Spring is among us! Read more about what’s happening in our ministries this month.

Care and Prayer

Our Meals Ministry is off to a great start! We have supported seven families going through a difficult time through the generosity of meal support. We give God praise for the spirit of hospitality and generosity that is inspiring those who have received meals to in return provide meals to those in need.

Recently, we have launched our Men’s Care Group for single or divorced dads. We invite men to be part of this supportive community! More information can be found online.

Lastly, we give God thanks for the compassionate and servant-hearted leaders on our Visitation Team who continue to connect with over 20 homebound congregants, extending the support and care of our church community.

Get Connected! With Care and Prayer

• Our Meals Ministry needs more team members to prepare and serve meals. Share this opportunity in your small groups or with those from other ministries you serve. We currently have a team of 15 but ideally would like 25 to 30 active leaders on a regular basis.
• Our Grief Support Team is actively looking for new leaders! Please share the need for those who have a heart for those grieving.
• Our Visitation Team is actively looking for those in our congregation with a heart for visiting and being near to those who are hospitalized or homebound.

Missions

Thank you Good Shepherd, for your heart of generosity locally and globally. This models the heart of Jesus in a tangible way.

Good Shepherd was recently at Feed the Need on February 18 and 19! Because of YOU, we were able to pack 3,708 boxes of food. That is 800,928 meals which will feed 2,195 kids this year! Together, we are making an impact against the global hunger crisis.

In addition, we just had two successful teams return from Nairobi, Kenya. It was so good to see the students at Cherish Wototo Kenya happy and thriving in their new building. While there, our teams held a dental clinic for over 235 students and staff, updated photos and bios on all of the children, and hosted the older students at the Nairobi National Museum along with other activities. God is doing amazing things in Kenya, what a privledge to be a part of His work there!

Last month we sent off Missionaries, Pete and Angie Raineri, as they depart for Honduras to assume their new positions with Honduran Fellowship.

El Ayudante notified that all the school supplies that we sent arrived just in time for the start of the school year this past January. They were much needed for the learning center and were also distributed to underprivileged communities nearby.

Lastly, two of our primary mission partners, Lutheran World Relief and Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) are actively involved in providing relief to Turkey-Syria. FMSC is working with partners in the region to urgently assess and respond to the growing need. They are rapidly scaling up production to deploy emergency response meals. In addition, Lutheran World Relief has already sent a shipment of our quilts and personal care kits to the region. This again confirms when you give to Good Shepherd, your giving is impacting our community and world.

Get Connected! With Missions

• Interested in joining us on our next Mission Trip in 2023-2024? Reach out to our Missions Director, Jeannine Allen.
• On April 16, our mission partner, Holy Family Ministries, will be onsite and host a table in the Narthex to connect with our congregation! We invite you stop by.

Preschool

Preschool enrollment and families served through our Preschool are increasing! Additionally, we are excited to share the launch of our Preschool’s new website.

Get Connected! With Preschool

• Join us in praying over our new Preschool building additions to best support its growing impact and ministry.

Family Life

Many baptisms are happening throughout February and March in worship services. We give thanks for the families who are participating in this special sacrament and moment for their child’s faith.

In February, our 4th & 5th Grade students attended Winter Camp at Covenant Harbor! There were many great stories of students serving each other, making new friends, and growing together through this retreat.

Last month, Dodgin’ 4 Dough was a huge success! We had 30 total teams play in the tournament, and we estimate that somewhere around 400 people walked through the doors of Good Shepherd over the weekend. This was our 15th year of the tournament fundraiser and we raised over $7,000 for our students to serve on mission trips this summer.

Get Connected! With Family Life

• Join us at Easter Bash on Saturday, April 1! This family-fun Easter experience is for families with children through 5th grade. Learn more online.
• Summer is coming and that means that Eternal Impact, Workcamp, and VBS are coming up quick. Registration for VBS and Eternal Impact will launch very soon.

Disabilities

January 28th’s Buddy Break set a new post-pandemic record of 53 kids! We give glory to God for the new ways that families are encountering the respite and care of Jesus through our Disability Ministry.

Get Connected! With Disability Ministry

• Light Up the Night is a spectacular red-carpet, dinner-dance experience for those ages 14 and up with disabilities. We are so excited to host this event! We are needing a BIG TEAM of volunteers to make this event a success. Learn more online.
• If you are a family with children with disabilities, we invite you to join us for Buddy Break! Join us on March 18, April 29, May 13, and June 3.

Adults

Our Men’s Ministry has been meeting weekly on Wednesdays for Men’s Bible Study! We invite men in on our congregation who are looking for study, community, and fellowship to join in this time together.

Our Tuesday Morning Women’s Bible Study (formerly known as Growth Groups) hosts 130 women weekly. Our Women’s Ministry has been active in bible study and fellowship and will host an upcoming Women’s Retreat in May! More details will be shared soon.

Additionally, Marriage Ministry is excited to share an upcoming Marriage Retreat taking place in April! More details will be shared soon.

Get Connected! With Adult Ministries

• Want to join a small group, or get connected to ministries? Reach out to Heather Miller at miller@goodshepherd-naperville.org.

Worship

You are invited to join us on Wednesdays for our Lenten Midweek Service. Each Midweek Service is composed of teaching and discussion groups, equipping you to dive deeper into each week’s study. Learn more about Lent and Holy Week services online.

We invite you, your family, and friends to join us for one of our six in-person and online Easter services on Saturday or Sunday! Come experience the celebration and hope of Jesus on Easter weekend. Learn more about Easter at Good Shepherd online.

Get Connected! With Worship

• We are always looking for new musicians, vocalists, and servants willing to use their giftings in areas of Worship and Tech to serve our congregation. Want to hop in? Reach out to Ryan Hammer, Contemporary Worship Director, or Craig Parsons, Traditional Worship Director.