Good Samaritan News
Wesley Foundation Annual Dinner at Good Samaritan
Neon, the Wesley Campus Ministry at the University of Minnesota, has probably the largest group ever! Neon has a new director, Jean Carlos Diaz, who is dynamic, with lots of great ideas and tech talent, and is gathering all these students at Coffman Student Union. “If you feed them, they will come!” In March, Jean Carlos put on an event called “Trans Stories are Sacred” with two ministers and six students telling their stories. 130 people attended and loved the presentations!
Our Mission Team helps support the Wesley Campus Ministry, and two Good Samaritan members, Kent Holmes and JoAnn Knutson, serve on the Wesley board. Come learn about Neon, meet the amazing Jean Carlos, and have a great dinner. Wesley’s annual dinner will be at Good Samaritan on Thursday, May 1, from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
The Wesley Foundation invites you to our annual dinner to celebrate the stories, students, and supporters who make Neon—our campus ministry at the University of Minnesota—possible. Your generosity has created a community that’s colorful, bright, and new because of Jesus. Soul Bowl will cater our dinner with vegetarian and gluten-free options available. As the school year ends, let’s celebrate! RSVP by Friday, April 25, to https://www.neontogether.org/
Spring Social with Homeward Bound
Friday, May 2, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Mark your calendars and RSVP for your spot at this year’s Spring Social! This event features Good Samaritan's band, Homeward Bound, for an evening of family-friendly music, fellowship, and fun. The band will play two sets of music in Fellowship Hall with a short intermission. Coffee, lemonade and desserts will be served. A free-will offering will benefit our music department. All are welcome. RSVP at https://tinyurl.com/GSSpringSocial25.
Volunteer for the Spring Social!
We need volunteers to provide desserts and volunteers to help serve during the Spring Social, Friday, May 2. Sign up in the Narthex or contact Brad Carlin (bradleypcarlin@gmail.com) or Carey Shunskis (carey@good.org).
ASP Culture and Sensitivity Night
Those going on the ASP Mission Trip this summer are invited to a Culture and Sensitivity Night on Wednesday, April 30, 6:30-8:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Dairy Queen treats will be served! The balance of the ASP fees are due at this time.
Peace Garden Planning
It's time again to plan and plant the Peace Garden. We are looking for new ideas and would really appreciate your suggestions. We are meeting right after the April 27 church service in the Fireside Room and would love to have you join us and share your thoughts! Contact Mary Lach (mary@marylach.com) or Steve Schultz (shschultz5@hotmail.com).
Your Help is Needed - Church Grounds and Toolbox Brigade!
It's that time of year again, and the church grounds are in need of the type of maintenance that you would do at your own home. You may pick the jobs you are willing to do, work with our group, or come on your own schedule.
We are also recruiting people for the Toolbox Brigade, which has been able to save our church significant money. We do minor repairs, painting, and staining. There are also jobs for those of us who have not learned those skills but are willing to do small jobs like oiling doors, cleaning stains off tables, and removing sticky tape residue around the church. JoAnn Knutson will be in the Narthex this Sunday, hoping to get your assistance with either group. Or contact her at joannknutson@hotmail.com.
Prayer Shawl Ministry
Calling all knitters and crocheters! Your skills are needed to make prayer shawls. These are given to church members when hospitalized or recovering from illness in care facilities or at home, letting them know they are being thought about and wishing them well. They can be made the size you wish and dropped off at the church office. Thank you!
Thursday Afternoon Book Club
Drivers Needed for Meals on Wheels!
If you have 1-2 hours per month to spare, please consider this volunteer opportunity! Good Samaritan supplies volunteer drivers for Meals on Wheels on the third and fifth Fridays of each month. The number of clients has increased and routes have been added. We now need six drivers on our assigned days. Contact: Vicki Dunn, victoria.dunn@q.com.
Good Samaritan is now on BlueSky!
We’re continuing to grow our social media footprint. BlueSky is a new social media space with a strong Progressive Christian presence. They’re also considered by many to be a more ethical alternative to existing social media platforms. If you're on BlueSky, please consider following us here.
