News

Last Updated October 17, 2025   

Adult Bible Class will be at 9:15 a.m.in the fellowship hall.

High School Youth Bible Class meets on Sunday Mornings at 9:15 a.m. in the Youth Room on the School Lower Level. Youth who have graduated from 8th grade through Senior year in High School are invited to join us for Bible Study, Fellowship, and Snacks!

Sunday School – Join us this Sunday, from 9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. for Sunday School!
- Parents & Babies (birth - 2 years old) will meet in the Nursery in the Church Lower Level.
- Preschool 3 year olds - Kindergarten will meet in Tracks 
- 1st - 6th grade will meet in the school cafeteria
- 7th & 8th grade in the learning center. 

Pastor Packer has a Fascinating Finds page and a Book List page. Please visit these links.

Midweek Prayer Service at 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday's.

Portals of Prayer for October - December are available in the narthex.

Holy Baptism for Elizabeth Marie Daech, daughter of Cody & Annie Daech at the 8 a.m. service. Please help in welcoming Elsie into our Good Shepherd family!

October has been designated as Church Worker Appreciation Month.  The bulletin board in the narthex shows our amazing church and school workers.  If you see them, be sure and tell them thank you for all that they do for our ministry here at Good Shepherd!

Sunday School – If you have a child in the Preschool – Kindergarten class they need to be signed in and out by a parent. If you have any questions please contact the church office.

HONORING OUR VETERANS VETERANS: Good Shepherd Lutheran School would like to invite all veterans to a special thank you tribute to our men and women who have served our country or are currently serving. Please join us on Tuesday, November 11th, at 2:00 p.m. in the school gym for the students to show you their thanks for your service. Please RSVP to the school office (618-344-3153) or email lsengele@gslcs.org so that we will have enough seating. The students always look forward to this special opportunity so please come and be a part of it!!

Please join the Women's Christian Fiction Book Club at Panera in Collinsville on October 20th to discuss Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin. You can come for dinner at 6:00 or arrive at 6:30 for the book discussion. Please join us!

Lunch Bunch: Lunch Bunch is on Tuesday, at 11:30 a.m. at Peking Garden in Collinsville. Peking Garden’s address is: 604 W Main St, Collinsville, IL 62234. Please call Linda Luebbert at 618-830-8189 and let her know if you are planning on attending. 

The Fall Yard Workday at Good Shepherd will be on Saturday, November 1st starting at  8 a.m. Please bring rakes, shovels, etc. to help. Please see Marty Hoffman with any questions.

Metro-East Lutheran High School invites you to an Open House on Sunday, Oct. 26. Stop by anytime between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to tour our campus, meet our teachers, chat with administrators, and get answers to all of your questions about the Knight life. For more information, call the school office at 618-656-0043.

Come one and all to the MELHS 46th Annual Night of Knights Dinner Auction! It's time to get your tickets to a relaxing tropical getaway evening at Julia's Banquet Center in East Alton on Friday, November 7th. To attend, purchase tickets at this link:
https://event.auctria.com/d9fd3ce4-2b51-4619-a81d...
Whether you attend in person or want to bid online, you'll want to download the Auctria app on your phone! Bidding starts next week, and items will become visible soon!! Share with a friend, we hope to see you on November 7th! 

The handbell choir has started practices on Tuesday evenings from 6:45 - 8:00. Please join us for fellowship, fun and beautiful music. Contact Cheryl Urban at 618-407-0867 or cherylurban55@gmail.com.

Thanksgiving Baskets: Since GSLC no longer has a food pantry, the Board of Congregational Life is asking for cash donations to be used to purchase Aldi gift cards for our field workers, single teachers, and church members who indicate they need assistance with groceries.  Cash donations for the food pantry are always welcome, but we are asking that this be a special consideration during the month of November so we can distribute the gift cards before Thanksgiving.  Be sure to mark your donation “Thanksgiving Basket.” and place it in the offering plate. 

