and to disengage from the hurtful emotions of others. Spiritual boundaries help distinguish God's will from our own.

The book discusses what boundaries look like, boundary problems, how boundaries are developed, the ten laws of boundaries and the common myths surrounding boundaries. Christians sometime focus on being loving and unselfish and forget to set their limits. People often wonder if they can set limits and still be loving. The book outlines the following boundary conflicts:

Boundaries and:o Your familyo Your friends o Your spouseo Your childreno Worko The digital ageo Yourselfo God The final section of the book has information on how to develop healthy boundaries. The book starts and ends with a woman named Sherrie going through her day. In the beginning, she has no boundaries, and reading it made me feel stressed for her. At the end of the book, she has set some boundaries and her day goes much differently.

This is just one of the many books on boundaries written by the authors. Other boundary book topics include boundaries for leaders, with kids, in dating, in marriage, and boundaries with teens. While the Good Shepherd library doesn’t have all of these books, this one can provide a wealth of information on the topic. Check it out sometime!

by Julie Fornshell

Library newsCheckitOut

In these challenging times, thank you for helping us serve others through your donation. A friend of mine shared with me the beautiful experience of holding her elderly mother after two months of separation. It was tender, frightening, and so very familiar. • It is tender to offer 1600 nights of emergency shelter to men, women and children during the month of May. • It is frightening to begin our family support group, re-entry support group and lectio prayer times again. • It is so very familiar to laugh and play with bubbles and distribute multi-colored masks to people when they come to the food pantry. You make all we do at Ministry on the Margins possible because you are open to God's call to be our partners. KathleenAtkinson,osb Director, Ministry on the Margins

Good Shepherd Lutheran ChurchForming Faith8

Greetings all. At the request of the GSLC council, we on the youth ministry team here are putting together a plan as to what youth ministry will look like this fall. We know that any plans or visions that we make and have are going to have to be very agile. We may have to pivot at a moment’s notice. But, that is just the way of society right now. We are all in the same canoe. With that in mind, and in the spirit of agility, we put forth a plan or vision or actually wish list of what youth ministry will look like this fall. Keep in mind that this is all very fluid in its implementation.

High School Youth MinistryThis one is perhaps the one that is easiest to wrap our heads around. In a pre-covid world, we offered times to gather together on Monday and Wednesday evenings beginning at 7:30. Mondays are open space. We just get together for the sake of community. We play, do homework, eat, watch movies, and sometimes just catch a quick nap. There is an adult presence in the room simply because it is a good idea to have an adult presence. There is no structured programming. This is a time of community and relationship building.

Wednesday evenings are a bit more structured. At around 8:00 we gather the youth that are present for a guided time of bible study and conversation. There is great communication and much respect in the room. After that, we pray and then we have open space time. This evening is well attended with sometimes as many as 40 youth in the room. This is the evening that gives us a bit of pause. At this point, we have several senior high youth that are eager to get back into the youth room and experience what we do. We have heard many of them tell us how valuable this time is to them and that they miss it immensely. We are thinking of ways to get them together outside of the church and outside of buildings in general. This will be increasingly difficult as we move toward colder weather. So, we need to imagine what our relationship time in this place looks like in a covid world. We are talking to our senior high students about that and taking their thoughts into consideration.

The vision going forward looks a lot like their school life. We will provide hand sanitizing stations at both the entrance to the youth room and the entrance to the kitchen. As food is an integral part of our time together, we will strive to provide as many single serve options as possible. No more big bags of chips. No more popcorn machine for a while. Things like this will be worked out so that as little cross contamination as possible occurs. We will strongly encourage that masks be worn at all times except when eating. We will work hard to arrange the room so that social distancing is the norm. All of this is so far very accepted by the youth because this is how their lives look in other places as well. This is their new normal. They are excited to get into it.

