Keeping God in First Place – 3-3-24

Keeping God in First Place

 We often get so busy in our day-to-day lives that we forget the importance of devotion to God.  We sometimes feel too busy to pray, too busy to read the Scriptures…even too busy to attend worship services.  The Scriptures remind us to be aware of this danger…when your devotion to God falls away, there can be dangerous emotional/spiritual consequences.  Join Pastor Jack this week as he delivers his message “Keeping God in First Place”, and be mindful of how critically important it is to live a God-centered life!

SAVE THE DATES:

ESTATE PLANNING session with Scott Siripalaka of Thrivent Financial during Mar. 3 coffee hour. Please join us for this informative session.

EASTER EGG HUNT– Date changed to Sunday, March 24 with hunts at 2 and 3 p.m. Please spread the word and invite your friends and family!

THRIVENT CHOICE DOLLARS – need to be directed before March 31. In 2023, we received $1,298.00 from this program! Please contact Denise L at dleifken@aol.com for assistance. Thanks!

FIRST COMMUNION CLASSES – for children in grade 3 and up. Mar. 7 and 14 at 6 p.m. with First Communion on March 17 at 9 a.m. Please contact the office or Pastor Jack to enroll your child.

FISH N CHIPS DINNER – Sun., Apr. 14 from 4 -8 p.m. Ticket sales begin 2/1. See Judi Wolff (973) 224-0986.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE NEXT TEAM MEETINGS on March 12: Activity Team at 6 PM followed by Membership Team at 7 PM

DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO RE-GIFT? – The Activities Team is looking for new items that people want to re-gift. They need to be in the original package and not used. Items can be brought in and given to Judi Wolff, Diane Hassa, Maryann DiCola or Barbara Robinson. Thank you.

THE BEST COFFEE HOUR IN SUSSEX COUNTY – is coordinated by the DiColas with the assistance of Barbara Robinson. The Activities Team would like to have two families volunteer for each Sunday. Please use the signup sheet in the parish hall and see MaryAnn DiCola with any questions. Help is also needed each week to assist the coordinators with cleanup. If you don’t wish to sign up as a host, you can always volunteer to help with the clean-up. Thanks!

PLEASE JOIN THE “GREEN” TEAM – and help us reduce waste by bringing your own mug for coffee hour or using the church’s mugs. Please be sure to wash, dry and replace the mugs. Mother Earth thanks you!

Many thanks to our outgoing council members and to the new leadership team! Your service to our church is greatly valued!

JOIN US WITH GENEROUS GIVING TO OUR MISSION: with these gifts, we continue to welcome folks to our community, to equip them with faith tools – learning the word, prayers for one another, and communal support – and then to send us into the world to welcome others. Your donations to SOTH can be accomplished in the following ways:

  • On Sunday, place your donation in the offering plate.
  • Mail your offering to: SOTH 246 Woodport Rd., Sparta, NJ 07871
  • Go online to setup your e-giving from your checking, savings, credit card or debit card http://secure.myvanco.com/L-YXCY
  • Download Vanco Mobile (Faith) on your smartphone, search for Shepherd of the Hills (Sparta)
  • Text Giving to 973-832-0226 You can make a one-time gift or setup recurring offerings.

PLEASE CONTACT GEOFF JOHNSEY FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE WITH ELECTRONIC GIVING at gjohnsey@icloud.com.  

Many thanks to all of the donors who support our mission!

STREAMING IS HERE!: We are excited to announce that you can now view our service live at 9:00 a.m. each Sunday. Click on this link to see the service and subscribe to our SOTH channel:  
https://www.youtube.com/@shepherdofthehillslutheran8820/streams  Don’t worry if you missed the live broadcast.  All services are archived on our channel.  You can also search for us on Facebook and like our page. https://www.facebook.com/SOTHNJ/.

WORSHIP INFO For March 03, 2024

Worship Service Bulletin

New Link for Zoom Bible Study, Wed. at noon

Meeting ID: 829 4727 4304 Passcode: 002314

CONGREGATIONAL COUNCIL:
Janine Shugan – Council President
Don Wolff – Vice President
Brett Maynard – Treasurer
Solveig Schunk – Recording Secretary
Geoff Johnsey – Financial Secretary
Pat Kovacs – Worship and Music
Nancy Wood – Christian Education
Arden Krych – Giving
Rick Erck – Membership
Russell Shields – Community Relief
Judi Wolff – Activities
Patrick Wood – Property

CLOTHING DONATION BIN –  Place clothing and shoes in plastic bags.  Proceeds will benefit SOTH.  Please do not leave items outside of the box. Please tell your friends and family so that we can fill those bins!

GOT BOOKS? – the New Legacy Books book donation/recycling bin is now in our parking lot adjacent to the clothing bins. This is a “green” fundraising activity.  New Legacy will accept books in good, readable condition that have an ISBN barcode label on the book cover.  Hardcover, paperback and textbooks are all welcome For further information, please check their website http://www.newlegacybooks.com  see their brochure on the bulletin board or ask Wendy in the office.

BROWN BAG BIBLE STUDY 
Continues in person at Holy Trinity Church or via Zoom, the first and third Wednesdays from noon-12:45. Join Pastor Jack for a lively discussion of the Bible. No prior experience necessary! Click here to join us via Zoom.

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