Join the men’s group 7:00 AM Tuesdays at the Virginian to study the Lectionary texts for the upcoming Sunday. Beginning January 23rd, 2018, everyone is welcome from 5:15 to 6:15 PM Tuesdays at the Church as we study the book of Esther!
“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” 1 Corinthians 12:12
Shepherd of the Mountains represents the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) here in Jackson, participates regionally with other congregations as part of the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod, and also interacts with our national expression. As our presiding bishop Elizabeth Eaton is fond of saying, “We are church together” – (congregation, synod, and national).
While our congregation has our own monthly newsletter (check out the latest edition under “Our Story”), we are also a part of this larger story. Some parishioners enjoy reading about the wider church in the magazine Living Lutheran, or follow the ELCA website or various Lutheran ministries. We also have a synod newsletter and website! This month’s “Cross Connection” is particularly exciting as we hear from our Bishop-elect Kristen Kuempel. Take a look!
Children from the congregation and community joined together in the mornings to learn about being “created by God, built with a purpose.” Efforts were intergenerational, intra-synodical and ecumenical: a youth leader from an ELCA congregation in Iowa came to help us, as did Pastor Jeff Brown and his family! Thanks to all our volunteers and participants for a great week.
Shepherd of the Mountains belongs to the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod of the ELCA. This year’s assembly was exciting as we elected a new bishop! Please keep the bishop-elect, Rev. Kristen Kuempel, in your prayers.
Congregational representatives Meghan McCreedy, Robyn Lunsford, Tanya Shedd and Pastor Inger Hanson also enjoyed a variety of workshops, including
Ask them about what they learned!
Another highlight was reconnecting with Martin the Moose. At the kick-off of our 25th Anniversary, we sent this stuffed animal on a journey to visit congregations in all 12 clusters of our synod to learn and share about local ministries and to introduce the synod’s “Moving in Mission Together” campaign. Martin the Moose has become a bit of a celebrity (he has over eighty Facebook friends) and is delighting in his travels. At Synod Assembly, Martin helped with all the announcements and met the Secretary of the National Church, bishops from other synods, and lots of lay leaders!
This blood drive is particularly special, falling during Holy Week. What a concrete way to love your neighbor! It’s the second blood drive of the year, and we’re hoping to have 25 members participate (as donors or volunteers) in honor of our 25th Anniversary! Please sign up and spread the word.
On March 25th, Shepherd of the Mountains was one of the primary work forces at the two homes Teton Habitat is building in Alpine. Steffan Freeman, Sherry Kinsella, Holly Luense, Robyn Lunsford, Jim Wells, Pam Zernis & Pastor Inger enjoyed a great day of service, framing six interior walls and putting a front deck on one of the houses!
We gathered together after the second service December 11th to celebrate all that God has done and is doing in and through Shepherd of the Mountains. We received birthday greetings and well wishes from near and far. It’s going to be a special year!
This December, Shepherd of the Mountains will begin celebrating its 25th anniversary of being a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. The church council is thrilled to announce that we have commissioned a new service by Marty Haugen as the centerpiece for our celebrations in this special year. The process began with Haugen’s initial visit to meet us October 7th– 10th, 2016. It was wonderful to worship and spend time in fellowship and workshops with Marty!
More about Marty…
Haugen is a well-known musician-theologian and composer of favorite service settings like “Now the Feast and Celebration” and “Holden Evening Prayer,” as well as hymns like “Gather Us In.” We rejoice in the memories that Haugen’s songs stir up. The Moulders shared a particularly special one with me. They have been with this congregation for these 25 years and in 2017 will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary… Haugen’s hymns “Taste and See” and “Eye Has Not Seen” were sung as communion songs at their wedding ceremony.
New music also renews us – nourishing the congregation and the community here and now. Shepherd of the Mountains and Jackson will fundamentally shape the music, celebrating our unique context. Haugen will visit for a few days this October to get a sense of who we are and how music might support us. As he composes, he will share pieces with us for us to try and invite feedback, perhaps visiting again during this development process, and at the end. We hope to debut the final service around August 2017 (possibly in time for solar eclipse visitors).
And finally, our hope is that this music reaches out to the larger church in a special way. We will have supported one of the church’s great composers, and eventually this gift of music would be available to congregations in the synod, the nation, and the world.
Why St. Francis Day, and Why Pet Blessings to Go?