Outreach Opportunities
In Our Community & Beyond
Upcoming Opportunities
- Fidget Collection – April 14-21
- Hesed House – May 8 & 9
- Rebuilding Together Aurora – May 10 & 11
- Cherish Watoto Kenya – May 12-14
- Mission Trip interest form
- Join our Mission Leadership Team
- DuPage Care Center – Third Sunday of each month
- Prison Ministry – First and Third Saturday of each month
Celebrating Autism Awareness Month
We celebrate with joy the opportunity to partner with our Disability Ministry to provide fidgets for our local school districts for kids with disabilities. This is one of the most requested items by teachers and therapists. A collection bin will be located across from the Connect Center from April 14-21. New fidgets only please.
Hesed House | May 8 & 9
Hesed House is an interfaith, comprehensive homeless resource center in Aurora aimed at ending homelessness one person or one family at a time. Join our team serving the guests at Hesed House on May 8 & 9.
Sign up and donation links will be posted this week!
Rebuilding Together Aurora| May 10-11
Join us for Aurora’s annual National Rebuilding Day on Friday & Saturday, May 10-11 from 8 am – 4 pm! Volunteer teams from across Chicagoland will join forces to tackle critical home repairs for qualified homeowners in Aurora’s near-west working-class neighborhoods. Good Shepherd has been partnering with RTA for the past 30 years to address dangerous housing conditions for our neighbors in need, won’t you join us? All skill levels are welcome!
Follow the link and enter “Good Shepherd Lutheran Church” under volunteer notes to join our team.
Cherish Watoto Kenya | May 12-14 |Three Ways to Engage!
One of the most amazing ways God is working through Good Shepherd is at Cherish Watoto, an orphanage and school in Nairobi Kenya. Bernard Wandera, the School Director, is coming to the United States in May. Hear from him directly the incredible ways we are partnering to take children from poverty to possibilities. This is a unique opportunity and our teams are providing three ways you can engage:
May 12 – Stop by in the Café at our Meet & Greet with Bernard after all Sunday Services! This is a rare in-person opportunity that you don’t want to miss. Bernard is excited to meet you and share the incredible impact of your support!
May 13 – Fun with Purpose! Trivia Night at the Hotel Indigo to benefit CWK High School Scholarships in honor of Ken Holland. This is being hosted by 4:13 and the Naperville Rotary Club. Purchase Tickets here.
May 14 – Two incredible opportunities to hear from Bernard directly in 90 minute sessions that will include food and fellowship. All are welcome! Our mission team is excited to share videos and experiences from our recent March Trip. Bernard will be our featured speaker where you can learn first hand about our collective efforts to take these children from poverty to possibilities. Sponsors and donors are highly encouraged to attend along with anyone interested in learning about how they can be a part of this great work!
DuPage Care Center
3rd Sunday of the Month from 9:30 – 11:45 AM
Do you know that Good Shepherd provides an off-site worship service once a month for residents living at DuPage Care Center? It’s an important way that we serve our community. Every third Sunday we provide a team to worship with residents physically unable to go to church. Pianists, musicians, vocalists, and anyone with a smile who can push a wheelchair are invited to join our team in this impactful service! Just a few hours, once a month, helps to bring worship and joy to grateful residents!
Email our leader for more details here.
Loaves and Fishes Community Services
Volunteers Needed
Due to difficult economic circumstances, Loaves and Fishes Community Services is currently serving 9,000 families or more each week and could use our help! They have an immediate need for volunteers on M-TH from 1-3 pm to do produce sorting for distribution. This is at their Distribution Hub, 580 Exchange Court, Aurora, IL. The only requirement is that you wear close-toed shoes and can stand for 2 hours while sorting.
Email Shelly Schmitz at sschmitz@loaves-fishes.org with additional questions or to volunteer.
Prison Ministry
Volunteers Needed
The first and the third Saturday of each month, a team of 6-12 volunteers head into Statesville Prison to minister to inmates there. Inmates spend 167 hours a week inside their cells. Our visiting team distributes bibles & various spiritual reading materials. They listen, pray and minister to them however the spirit leads the conversation. This is equally as impactful for our team as it is for the inmates and many lives have been changes through these interactions. The time commitment is from 8am-Noon.
Email our leader for more details here.
Feed My Starving Children
Aurora Packing Site
Each day FMSC distributes meals in schools, orphanages, clinics, and feeding programs around the world to deliver hope and break the cycle of poverty. Kids and adults of all ages hand-pack nutritious MannaPack® meals specifically designed to assist in reversing and preventing undernutrition. FMSC is a long-time mission partner of Good Shepherd. We are a premier supporter of Feed the Need every February, and sponsor several group packing sessions throughout the year. Outside of that, you can sign up directly to serve at the Aurora site. It is a fun, impactful way to help with the world hunger crisis.
Sign up and full details here.
Mission Trip Interest
Join us on an incredible journey of faith and service! God’s transformative work happens through His people, and a mission trip is a powerful way to be part of that work. Whether you’re an experienced traveler or just beginning to consider short-term missions, we invite you to complete our interest form today. By doing so, you’ll help us discern the when, where, and how of our mission trips for the remainder of 2023-24.
As we hear stories of the tremendous impact that mission trips have on both those serving and being served, we’re excited to see what God has in store for us. By taking this step of faith, you’ll have the opportunity to deepen your relationship with God, connect with fellow believers, and make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. So why wait? Complete the interest form today and let’s discover where God is calling us to serve together.
Local Mission Leadership Team
Do you have a heart for local missions? We are growing our leadership team with individuals who can help us plan and execute local serving events like Hesed House. This will be a joint effort, amongst passionate people, doing kingdom work right in our own backyard. Together, joyfully, we can make a difference.
Contact Jeannine Allen to learn more.
Thrivent Action Teams
If you are a Thrivent Member, you are eligible for a $250 gift card to support community-involved service projects. Please consider partnering with Good Shepherd to put this money into action with our current community outreach efforts! Together we can make an impact! We will walk you through the easy process step by step.
Email us to learn more.