Explore & Participate in Ministry Events at Good Samaritan
View a list of upcoming events below or click here to view the full event calendar
- All Events
- Featured Events
- Music
- Children's Events
- Youth Events
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Operation Restoration
Adaptive Vacation Bible Camp
Operation Restoration
August 7-10, 2023
Eden Prairie United Methodist Church
We are partnering with Eden Prairie UMC to offer an Adaptive Summer Bible Camp. This experience supports kids with social, communication, and sensory needs. Children will enjoy games, fun and creative learning with trained volunteers. Adaptive Camp is for children 3.5 years and older. There is no charge. Registration is coming soon. Contact Jan with any questions

Vacation Bible School (VBS)
4 day VBS
June 26-29, 2023
9am – 4pm
Participants: Age 3 to Grade 4
Grade 5 thru adults
Encouraged to Volunteer!

Tuesday Bible Study
Tuesdays, 9:30-11:30am (September - May)
Tuesday Bible Study meets every Tuesday morning at 9:30 in the Fireside Room between the second week in September through the first week in May.
Visitors and new members (men and women) are more than welcome.
Please direct questions to Carol Smith (carolsden@gmail.com), Christina Leenders (christinaleenders@gmail.com), or MaryStanton (rstanton5@comcast.net).

Children’s Sunday School
Sundays, 10:15am
Sunday School is available for children and youth age 4 through grade 12.
- Sunday School, this Sunday, June 4
National Park Series – Acadia, Beginnings
All Ages welcome
Taught by Jan in Room 200

Youth Sunday School
Sundays, 10:15am
Sunday School is available for children and youth age 4 through grade 12.
- Sunday School, this Sunday, June 4
National Park Series – Acadia, Beginnings
All ages welcome
Taught by Jan in Room 200

Wednesday Night Youth Gatherings
W.I.L.D. will resume on Wednesday, September 6th @ 7pm
W.I.L.D. Ones, Buzz, and High School Youth Group
- Help! Does anyone have volleyball expertise? The youth group would be interested in having a volleyball night at a Wednesday night youth group! Contact Jan if you can help out!
- ASP Mission Trip – Next up: Culture Night on Wednesday, April 19 at 6:30pm in Fellowship Hall. More info can be found at https://good.org/event/asp/
- Confirmation Class 2023 – Our next class is this Sunday, April 16, 4:00-6:00pm in Room 201
- Adaptive Vacation Bible Camp – August 7-10, 2023 We are partnering with Eden Prairie UMC to offer an Adaptive Summer Bible Camp. This experience supports kids with social, communication, and sensory needs. Children will enjoy games, fun, and creative learning with trained volunteers. Adaptive Camp is for children 3½ years and older and there is no charge. Contact Jan with any questions and for the registration link.

Appalachia Service Project (ASP)
Making Homes Warmer, Safer, Drier, Transforming Lives
2023 will mark Good Samaritan’s 42nd year of participation in ASP. The need in the Appalachia area has not diminished and neither has our commitment to serving the wonderful people in that area.
According to the ASP website, “each year, more than 15,000 volunteers serve with ASP, providing critical repairs for more than 350 families.” Projects can include roofing, flooring, shoring up foundations, digging drainage ditches, making rooms or homes wheel-chair accessible, or other projects that help make homes warmer, safer, and drier. In addition to building and improving homes, ASP is also a relational ministry for both the families we serve as well as those serving.
This ministry is about lifting the spirits of Appalachian families and reminding them that God’s love knows no boundaries. In the process of putting your faith in action, God acts in your heart. And when you change the lives of others, they have a way of changing you.
All students who have completed the 9th grade or higher are invited to serve with families in Central Appalachia. Students who are not members of or otherwise affiliated with Good Samaritan church are also invited to participate in the ASP trip. Bring a friend.
For more information contact Amy Manolis at AMANOLIS@MAC.COM or Jan Russell at JAN@GOOD.ORG.

Caregiver Support Group
2nd Wednesday of each Month, 6-7pm, Room 200
Many people in our community know the meaningful, love-filled, difficult, and often lonely journey of accompanying a loved one amidst mental or physical illness of varying degrees. As you pour yourselves out to care for your loved ones, whether a spouse, parent, or child, we want you to have a safe place to come together to restore, refill, and receive support yourselves.

