Flooding in Nashville and tornadoes in northern Ohio have presented a great need for volunteer help in those two areas. We are now anticipating a mission trip to take place in mid-to-late September.

Would you like to take part in a hands-on relief effort? We will arrange a trip if there are at least four people interested in taking part. To register your interest, please contact Pastor Larry at ldonner@goodshepherd.com or 891-1700.

The next monthly free community meal at First Lutheran, 1208 Race Street, will take place Monday, August 30. Cooking begins at 9:00 a.m. for those who would like to help with preparation. Those who wish to help with serving lunch are asked to be at the church by 11:30 a.m. Clean up begins at 1:00 and ends at about 2:00 for those who wish to help with that part of the luncheon. The schedule remains the same each month, so plan ahead! Future meals will be held September 27, October 25, November 29 and December 27.

Gift cards in any amount up to $25.00 help us provide people in need with food, medicine and gasoline for their cars so that they can get to work. Donations will be credited to the donors’ offering statements.

You can increase the impact of your donation by obtaining Kroger gift cards from the Good Shepherd Nursery School, which will receive 4% of the total on the cards as a donation from Krogers! So for every $25.00 gift card you donate, the Nursery School will get $1.00 from Krogers and the recipient of the card will still be able to get $25.00 worth of food or medicine or gasoline.

Contact Pastor Larry if you have questions. Thanks for your kindness and mercy toward those in need.

One way Good Shepherd tries to fulfill its purpose of "making Word and Sacrament available to the greatest number of people as possible" is through its financial support of an ELCA missionary by the name of Nancy Stevenson. Nancy teaches English to students at Makumira University College - the national university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT).Students at Makumira seminary must learn to speak, read and write English. Nancy is the teacher who helps make that happen. She has been teaching at Makumira since 1979. Good Shepherd had the pleasure of a visit from Nancy during her 2008 trip back to the States for vacation.

Learn more about Makumira at http://www.makumira.ac.tz/home.html

It has been a long time coming, but our first service trip this year to Caesar Creek State Park will be on July 10th from 9 am until 1 pm. For those of you not familiar, Caesar Creek is around 30 minutes north of Good Shepherd.

For the past couple years, GSLC members have been going to the park on a monthly basis from late spring through fall to help the state park staff with various projects. Projects range from clearing trails of fallen trees, painting bathrooms, removing trash, weeding flower beds, and caring for the animals in the Nature Center. All the service we provide helps the Ohio Department of Natural Resource (ODNR) let people learn about and enjoy the outdoors. We have also helped clear invasive species, which helps restore habitat and conserve Ohio’s biodiversity.

This year, we have a variety of options including trail work, campground work, pond restoration, and more painting. We always have options for kids, such as gathering nature’s art supplies (pine cones and acorns), weeding, or picking up trash. While several of us donate the use of our tools for projects, it is not required – the park normally has all tools that are needed.

The best part about going to Caesar Creek is enjoying the park afterwards. There is fishing, hiking, mountain biking, and a beach close by to enjoy. This year, I’m going to make an effort to have opportunities for fellowship after the projects. For those wanting to stay afterwards, we’ll be going fishing in Caesar Creek (below the dam in
the actual creek that goes down to the Little Miami River). The creek has smallmouth bass, bluegill, and catfish. Make sure you have a valid Ohio fishing license if you are not exempt (see the ODNR website for details).

If you are interested in helping, please contact Scott Puthoff (coordinator) at (513) 295-9535 or scottworth529@hotmail.com. You can also sign up in the lobby. Our next service dates will be July 31st and August 21st. Hope to see you there!