Good Samaritan News
Palm/Passion Sunday Worship - March 24
10:00 am in-person; 6:00 am or thereafter online
Join in the waving of palm branches as we sing our Hosannas and then ready ourselves for the holy events of the coming week.
Maundy Thursday Worship - March 28
7:00 pm (in-person only)
Participate in Holy Communion as we give attention to the meal Jesus had with his disciples, followed by his betrayal and arrest.
Good Friday Worship - March 29
12:00 pm or thereafter (online only)
This pre-recorded online Tenebrae worship includes a meditation on the Stations of the Cross (Facebook or www.good.org).
Easter Sunday Worship - March 31
8:30 or 10:00 am in-person; 6:00 am or thereafter online
Come as we celebrate together the Good News of Christ’s Resurrection.
March is Minnesota Foodshare Month
Now through April 6, we invite you to join VEAP and Joyce Uptown Foodshelf to participate in the annual Minnesota FoodShare Campaign, the largest grassroots food and fund drive in the state. This spring drive brings together various community organizations, businesses, and faith communities to help stock nearly 300 food shelves statewide, including VEAP, and the Joyce Uptown Foodshelf. Watch for additional details in VEAP’s March e-newsletter and in the Good Samaritan Highlights. Sue Ohman assists in our efforts with VEAP and Tony Branch works with Joyce Uptown Foodshelf. Bags and a drop-off area are in the Narthex and on the Lower Level.
4 Witnesses to the Truth
Why in the world is the “greatest story ever told” not told in the same way by our four Gospel writers? The story told in each gospel is certainly as gripping and dramatic as any we could hope to hear, but they clearly give strikingly different versions of the same events regarding Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Was one witness more accurate in relaying the facts than the other three and therefore is “the more reliable truth”? Should we only consider elements which are present in all four as “the unquestionable truth”? Or perhaps if we meld them altogether does the composite reveal “a more complete truth”? Actually, a more satisfying and ultimately more engaging approach will be for us to take each one of the four accounts on its own terms, and allow each witness to speak “the gospel truth” (aka the Good News) in his unique and powerful ways. Join us as we let the truths which each Gospel witness has to share come alive, not only for the people of that day, but for us as well.
Pastor Jim Beard will be leading this 6-session course
Sundays, Feb. 18 – Mar. 24, 11:15am – 12:15 pm OR
Wednesdays, Feb. 21 – Mar. 27, 6:00pm – 7:00pm
Location: Fireside Room
Pre-Registration: Highly Encouraged (In-person class limits: Min. 8 – Max. 20)
Virtual Attendance: Available (link sent upon registration)
Childcare: Available with advance notice
Ramadan Invitation
Are you curious about Ramadan? During this month of fasting, our Muslim neighbors welcome visitors to join them as they break their daily fast with prayer and a meal during the open houses listed below. The open houses start with a sharing of information about the community, Ramadan, and what to expect during the evening. Use the link below to sign up. Scroll down on the website to see the dates and locations.
Ramadan is the month of the Islamic lunar calendar during which Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset; in 2024 it falls between the dates of March 10 - April 9. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the “five pillars” of Islam, and is performed to learn compassion, self-restraint, and generosity.
Taking Heart Open Houses is a long-running program coordinated by the Minnesota Council of Churches (MCC) and the Muslim American Society of Minnesota (MAS-MN) to bring Christians and members of other faith communities together with Muslims for food and conversation during Ramadan. Minnesota mosques and Islamic community centers welcome their non-Muslim neighbors for a traditional Iftar, inviting a time of encounter and learning. Taking Heart saw more than 1000 guests attend Open House Iftar dinners in 2023.
Please visit www.mnchurches.org/what-we-do/
Spring Social!
On Friday evening, April 12, 7:00-8:45pm, Good Sam will host a social event with our Homeward Bound band in Fellowship Hall. There will be two sets of family-friendly music with an intermission and dessert. A free-will offering will benefit Good Sam’s music department. Sign up NOW!
Parent (or Grandparent, etc.) Book Study
The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents by Lisa Damour – Sundays, April 14 and 28, 11:15 am to Noon. This is a great book that Jan read and wants to share with you. Dr. Damour dives deep into the changing emotional landscape of kids growing into their teen emotions. She offers great tools for both parents and their kids. Click here to sign up!
Thursday Afternoon Book Group
Invitation from the Tuesday Morning Bible Study
You are invited to attend the Tuesday Morning Bible Study as we read and discuss 24 Hours that Changed the World by Adam Hamilton. This Lenten study began February 6, and runs through Tuesday, March 19. We meet in the Fireside Room at 9:30 am. All are welcome to attend. Books are easy to order online, or on your Kindle, and some may be available at the library.
Pickleball at Good Sam
If you are an experienced pickleball player, you are welcome to join the players in the Good Samaritan Gym during any of the following sessions:
- Mondays – 3:30-5:00 p.m.
- Thursdays – 3:30-5:00 p.m.
- Saturdays – 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Bring your own paddle. Balls are provided. Contact Robin Strangis with questions - rstrangis12@gmail.com
Friday Breakfast
Our Friday Breakfast Group meets at 8:30 a.m. on the first and third Fridays of each month at Jerry’s Foods (5125 Vernon Ave, Edina) for good breakfast and conversation. This is a great opportunity for you to come and bring a friend. Contact Kent Holmes or Brian Boysen with questions.
Sunday School Volunteers Needed
Consider sharing God’s love with our youngest church-goers. Our Children, Youth and Family Ministries is looking for volunteers to help teach Sunday School this fall. The commitment is one Sunday a month. You will receive the lesson plan on Wednesday before your Sunday class. Let Jan know if you are willing to help – jan@good.org or 952-452-9398.
Meals on Wheels Volunteering
If you can fit an hour and a half into your schedule, please volunteer to deliver 4-6 meals to needy seniors once or twice a month. They really need more people, besides the ones that Vicki Dunn so ably organizes for Good Sam for the third and fifth Fridays of the month. It is so easy to be a personal and valuable lifeline to these appreciative folks for whom you might be the only person they see all day! Contact Joanne, 612-990-5398 or resmow@outlook.com.
Read the Bible in a Year
Download a guide for reading through the Bible in a year. A few weeks ago Pastor Carol issued a challenge inviting us to read the Bible through in 2024, and she hopes you’ll join her in giving this a try.
Good Samaritan is officially on Instagram. Please follow us @good_sam_umc ! Here, we hope to offer brief, inspiring reflections, mindful reminders, and invitations towards deeper spirit-alignment.