 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Monthly Newsletter for December, 2025
Newsletter Highlights This Month (click on a link to view)
Please Note: Our newsletters are for members only with no public access through the GSLC web site. Please bookmark this page or keep the newsletter notice email to return to this newsletter.
December Sunday Sermon Series - God’s ‘Better’ Is Best!
The author urges people to remain faithful to their Christian confession (Heb 3:1; 4:14; 10:23), warns against drifting away and neglecting salvation (Heb 2:1, 3), points out the danger of losing confidence in God's promises (Heb 3:6) and falling away from the faith (Heb 3:12). People were tempted to become rebellious and unbelieving like Israel (Heb 3:16–19) for they had not progressed into Christian adulthood (Heb 5:11–6:2). They had experienced God's saving gifts in Christ but may end up rejecting him (Heb 6:4–6; 10:29; 12:25). Sluggishness (Heb 6:12) could lead to something far worse—apostasy (Heb 10:26). Thus, repeatedly the author reminds people that in Christ, they have something better. Our Advent and Epiphany emphasis is God’s ‘Better’ Is Best! Hebrews repeatedly explains the gifts God gives Israel through Moses and then promises that we have something much better! Advent 2025 November 30 “A Better Word” (Hebrews 1:1–2) December 7 “A Better Glory” (Hebrews 1:3a) December 14 “A Better Absolution” (Hebrews 1:3b) December 21 “A Better Name” (Hebrews 1:4–14) Epiphany 2026 January 4 “A Better King” (Matthew 2:1-12) January 11 “A Better Rest” (Hebrews 4:1-13) January 18 “A Better High Priest” (Hebrews 4:14-16) January 25 “A Better Treasure” (Hebrews 10:19-25) February 1 “A Better Vision” (Hebrews 11:23-29) February 8 “A Better Race” (Hebrews 12:1-2) February 15 “A Better Mountain” (Hebrews 12:18-24) Our Sunday morning Bible Class will offer an overview of Hebrews. This will be followed by a close look at several key passages in the book, including Hebrews 11—the Bible’s great hall of faith chapter. “God has planned something better for us!” (Hebrews 11:40) –Pastor Keith
Midweek Advent Services
That’s the theme for our Advent Wednesday services this year: “Location, location, location.” Location is even more important as we journey toward heaven. Our “location, location, location” themes will be: December 3 “Behind, but with Hope” (Exodus 33:19–20) December 10 “Buffeted, but on Faith” (Romans 15:4) December 17 “Surrounded by the Father's Love” (Matthew 11:2–6) There are two opportunities for you to gather for midweek worship this year. We are adding a Wednesday, 11:15 A.M. service with a dish-to-share lunch following the service; and our traditional 6 P.M. dish-to-share supper, followed by a 7 P.M. worship service. I look forward to sharing this time of worship and God’s Word with you this Advent season. -Pastor Keith
Advent "Bring A Dish To Share" Meals Fellowship meals are back with an addition! We are having our “Bring-a-Dish-to-Share” meals every Wednesday during Advent beginning December 3rd.
The first service begins at 11:15 a.m. with a potluck lunch after that service. The second service is our regular evening service. Suppers will start at 6:00 p.m. with the service starting at 7:00 p.m. Bring any main dish, side dish or dessert you like and come and enjoy fellowship. Table service will be provided.
This Month in Our Prayers For Successful Medical Care and Healing For Our Members: · Ginny B.—healing from a fall For Friends and Family Members: · Natalie K.—(friend of Lizzy Savage)—healing to breathe better and peace Additional prayer requests, prayers of thanksgiving, prayers of comfort: Prayers of thanksgiving in celebration of Fred Barbaria’s birthday on 11/30 This list is current as of November 26th, 2025. Please see the most recent weekly Sunday Bulletin for the latest updates to our prayer list.
Sunday Service Lectors Wanted - No Experience Needed
The lectors typically read the Old and New Testament readings, including psalms as scheduled. Please see Pastor Keith if you are interested.
