Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Old Bridge, NJ

A caring community committed to Jesus Christ

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Harvest Fest 2018

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Mark your calendars for Harvest Fest 2018. It is scheduled for Sunday, October 28 from 5-7pm. We’ve got fun, food, games, hayrides, smores, trunk-or-treat, and more. All events are free, except food will be available for purchase. Make sure to sign up to participate in this event. This event is designed to be a fun and safe alternative Halloween celebration. We encourage costumes and decorations as long as they are not scary or ghoulish. We have little children who will be in attendance and want it to be a fun event for everyone. Most important we want to honor Jesus in everything we do.

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Some of the highlights of the evening will include:

Pumpkin Decorating! This will be going on throughout the evening.

Smores! Roast your marshmallows in our fire pit and make a delicious treat with graham crackers & chocolate.

Harvest Fest
Roast Your Smores!

Games! There will be games for our kids to play! Enjoy the fun.

Hayrides! Enjoy a favorite fall tradition. Enjoy a hayride around the Good Shepherd property. Thank you to Cheesequake Farms for providing a the wagon. Hayrides start at 5:15 and will run till 6:15. This is always a popular event. Make sure to get in line early for the hayride so you don’t miss your opportunity.

Harvest Fest Hayride
Enjoy a favorite Fall tradition on a hayride.

The grand finale for the evening is the Costume Parade and Trunk-or-Treat. Lily the Comfort Dog will lead our Costume parade. There will be prizes for costumes in different age divisions.

Harvest Fest 2016
Costume contests with different categories

Decorate the trunk of your car and share candy with our children in attendance. Let us know you plan to participate in the trunk-or-treat festivities when you sign up.

Harvest Fest Trunk-or-treat
The favorite part of the evening for both kids and adults is trunk-or-treat.

Any families that may have young children who are preschool eligible this year or next, our Good Shepherd Children’s Center will have representatives available to answer questions.

The food we serve will include:

  • Chili – $1
  • Hot Dog w/chips, dessert and drink – $3
  • Chicken Fingers w/chips, dessert and drink – $3
  • Mac & Cheese w/chips, dessert and drink – $3.
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Back to School Drive 2018

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This year our Summer Mission is a “Back to School Drive” for Good Shepherd’s Children’s Center. We need all kinds of supplies for the upcoming school year.

Supply List

  • Paper towels
  • 6” Paper plates
  • 9” paper plates
  • Baby wipes
  • Windex
  • Clorox wipes
  • Dish detergent
  • Googly eyes (large)
  • Elmer’s glue (gallon size)
  • 5 oz clear plastic cups
  • Ziploc sandwich bags
  • Ziploc gallon size
  • Napkins
  • Tissues
  • Plastic Forks
  • Plastic Spoons
  • Gold Paper fasteners
  • Glue sticks
  • Beginner pencils (large size)
  • LARGE crayons (not standard crayons)
  • Construction Paper — Single color ONLY
  • Nitrile exam gloves, medium size for clean ups

Snack List

(NOT single serve packs)

  • Pretzels
  • Graham Crackers
  • Nilla Wafers
  • Animal Crackers
  • Gold Fish
  • Ritz crackers

If you have Back to School items you want to donate for older kids (K-12), you can put those on the table too and we will give them to the Old Bridge Food Bank to give to local kids in need. The drive will run through early September. Thank you for your help.

New Member Orientation Oct 6

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Join us for a new member orientation on Saturday, October 6 from 8am-11:30am. During the new member orientation, we will look at what we believe, what we value, and what it means to be a member of Good Shepherd. This is for everyone who desires to learn more about the church, is interested in becoming a member, or desires to review the basics of our faith. Sign up with the form below!

After the orientation is over, you will have the opportunity to sign a new member covenant and then be received as a New Member.

