New Member Classes

Sign-up sheets are available in the narthex.  Please fill out the form and leave it in the donation plate, or return it to the church office.  Please see Pastor Vi, if you questions.  Please feel free to contact the GST office as well.

 

School Supplies!!!

GST will be working with select families at Townsend Street Elementary School to insure that the families/children in need get the supplies they necessary to start the school year prepared.  Please see Mary Tjaden about a cash donation. The deadline to donate is Sunday, August 27, 2017

(PAM) Prison Action Milwaukee

The Organization PAM intends to provide a supportive environment for individual family members and friends of the incarcerated and ex-incarcerated through monthly meetings, email and telephone calls.  Further, persons with similar issues with the Department of Corrections (DOC) or otherwise will bond together to seek solutions.

PAM meets every Saturday (in the lower level of Good Shepherd Trinity Church) at 10:00a.m.

Annual Brewers Game

Shirley Conway is still accepting reservations for the Voyagers annual Brewer’s Game outing. This event is set for Thursday, August 3, 2017.Voyagers will meet at Good Shepherd Trinity, before the game,  at 10:00 a.m.  The cost of the ticket is $21 each.  If you are interested in attending, please contact Shirley & George Conway

What is God Calling Us To Do – in THIS Neighborhood, at THIS moment in time….

Sunday, Oct 2 – Who Are We? and Who is our Neighbor Reports – after worship

In July, we asked you to faithfully give us your answers to a Vitality Survey. We have received the results and are in the process of putting together a report to the congregation after worship on Sunday, October 2, including information from Sharing our Stories and demographic data, defining “Who we were?” and “Who we are?”. Our report will go into some of the values, strengths, and commonalities we saw in both the Trinity and Good Shepherd congregations, as a combined congregation, and what we do well and what we are hungering for now.

During July and August, we also spent a lot of time talking with our neighbors – teachers and the principal at Townsend, local business owners, neighbors on our block, EPiC partners, and other Sherman Park community partners. In September we will spend time compiling those to answer “Who is our neighbor?” – what the strengths of this neighborhood are, where change and growth are needed and hungered for, and some challenges for us as to how can we walk with our neighbors. A report on this second section of our task will follow closely or be included in the “Who are we” report.

Oct 9 (Part 1)  and Oct 16 (Part 2)- “Being Church Today” – after worship

Which brings us to our last task – “What is God calling us to do – in this neighborhood at this moment in time?” You have been reading the Book of Acts – the birth of the early Christian church, and we have heard some great thoughts, revelations, and ideas from you. In October, during worship, in conversation opportunities, and take home learning, the Transition Team wants to unpack with you what being Church in the 21st century involves. We invite you to stay after worship for two presentations on “Being Church Today” on Sunday October 9 and October 16.

October 21 and 22 – What is God calling us to do Retreat

At the end of our learning and reporting presentations, we invite you to gather with us for a two day retreat where we will brainstorm together “What is God calling us to do – – in this neighborhood at this moment in time?” Our retreat (within our GST building) is planned for Friday, October 21 from 7-9 pm and Saturday October 22 from 9:00am -3:30pm.

Walking the walk with you, and planting seeds along the way,

GST Transition Team,

Joy Harshberger, Mary Hix, Henry Kranendonk, Vi Hawkins, Kathy Myles, Bev Stribling, Lisa Quinn, and Pastor Wendy Wirth-Brock

 

A Few Words from Pastor Wendy

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I debated this month whether to give you a column that inspires you for the beginning of the church program year’s activities (including those of the Transition Team – see that newsletter column), or one that comforts you in the face of the tragic violence and ongoing tension in the congregation’s neighborhood of Sherman Park. The church’s work continues, no matter what happens. But the trauma of the violence in our neighborhood is very real. I know that for me, personally, I felt shock and grief not just once, but in waves, especially in the first week after the violence occurred.

So I am mindful of your need to process what happened. I encourage you to talk with me and your fellow Christians, for conversation can be a means into healing and faithful responses. I am grateful for those who met after worship the Sunday when tensions were still high, to begin reflecting on possible responses this congregation might make. I am grateful for the Council’s reflection on that group’s work. And I am grateful for those who could attend the Greater Milwaukee Synod’s initial meeting for people to talk together about this neighborhood trauma. We need to keep on talking and praying together, within the Church, and with others outside the congregation, so that greater trust and understanding can emerge from our dialogue.

To date, our responses have focused on efforts to learn what our congregations and community agencies are doing, so that we can see where GST might participate and contribute. While we are a small congregation, we can nevertheless contribute to community dialogue and actions. As the Council learns and shares what might be possible, please prayerfully consider participating.

Please also consider participating, if you aren’t already, in either our existing partnership to support Townsend School’s staff, children, and families, or in God’s Garden. At Townsend, you can tutor; you can contribute materials and time for the school events that GST helps organize and underwrite. In God’s Garden, you can harvest food while you cultivate relationships with Townsend schoolchildren and GST’s neighbors who also volunteer or who just stop by to see what’s happening.

Please also do not underestimate the power and direction that God can give when we worship together. Keep on gathering with the congregation on Sunday. If you’ve taken a “break” from worship, consider coming back.   Please also commit to continuing your participation in Transition Team events, of which there will be many this September and October. The Transition Team will be presenting their findings about our first two missional questions and offering educational forums on what it means to be Church in the 21st Century. They also will be offering a missional retreat to which all people are invited.