Middle School Youth MinistryThis one gets a bit tougher. In a pre-covid world, this ministry was very relational and in-person. We gathered for class every Wednesday before and after worship. We gathered in the Lynne Center for a lesson before worship and an activity after worship. The grades that attended each day rotated. For every lesson, there was a lecture time at 5:30, an activity time at 7:20, and a small group time that each group made work when they could. As far as the lesson goes, we can make this work in the Lynne Center with appropriate social distancing. The room is large enough to accommodate this. The activity part will be a bit more of a challenge. This may be something that we encourage and direct in other ways, such as an online community that shares what they do with each other. We could come up with activity suggestions and have the groups/grades share with each other via social media. There are many ways to make this happen with online groups and the like.

There will have to be an online component. Our vision at this point is to livestream our lesson sessions so that youth and families can join in online if they so choose. We will archive the sessions to the extent that it is practical so that folks can also watch at a later date. We are going to begin a confirmation podcast. This will enable us to reach as many of the students as possible without worrying about whether or not they are comfortable with

GSLCMinistryPlan

The Shepherd’s Voice ■ September 2020 Outreach to Community 9

an in-person gathering of around 70 people. This will also enable us to orchestrate a community connection with as many people as possible.

Another consideration here is sermon notes. We currently have an online system that works as well as it can. We will be tweaking those forms as necessary as time moves on. As far as the requirement for service hours goes, we are going to forgive that for this year. It is probably not a good idea for us to encourage people to gather in potentially uncontrolled places to work in close proximity with a wide variety of people. We will keep this fluid as well and see if we can make something happen here later in the year. We will offer a replacement for service hours. It will be a suggested list of activities that the families can do together that will match the lesson.

That leads us to think about our usual middle school gathering time on Monday afternoons. This was predicated on service hours, but since we are not requiring those at this time, we have to consider whether or not parents are willing to bring their middle school students to the youth room to hang out. Some say that is a good thing, some say that it is not. As with any year, we will offer the opportunity, with respect to social distancing and hygiene guidelines and see what happens. Very often, if nobody shows, we cancel partway through the year.

Church School MinistryAs you are mostly likely well aware, we at GSLC are about the size of a mid-sized school district in North Dakota. With that fact in mind, remember also that there are just a handful of us that would be seen as ‘administrators’. We rely heavily on a great group of volunteers to do what we do and we do it well. When we gather on Sunday mornings and Wednesday afternoons, we have a system that works very well. Adults come downstairs and drop their little ones off in their respective rooms and there is an adult that leads the small group session. We also have a large group time where the youth gather to listen to a lesson, usually from Nicole Fehr, our church school coordinator. This time also usually involves singing and is divided into two sessions so that only half of the youth in attendance at that time will be in the room. This is the system for two class times on Sunday morning and one on Wednesday afternoon.

There will have to be significant changes to all of this with respect to COVID-19 for sure. First and foremost will be the measures that we take to keep everyone healthy. Then we will look at system changes that are needed to facilitate that. We feel like, given the current advice from people who know, that we can start with a form of in-person church school in October. We will have a few family events in September, but they will not be in the GSLC building. When we start in October, we will look a bit different.

We are going to limit class size in the individual rooms to 8 students. And we will have a bin in each room that will have sanitation equipment in it. We will provide hand sanitizer, masks, and surface sanitizing products so that the adult leaders can wipe down the room

after the kids leave. For the older youth, we think that it would be helpful if they can assist with this as well. We are also going to limit the ways in and out of the downstairs area. There will be signs directing families to enter and exit through specific doors. We will have tables at each of the doors with hand sanitizer and masks available and we will strongly encourage their use. Another way that we will try to limit traffic is to suggest that only one parent accompanies their child when they are downstairs dropping off or picking up.

We are going to separate the youth by grade groups. Grades K-2 will be in the fellowship hall and surrounding rooms. Grades 3-5 will be on the east half of the building. They will not move between the two sides. This will minimize the interaction and close proximity movement of families. In addition, we will divide the church school families alphabetically (A-L and K-Z, or some variation of that) so that only half of our families are in the building on any given week. The effect of this will be that only a quarter of our youth that are enrolled will be in a large group time. That, combined with markings on the floor indicating where they will sit, will provide us with the greatest ability to social distance.

