Is There a First Class Section in Heaven?
A long time ago, two men (James and John) approached Jesus and demanded first class heavenly accommodations! After all, they were in Jesus’ inner circle and thought they deserved V.I.P. treatment. Is THAT how it really works? You might be surprised at Jesus’ response…. Join Pastor Jack this Sunday as he reflects Biblically and theologically on the age-old question: “Is there a first class section in Heaven?” And, if so … who gets to live there?”

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.

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS – Set up on Dec. 1, festival on Sat., Dec. 7 at 4 p.m. Judi Wolff would like to borrow outdoor extension cords for the 30 trees we have coming! She is also looking for people to sing carols and bake treats. Children are also needed to participate in the Live Nativity. No spoken parts are required. Please contact her at wolffjudi@gmail.com or call or text her at 973-224-0986

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 –“All hands on deck” after service on Sunday, Oct. 20 to clear rooms. Fair is Sat., Oct. 26- 10-3 p.m. Please sign up in narthex to volunteer and spread the word to friends and family! Most help is needed at end of event to put church back in order.

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 20, 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/.