Christmas by Candlelight Concert - December 7th Our annual Good Shepherd Christmas Brian Mann - accordian, Laurie Rasmussen - harp, Bear Erickson - guitar, Katie Mendenhall - cello. Adam Phillips - vocals and folk instruments This is a free concert (free will donations are encouraged) !
Come and Help with Our GSLC Pantry Saturday, December 6th
Ongoing Needs • Donate $$ • Purchase food & hygiene or paper goods • Extra citrus, fruit.and/or veggies from your yard • Plastic grocery or reusable cloth bags • Help prep on Friday, December 5th • Help Saturday, December 6th, between 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Notes: Food items that we don’t usually get fromS.B. Food Bank, such as: - Peanut Butter, jelly, jam, syrup, flour, sugar, unsweetened almond milk - Non-sugary cereal (Ex: Wheat Chex, Cheerios, Raisin Bran), breakfast bars, oatmeal 4) Hygiene and household goods, such as: - Toilet paper, tissues, paper towels, soap - Toothpaste, floss, toothbrushes (or ask your dentist for a donation ! )
For our Miscellaneous Table We are collecting individual items such as deodorant, shampoos/conditioners, cleaning supplies, diapers/wipes, male/female personal items...). Perhaps you have extras in your cupboards or can buy some locally.
Note: We do not accept over-the-counter medicines or soft drinks/sodas. Questions? Contact or see Val Eurman ((805) 705-3311) or Cindy (805) 680-4686) after church on Sundays.
It's Cookie Walk Time! What is the Cookie Walk? It’s where our Preschool sells cookies that you have made! The room is filled with the most delightful smell of homemade cookies and treats. The money raised will go toward our Preschool.
As people walk through the door they are handed a bakery box to fill with the cookies of their choice. We sell them by the pound. We need cookies! We are asking for your help by baking 6 dozen or more of your special family favorites that you make at Christmas time. Please no store bought cookies. If you have a nice platter to place the cookies on, that would be great! Just be sure it’s labeled. Otherwise we can plate them for you the day before. Please bring your cookies to the Fireside Room or Preschool on Friday, December 12th sometime between 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Please text Katie with questions at (805) 453-8226. Thank you so much for supporting the Preschool in this vital ministry of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church! -Katie Eckert.
We continue our in-person meetings in the Fireside Room for our monthly book club discussions.
The books chosen for our 2025 GSLC “Better Read than Dead” club discussions are below (click on link for the GoodReads summary). Join us in reading along!
The book chosen for our December meeting is Christmas With a Crank by Courtney Walsh. Jump in! New folks are welcome anytime to read with us and “meet”. Just order/start reading the “next” book in line and give me, Val Eurman, a call at 805-705-3311 or send an email for more details and to get on our email list!
Val Bible Readings
Please click HERE for the latest Sunday bulletin, which includes this week's readings.
From the Lamboley Family - Dear Church Family, We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support for our family as Michael underwent treatments and surgeries; and struggled to resist the cancer that invaded his body. Many of you have been praying faithfully for years for healing from this disease. Those prayers have been an encouragement for us as well. Thank you for the visits, hugs, food drops, flowers, phone calls and myriad of ways you have said ”I care.” We are blessed. Missing Michael but looking forward to the sure hope of the resurrection. Love in Christ, Lamboley Family
Church Office Hours Our church office is normally staffed Monday through Thursday from 8:30 am until 12:30 pm.
Poinsettias for Christmas!
Altar Flowers Policy If you would like to place Please make out your check to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (GSLC) and write flowers on the memo line. You can mail it to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church or drop it by the church office Mon-Thurs, 8:00 a.m. to noon.
Quilting News & Notes Quilting is suspended for December (We will meet on Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. until around 1:00 p.m. in Room 19. Some Saturdays will be reserved for “work days” when we can get together and iron, cut and do some general cleaning of the room or accomplish special projects. We will let you know when those Saturdays will be! For now, Wednesdays only and we hope to see you there!)
Join Adam for a Musical Meditation
Please join Adam (or a guest artist) in our sanctuary as they explore a variety of hymns and other musical prayers performed on a variety of instruments. The meditation is livestreamed on GSLC's Video Page and available afterwards as a video recording until the next live event. Older meditation videos are archived. The direct link to the Livestreamed / Latest Meditation is https://vimeo.com/event/1154783 . The Meditation Archive Showcase to view prior Meditations is at https://vimeo.com/showcase/7841964.
