Gethsemane Lutheran Church

The SMART Team has developed guidelines for returning to worship inside the sanctuary. The full Gethsemane Lutheran Church Preparedness Plan is available upon request by email (gelc@gelc.info) or at the church office. Meetings of small groups inside the church building may be scheduled through the church office. The church is a public building and masks and social distancing of 6 feet or more are required at all times.
For indoor worship to be as safe and successful as possible, we must follow these guidelines: 

• Members are asked to conduct a health self-assessment before coming to worship. If you have any symptoms of illness, please stay home and seek medical attention.
• Cloth face coverings are required for all in attendance, following state mask mandates for indoor public spaces. (Masks will be available if needed)
• All spaces other than sanctuary, narthex, and restroom will be closed during worship. Please keep all coats and belongings with you.
• There will be no nursery available. Children should remain with their families at all times.
• Bulletins and offering baskets will be available at the sanctuary entrance. 
• When entering worship, please sit as far forward in the sanctuary as possible. We will fill the sanctuary from front to back and will dismiss from back to front at the end of worship. (This means you may not be able to sit in your favorite spot)
• Speaking and singing will be limited and members are asked to keep voices as quiet as possible.
•  Hand sanitizer will be available in the pews for all attendees.
• Communion may be provided for those who are comfortable with receiving. Please follow the directions of the pastor and ushers for communion.
• There will be no coffee hour following worship. Please refrain from visiting inside the building and maintain social distancing while visiting outdoors before and after worship.

Facebook Livestream

We will continue to livestream our worship on our Facebook page at 9am on Sundays. The video will be available throughout the rest of the week as well.

Worship through YouTube

Search for “Gethsemane Lutheran Church Worship” playlist which is available throughout the week.

Local Public Access TV

Worship is still available on TV on Channel 5 (Mediacom).

The schedule is: Mondays @ 6:30pm

Tuesdays @ 4:00pm

Wednesdays @ 10:00am

Fridays @ 7:00pm

Sundays @ 8:00am (one week behind)

If you attended worship or a meeting at church and you have reason to believe you may be infected with COVID-19, inform the pastor as soon as you can. Any personal health information provided to the pastor will be maintained confidentially. Those who were present will be informed that they have been put at risk of contracting COVID and that testing is advised.

Once again, scholarships will be offered through the Mission Endowment Fund to all GELC members who will be post-secondary students in the 2021-2022 school year. The amount of each scholarship is $2,000.

Applications are available by request in the church office or by mail or e-mail. Applications are due by May 23^rd and recipients will be announced and recognized along with our high school graduates in worship on Sunday, June 6^th.

June 6th @ 9am

We will be honoring our seniors during the worship service. Come join us and wish them luck in their new adventures.

Our Seniors for the Class of 2021 are:

Orion Del Greco

Branden Gulbranson

Seth Hauber

Julianna Pauling

Jason Ramfjord

Ben Wilson

Sunday, June 6th @ 9am

During the service, we will be taking the time to thank our Confirmation Guides for their service throughout the year.

Our Confirmation Guides are:

Barb Alaspa

Cindy Lustig

Hannah Davidson-Teff

Sam Davidson-Teff

Dana Waldron

May 2:  Synod Assembly Sunday-Message from Bishop Odgren               

2 Corinthians 4:14-15               

2 Timothy 1:6-7               

John 15:9-17

May 9:  Sixth Sunday of Easter and Mother’s Day               

Acts 10:44-48               

John 15:9-17

May 16: Seventh Sunday of Easter   

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26   

John 17:6-19

May 23: Pentecost Sunday    

Acts 2:1-21   

John 15:26-27; 16:46-15

May 30: Holy Trinity Sunday   

Isaiah 6:1-8   

John 3:1-17

Did you know that our food pantry, located right next to our fenced in yard, right outside of Pastor Amy’s window, is visited each and every day? Did you know that many, many people in our area will specifically walk by our pantry (and Community Clothesline) to see if anything is available? This food pantry has become a welcome addition to our neighborhood!

When at the grocery store, ask yourself, “Can you buy two?” Can you buy one for yourself and bring a second to the church’s food pantry? We used to see our grocery cart, by our back door, full to the brim with food donations. We are hoping for that again in the very near future! Our neighbors need our donations. They need some of those basics that we sometimes take for granted. Let’s fill our food pantry AND our grocery cart (to use as a reserve) by asking ourselves, “Can you buy two?”

Gethsemane is looking for men or women that would be willing to give of their time to make Prayer Shawls. Shawls can be given to people for: undergoing medical procedures; as a comfort after a loss or in times of stress; during bereavement; prayer or meditation; commitment or marriage ceremonies; birthing, nursing a baby; during an illness and recovery; ministering to others – there are endless possibilities.     

While being made each shawl has been prayed over and blessed for the recipient. The pattern is easy to do and patterns are available for you. If you feel that you can help out with this ministry, stop by the office to get a copy of the patterns or email Sheila Vandervort at: vandervort@mchsi.com and she will get you started. The shawls can be crocheted, knitted or sewed.

Here at Gethsemane we are looking at starting a property team to see what projects need to be done now and in the future. For anyone interested in joining our team, we will be meeting on Thursday, May 20^th at 5:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall. If you are unable to attend this meeting but would like to join, please call Ken Alaspa at 741-0036 or 750-2344.