Continued on page 10

Good Shepherd Lutheran ChurchOutreach to Community10

We will continue to provide an online option for all of our educational offerings. For ease of reference, when we say our educational offerings, we refer to K-8. This online option will be a great way to connect families with what we do on a weekly basis. We will also be offering a take home activity. These will be similar to the kits that were offered for VBS. We will have these kits available for parents to pick up during the week.

There can be no doubt that online educational systems are here to stay in some format. We will embrace that societal change and live into it. We will have a variety of ways that families can connect with us and each other through online class times and podcasts. At this point, it is still a bit up in the air as to how families will engage, but we at GSLC have an amazing video staff that will be able to do all of that to the standard that our families expect from us.

Take AwayThere can be no doubt that times are changing and that we must change with them. We will be watching closely what our local schools do and taking guidance from them. We have an amazing pool of people on whom we rely that can help us to make decisions going forward. We ask lots of questions. We are a team. Also, please remember that all of what you have read is incredibly fluid and can and must change. We remain loose in the saddle. Lastly, we rely heavily on prayer and the Holy Spirit to lead us into this new time. We know that ministry will continue to thrive.

PeaceThe Youth Ministry Staff of GSLC

The Shepherd’s Voice ■ September 2020 Engaging the Faithful 11

Vacation bible school was very different from years past but so much fun.

Through the magic of Facebook and YouTube we brought you Rocky Railway VBS!

For an entire week in August participants were able to follow along with music and dancing, hear bible stories, work through Imagination station, meet bible buddies and hear all about how Jesus see us through hard times. We learned about hope, talked about being bold, and what it means to be a good friend!

Rocky Railway VBS was a great remember to ALL OF US that even though we may be facing some challenges TRUST JESUS!

RockyRailwayVBS2020

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

2020YouthinActionScholarshipAwardsWe had several really good applications this year and we granted six scholarships for five hundred dollars each. Thanks to all who applied. The decision process was tough. We would like to give to all who apply if we could, but the applications are numerous. Maybe we need to think about increasing our scholarship fund. Interesting to think about because it means that more and more youth are valuing their activity here and the relationships that are formed. The Holy Spirit is indeed moving fast in this place. Congratulations to all and blessings to each of you as God leads you into what He has next.

Madelyn House

Justin Anderson

Nicole Fornshell

Brooke Fleming Megan Schlenker

The Shepherd’s Voice ■ September 2020 13

by Nicole Fehr, Children & Family Ministry Coordinator

THANKOFFERINGSThankofferings are a long-standing custom among Lutheran women.

We give in thanksgiving for blessings received–and we do receive so many blessings, don’t we? And we are so grateful. That’s why we give

Thankofferings.

Your generous Thankofferings help support the ongoing ministries of the churchwide women’s organization, including our triennial conventions, the work of your elected churchwide board, the annual conference of synodical presidents, our communications ministries, justice and advocacy work, and so much more.Checks should be made out to GSLC WELCA and placed in the offering baskets or sent to the office. Thankofferings will be taken until October 15.

In September we will be collecting school supplies to be sent to LWR and some will be given to BPS locally

SCHOOL SUPPLIES NEEDED AND CAN BE DROPPED AT THE CHURCH:• 4 spiral 70-count notebook of wide or college ruled paper totaling 210 sheets• 1 blunt scissors (safety scissors with embedded steel blades work well)• 1 30-centimeter ruler, or a ruler with centimeters on one side and inches on the other• 5 new unsharpened #2 pencils with erasers• 5 ballpoint pens (no gel pens) black or blue• 1 box of 16 or 24 crayons• 1 pencil sharpener• 1 2 ½ inch eraser

All women of Good Shepherd are invited to be a part of all activities.BlessingsSharon Heilman, President of Good Shepherd WELCA

WELCANewsAugust StatsBaptisms:

Emmett Jeffrey DietzTaya Jo BerrethLucy Mae JacobsonVega Nancy MillerEllie Lynn Fulwider

Funerals/Deaths:

Lois ZerrMary Ann MeidingerMorris Zahn

Memorials:

In loving memory of Mary Ann MeidingerClifford and Linda Meyer

In loving memory of Lois ZerrRonald and Karen Sando

CHARLES HALL YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICE On behalf of Charles Hull Youth and Family Services, I would like to thank you for your recent gift.