Chancel Chimes
Wednesdays, 6:00pm, Room 153, Rehearsal
Good Samaritan’s adult bell choir performs monthly at Sunday Worship Services in addition to playing in festivals and concerts throughout the Twin Cities.
Learn More: Contact Kate Graber at Kate@good.org

Chancel Choir
Wednesdays, 7pm, Room 150, Rehearsal
Chancel Choir is open to any adult who loves to sing. This choir provides weekly music at most Sunday services. This is a friendly, supportive group where you will be accepted and in addition, your faith will be nurtured.

Confirmation: 9th Grade
9th graders are invited to participate in a 9-month Confirmation program as an intentional journey; digging deeper into the Christian faith, their understanding and relationship with God, and what it means to live out the vows of Christian discipleship in their everyday lives.
Our next class, Saturday, May 6, will be our field trip to Lakewood Cemetery!

Feed My Starving Children Food Packing
2nd Wednesday of each month 9-10:45am
Volunteers from Good Sam can meet for an evening packing session on Friday, April 28 from 7:00-8:45pm. Please sign up at jane.heimerl@yahoo.com by Wednesday, April 26.
Help pack food at Feed My Starving Children
Chanhassen FMSC Site
18932 Lake Dr E
Chanhassen, MN
Questions or to sign up, call: jane.heimerl@yahoo.com

Good Samaritan Online Community Group
Always Available!
Did you know that Good Samaritan has a Good Samaritan Online Community group on Facebook. This group helps serve as a hub of online interaction and information for our community, as well as having special curated content from our staff and Digital Team not available on our Facebook Page. It will be a private, safe, and moderated space. On Sunday, Christian and the Digital Team will have information to help you join our group. We hope you’ll join us in this new ministry of the church as we continue to reach beyond our walls. If you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to reach out to CHRISTIAN@GOOD.ORG.
You can signup for the new Good Samaritan Online Community NOW.

Homeward Bound
Thursdays, 7:30pm, Rehearsal
This is Good Samaritan’s contemporary music ensemble. This group presents a variety of original songs as well as familiar covers. In addition to performing monthly during a Sunday Worship Service, Homeward Bound also performs at other venues in the community.
Learn More: Contact Brad Carlin at Good Samaritan Homeward Bound

FRIDAY AM Discussion Group
Fridays, 8:30am, Fireside Room
Our Friday Men’s Breakfast Group has decided not to be a men’s group anymore…so everyone is welcome to the conversation! They will meet at Jerry’s for breakfast at 8:30am on the first and third Fridays of each month. This is a great opportunity for you to come and bring a friend. Contact Bill Beardsley or Brian Boysen with questions.

Stitchers
Mondays, 1:15pm, Conference Room
Calling all Knitters, Quilters and Embroiderers! Work on personal projects while enjoying the company of others
Contact: Carol Smith

Thursday Afternoon Book Club
2nd Thursday of Each Month, 1:00pm, Fireside Room (Sept-May)
Below is a list of the titles selected last Thursday for the upcoming year. We will meet on Thursday, July 13th at 1:00 to discuss Chronicles of a Radical Hag by Lorna Landvick. Lynn Timmer will provide refreshments and I will lead the discussion. The decision was made to designate our offering from this past year for Dan and the school in Baiwalla, Sierra Leone.
Questions: contact Vicki Dunn, victoria.dunn@q.com.
Titles Selected for 2023-24
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelley Van Pelt
The Maid by Nita Prose
Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyers
Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall
Poverty by America by Matthew Desmond
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
Chronicles of a Radical Hag by Lorna Landvick. (July 13 discusssion title)
Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

United Methodist Church Nursery
Sundays, 9:45 – 11:00a.m.
The large, light-filled, and welcoming nursery is staffed by professional childcare workers. Your child can enjoy the nursery while you enrich your soul and mind in worship. The Nursery is on the upper level, steps from our sanctuary.

United Methodist Church Children’s Council
It’s time to reestablish our councils! We will combine Children, Youth, and Families Ministries into one council for the next program year. We will plan to start meeting in July. If you have any interest in serving on this council, please let Jan know.
Contact Jan@good.org to learn more!