The Discipleship Ministry Team's purpose is to provide learning experiences for people of all ages so that they may grow in their understanding of the good news of Jesus Christ and become better equipped for daily living as faithful disciples.

When the Discipleship Ministry Team meets it is always open to everyone who wants to take an active role in helping others grow in their faith. Contact the church office (301-843-6797) or disciple@gsumc.com for more information.

If you are looking for a ways to grow as a Christian you will find that Good Shepherd is offering some meaningful choices:

Radical Renovation: Living the Cross-Shaped Life by James A. Harnish. This will be a powerful look at what can happen in our lives during the season of Lent. Just as a house can be rebuilt after it has fallen into disrepair or devastation, so God can enter in to our brokenness and completely rebuild our lives so that we can become the kind of people in whom the living Christ can take up residence and through whom the purpose of God can be come a reality in this world. This class will be held on Wednesdays evenings. There will be a team of six facilitators, each taking one session.

Finding Balance, Loving God with Heart and Soul, Mind and Strength by Becca Stevens. This will be a video-based six week study specifically geared towards women. It will enable women to consider what it means to find balance in their lives – between service and worship, duty and devotion, doing and being. The study uses the lives of New Testament women such as Mary and Martha, Lydia, Mary the mother of Jesus, the Canaanite woman and Mary Magdalene. Linda Flanagan and Dawn Stewart will be co-facilitators.

Invitation to Romans is one of the “short-term Disciple Bible studies” which lasts for eight weeks. It offers you an opportunity for an in-depth, disciplined study of Scripture in a short-term format. It is difficult to overstate the importance of Romans in Christian tradition. This study highlights some of the impact Paul’s Letter to the Romans has had over the centuries. Bud Campbell will be the facilitator.

A Study of Hebrews is a seven week study that seeks to help Christians grow strong in their faith by pointing out that, in Jesus Christ, God has provided for them all that is needed for their redemption. The lessons focus on different aspects of God’s provisions – the living Word, the promise of rest, the Great High Priest, and the new covenant – as well as that which God expects from us – confident faith, disciplined commitment and daily Christian living. Bettie Dillon will be the facilitator.

When You Come Unglued…Stick Close to God by Patricia Wilson. This twelve week study will enable you to recognize that wherever you are on your journey is a step on your path to heaven. You might be thinking your life is a mess – your personal relationships are failing – your prayer life is pitiful – your sense of God’s presence is fading but though this isn’t where God wants you to be, it is where God can begin to work in you if you will allow it. You have to start somewhere, and where you are right now is that somewhere. Carolyn Anderson will be the facilitator.

Now that you know what will be offered, your next step is to prayerfully consider which one of these studies will meet your needs. Look for future announcements about dates and times and be prepared to experience God in wonderful new ways as you, along with others, grow closer to Jesus Christ.

When many persons are asked to identify who was influential in their early spiritual growth beyond their parents, the most frequent answer is their Sunday school teacher. Good Shepherd is blessed to have dedicated, creative and faithful teachers for all students from 3 years old to adults. They are willingly available Sunday after Sunday to share their love of Christ and to help their students experience that love for themselves.

When you see any of the teachers please be sure to take time to share with them how much you value what they do. They are: Wanda Larsen, Linda Graham, Dottie DiPoli, Kathleen Snellings, Amy Warren, Lisa Estevez, Lauren Rosasco, Michelle Hopkins, Jayne Young, Julie Flinchum, David Twyman, Neil Martin and Jeanne Parr. We also have wonderful assistant teachers and substitutes: Kelly Campbell, Rebecca Groseclose, Julie Morrissey, Lisa Park, Nancy Crouse, Rod Peltzer, Christina Jones and Amey Peltzer. And the person who helps keep everyone on target is Ron Kolbe, Superintendent. Great is God’s Faithfulness!

- Carolyn Anderson

Prayer is God’s initiative, a gift which enables us to be attentive to the presence of God in our lives and in the world. It is also a means of expressing what we believe about God and how we will respond to God’s love. The season of Lent is one that beckons us to find special ways to spend more time consciously in God’s presence.

If you are open to praying in new ways you will find the following two experiences to be a blessing:

Lectio Divina Read – Slowly read a brief passage of scripture as though hearing it for the first time. Read it silently and aloud. Reflect – Mull over the text; internalize the words. Listen for phrases that stand out for you as you read the passage. Respond – Turn your meditation from dialogue with yourself to dialogue with God, which is prayer. Share all your questions and feelings regarding the text. Listen for God’s response and inner nudging. Rest – Rest your mental activity and trust yourself completely to God’s love and care. Pick a phrase in the text that draws you to relax in God’s presence.

Hesychasm This is a tradition of the Eastern Church which is the practice of repeating a simple prayer over and over and over. The idea is to focus ones thoughts on God so that God may descend into your heart. Using a verse from a psalm is an excellent idea. Pray the verse for at least ten minutes. Allow the meaning to push all other thoughts from your mind. Continue to say the prayer until speaking it becomes much more like breathing it. Try to cultivate an inner stillness so that you can perceive the gentle action of God.

Commit yourself to find ways to ensure you consistently spend more time with God every day during Lent. If these ideas do not work for you, there are many other prayer practices you can use. Pray that God will strengthen you and depend on Him to help you develop these new habits for His glory. Don’t wait; the blessings are yours for the asking. God desires that we continue our efforts to grow closer to Him.

Submitted by Carolyn Anderson

Fellowship Groups are formed at Good Shepherd to provide an opportunity to build relationships with others outside of church activities. Dick Wills says in his book, Waking to God's Dream that "Fellowship meets our need to belong. In worship we often mingle but seldom meet. Fellowship is the informal time when people get to know and love one another."

These are not Bible study groups; they are not Prayer or Growth groups, just pure fellowship and fun surrounded by good food. There are several types of Fellowship groups to choose from, for example: Saturday Morning Breakfast, Home, Cards/Games, Movies, Restaurant, Dessert and Coffee Groups.

Within the groups, each member is encouraged to make the monthly group gatherings a priority. All groups consist of no less than five and no more than nine members in order to enhance the ability of the group members to really get to know each other. Everyone is important in a Fellowship Group and each member is expected to be loving, honest and affirming of all other members. The confidentiality of every member is respected. Time spent together focuses on getting to know each other in fun, non-threatening ways and to care about each other in meaningful ways. Each Fellowship Group will stay together as long as it is fun!!

Short-term classes (6 to 8 weeks) are offered to help adults better understand the Word of God, become equipped with Biblical principles to help them deal with their daily life situations and look at contemporary issues from a Christian perspective. Classes are open to community persons as well as the Good Shepherd members. There is no registration fee. Topics, dates and times of classes are available by calling the church office 301-843-6797 or by contacting disciple@gsumc.com.

Good Shepherd provides a nursery for young children; infants (at least 6 months old) through 4 years of age as a service to parents on Sunday mornings during worship and Sunday school times. The nursery opens at 9:00 AM and closes immediately after the end of the 11:00 am worship. One those Sundays when there is one worship service the nursery will close immediately after the end of the 10:00 am worship.

Copies of the Good Shepherd Nursery Guidelines are available for each parent/guardian. All parents/guardians will have to complete a nursery registration form for each child and have to sign in and out their child/children each time they use the nursery.