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Our monthly newsletter “The Scroll” informs the GSLC community of its current activities and upcoming events.
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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, ELCA
Jesus invites us, in the Gospel of Matthew, to not be afraid. We are of more value than many sparrows. Personally, I like sparrows. I think they’re fun to watch and lovely in their understated way— always busy, always chirping as though they have somewhere very important to be. But throughout history, sparrows have often been seen as pests, eating the grain farmers were working so hard to grow. The reality was that the sparrows were actually eating far more crop-destroying insects than grain—bugs being tastier and more nutrient dense. I mean, I wouldn’t say grace before eating a mosquito – but maybe they do! It turns out farmers suffered more losses when they got rid of sparrows than they did if they just co-existed – and that became an early lesson in the inter-relatedness of species—and of just how interconnected we all are on this planet.
Our survival as humans depends on creatures as lowly as sparrows—and bees—and microbes. We may not notice those things on a daily basis, partly because microbes have wisely avoided creating social media accounts, but they are necessary parts of this whole ecosystem—probably more so than humans, to be honest. The microbes are not asking for applause. They are just quietly holding everything together.
I don’t know that Jesus was talking about the interconnectedness of creation and the delicate balance of ecosystems when he spoke to his disciples 2,000 years ago about sparrows. He may not have been offering a first-century TED Talk on biodiversity. And yet, there is—in the whole gospel of Matthew—the sense that all of creation is precious to God. The lilies. The grass. The sparrows. And us. We are part—one part—of God’s beloved world, even when we act like we are somehow the main character in creation’s drama.
I hope you know that you are beloved by God. And I hope we, all of us together, can love this beautiful world—microbes and grass, bees and trees, sparrows and humans—even a fraction as much as God loves it. Maybe that starts with wonder, with humility, and perhaps with letting the sparrows keep their tiny jobs in pest control. Peace be with you. - Pastor Lynette Chapman
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, ELCA
Following Jesus can be hard. Loving those the world marginalizes can separate us even from family members. But, Jesus, says, "Do not be afraid." Bring your fears and your challenges with following God to worship this Sunday. Receive Jesus' assurance of love and care. Worship begins at 9 AM. All are welcome! #elca #champaignurbana #SavoyIL
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, ELCA
Social Ministry, Justice, and Advocacy Committee
the Social Ministry, Justice, and Advocacy Committee (SMJA) is a standing committee of the Central/Southern Illinois Synod. The primary responsibility of the SMJA Committee is to review and award grant applications from communities of disciples (congregations). Our Synod has budgeted $6500 for projects that encompass a wide range of social justice and advocacy ministries. Typically the grants awarded are in the $500-$1,000 range.
Examples include:
• St. Andrew’s Lutheran Campus Center, Champaign, began a Bus Stop Ministry. Grant money was used to offer coffee and a pastry to students and others waiting at the bus stop in front of their building. With stickers, bookmarks, and a listening ear, the message of God's love through Jesus was made real at that bus stop.
• Immanuel, Minonk, sponsors a youth program which already provides a meal for the youth. However, they decided that they would also educate youth in the basics of nutrition and meal preparation, helping youth plan nutritious meals.
• Resurrection Lutheran, Godfrey, operates a Seeds of Grace and Growth Community Garden. The garden has provided over 1,200 pounds of produce to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity. Additional flowering plants near the garden offer beauty, welcome, and emotional restoration alongside practical learning for women and children from the nearby Oasis Women’s Shelter.
• Christ Lutheran in Quincy received grant funds for an Indian Boarding School Book Discussion. The Truth & Healing Working Group will host a two-session community book discussion on “Medicine River: A Story of Survival and the Legacy of Indian Boarding Schools”. This project supports the ELCA’s Truth-Telling and Truth-Seeking Initiative, calling congregations to honestly engage the history of Indigenous peoples in North America, the church’s complicity in that history, and the ongoing work of reconciliation and healing.
#elca #champaignurbana #savoyIl
The recently elected SMJA Chair is GSLC member Al Mytty.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, ELCA
Please join us after worship on Father's Day (Sunday, June 21st) to celebrate our dads and enjoy lemonade, lawn games and fellowship! #champaignurbana #savoyillinois #elca
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, ELCA
This morning we celebrated with music and prayer and it was wonderful to acknowledge two wedding anniversaries of members of our congregation! Thank you Leon and Bell Choir fun an entertaining performance! #champaignurbana #SavoyIL #elca
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, ELCA
The Outreach Committee had a dinner meeting this month at Farren's! We had a nice meal and a chance to talk. Thank you to Darrell for chairing the Outreach Committee for the past several years. We appreciate your hard work and leadership! #champaignurbana #SavoyIL #elca
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, ELCA
As Congress considers an immigration enforcement reconciliation package, oppose funding that harms our communities. act.elca.org/page/98814/action/1?utm_medium=email&utm_source=engagingnetworks&utm_campaign=utm_wis-email-12182025&utm_content=060226+Oppose+Immigration+Enforcement+Funding+Without+Reforms&ea.url.id=5579685&forwarded=true
Congress is currently debating a $70+ billion reconciliation package that includes $38 billion in additional funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and $26 billion for Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) – enough to fund both agencies for the next three years. This package includes none of the reforms, accountability, or oversight that faith leaders advocated for following the killing of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, the detention of children, refugees and U.S. citizens, and both widespread fear and faith-filled resistance.
Earlier this year, faith leaders including Presiding Bishop Curry wrote in a letter to legislators that they “see this as a critical moment to legislate immigration policies that are just, humane and respectful of the dignity of immigrants who, like all people, are beloved children of God,” citing the verse: “The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the native-born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:34).
Ask Congress to protect our neighbors by opposing funding for actions that are harming our communities, and by supporting reforms like protections for churches and other places of worship and an end to family detention.
Make your message to Congress more impactful by personalizing it. [Posted: 6/2/2026]
#champaignurbana #SavoyIL #elca
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, ELCA
We did it! We filled the Silver Streak with over 6,000 diapers for our neighbors in need! Thank you to Bob for organizing this effort for the Empty Tomb and thank you to all who donated to the diaper drive! #champaignurbana #SavoyIL #elca
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, ELCA
What Good News do you have to proclaim? Where and how can you share it in your life? Join us this Sunday, June 14, for worship at 9 AM. Time for conversation and community follows each worship service and we continue our Environmental Ethics study at 10:15 with "An Intrinsic Goodness Ethic". All are welcome in worship, in study, for coffee and conversation, at communion - any time. See you in church! #elca #champaignurbana #SavoyIL
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, ELCA
Have you ever needed to just breathe? To simply sit in nature, in the sun, under a tree, or even in a favorite comfy spot and do nothing – nothing at all but sit. And breathe. We all need that. Sometimes more than others.
Summer can be a quieter time in our lives, allowing us more time and space to just breathe. It can also be a time filled with plans and new routines as kids are out of school and schedules have changed.
Whether summer is busy or relaxing for you, whether this general season of your life is frantic or lonely, strange or familiar, filled with challenges or filled with peace, God invites us to enter God’s presence and rest. To come with our burdens, to lay them down, and to receive rest for our spirits, our bodies, our souls.
I invite you to join me on Sunday, June 28th at 7 PM for a quiet time with God. A time to breathe. To breathe in God’s presence. To hear the Word and pray together. To relax in the shade of a tree, give our burdens to God and to find rest together. We’re planning to gather once a month over the next little while – just to Breathe. In God’s presence together. Join us. and find space to (breathe). Peace be with you. #elca #champaignurbana #SavoyIL