Optimal Online Worship Experience is on the Good.org
“Watch & Listen” page or YouTube
We’re continuing to have challenges with Facebook and online worship. They are often mistakenly muting music due to copyright issues. This happens when Facebook’s AI mistakes original recordings for commercially available recordings. This is not an issue on our Good Samaritan YouTube Channel, which features music, prayers, Time with Children segments, visual meditations, and sermons. You can also watch on our Good.org “Watch & Listen” page.
Special News for Youth and Families
BFF – Building Faithful Families! We all have such crazy schedules. Making it to church can sometimes be difficult. To help you build your family’s faith, each month we will have a new resource for you to try at home with your family. These resources don’t need a theology degree, just a desire to be come closer as a family and to strengthen your family’s spirituality. January is all about setting your intentions for 2025. You can pick up these resources at the welcome desk in the Narthex or Jan can email them to you! Let her know at jan@good.org if you would like a copy.
Online Readers Wanted
We want to extend an invitation to those who participate in Online Worship to be readers, especially for those who are not able to come to our in-person services. If you’re in the local area, we would be happy to come to you to record. If you are distant, we can find a way to help you record. We may even include the recording during In-Person Worship as well. Please reach out to christian@good.org if you would like to participate in worship remotely. You don’t have to be the perfect reader to be a part of worship.
Sanctuary Camera System Training
Training is still available for our sanctuary camera systems for Recording and Live streaming. If operating our built-in sanctuary cameras seems too much, there is also training available for our free-standing cameras, which we use in creating Online Worship, and we could use your help. Please contact Chrisitan Nielsen at christian@good.org to learn more or to sign up.
Let the Play Begin!
The Good Sam Pickleball Club invites interested adult Good Samaritan members to join in the newly added introduction/beginners pickleball sessions. The sessions will be held in the church Gym each Saturday from 10:00-11:00 a.m. No previous experience is necessary. Paddle equipment will be available. Regular pickleball play time is Mondays and Thursdays from 3:15 to 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 11:00a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Registration is required for ANY/ALL sessions. Registration forms are available outside the church office or at the Gym.
Memorial Service Help
We are looking for people who are interested in occasionally helping with memorial services held at Good Samaritan. This is something we used to do years ago and are exploring restarting it. The areas we could use help with are baking cookies, making coffee, washing tablecloths, and coordinating. You would be contacted when a memorial service is planned at Good Samaritan where the bereaved would appreciate cookies and bars provided by the church. If you are interested in being on the list, please contact Kathy Clark at kjcclark@icloud.com. Thank you for your time.
Chancel Chimes Needs You!
Chancel Chimes handbell ensemble is looking for new members. If you are interested in ringing handbells or even just trying them, now is the time. Rehearsals are on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:15 pm and we participate in worship approximately once a month. The ability to read music and a can-do attitude are helpful. Contact Kate Graber, kate@good.org, for details. The Bell Room 153 is on the lower level in the Music Wing..
Online Worship on SW Community Television!
Our Online Worship is now on Southwest Community Television, accessible to cable subscribers in Edina and surrounding communities on Channel 15 (Standard Definition) 799 (High Definition). Having our worship on cable will make it more accessible for those with limited technology access or knowledge and we hope it will increase our visibility in the area. Online Worship will also be available on demand from their website http://edinamn.gov/swtv and through their “Cablecast” streaming app for iPhone, Android, Apple TV, Roku and Fire TV users. Our schedule on channel 15 & 799 is:
- Wednesdays 7:30-8:30 pm
- Fridays 9-10 am
- Saturdays 7 - 8 pm
- Sundays 10 am (airs one week behind due to our production schedule)
Help Beautify our Worship
Our altar flower signup sheet for Sunday morning worship is looking very empty. Consider signing up! You can acknowledge an anniversary, honor someone, or provide flowers just because! There are several ways to provide flowers for the altar for all different budgets, including:
- Have Cindy in the office order an arrangement from Bachman’s for a cost of $65 (or more for a larger arrangement).
- To avoid the $18 delivery fee, order your own arrangement and pick it up yourself.
- Grab a bouquet from your local grocery store (Trader Joe’s has a great selection for lower cost) or farmers market (Fulton Farmers Market meets at Lake Harriet UMC on Saturday mornings).
- Cut flowers and foliage from your own yard.
When you sign up on the Altar Flowers chart on the Narthex kiosk, Cindy will be in touch with you to discuss what you would like to do. Contact her with questions - cindy@good.org or 952-929-0049.