At Charles Hall, we believe that all children have worth and that trauma can heal given time and connection. Our youth and their families come with past experiences that create feelings of anger, mistrust, and even worthlessness. We work hard to provide tools needed to promote self-worth and restore healthy development. Again, thank you so much for your generosity and commitment. Rhonda Styles-Rohde Director of Marketing and Communications

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

AugustCouncilMinutes8-18-2020

Holistic Stewardship

COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENTSam Arndorfer - PresidentAddy HoustonJoel Stugelmeyer Kjersti HintzKellie ErhardtChristian Helgeson Heather LeMoine COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENTKarl LiepitzRoyce Schultze

OTHERS ATTENDINGAnnette Bjornstad – Executive Assistant Office ManagerPastor Bob Caranicas – Pastor of Youth and Family Ministries Pastor Julie Anderson – Associate PastorMelanie Nicklos – Parish Administrator Jason Tomanek – Long Range Planning TeamWendy Berg – Long Range Planning Team Ashley Greenwood – Confirmation and Senior High Youth Ministry Coordinator1) The meeting was called to order by

President, Sam Arndorfer. 2) Opening prayer was led by Addy Houston

(group prayer).3) Bible Study andDevotions – Pastor Julie 4) Approval of Consent Agenda

a) Approval of Minutesb) Monthly Financial Reportc) Human Resources Committee – No Reportd) Finance Committee Report – No Reporte) Endowment Council Report – Report f ) Holistic Stewardship Committee – No

Reportg) Audit Committee Report – No Reporth) Safety and Security Committee – No Reporti) Staff Report j) Pastor’s Reportk) Thank You Notes

Motion to approve the consent agenda (Stugelmeyer/Hintz, unanimous).

5) Old Business a) Long-Range Facility Growth/Expansion Plan – Report made by Jason Tomanek and Wendy Berg of the Long Range Planning Committee. Discussion held.

• Jason updated Council members on feedback he has received from the letter sent out to congregation members shortly after the July Council meeting. He has had little to no feedback from the letter regarding purchasing the house located at 122 Cherokee Ave (adjacent to the GSLC south parking lot). With all of the letters mailed out, it seems there is a

large amount of congregation members that did not receive the letter regarding the LLC. Because of this, everyone was in agreement that we should mail another letter out. Jason will also record a video that can be shared on the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church’s social media accounts. We want to make sure that we are giving this project our due diligence before terminating the project.

• In June, the GSLC Council approved the LRP team moving forward to investigate a way to create an LLC for the purpose of purchasing the home. The LRP identified a real estate attorney that can help set up the LLC, create a purchase agreement, guide through the entire process and help with any additional required contractual documents. This will be set up entirely outside of GSLC’s organizational structure.

• Jason will be in contact with the seller to update them on where we are in the process.

6) New Businessa) Senior Pastor Transition – Sam informed

everyone that an offer was made to a Pastor today for the position of Interim Senior Pastor here at GSLC. He was happy to announce that Pastor Steve Sathre accepted the offer. Pastor Steve will start on Tuesday, September 8, 2020. Pastor Steve will sign a 6-month contract and Council will revisit the contract after the 6-months is up. The Call Committee for a new Senior Pastor will be put together sometime in October to start the call process. Discussion held.

b) GSLC Youth Ministry Plan – Pastor Bob presented the GSLC Youth Ministry Plan to Council (included in Council packet). This plan was put together for Council to show what youth ministry will look like this fall. Discussion held.

