Am I Ruled By My Possessions? 10-13-24

Am I Ruled By My Possessions?
Most of us do not realize the power our possessions have over us… we think about our financial resources… we wonder if our retirement portfolio will be strong enough…We cringe when too many charities are clamoring for our attention and resources.  But what did Jesus say about all this?  Join Pastor Jack this Sunday as he unpacks a Gospel narrative about a wealthy man who once loved his money more than he loved God!  Don’t miss this week’s message: “Am I Ruled By My Possessions?”.  This sermon will invite everyone into deeper introspection about money and materialism…. and how it all relates to our spirituality as Christians. 

SAVE THE DATES:

PLEASE SAVE for our Sunday School: shoeboxes, toilet paper and paper towel rolls for our Advent craft. There will be a collection box in the narthex. Thank you!

Thrivent is once again sponsoring Feed Northeast 2024 program. If we collect 500 items by October 20, 2024, they will donate $500.00 to the Weekend Bag Program, which provides food anonymously to students through schools in Sussex County

IT’S TURKEY TIME! – We are once again partnering with Project Self Sufficiency to provide turkeys and Thanksgiving meals to 20 families here in Sussex County. The Community Relief Team is in need of food, turkeys, monetary donations and folks to deliver on Sunday, Nov. 24th after church. There is a sign-up sheet in the narthex to donate turkeys and to deliver. Checks made to SOTH with PSS on memo line would be appreciated.

BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS – Sat., Oct. 5 – 10 a.m. A big thank you for all who made this event a success.

CLERGY APPRECIATION DAY – Sun., Oct. 13

GENEROSITY SUNDAY -Sun., Oct. 20 –Please pick up your letter concerning this important date in the parish hall after the service today. All others will be mailed on Oct. 1.

FALL VENDOR & CRAFT FAIR -Sat., Oct. 26- 10-3 p.m. Please contact Barbara O. (973) 462-7006 to volunteer and spread the word to friends and family!

CONGREGATIONAL MEETING – Sun., Oct. 27 – after a shortened worship service. Please plan to participate so that we can have a quorum to vote on constitution changes and conduct church business.

COFFEE HOUR HOSTS NEEDED – Please sign up in the parish hall and see MaryAnn DiCola with any questions.

EVENING BIBLE STUDY – In person at SOTH, the first and third Mondays at 6 PM. All are welcome.

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. 

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.

Supplemental Opportunities For Giving – In addition to financial offerings mentioned above, there are additional ways to support our congregation that are mentioned on our website: https://www.sothnj.org/giving. 

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

WORSHIP INFO For October 13, 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

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/.  

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