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April 2 – Palm Sunday, Sunday School children sing during 10:30 Worship service.

April 6 – Maundy Thursday, 7:00 p.m. service

April 7 – Good Friday, 7:00 p.m. service

April 9 – Easter Sunday, 8:00 a.m. Breakfast, 9:00 a.m. Worship

Due to the weather, church and Lambs Christian Daycare & Preschool will be closed Wednesday and Thursday, February 22 & 23, 2023.

Ash Wednesday Evening Lenten Service is cancelled as is the soup supper.

Peniel Youth Group will be hosting a Valentine’s Banquet on Saturday, February 11, 2023.  Free-will donations accepted upon arrival.

Theme is Spain.  Childcare is available.  Couples and singles welcome.  Entertainment following dinner.

Menu:  Appetizers,  Salad,  Chicken Paella or Shrimp Paella,  Fried Ice Cream

RSVP by Wednesday, February 8 by signing up on the youth bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall.

Due to the weather, all church and daycare events have been cancelled through Friday, December 23, 2022!

Christmas Eve Worship will be at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 24, 2022.

Christmas Day Worship is at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, December 25, 2022.

Holy week church services include Palm Sunday, April 10 at 10:30 am; Maundy Thursday, April 14 at 7 pm; the April 15 Good Friday Community church service from 12 pm – 3 pm; the Good Friday Tenebrae service at 7 pm; and the Easter Sunday, April 17 service at 9 am.

A breakfast will be served Easter Sunday at 8 am by the church youth group.

All are welcome to join us in worship and fellowship.

Sunday – Thursday, July 10 – 14, 2022.

6:00 – 8:15 pm

Pre-registration requested by July 3.

To download a registration form, click on Church Ministry heading, choose Vacation Bible School, then VBS Registration Form.

We can’t wait to see you at VBS!

From Sunday, Oct. 18 until Sunday, Nov. 15 Good Shepherd Free Lutheran Church will collect new or gently used hats, mittens and socks for people in need. Donated items will be shared with two ministries – Hats and Mittens, and Place of Hope.

Hats and Mittens distributes to children in the seven-county metro area and anticipate more than 25,000 requests for assistance this winter.

Place of Hope ministers to homeless families and individuals in the St. Cloud and surrounding areas.

We are looking for donations of:

• waterproof mittens for school-age children
• new or gently used hats and mittens for children ages 3 through adult, with many of the requests made for teenage kids.
• knitted hats and mittens are also appreciated.
• new sock (all sizes), including socks for adults.

A donation box is in the church narthex entryway. When you bring in an item grab a tag and hang it on the line in the back window of the church sanctuary.

Thank you,

Good Shepherd Board of Missions

Dear Good Shepherd Family and Friends,

I am excited to tell you that we have decided as a church council that it is time to re-open the doors and hold in-person services again on May 31, 2020. Seating in the Sanctuary is limited to 78 people plus another 104 in the Fellowship Hall. The service starts at 9:00 a.m.

While we encourage you to come, we realize some of you will want to continue to stay at home for a variety of  reasons. We will continue to live stream our services online for your convenience. 

As we re-open, I ask for you to be patient with the process. I hope we can use good old-fashioned common sense to make everyone feel comfortable. I am posting our Plan for Opening to the website as well, please look it over.

God Bless,

Michael Berg, Church Chairman

COVID-19 Preparedness Plan
Good Shepherd Free Lutheran Church
Cokato, MN

Developed May 26, 2020, by the Church Council in accordance with guidelines developed by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).

• “Staff” refers to pastors, the secretary, janitors, and others who work at the church (not the entire congregation).
• “Participants” refers to the entire congregation.
• The Plan Administrator is Mike Berg.

STAFF PROTECTIONS AND PROTOCOLS

Ensure Sick Staff Stay Home
1. Staff will enter the building only if they do not have COVID-19 symptoms (fever of 100.4 or higher, chills, new cough, shortness of breath, new sore throat, new muscle aches, new headache, new loss of smell or taste) and have not tested positive for COVID-19.
2. Staff with COVID-19 symptoms will be sent home immediately. Staff who have been in close contact with a household member with COVID-19 should not be in the church until their quarantine period is finished.

• Symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, headache, muscle pain, sore throat, or loss of taste or smell. Other less common symptoms include gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

3. If a staff member is exposed to COVID-19, the exposed person will notify the Plan Administrator, and the Plan Administrator will notify the other staff to inform them.
4. The Plan Administrator will maintain communication with and gather information from staff who may be ill, to ensure the privacy of staff is maintained.
5. Any staff who are sick with COVID-19 symptoms or has tested positive for COVID-19 will report to the Plan Administrator immediately.
6. Staff who were sick with COVID-19 symptoms or tested positive may only return to church after following current MDH guidelines. Prior to any ill staff returning to the church, they will reference and follow the “COVID-19 and When to Return to Work” guideline. A copy of this form will be given to each staff member upon implementation of this Preparedness Plan.
7. The Plan Administrator will discuss which staff the ill staff member had contact with in the previous 7 days in order to determine which staff have been exposed.
8. Any staff member who is sick will not enter the church building until after their period of isolation has ended. If working is necessary, working remotely is the only option.
9. All “at risk” staff and members of vulnerable populations are encouraged to stay home and participate in services remotely. These staff should stay home whenever possible and take particular care to reduce their risk of exposure.
10. Sick-leave time/time-off will be extended to accommodate the Return to Work guidelines.

Social Distancing – Staff Must Be At Least Six Feet Apart
1. Remote working is recommended for all staff to reduce the risk of exposure.
2. Since there are no designated “shifts” for any staff at the church, it is strongly encouraged that staff attempt to do their work when only a few other staff are at the church.
3. Staff are encouraged to come and go from the building without contact with other staff (do not “cross paths”), so as to avoid exposure.
4. Staff meetings will be limited to 10 people or fewer.
5. Staff are encouraged to use the bathroom only one person at a time, in order to maintain social distancing.
6. If two or more staff need to work together, they will work in an area of the church that allows for social distancing (i.e., the fellowship hall).
7. Six feet of physical space will be maintained between staff and the public whenever interacting.

Staff Hygiene and Source Controls
1. Staff will regularly wash their hands or use hand sanitizer while in the church building. The kitchen and bathrooms will be available for handwashing, and hand sanitizer will be readily available throughout the building.
2. Non-medical face coverings, gloves, and disinfectant will be available for staff to use.
3. “Hand-washing” and “Cover Your Cough” signs will be posted in all bathrooms.
4. Staff will wear face masks when 6 feet of space cannot be maintained, or when working on projects with others for extended periods of time.
5. Trash cans will be placed by bathroom doors to ensure a paper towel can be disposed of when operating the door.
6. The drinking fountain will not be used.
7. Food will not be shared communally.
8. Facial tissues will be available throughout the church to allow for proper cough/sneeze etiquette, and no-touch trash cans will be available.

Click on the link below to read the complete COVID-19 preparedness plan.

COVID-19 Preparedness Plan – final

Dear Good Shepherd Family and Friends,

I am excited to tell you that we have decided as a church council that it is time to re-open the doors and hold in-person services again on May 31, 2020. Seating in the Sanctuary is limited to 78 people plus another 104 in the Fellowship Hall. The service starts at 9:00 a.m.

While we encourage you to come, we realize some of you will want to continue to stay at home for a variety of reasons. We will continue to live stream our services online for your convenience. 

As we re-open, I ask for you to be patient with the process. I hope we can use good old-fashioned common sense to make everyone feel comfortable. I am posting our Plan for Opening to the website as well, please look it over.

God Bless,

Michael Berg, Church Chairman