Please plan to join us on Wednesday, December 2, 9 and 16 as we continue our Advent Midweek tradition of education and Holden Evening Prayer worship. Adult and Confirmation classes will be from 6:15-6:45 followed by Holden Evening Prayer. Please use the following Zoom login, and sign in as early at 6pm for fellowship time prior to classes.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89197937652?pwd=VStTczFDTVp3bHBqVllsNjkreFNvUT09
Gethsemane Lutheran members and families are invited to continue a neighborhood holiday tradition by sponsoring T.A. Brown Elementary School children and families. Due to Covid-19, the school has asked us to do things a bit differently this year. We will not be collecting items, but will be asking individuals/families to donate gift cards which can be purchased through Gethsemane Lutheran Children’s Ministry Pre-School.
Go to our Signup Genius website using the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4FAAA622A2F5CE9-angel
Select a family dinner or a child, provide your contact information and follow the link provided to pay through the GLCM website using PayPal or a debit/credit card. You may also mail in a check to be received by December 12th to GLCM 200 W Anderson Lane Austin TX 78752. Deadline for gift cards purchased online is December 13th.
Thank you for your support of this ministry. Merry Christmas!
Did you miss the Love’s Pure Light Drive Thru Trail of Lights? Or do you want a chance to relive it? Enjoy this video of the experience made by Dar Joy Krenek:
Join us online Wednesday evening, November 25th at 7:00 p.m. for our Virtual Thanksgiving Eve Youth Worship Service.
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89197937652…
Meeting ID: 891 9793 7652
Passcode: 946118
The spirit of Thanksgiving is to give and Gethsemane congregants are invited to donate to the Gethsemane Food Pantry:
Give through the Gethsemane website.
“Give thanks to the Lord, for the Lord is good.”
If you missed any of our virtual wellness sessions in November, you can now watch recordings of them! Links available below.
Virtual wellness sessions for all ages weekly throughout the month of November:
EXERCISE/YOGA – Free virtual yoga session led by Dana Huntsman on Sunday, November 1st at 3 p.m.
This yoga session is suitable for all ages and abilities. Wear comfortable clothes, grab a yoga mat/towel and water, and join us! Exercise involves engaging in physical activity and increasing the heart rate beyond resting levels. It is an important part of preserving physical and mental health. Yoga is an excellent form of exercise as it develops a relationship between your body, mind, and spirit through different body postures, meditation and breathing patterns. Maintaining a regular yoga practice provides numerous physical and mental health benefits.
WATCH THE RECORDING: https://www.facebook.com/114035451960346/videos/3432627210154027
MENTAL HEALTH – Free virtual “Families Together” Mental Health Workshop led by NAMI Central Texas on Saturday, November 7th from 1-3 p.m.
In the United States, almost half of adults will experience a mental illness during their lifetime. Hear compelling personal stories about living with mental illness and achieving recovery. Understand the reality of living with mental health conditions that are often invisible to others. You’ll also have a chance to ask questions, which allows for a deeper understanding of mental health conditions and helps dispel stereotypes and misconceptions.
*No recording available for this session, but NAMI Central Texas offers this session frequently through their website: https://namicentraltx.org/families/online-family-class/
NUTRITION – Free virtual workshop on nutrition led by Gethsemane member Tracy Anderson on Sunday, November 15th at 3 p.m.
Eating a nutritious diet offers numerous health benefits that keep you mentally and physically well. Healthy food provides the energy you need to keep active throughout the day and the nutrients you need for growth and repair, helping you to stay strong and healthy.
WATCH THE RECORDING: https://www.facebook.com/114035451960346/videos/373334784088298
SLEEP – Free virtual workshop on sleep hygiene led by Gethsemane member Mary Lou Newman on Sunday, November 22nd at 3 p.m.
We have so many demands on our time—jobs, family, errands—not to mention finding time to relax. To fit everything in, we often sacrifice sleep. But sleep is vital to your well-being. Insufficient sleep is linked to a host of health problems, from depression to cardiovascular disease. Adequate sleep is a key part of a healthy lifestyle.
WATCH THE RECORDING: https://www.facebook.com/114035451960346/videos/737540007111701
MEDITATION/MINDFULNESS – Free virtual workshop on meditation and mindfulness led by Pastor Susan Schnelle on Sunday, November 29th at 3 p.m.
Studies have shown mindfulness meditation to positively impact both mental and physical health by reducing stress, improving sleep, increasing focus and improving relationships.
WATCH THE RECORDING: https://www.facebook.com/114035451960346/videos/377117903540834
Join us for Sunday morning virtual worship services, which will also be centered around wellness during the month of November.
Join us online on Sunday, October 18th from 3-4 p.m. for two simultaneous workshops – one for teens and one for parents – led by NAMI Central Texas.
This event is FREE, but you must register to receive the Zoom access link.
Parent registration form: https://forms.gle/MTMH4DHNLAgNzjhCA
Teen registration form: https://forms.gle/LxrDCfSMidxUaCqU7
Geared to middle and high school students; presenters include a positive role model – a young adult living in recovery from a mental health condition
Understanding what it means to live with a mental health condition is critical for middle and high school students – especially given that 50% of all lifetime cases of mental health conditions begin by age 14 and 75% by age 24. This presentation is geared to not only raise awareness of mental health conditions but to reduce the stigma so that individuals can seek help.
What students will learn:
What students will keep:
More than 40% of teens are not receiving the care and treatment they need–often because they are too embarrassed to talk about mental health or don’t know how to ask for help. Parents don’t know how to bring up this difficult subject with their children either. This one-hour presentation empowers parents to talk to their teens about mental health by dispelling mental health myths and providing useful resources and healthy language to use.
