Lake Harriet Bandshell Worship and Vacation Bible School
Worship at the Bandshell
On Sunday, June 14, we gathered in worship at the Lake Harriet Bandshell for the second annual collaboration with Salsa Del Soul and St. John’s Lutheran Church. This has quickly become one of my favorite events on the calendar, as the music is always lively and spirited, and the message is delivered not just to our cloistered community but to a broader, more public audience or passersby.
We have the opportunity to proclaim who we are, what we value, and freely display our love for one another and share the gift of the Word through song. Songs were sung, smiles were constant, treat bags were distributed, and offerings for the Crisis Nursery were collected.
All on a picturesque (technically Spring) day. I would never complain about strong gusts of wind blowing my music around, or the extra work in planning, or schlepping. No, it was worth all the effort to share who we are.
A special thank you to all who helped prepare for worship, and to all who were present in body and in spirit.
Written by Seth Hartwell, Director of Worship and Music
Vacation Bible School 2026
We had another fabulous week of Vacation Bible School at Good Shepherd. Our theme for the week was Kids are People Too! Children in Our Favorite Bible Stories.
We had a fun, energetic group of kids and middle-school youth counselors from our congregation and other parts of the Twin Cities. Each day, we focused on a different Bible story with a child or children as the main character. Our arts and crafts, service projects, games, and Bible story time activities were all centered around each daily story.
As is our tradition, we also had time set aside each day to rehearse our dramatic reading with songs, which we performed for family and friends as the finale to our week.
Aside from all the kids who are members of Good Shepherd who participated, I'd like to especially acknowledge our adult leaders: Cathy Davenport, Linda Heining, Ralph Johnson, Mara Rosenblum, and Mark Halvorson.
Written by Tor Johnson, Director of Children’s Ministries and Performing Arts