Good Shepherd is participating in the Ecumenical Thanksgiving Eve service to be held this year at Decorah Lutheran Church on Wednesday, November 26 at 7:00 pm. Pastor April will be a participant. The theme is “It’s All Gift!” and offerings are designated for Habitat for Humanity, Bread for the World, and local food pantries. Pie will be served in the Social Hall following the service. A joint choir rehearsal will be held on Tuesday, November 25, at 7:00 pm at Decorah Lutheran. All are welcome!
Stewardship Campaign Begins
November 19, 2014 by
THE ANNUAL STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN is being held this coming weekend, November 22-23. Letters with pledge cards have been mailed to congregation members. Jon Christy is presenting a temple talk about stewardship. This year for the first time, it will be possible to pledge online. To access the pledge form, click on the “Serve/Give” tab on the Good Shepherd homepage, and then click on the “Give” link. The online pledge form will be submitted directly to the church office for processing. A link to the PDF of the paper pledge form is also there. Pledging will greatly assist the Council in preparing the congregation budget for 2015.
Thanksgiving Eve Service – November 26
November 10, 2014 by
Good Shepherd will participate in the ecumenical Thanksgiving Eve service to be held this year at Decorah Lutheran Church at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, November 26. The theme is “It’s All Gift!” The offering will go to Habitat for Humanity, Bread for the World, and local food pantries. Pie will be served in the Social Hall following the service. Each congregation is supposed to bring 4 pies, already cut, to the church by 6:15 pm that night and provide one person to help with serving and clean-up. A sign-up sheet is on the table in the Narthex.
Pastor April Ulring Larson to become Interim Pastor
October 12, 2014 by
Rev. April Ulring Larson will become the official Interim Pastor of Good Shepherd during the weekend of November 8-9. She will serve in this capacity until a permanent pastor is called to the church . A special welcome is planned after the Sunday service which will be part of the annual W/ELCA Soup Luncheon and Country Store activity where baked goods and attic treasures will be for sale.
Rev. Larson has been in ordained ministry for thirty-six years. She has served in diverse settings, from rural parishes to fulfilling her three-term limit as Bishop of the La Crosse Area Synod where she was elected as the first woman bishop in the ELCA. Rev. Larson has served on several major boards including the board of Lutheran World Relief for eight years, the Board of Regents of Luther College for sixteen years, and the executive committee of the ELCA Conference of Bishops. She recently retired after serving as senior pastor of First Lutheran Church, Duluth, MN. Rev. Larson attended Luther College for two years, then transferred to the the University of Iowa where she earned a B.Mus, degree. She and her husband, Luther grad Rev. Judd Larson, both earned their M. Div. degrees from Wartburg Theological Seminary. They were ordained together in February, 1978.
Photo courtesy of First Lutheran Church, Duluth, MN.
Pastor Marion Pruitt-Jefferson to Preside
October 10, 2014 by
Congregation member Marion Pruitt-Jefferson is an ordained ELCA pastor who is currently on-leave-from call. She will preside at worship services on Saturday and Sunday, October 11 and 12, and October 25 and 26. Marion graduated with a BA degree in music from Whitworth University in Spokane, WA, and then spent four years serving as an LCA missionary in Japan. She attended the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, graduating in 1995 with a Masters of Divinity degree. While preparing to be a pastor, Marion also began playing the organ, studying with Paul Manz. In 1996 she accepted a call to First Lutheran here in Decorah as an associate pastor and director of music. After 16 years of service at First Lutheran, including 4 years as co-pastor and 2 years as administrative pastor, she resigned in 2012.
Marion is married to John Jefferson, and together they have eight children, three grandchildren, two cats and a dog. Among her hobbies Marion enjoys sailing, bird watching, knitting, reading, cooking and playing piano and flute.
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Good Shepherd is fully accessible to all. 