Big Music Sunday is almost here and it’s going to be a joyful celebration of music. The service will feature all three of Good Sam’s music ensembles, plus a string quartet. We’ve crafted this service to honor the beauty and power of music in our spiritual life - don’t miss it!

Highway 100 Closure this Weekend

Please read the following and keep it in mind when coming to church this weekend. This and more information, including interactive maps, can be found at https://www.edinamn.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2986.

Temporary Highway 100 Closure Scheduled for May 16-19:
Highway 100 will be closed near the Vernon Avenue project area beginning 10 p.m. Friday, May 16, until 5 a.m., Monday, May 19, to allow for the safe removal of the Highway 100 Bridge on Vernon Avenue.

During this time, Highway 100 will be closed to through traffic in both northbound and southbound directions between Excelsior Boulevard and Minnesota Highway 62. Work is expected to occur 24 hours a day throughout the closure period.

• Local Traffic: During the closure, access to northbound Highway 100 from West 50th Street will not be available. Access to southbound Highway 100 will remain open via Eden Avenue on the west side of Highway 100.

Out-to-Lunch Bunch
Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden & Bird Sanctuary
Due to Weather - This event has been Rescheduled to
Thursday, May 22, 9:30 a.m.

As the oldest wildflower Garden in the country, the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden & Bird Sanctuary in Minneapolis offers something for every gardener. The Garden’s wood-chipped trails meander through a breathtaking 15 acres of woodlands, wetlands and prairie to showcase 500 native plant species, including several threatened and endangered species. Meet in the lower parking lot on Thursday, May 15, at 9:30 a.m. to carpool to the garden. We will have lunch at Milda's Cafe. All are welcome!

Contact joannknutson@hotmail.com or 612-240-9372 to RSVP.

Peace Garden Planning & Planting

We are looking for new ideas! If you’re interested in helping plan what flowers to plant this spring, please us know. We’d love your input!

Planting the annuals in the Peace Garden is a fun Spring gathering of digging in the dirt and fellowship with other Good Samaritan folks. Join us on Saturday, May 17 at 10:00 a.m. Even if you only have an hour in your schedule, come and plant with us. Of course, there will be coffee and treats as an enticement! Please bring your own gloves and trowel. We hope you can join us.

If you have questions or ideas, please contact Steve Schultz (shschultz5@hotmail.com) or Mary Lach (mary@marylach.com).

Conference Love Offering

Each year, churches in the Minnesota Annual Conference take a Love Offering for missions in conjunction with our Annual Conference Session. The theme of the 2025 Annual Conference - which will take place June 11-13, 2025 at the St. Cloud Convention Center - is “Created for Love.”

Our Love Offering theme this year is “Love in Action.” This year’s Love Offering will go to:

• Africa University for student scholarships (30%)
• Immigration Law and Justice Network (30%)
• OC Ministries (20%)
• Midwest Mission (20%)
• We will also collect supplies and kits for Midwest Mission and the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR).

Descriptions of each of the recipients can be found at minnesotaumc.org/loveoffering.

Three ways to give:

• We encourage each church to bring one check to Annual Conference for a collection of the Love Offering during worship. Checks can be written to Good Samaritan UMC with “Love Offering” in the memo line. Please submit payments to church by June 4.
• Individuals can also securely give online. See the link at minnesotaumc.org/loveoffering.
• Or you may mail a check to Minnesota UMC, 122 W. Franklin Ave., Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55404. Be sure to put "Love Offering" in the memo line.

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!

Samaritan drivers deliver meals on the 3rd and 5th Fridays of each month. Our next delivery is Friday, May 16. The pickup from Normandale Lutheran is at 10:45 a.m. We now have six routes each month, so additional drivers are welcome! Contact Vicki Dunn if you are interested in being added to the list of potential drivers each month - 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.