All are invited to Sunday Morning Worship: Forum at 9 am, Worship at 10 am

Welcome to The Lutheran Church of The Good Shepherd in Olympia, Washington!

It’s Good Shepherd’s mission to share the love and grace of Jesus Christ with all people and to invite them to fullness of faith in God.

Welcoming and hospitality are an important part of who we understand ourselves to be as a community of faith. As in everything else, our model is Jesus. In one of his letters, the Apostle Paul urges his readers to “welcome one another just as Christ has welcomed you.” A contemporary translation reads, “Reach out and welcome one another … Jesus did it, now you do it!”

Several years ago, in an effort to do what Jesus did, our congregation adopted an Affirmation of Welcome:

The Lutheran Church of The Good Shepherd Welcomes All People:

The poor and the rich, the young and the old
People who are single, married, blessed, divorced, separated, partnered, or widowed
People of all abilities
People of all sexual orientations and gender identities
People of all nations and ethnic backgrounds

No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.

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BENEVOLENCE

Sermon from Sunday, November 23

Sermon from Rob Kemp

Click on the CC button on the bottom of the video screen to turn on subtitles/closed captions

Video recordings of the Sunday sermon will be posted on Sunday afternoon on the website, Facebook, and YouTube. Video recordings of past sermons can also be found on the Recent Sermons webpage

Recent Sermons

Upcoming Worship

9 AM FORUM • 10 AM WORSHIP • 11:30 AM SUNDAY SCHOOL

Enjoy Sunday Morning Worship at 10 am in Good Shepherd’s beautiful sanctuary. A play area next to the worship are will be available for the youngest among us. A staffed nursery is also available in Room 114. A recording of the sermon will be posted on Sunday afternoon here on the website home page and on Facebook and YouTube. The pre-worship Forum and Children/Youth Activity Time begins at 9 am, Hospitality & Fellowship coffee & treats immediately following worship, and Sunday School (Pre-8th) begins at 11:30 am in Room 114.

Advent 2025 at Good Shepherd: The Sounds of Hope and Longing

This Advent, we will explore different styles of music each Sunday morning. We are calling this exploration “The Sounds of Hope and Longing.” Here is the overview of our liturgical plan:

NOVEMBER 30 – American Gospel and Global Folk Music. Worship will utilize music from the American Gospel tradition, music in the accessible, folk-inspired style of composer Marty Haugen, and folk tunes from around the world.

DECEMBER 7 – Global Reflective Music. This service will use music from various countries that invites us to take a step back and reflect amid the chaos and uncertainty of our world today.

DECEMBER 14 – Classic Chorales. Our focus turns to more traditional chorales in this service. Chorales are organ-driven tunes, usually Germanic in origin, and relatively easy to sing in four parts.

DECEMBER 21 – Contemplative Chant and Song. This service will feature music based on plainsong chant tunes (often ancient music composed as one unaccompanied line of melody, without a metrical rhythm) and more modern chants (repetitive songs) like those in the Taizé tradition.

Sunday, November 30

9 am Forum – Reassessing Our Understanding of Israel, Toward Revising U.S. Israeli Policy. We will explore together what we are learning about the genocide of Palestinians and our U.S. role. Led by guest presenters from Westminster Presbyterian in Olympia: Joanne DuFour, a social studies teacher, and James Manista.
10 am Worship – First Sunday of Advent, The Sounds of Hope and Longing: American Gospel and Global Folk Music, Holy Communion, Pastor Carol Tomer preaching.
11:30 am – Better Ways to Read the Bible — This adult class will be focused on Better Ways to Read the Bible: Transforming a Weapon of Harm into a Tool of Healing, by Zach Lambert. This week’s discussion will focus on chapter 8: The Context Lens.
11:30 am Sunday School – Pre-8th grade children and youth are invited to attend Sunday School, which will include snacks, a Bible story, opportunities for wonder and curiosity, movement, activities, and connection. We are looking forward to a year full of learning, curiosity, wonder, and delight as we dig into God’s stories and discover more about who God is—together!