Sign Up

Baptism Orientation

Good Shepherd Church of Old Bridge is hosting a baptism orientation on Saturday, October 6 at 11:30 AM. This orientation is for any parents who are interested in having their child baptized at Good Shepherd. The orientation will last approximately one hour. It will be led by Pastor Phil. We will look at what we as Lutherans believe and teach about baptism. We will also go through the commitments which parents make before the Lord on the day their child’s baptism. If parents are not members of Good Shepherd they should make arrangements to attend the New Member Orientation prior to the Baptism Orientation.

If you would like more information about baptism, make sure to check out our FAQ section about baptism on our church website. If you have any questions about this orientation, make sure to contact our church office at .

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Sunday School Starts Sept 16

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Sunday School begins September 16 at 9am

It is hard to believe that it is time to start thinking about back-to-school. But the new school year will soon be upon us. We are looking forward to the new Sunday School year at Good Shepherd in Old Bridge and are excited to be introducing a new curriculum. Our teachers and volunteers have been busy preparing to get ready.

We want to let you know that things are getting “KICKED-OFF” on Sunday, September 9, at 10 am. Please note the difference in time for this one Sunday. We will be doing the Blessing of the Backpacks and recognizing our Sunday School Teachers for the new year. Following the “Kick-off Celebration,” we will be hosting our church picnic with games and other family fun activities. So make sure to mark your calendars for that date.

2018-19 Sunday School CalendarDownload

The regular Sunday School Schedule will begin Sunday, September 16 at 9 am. You can download a copy of the 2018-19 Sunday School Calendar. We encourage you to put this calendar on your refrigerator or some other place it will be visible. One of the things that is new with our curriculum this year is that all of our kids from preschool through 6th grade will be focusing on the same story each week. The calendar will help you to remember the story of the day so that you can talk with all your kids about it.

Also included with the story for the day is a unique theme for the day. It might be “bring a friend day” or be “backwards day.” All the kids who participate in the theme for the day will receive Bible Bucks that they will be able to redeem at different times of the year. We encourage you to make this aspect of our Sunday School to be fun.

Once again, Sunday School will start in worship at 9 am. Parents can sign their children in when they arrive to worship. The kids will be dismissed during the worship service for Sunday School after a special children’s message in the service.

Sunday School Registration FormDownload

You can sign up by filling out a registration form. You can mail these to the church office or turn them in on Sunday morning. The suggested donation for Sunday School is $15 per child or $25 per family. These donations help us to cover the cost of the curriculum and the supplies used by the teachers.

Finally, remember that the success of our Sunday School is dependent upon our volunteers. As a parent, we want to encourage you to serve. There are many opportunities to serve on a Sunday morning. If not volunteering to serve with Sunday School, we want to encourage you to serve the church in other ways on a Sunday morning. Many of our volunteers serve no more than once a month, but every volunteer makes a big difference.

We pray that your children are blessed and that you are blessed through your participation in the ministry at Good Shepherd. If you have any questions, you can contact us by email or by calling the church office (732-679-8883).

Kickoff Sunday Sept 9

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Fall Kickoff Celebration

Before we know it, summer will be over and the new school year will begin.

Join us on September 9 to celebrate the beginning of the new school year. We will have one worship on that Sunday at 10 am (please note that this is a different time from our summer schedule). During this worship, we will be recognizing our preschool staff and other educators in our community. We will also be doing a blessing of the backpacks. All children are encouraged to bring their school backpacks. We will have a special gift for all the kids who bring their backpacks.

Following the worship, we will be hosting a church picnic/tailgate party. We will have music, fun, and games ready to enjoy. It will be a day for the whole family to celebrate the launch of new beginnings. Some of the things we will have available at the picnic include:

  • Relay races
  • Lawn twister
  • Water balloons
  • Hula hoops
  • Volleyball
  • Ping pong bowl game
  • Watermelon eating contest
  • Face painting
  • Balloon animals
  • Karaoke
  • Make your own sundaes.

It is sure to be a fun day for the entire family and we hope you can join us.

