Upcoming Worship & Forums
9 AM FORUM • 10 AM WORSHIP • 11:30 AM SUNDAY SCHOOL
Enjoy Sunday Morning Worship at 10 am in Good Shepherd’s beautiful sanctuary. A play area next to the worship are will be available for the youngest among us. A staffed nursery is also available in Room 114. A recording of the sermon will be posted on Sunday afternoon here on the website home page and on Facebook and YouTube. The pre-worship Forum and Children/Youth Activity Time begins at 9 am, Hospitality & Fellowship coffee & treats immediately following worship, and Sunday School (Pre-8th) begins at 11:30 am in Room 114.
Overview of Sunday Worship Liturgies
This fall, as we move inside for worship, we will once again be blessed with a rotation of three kinds of liturgies. Here’s an overview of these liturgies, by Nickolas Carlson:
A Legacy Liturgy: Classic and Ancient Gifts – In this liturgy, we draw upon some of the musical gifts of the Lutheran Christian tradition, including the Reformation and Renaissance eras, as well as older musical sources, and also some classic hymns from more recent centuries, including hymns of the American spiritual and gospel traditions.
A Liturgy of Renewal: Faith, Hope, and Love in These Days – This liturgy is designed to be a blend of old and new musical styles. We look to these diverse styles to invite us into a life of bold faith, enduring hope, and unbounded love as we live through these difficult times.
New Life Rising – New Life Rising is a liturgy built to engage all ages in modern, upbeat folk music and in the resurrection love we find in all our neighbors. Through worship practices, singing, and percussion that turns us toward one another, New Life Rising guides us to praise God with our whole body, mind, and soul!
Sunday Morning Forums
On Sunday mornings at 9 am, we will have a number of forum presentations on various topics as well as special informational gatherings for the Good Shepherd community.
Sunday School and Adult Classes
On Sunday mornings immediately following worship and hospitality, the Education Hour will have educational opportunities for all ages including an Adult Education Class, and Sunday School sessions for different age groups
Better Ways to Read the Bible is an adult education class that will be focused on the book Better Ways to Read the Bible: Transforming a Weapon of Harm into a Tool of Healing, by Zach Lambert. The chapters are: We All Have Lenses, Some Are Better Than Others; Lenses That Inflict Harm: Literalism, Apocalypse, Moralism, Hierarchy; Lenses That Promote Healing: Jesus, Context, Flourishing, Fruitfulness. We’ll meet during the education hour following Sunday morning worship through November 16. You can miss a class but you won’t want to!
Sunday School will meet every Sunday after worship and will include snacks, a Bible story, opportunities for wonder and curiosity, movement, activities, and connection. We are looking forward to a year full of learning, curiosity, wonder, and delight as we dig into God’s stories and discover more about who God is—together!
Sunday, September 21
9 am Special Event – Ministry Fair; the Fair continues after 10 am worship
10 am Worship – First Indoor Worship of the Season, A Legacy Liturgy: Classic and Ancient Gifts, Pulling Out All the Stops: Giving Thanks for Organ Music, Holy Communion, Guest Preacher — Hannah Johnsrud
About the guest preacher: Hannah Johnsrud (she/her) grew up in Milton, WA, deeply shaped by church folks that felt like family and encouraged questions; her summers at Lutheran Summer Music, both as a student and a worship staff member; and her year as a Young Adults in Global Mission volunteer in Jerusalem and the West Bank, accompanying the Palestinian people. From these communities, she learned a love of music and worship, a commitment to justice and peace in the world, and a passion for storytelling and intergenerational learning. Hannah graduated from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in May and is a candidate for the Ministry of Word and Sacrament, awaiting first call in the Southwestern Washington Synod.
Sunday, September 28
9 am Forum – “Join Together to Sing: Harmonious Voices in a Discordant Time” A You-Pick-‘Em Hymn Sing
10 am Worship – A Liturgy of Renewal: Faith, Hope, and Love in These Days, Holy Communion, Pastor Shelley Wickstrom preaching
Sunday, October 5
9 am Forum – All Things ELCA: Pastor Shelley on Important Basics, Pastor Carol on the Summer Churchwide Assembly
10 am Worship – New Life Rising, Holy Communion, Blessing of the Communion Ministers to the Homebound, Pastor Shelley Wickstrom preaching
11:30 am – Better Ways to Read the Bible
11:30 am – Back to Sunday School Kickoff Gathering and Confirmation Meeting
All preschool through middle school students and their grownups are invited to join in for our Back to Sunday School kickoff immediately following worship in room 114. Kids will meet their Sunday School and Confirmation teachers, enjoy a root beer float, and connect with one another as we launch the new year together. Anyone interested in these programs is encouraged to come to the kickoff, meet the team, and ask questions.