Jesus Sessions We continue with our Jesus Sessions every Tuesday from 3:30 to 6.
The prayer team meets in the Fireside Room. Please call Lizzie to make an appointment if you would like to attend.
Portals of Prayer
Portals of Prayer devotion booklets for October - December, 2025 are now available at the church office.
Please call Trisha and reserve a copy or come by the church office during business hours (Mon-Thurs 8:00 am—12:00 pm) to pick one up!
Most Recent Reported Weekly Offerings - Week 46 - Through November 24, 2025
Year to Date, 2025
2025 Mission Offerings (as of 11/24/25): District $720.00; Nelson Family $1.000.00; Ukraine $500.00; Dental Mission $2,100.00; Hispanic Mission $0.00; Bible Sticks $1670.00, Disaster Relief - Fire $175.00
Want to Keep Up With the latest GSLC News? Click HERE
 Our weekly Sunday Bulletin has the latest GSLC news! It's chock full of our prayer list, weekly schedule, basically everything that happens between these newsletters. The "members only" bulletin version is updated every Sunday morning and is easy to get to - just click above. It will open or download for you.
GSLC's On Line Giving Options - Credit Card? eCheck?
You can also make a special one-time donation (through Square) on Good Shepherd's website. For either donation type go to https://gslcms.org/giving and then click on the appropriate donation button. You can specify whether you are donating to the GSLC budget or the Food Distribution program. If you prefer, you can also mail us your offering or drop it off at the church office. Elders Available by Phone and Email Elders assist with our public worship, oversee the spiritual life of members, and offer spiritual and physical support for our Pastor and congregation. Please contact any Elder to share your needs, concerns, and prayer requests.
Church Phone Extension Numbers Please follow the auto attendant menu prompts or dial an extension directly if no one answers. Also, the preschool can be reached through the main church number as well as their direct number (805 967-6101).
One-Stop Publicity! If your GSLC committee or group is making an announcement or planning an event, you can now send ONE email with the details and it will go to those folks editing the Sunday bulletin, church web site articles, web site calendar and monthly newsletter. The Good Shepherd publicity email address is Staff, Board of Directors, and Other Leadership Contacts
You may find the staff contact information either above or on our web site (Staff Contacts) and congregational officer and committee chair contact information here or on the Members Only web page at gslcms.org:
On Line Event Calendar Our latest calendar is on line here. This link will take you to the "public" event calendar unless you use your member login. To see the entire calendar (with church meetings, etc.), please log in with your member ID. No member ID? Click on "Create an account" on the right hand side of the web page to get started. Your account will be approved and then you can browse the member page contents. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and Preschool
380 North Fairview Avenue, Goleta, CA 93117 • 805 967-1416
Not interested in the newsletter any more?
Unsubscribe with the newsletter notice email that you received.
. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The book of Hebrews addresses Christians in Rome undergoing persecution sometime close to 64 AD when Christians began dying for their faith under Nero. The book is a clarion call to not return to Judaism, which was a legal religion while Christianity had become an illegal religion.
What do they say are the three most important things in real estate? That’s right: location, location, location. 
There will be two mid-week Advent services on each Wednesday beginning December 3rd.
We are bringing back the Sunday Service lectors on Good Shepherd Sunday, September 14th. If you have lectored before, please come back. If you never have lectored before we want you!
We are low on clothing for everyone, especially for men. Also we can use blankets, linens and jackets. All items must be clean and ready to use.
The Cooke Walk is on Saturday, December 13th from 8:00 a.m.- 11:00 a.m.
flowers on the altar, please call (805) 967-1416, or email (
Adam Phillips, GSLC's Music Director, provides meditative instrumental and vocal music every Wednesday morning at 10:00 am. 
Good Shepherd has offered electronic donation capabilities (through Vanco) for a while. You now have the ability to sign up directly through Good Shepherd's web site to donate on line (through Vanco) once or on a recurring basis.