First Communion Class and March Foundation Grants!
First Communion
On Sunday, April 26, a group of children had the opportunity to take their First Communion during worship. The previous Wednesday evening, they gathered with Pastor Laura, Pastor Deb, and their families for a special class to learn about Holy Communion and the meaning and importance of this cherished sacrament.
“It was an honor to accompany, teach, and learn with these kiddos as they eagerly prepared for their First Communion. What a joyful celebration of this faith milestone with them and their families in worship together!” Pastor Laura Laughlin
“In First Communion class we learned how Jesus fed his disciples bread and wine at the Last Supper. We have communion in church because Jesus told them to keep doing that to remember his forgiveness and love.” Pastor Deb Bergstrand
March Foundation Grants
At its March meeting, the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd Foundation Board approved grants to Gather Twin Cities – Ice Cream & Social Justice and the Feed My Starving Children event at Creighton University.
Gather Twin CIties
The Foundation granted $2,520 to Gather Twin Cities for its Ice Cream & Social Justice gatherings for young adults. Gather Twin Cities is a ministry of both the Minneapolis and St. Paul Area Synods of the ELCA by and for young adults (typically, ages 19-35). The Ice Cream & Social Justice programming occurs three to four times a year, featuring an evening of learning and conversation led by a community leader, and ice cream from a local shop or creamery. Gather Twin Cities connects young adults with one another, and with ministries and faith communities in the Twin Cities.
Feed My Starving Children – Creighton University MobilePack
The Foundation granted $7,000 to Feed My Starving Children for the first Feed My Starving Children MobilePack at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. This initiative was led by Hoken and Trygg Opsahl. Both Hoken and Trygg grew up at Good Shepherd and are students at Creighton University. In addition to feeding hungry children, they are striving to grow the culture of service at Creighton and in the Omaha area. This is an example of how the Good Shepherd community helps nurture its youth for service to others. The event occurred in April and was a resounding success. Just under 400 volunteers participated, and 101,088 meals were packed (the goal was 100,000). 277 kids will now be able to have a meal a day for a year.
Written by Nancy Rystrom, President of the Good Shepherd Foundation