Sunday, October 12
9 am Forum – Good Shepherd Town Hall Gathering: Updates on the Journey
10 am Worship – A Liturgy of Renewal: Faith, Hope, and Love in These Days, Holy Communion, Pastor Carol Tomer preaching
11:30 am – Better Ways to Read the Bible (adult class), Sunday School (preschool - 8th grade), Confirmation Class
Sunday, October 19
9 am Forum – Holden Village: Come and learn about a possible Good Shepherd pilgrimage to this mountain retreat center next summer — A forum led by John Masterson, Julie Hustoft, and Pastor Carol
10 am Worship – New Life Rising, Holy Communion, Pastor Carol Tomer preaching
11:30 am – Better Ways to Read the Bible (adult class), Sunday School (preschool - 8th grade), Confirmation Class
Sunday, October 26
9 am Forum – “The 500 Year Flush: Reforming Ways in These Present Days” — led by Pastor Shelley Wickstrom
10 am Worship – Reformation Sunday, Holy Communion, Blessing of the LWR Quilts, Blessing of Cindy & Jerry Schultz and Rebecca & Ron Moeckel, Welcome of New Members, Pastor Shelley Wickstrom preaching
11:30 am – Better Ways to Read the Bible — This adult class will be focused on Better Ways to Read the Bible: Transforming a Weapon of Harm into a Tool of Healing, by Zach Lambert. This week we're focusing on chapter 5 and 6, the Moralism Lens and the Hierarchy Lens.
11:30 am – Sunday School (preschool - 8th grade), Confirmation Class
Sunday, November 2
DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ENDS – REMEMBER TO SET YOUR CLOCKS BACK 1 HOUR
9 am Forum – “The Gift of Belonging” – led by Dr. Elizabeth Barton, clinical psychologist and assistant professor of counseling psychology at the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, and sister of Heidi Prince!
10 am Worship – All Saints Sunday, Holy Communion, Blessing of the Communion Ministers to the Homebound, Pastor Carol Tomer preaching. At the beginning of worship during the Prelude, all are invited to light candles in the cross, in memory of the saints who have gone before us.
11:30 am – Sunday School
11:45 am – All Saints Time of Remembrance, at the Columbarium
12 noon – Joining God’s Momentum Luncheon
Sunday, November 9
9 am Forum – Good Shepherd Town Hall Forum
10 am Worship – A Liturgy of Renewal: Faith, Hope, and Love in These Days, Holy Communion, Giving Thanks for Pastor Shelley Wickstrom, Giving Thanks for the Joining God’s Momentum Pledges, Pastor Shelley Wickstrom preaching
11:30 am – Better Ways to Read the Bible — This adult class will be focused on Better Ways to Read the Bible: Transforming a Weapon of Harm into a Tool of Healing, by Zach Lambert. This week we're focusing on chapters 7 and 8, the Jesus Lens, and the Context Lens.
11:30 am – Sunday School (preschool - 8th grade), Confirmation Class
Sunday, November 16
9 am Forum – One of the Best Theological Short Pieces I've Ever Read: A Tour, Some Tastes, and Lots of Thanksgiving – led by Pastor Carol Tomer
10 am Worship – New Life Rising Liturgy, Holy Communion, Pastor Dan Wiktorek preaching
11:30 am – Better Ways to Read the Bible — This adult class will be focused on Better Ways to Read the Bible: Transforming a Weapon of Harm into a Tool of Healing, by Zach Lambert. This week we're focusing on chapters 9 and 10 and the conclusion, the Flourishing Lens and the Fruitfulness Lens.
11:30 am – Sunday School (preschool - 8th grade), Confirmation Class
Sunday, November 23
9 am Forum – Meet Our New Interim Visitation Minister, Janet Grant
10 am Worship – Reign of Christ Sunday, Holy Communion, Preaching: Rob Kemp, who is a part of the Good Shepherd community
11:30 am – Sunday School (preschool - 8th grade), Confirmation Class