Blood Drive July 22

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Blood Drive at Good Shepherd on July 22, 2018

Sign up for the Good Shepherd of Old Bridge Blood Drive on Sunday, July 22 from 8 am to 2 pm. This is a twice-annual event we hold each summer and winter when the blood supply is often short.

Give the gift of life and make a difference. Whether this is your first time or you have given many times before, we would love to have you be a part of this special event. If you are unable to give blood for whatever reason, you can still participate by donating snacks for those who are able to give blood. It is a simple way to serve others and be a blessing. Sign up to give blood or volunteer on the form below.

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Greg Ricca Ministry Celebration

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We have been privileged to have Greg Ricca serve as our worship leader for many years. But Greg recently took a new job in Florida and he will no longer be able to fulfill the responsibilities of our Director of Worship.

On Sunday, July 15 we will be hosting a special brunch following our 9:15 am worship service. The purpose of this brunch will be to celebrate Greg’s ministry and show our appreciation for his ministry. Come join us for this special celebration!

On another note, we will still see Greg around. He will often be back to NJ on weekends and will continue to assist our worship ministry in a reduced role.

Blake Flattley Concert July 13

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Join us on Friday, July 13th at 7 pm for a cookout and concert featuring Blake Flattley.

Blake Flattley is an American born singer-songwriter. He grew up in Northern California listening to the music of the Beach Boys and Bob Dylan, as well as singing at his local church. These early influences helped establish a deep seeded yearning for harmony and melody within Blake’s writing.

Blake first fell in love with music at an early age when he encountered an elderly blind saxophonist in Placerville, CA. That very saxophonist would later set Blake on his musical path by encouraging him to exemplify the human struggle through his music.

From sunny Southern California to New York City and back again, Flattley has spent the past several years living in various parts of the country. Blake has toured nationally as both a solo artist and with his bands as well as shared the stage with many notable artists including: Young the Giant, Sharon Van Etten, Island Apollo and Reign of Kindo.

Blake has released his music under various monikers, from The Orange Effect to Graffiti Cathedral, as well as under his own name. Blake has contributed to “The Armchair Project” and “Winter Is On My Head” (The Lone Bellow, Future of Forestry, Paul Baloche, Young Oceans and Reign of Kindo) as both a producer and as a musician. His music has been compared to that of Ryan Adams, Bon Iver and Wilco. Most recently, Blake was a finalist for the John Lennon Songwriting Contest with his song “There Will Be Rest.”

We will have hot dogs and burgers, and salads. A free-will offering collected. If you would like to volunteer to serve at this event, make sure to contact us at .

Movie Night June 22

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Join us for the “I Can Only Imagine” (PG) Movie Night on Friday, June 22nd at 7 pm. The Youth Group will be hosting this movie night, and there will be babysitting available. There will be a free will offering, and refreshments will be sold. ALL proceeds will go towards the kids going to the National Youth Gathering in July 2019.

New Member Orientation June 16

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New Member Orientation

Join us for a new member orientation on Saturday, June 16 from 8am-11:30am. During the new member orientation, we will look at what we believe, what we value, and what it means to be a member of Good Shepherd. This is for everyone who desires to learn more about the church, is interested in becoming a member, or desires to review the basics of our faith. Sign up with the form below!

After the orientation is over, you will have the opportunity to sign a new member covenant and then be received as a New Member.

Baptism Orientation

Good Shepherd Church of Old Bridge is hosting a baptism orientation on Saturday, June 16 at 11:30 AM. This orientation is for any parents who are interested in having their child baptized at Good Shepherd. The orientation will last approximately one hour. It will be led by Pastor Phil. We will look at what we as Lutherans believe and teach about baptism. We will also go through the commitments which parents make before the Lord on the day their child’s baptism. If parents are not members of Good Shepherd they should make arrangements to attend the New Member Orientation prior to the Baptism Orientation.

If you would like more information about baptism, make sure to check out our FAQ section about baptism on our church website. If you have any questions about this orientation, make sure to contact our church office at .