c) Endowment Council – 2 grants: 1. The Youth Ministry Team at GSLC is requesting funds to be used to upgrade the condition of the Fellowship Hall. Upgrades need to be made in order to make the space more usable for the church school changes that need to be made due to CoVid-19. The amount being requested is $10,000 from the Dorothy Bauer endowment. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $28,660. Discussion held. Motion was made to approve the grant. (Erhardt/Hintz, unanimous) 2. The Youth Ministry Team at GSLC is requesting funds in order to build our account to be used for trips next summer. Due to CoVid-19, our

fundraising opportunities have been greatly reduced. We had to cancel 3 out of 5 of our Lent dinners, our spring car wash, and our rummage sale. The anticipated loss to our youth dedicated account is around $13,000. Discussion held. Motion was made to approve the grant. (LeMoine/Helgeson, unanimous)

d) Ashley Greenwood’s Internship – Ashley, the Confirmation and Senior High Youth Ministry Coordinator, presented her internship learning covenant with Good Shepherd Lutheran Church to the Council members. Ashley will be working toward a sense of call as Deacon to Good Shepherd. Discussion held. Motion was made to approve the internship of Ashley Greenwood. (LeMoine/Stugelmeyer, unanimous)

7) Other Business: 8) Questions from the Floor: (5 minutes, Council may respond at a future meeting) 9) Closing Prayer led by Pastor Bob

Respectfully submitted, Annette Bjornstad Executive Assistant/Office Manager

14

The Shepherd’s Voice ■ September 2020 Holistic Stewardship

YTD Budgeted Contributions: ............................................................................... $ 878,815.00YTD Actual Contributions: ..................................................................................... 725,650.86Difference between Budgeted & Actual: ............................................................. (153,164.14)SBA PPP LOAN Proceeds: ..................................................................................... 190,200.00Difference between Budgeted & Actual with SBA PPP Loan Proceeds: ............ 37,035.86

YTD Budgeted Expenses: ...................................................................................... $ 908,765.39YTD Actual Expenses: ........................................................................................... 814,053.35Difference between Budgeted & Actual: ............................................................. (94,712.04)

YTD Actual Contributions: ..................................................................................... $ 725,650.86YTD Actual Expenses: ........................................................................................... 814,053.35Net without SBA PPP Loan Proceeds: .................................................................. (88,402.49)Net with SBA PPP Loan Proceeds: ....................................................................... 101,797.51 Compared to year to date in 2019: $ (46,457.21)

Thank you for your continued financial support to Good Shepherd that enables us “to share the Shepherd’s love with all of God’s children.”

As of July 31, 2020

Ways to financially support the MissionGive automaticallyThis is the most economical way to give to GSLC and ensure the ministry continues when life gets busy! To get started go to the GSLC App and click on the Give button. Or go to our website, click on Giving, Online Giving and select option one or two. Paper forms are also located in carousels.

Give via TextYou can text 701-205-3394, type in the amount you would like to give, follow the link to register and type repeat to make it a reoccurring or do nothing for a one-time gift.

Give in personTithing and giving an offering are important and we understand that! If you are looking to have the contributions reflected on your financial statements, please have the offering in the envelope with your number on it. Envelope numbers are the only way to track your offering for financial statements.

New in 2020 - Financial statements will be distributed two times a year.

We are pleased to announce that over 665 financial statements were successfully emailed. Having your statements emailed saves the church postage, time and printing over 1,800 copies.

To get your statements via email please send a note to Melanie@goodshepherdbismarck.com or call the office at 701-255-1001.

Financialstatementsbyemail

15

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDPermit No. 419Bismarck, ND

106 Osage AvenueBismarck, ND 58501-2673

Phone: 701-255-1001Fax: 701-255-3644

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTEDWWW.GOODSHEPHERDBISMARCK.COMWWW.GOODSHEPHERDBISMARCK.COM