Good Samaritan News
November New Member Classes
Are you interested in learning more about Good Samaritan UMC and possibly joining? Pastor Max is offering two membership exploration classes November 3 and 10 following worship from 11:30 am-12:15 pm in the Fireside Room. Discussion will include getting acquainted, an overview of United Methodist history and theology and plenty of open time for questions. Kids, youth, and adults are all invited for the discussion. We’ll welcome new members on November 17 during our Thanksgiving Service. Please contact Pastor Max with any questions and sign up for the classes at max@good.org.
Generosity Sunday
In gratitude for all the good gifts God entrusts to us we will bless our estimate of giving cards for 2025 on Sunday, November 10 during the service. Watch your home mailbox for a pledge card as we recommit to share our prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness through the ministries of Good Samaritan United Methodist Church.
Lost & Found
Our Lost & Found collection is overflowing, so we’re setting items out on a table in the Narthex. Please look at the items when you are at church and claim what is yours. Items left After Sunday, November 3, will be donated.
Election Hospitality November 5
Sign-up is available to help greet voters and provide meals for election judges in our final election in 2024. You can sign up by going to the Volunteer Signup page and selecting the Sign-up Genius button for Election Day Volunteers, or go directly to the sign-up page here.
Rev. Dennis Oglesby Gala Tribute
Saturday, October 26, 6:00-9:00 p.m. at Camphor Memorial UMC, 585 Fuller Ave, St Paul. Join them for an evening of celebration, fellowship, and socializing, with beautiful music and delicious food. This event will capture Pastor D's spirit and vision for Camphor, reflecting his legacy and our commitment to their community. Purchase tickets at camphorconnects.org/ (scroll down).
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.
Welcoming LGBTQ+ Congregants
On Thursday, November 7 at 7:00 p.m., Minnesota Reconciling Congregations will host a Zoom event, “Welcoming LGBTQ+ Congregants” with Dr. Ellie Krug. Ellie brings her personal experience of transitioning from a straight, cisgender male to a member of the LGBTQi2+ community at age 52. She will share tips on how churches can be more welcoming and talk about challenges that queer people face, including the idea that one’s gender or sexual identity is a “choice”. To learn more about Ellie, visit her website www.elliekrug.com. Go to ttsu.me/zvdbr3 to register. Contact Brian Boysen for more information at bteambackup@earthlink.net
Appalachia Service Project 2025
Information Night - Thursday, October 23,
6:30 p.m. Fellowship Hall
Dates Chosen! July 12-20, 2025
2025 will mark Good Samaritan’s 44th year of participation in ASP, traveling to a location in Appalachia to help make critical repairs to a family’s home. We welcome youth who have completed 8th grade on up, college students/young adults, and any other interested adults. Church membership or construction experience are not requirements. Gather friends and family and join us as we repair homes, develop relationships, and build hope. If interested, please email Jan at jan@good.org so we can add you to our email list.
Care Package Season!
We would like to send care packages to the young adults in our lives. Whether in college, the military, working, taking a gap year, or whatever, we want to let our 18 to 24 year-olds know we care and are thinking of them. Please email Jan at jan@good.org with their mailing address.
Give A Book - Read a Book!
We once again have an opportunity to donate new books to the Good Samaritan Library. The Library Group - Vicki Dunn, Joan Hursh, Mary Lewis, and Marcia Willett - have established a list of books that would be good for the library to have available for the congregation for checkout.
The list of books to choose from is online – www.tinyurl.com/GSLibraryDonate - and displayed in the library. If you would like to donate and have purchased the new book, it can be dropped off in the reception area by the Church Office.
Please include a note with your name and contact information so we may send you a donation receipt and a thank you. If you have questions, please contact anyone on the library group. Thanks for your help as we try to stretch out the budget with new and current books.
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..
Honoring Those Who Serve
Good Samaritan has a bulletin board in our Fellowship Hall highlighting military members with ties to our congregation. We need someone to take on keeping this current, or at least updating it for now. Monday, November 11 is Veteran’s Day and we would love to have it looking good for that day. Please contact Cindy in the church office if you are willing to take this on - cindy@good.org, 952-929-0049. Thanks!
Everybody Smile!
Our photography course has started but you are still welcome to signup and participate. Classes cover various topics so you can learn good information by attending any of the classes. We are focusing on using your smartphone camera. Register today, for the remaining weeks. Go to tinyurl.com/GSHotShots for the details of what, when, where, etc. and register today. You can attend classes on Sundays or Wednesdays. Classes are open to anyone in the community. Bring your smartphone, bring your creative eye and get ready to take better pictures and generate bigger smiles! Hot Shots are just a click away!
Tuesday Bible Study Resumes
Welcome to all! Tuesday Bible study meets on Tuesday's, 9:30-11:30 am. They meet in the Fireside Room with refreshments, friendship, community, and a love for learning and discussing faith topics.
For the first part of the Fall season, they will be reading a recommended book, How Happiness Happens: Finding Lasting Joy in a World of Comparison, Disappointment, and Unmet Expectations by Max Lucado, "based on the teachings of Jesus and backed by modern research." You will find the book in paperback, hardcover, audiobook, and Kindle. It's also available through Hennepin County Library as a book, downloadable audiobook, or ebook. For further information, contact Carol Smith, carolsden@gmail.com.
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.
Helping Migrants
Here is an update from Charisse Litteken on the Equidorian family seeking asylum in the Twin Cities:
“Brian Boisen and I set up three donated wooden beds (including an awe-inducing bunk bed) for a husband (21), wife (22), wife's brother (19) and daughter (3) who have secured a room in the main house of the "Ecuadorian" residence. We are happy that they are no longer sleeping on the garage floor. We secured an additional mattress, and required bed parts for this young family's sleeping needs. Ten English-language learning books are on order. Pat Deckas Becerra and Charisse will conduct their first English lesson for interested adults in the home tonight at 7:00pm. We would love for more people to join us in the English efforts. We received a generous $500 donation that the Missions Committee will use for other supplies. We are still looking for two working cell phones, Boost Mobile cards and Metro transit cards.”
If you have items on the list or questions, please contact Charisse directly at charisse.litteken@gmail.com. Thank you on behalf of the Missions Team.