Youth News: Thank you to everyone who added to our clothes & item collection.  We raised $950 with our donations. Our upcoming fundraisers will help students attend the Higher Things Conference this summer.
Junior High Youth: 
October 19 - Outdoor Fun at the Loemkers  3pm-5pm, 11038 Pocahontas Road
November 1 - Service -  Help with Work Day at Good Shepherd
November 16 - Thanksmas Party - 5pm-7pm at Good Shepherd
Senior High Youth:
November 1 - Service - Help with Work Day at Good Shepherd
November 23 - Burgers and Lights - Meet at GS at 4:30
Sign up for:
June 30 - July 3 -Higher Things Conference
June 1-6 - Camp Trinity Serv'n in the Hills (service week)
Any Questions? Contact Carrie Kober 314-221-9722

Parents of College Students: The Youth Ministry at Good Shepherd would like to still keep encouraging and supporting your college age kids.  Please send Carrie Kober their address for mail throughout the year.  

New Women's Book Club – Exploring the Classics: Join us as we read and discuss classic literature! Whether you’re revisiting old favorites or reading them for the first time, this is a great opportunity for fellowship and thoughtful conversation. We will plan to read 2 to 3 books over the course of the year, meeting just once for each book. Our first meeting to discuss the first book will be in November with more details to come.
Fall Book Selection: Dracula by Bram Stoker
For more information or to sign up, please contact Rachel Gray at 319-855-9689 or rachel.k.gray@gmail.com

“Surviving the Holidays” — a special free GriefShare event for those grieving the loss of loved ones — will take place at Zion Lutheran Church, Bethalto, on Sunday, November 9, 2025, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Adults and teens are invited to hear a presentation about resources, strategies and tools for coping with grief during the holiday season. For more information, call the church office at 618-377-8314. To find more details and register for the event, go to https://www.griefshare.org/events/275474

The Lutheran Witness Subscription – If you would like to subscribe to receive The Lutheran Witness in 2026, please contact the church office. The cost is $27.85 for the year.

Be a Friend to an International Student at SIU-E - Is your family willing to get together with an international student studying at SIU-E once a month for their first year in the U.S.? You would invite them to join your family in things you already do. Couples and singles of any age, with or without children have found this rewarding. Contact jodi.olyseen@gmail.com or search for International Hospitality Program SIU-E on facebook.  

Issues, Etc.- YOUR LIFELINE TO THE LUTHERAN WORLDVIEW… Issues, Etc. is a radio talk show and podcast produced by Lutheran Public Radio in Collinsville, IL and hosted by LCMS Pastor Todd Wilken. Recent topics include: Teens, Smartphones & Mental Health; Christian Nationalism; Netflix Shows Promoting LGBT Content; The National March for Life; Defining Bioethics and more. You can listen at your convenience at issuesetc.org, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomePod, TuneIn, the LPR mobile app and a podcast provider. You can also tune in live weekdays from 3-5 p.m. on KFUO, 850 AM in St. Louis.

LCMS Foundation -We can face competing priorities when we think about planning our estates someday. To work on your Christian Estate Plan today, you must decide if you are more controlled by past goals or future desires. What does your family look like today? How does that compare to what it looked like twenty years ago? You might have more children, or the presence of grandchildren. God may have called some family members home. Marriage may have changed circumstances of family. Some family might be facing a health crisis, a financial crisis or mental health challenge that wasn’t present before. Your estate plans may need to change as a result. Your LCMS Foundation Gift Planning Counselor can help you begin taking account of these changes, helping you to begin thinking of modifications needed for your estate plan. Contact Scott Radden @ 618-977-4049 or scott.radden@lfnd.org

Altar Flowers - Given by by Kurt and Rita Prenzler, in honor of Elfrida Ricika, the mother of Rita Prenzler, who died Aug. 30, 2025.