Finally, remember that GST’s other ministries continue, so that we can continue being Church. I thank you in advance for your continued service. I also invite those less-involved to ask questions and find a way to be involved. Contact your Council.

Contact me. But don’t sit on the sidelines. We are better together. When Jesus promises to be with us always, after all, he’s addressing “y’all”– the community of Christ. Isn’t that good news comforting – and inspiring?

See you at church!

 

From our Presbytery – support for Sherman Park

From the Presbytery of Milwaukee:

August 15, 2016

Friends,

Yesterday I worshiped with Good Shepherd Trinity church which is located in Sherman Park. During worship, members were invited to come forward and talk about their feelings and concerns regarding the previous night’s rioting and damage to the community. Many shared stories of racism both past and present, and the desire to do something about it. We met after worship to discuss possible strategies and how GST can play a part in the community.

The recent violence, looting, and destruction in the Sherman Park has brought the underlying tensions of Milwaukee to the surface. The challenges of income inequality, mass incarceration, inferior public schools, and housing evictions have been documented in the media, books, reports, and numerous articles. In a youtube video on yesterday, Venice Williams, the speaker at our November presbytery meeting and founder of Alice’s Garden, spoke of when the match was lit that has caused the damage in Sherman Park. I encourage you to watch her video here.

Good Shepherd Trinity sits in Sherman Park about 3 short blocks away from the gas station fire. As a congregation they are grappling with next steps and how to respond to the activities outside of their door. As Presbyterians we are a connected church. This means one congregation’s challenge is a challenge for all of us. I am asking the Presbytery of Milwaukee congregations to come together and be available to help Good Shepherd Trinity during this time. This may mean help with the food pantry or just to staff the building as they open their doors for the community to meet and dialogue in their space. Pray for Good Shepherd Trinity and ask for ways to help.

The issues in Milwaukee are common in Racine, Beloit, Janesville, and Kenosha. They are present in Menomonee Falls, Waukesha, and Washington county. Our congregations cannot solve these problems alone. We must reach out and connect with other communities of faith and not-for-profits. We have an opportunity to work and serve together for the good of the city and the area in which your church is located.

Some efforts are already underway in Milwaukee. The presbytery already partners with Milwaukee Rising as they purchase and rehab properties in Sherman Park. Immanuel and Wauwatosa are focusing on gun violence. Christ is involved in a program for incarceration. Wauwatosa and Christ have scheduled a dialogue with Cross Lutheran. Tippecanoe, North Shore, and Grace Milwaukee have partnered with Hephatha Lutheran, and conducted an arts and science summer literacy camp for inner city children. Many other congregations are having conversations around race and white privilege as well.

These conversations must continue, and demonstrable action must be seen. When urban and suburban congregations work together for justice, we are truly living out the Gospel.

Craig M. Howard

Block Party – Aug 28

Join us for worship at 10am followed immediately by our annual neighborhood Block Party. We will be grilling and hosting a picnic lunch – all are welcome. Backpacks will be given to children in attendance – come and gather with your neighbors and get to know some new friends.

 

See you at the church!

Gather on the Green – VBS

Join us Aug 22-26 on the north lawn for

Vacation Bible School from 1-3pm.

Come for one day or every day.

Volunteers are needed each day – we share stories, do crafts, have a snack, and get to know each other. Young people from K4-8th grade are welcome – and come on Sunday, August 28 for worship at 10am followed immediately with our Block Party and our Backpack distribution.

 

 

Vitality Survey

Who Were We LogoSunday, July 17 during worship

Sunday, July 24 after worship

 

What is the Survey?  The Congregational Vitality Survey is a way to tell how vital our congregation is in three areas: our congregation’s connections to God,  connections to each other, and connections to the world. The survey invites individuals to answer questions about the congregation or themselves.  Each area is then computer-scored on a scale from 1­ to 5.

How long does it take?  It usually takes 10 to ­15 minutes to complete the survey.

How will the survey information be shared?  Once we finish the survey, the completed forms will be sent to the Social Research Lab at the University of Northern Colorado.  Their Social Research Lab will complete a data analysis for us that will be shared in the form of a report.  In other words, your input is anonymous.

The Transition Team will use this data in their report to the congregation – giving us valuable information to answer the question “What is next for GST?”

What will we do with the survey information? After receiving the report other congregations have used the information in a number of ways, including:  

  • Identifying areas of strength and struggle
  • Choosing an area of ministry to focus upon
  • Understanding the interaction between spiritual growth and congregational conflict so that both can be improved
  • Initiating a time of intentional discernment about next steps
  • Finding commonalities and differences among congregations working to partner in new ways

Where did the Vitality Survey come from? 
This survey was created out of the ELCA’s Living into the Future Together (LIFT) initiative. It’s part of an ongoing research project being conducted by the ELCA’s Congregational and Synodical Mission unit, in collaboration with the Research and Evaluation department. The research seeks to understand the critical factors affecting congregational vitality.

 

We look forward to taking this survey with you and  seeing the results.

Transition Team – Joy, Mary, Vi, Henry, Kathy, Lisa, and Beverly