Attendance last weekend was 454. The offering was: General Fund $16,372, Specials $124, Total $16,496.

Thanks to those who serve this week
Usher Team:(5:30) D. Ulkus  (8:00) J. Fiudo  (10:30) M. Schneider
Altar Guild: (5:30) Steve & Marla Hendry (8:00) Kathy Bohnet & Marie Wudtke (10:30) Amy & Rose Beyer
Greeter: (8:00) Terri Blasingame (10:30) Ken & Donna Bunton

Download Good Shepherd’s App so that you have easy access to announcements, videos, online giving, and much more. Also, you can join our Good Shepherd Facebook Group to see additional announcements from the church and individual members.

Prayer List 

Click here to add someone to the Prayer List
 

For Virginia Woolf, friend of Ken & Kay Jones, who is having surgery on Wednesday (October 10, 2025)

For Jo Ross, hospitalized (October 8, 2028)

For Michael Fedorsak, Asleep in Jesus (October 7, 2025)

For Thanksgiving by Joel & Beth Italiano for their 20th wedding anniversary on October 8th 

Dylan, friend of Matt Voss, had a motorcycle accident (October 4, 2025)

Sally Randles, sister of Ann Goldsmith, had a successful heart surgery, thanks to God and ask for His continued protection as she heals (10/30/2025)

For Sally Randles (of VA), sister of Ann Goldsmith, who had emergency open heart surgery for an aortic dissection Saturday (September 27, 2025)

For the family of Diana McMahan, Asleep in Jesus (September 21, 2025)

For the family of Linda Shasteen, Asleep in Jesus (September 13, 2025)

For Cheryl and Bruce Clessa in honor of their 40th wedding anniversary (September 12, 2025)

For the family of Vernon Meister, father of Tim Meister, Asleep in Jesus (September 11, 2025) 

For Ralph Montgomery, hospitalized (September 11, 2025)

For Thanksgiving for Tony Zidolek, son-in-law of Rich and Linda Lubbert, who had a successful heart transplant (September 4, 2025)

For Janet Martino, close family friend of Elizabeth Diggs, diagnosed with lung cancer and has upcoming surgery (September 3, 2025)

For Karla Werre, as she undergoes shoulder replacement on Friday, August 29 (August 25, 2025) 

For Paige Beyer and Aaron Fisher, starting their hike of the Pacific Crest Trail through Washington (August 23, 2025)

For Nancy Schilbe, for her upcoming surgery (August 22, 2025)

For Gail Mayhew-healing from eye surgery (August 6, 2025)

For Amber Lynn Radford, niece of E. Antonovich, massive stroke (August 7, 2025)

For Richard Surface, brother in law of Mitzi Montgomery who is hospitalized (July 30, 2025)

For Larry Shasteen, beginning Chemotherapy treatment for cancer recently found (July 24, 2025)

For Ann Goldsmith, that God will continue to be her strength through her continuing battle with cancer & radiation beginning in August (July 24, 2025)

For Barbara Brown, friend of Kay Jones, prayers for cancer surgery (July 15, 2025)

For Jamie Rezabek, nephew of Amy and Ed Beyer, back in hospital with complications after cancer surgery (July 11, 2025)

For health and healing of cancer for Daylene Sullivan, sister of Cheryl Clessa (July 1, 2025)

For the family of Dorothy Hoffman, Asleep in Jesus (June 10, 2025)

For the family of Myrna Schneider, Asleep in Jesus (June 2, 2025)

For the family of O'Neal Smith, Asleep in Jesus (May 15, 2025)

Family of Karen Dall, mother of Valerie Fortner, Asleep in Jesus (April 13, 2025)

For the family of Ruth Clark, Asleep in Jesus (March 10, 2025)

For Gary Whitehead, being out of remission 
 

Note:  All prayer requests are kept on the list for one month unless you make a request for long term prayers. It is helpful to resubmit prayer requests with updates.