What parents will learn:
Make plans to get involved with Gethsemane’s “God’s Work Our Hands” service projects September 12-13, 2020! We have eight wonderful service projects this year, with opportunities for everyone to get involved in various ways, big and small! Volunteer with something as simple as a phone call, sympathy card, yard sign delivery or food pantry donation. Or give of your time making dog toys, birthday kits or casseroles. Also, make plans to attend the annual blood drive – a vital service opportunity needed this year more than ever!
All service opportunities will be conducted with proper COVID-19 safety protocols. Please plan to wear a mask and maintain social distance.
Join this fun Friend-to-Friend program by visiting with a Gethsemane friend every two weeks from October to March. This structured program will help keep us connected during the winter months. The program runs from October 2020 to March 2021. Whether you are 100 years old or a senior high school student, there is a place for you! Friend Calls will occur about every 2 weeks for 15 minutes each. You can sign up to be a Friend that calls or receive a call from a Friend. A short Zoom training will help Friends that call. Let’s stay connected! Sign up via email: info@gethsemaneaustin.org.
If you can provide a casserole (homemade or store-bought) to a Gethsemane friend to lift their spirits or just revive their joy in dining during these unprecedented times, contact info@gethsemaneaustin.org. Casseroles should be in a non-returnable container, they do not need to include any additional sides or items and they should be delivered via porch-dropoff when the recipient is home. We will provide you with name, address, contact info and any necessary dietary restrictions. Let’s Get Cookin’!
Unfortunately, the program, Sharing Happy Birthdays, for which we made birthday boxes the last few years has closed due to the COVID pandemic. So this year we will provide birthday boxes for Jeremiah Program.
Jeremiah Program offers one of the nation’s most successful strategies for transforming families from poverty to prosperity two generations at a time. Jeremiah prepares determined single mothers to excel in the workforce, readies their children to succeed in school, and reduces generational dependence on public assistance. Jeremiah’s proven, holistic approach begins with establishing a supportive community for determined single mothers to pursue a career-track, college education. Through a combination of quality early childhood education, a safe and affordable place to live, and empowerment and life skills training, families find stability and a path out of poverty.
We will provide all the goodies for an entire birthday party for three children who live at the Jeremiah Program facility. The themes will be mermaids/beach, minions/emojis, and animals.
The items needed for the three boxes are:
-cake mix & icing & candles
-themed cupcake liners, sprinkles or other items for decorating cake/cupcakes
-themed decorations (balloons, streamers or banner)
-themed blowers, party hats, etc or additional party supplies (for 16 kids)
-themed tablecloth, napkins, plates, & cups (for 16 kids)
-themed goodie bags (for 16 kids)
-themed goodie bag items to put in the goodie bags (for 16 kids)
-candy & snacks (Doritos or Cheetos) (non-perishable) (for 16 kids)
Sign up here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4BADA92DA20-gods
If you have any trouble with the sign-up, you can contact info@gethsemaneaustin.org. Please bring your items to Gethsemane either Saturday, September 12th from 10a.m-noon or on Sunday, September 13th from 10a.m.-3p.m. to be put into boxes/bags and delivered to the Jeremiah Program facility.
We are excited to have Gethsemane Lutheran Church yard signs to let people know we are thinking of them and they are loved! Pastor Susie is needing volunteers to deliver the signs in sets of about 10 (depending on the area). If you would like to help deliver the signs please contact Pastor Susie at info@gethsemaneaustin.org.
We are again making dog toys for our neighbor, the Austin Humane Society. It will be a little different this year. We will be distributing kits to make 10 dog toys. The kits will be available for pick up on Saturday, September 12th between 10am-Noon. The completed dog toys will need to be returned Sunday, September 13th between 10am-3pm. For more information, contact info@gethsemaneaustin.org.
Sunday, September 13th, 10am-3pm
This year’s blood drive is by appointment ONLY. NO walk-ins accepted.
Please contact Pastor Gronberg at the church office, 512-836-8560, to schedule your appointment.
We’re beginning another new ministry of sending sympathy cards to families who have lost a loved one during this difficult time. If you would like to help with this ministry please contact info@gethsemaneaustin.org.
Along with the regular non-perishable items needed for the families who come to the Gethsemane Lutheran Food Pantry, we are in need of
TOILET PAPER AND LAUNDRY SOAP.
Please call Pastor Gronberg at the Church office, 512-836-8560 to schedule a time to drop off any pantry items.
Thank you for your support of this ministry!
Our Vacation Bible School program will be virtual this year! Join us for Gethsemane Lutheran’s “Great Bible Reef” Virtual-VBS Week: July 27-31, 2020 from 9:30-10:15a.m. Together we’ll “dive deep” into God’s Word.
Log in live on Zoom each day of VBS for Reef Rhythms, Coral Crafts, Deep Sea Storytelling and Great Barrier Games! Details here.
***NOTE: This page is outdated as of July 4, 2021. Updated worship information is available on the homepage.***
Dear Gethsemane members and friends,
Due to the spread of COVID-19 in the city of Austin, our worship services are modified. Following the guidelines of local health officials and the Southwestern-Texas Synod, we have established new ways of worshiping together as a community of faith. These are subject to change as the situation evolves, so please check back regularly for updates.
Join us on Sundays at 10:00am for our online worship services. If you’re able, create an at-home altar with communion elements as well as flowers and/or a candle.
Download our Zoom-friendly worship bulletin for this Sunday.
Download the traditional worship bulletin for this Sunday.
Download the children’s bulletins for ages 3-6 or ages 7-12 for this Sunday.
To participate in the online service, you will need to download the Zoom app or program on you phone or computer. Here is the link to access the worship service: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6996794165?pwd=WnVETVBQZHEzNTJRdnhCeWU2ODBQdz09
If you’re on a phone, you may not be able to access that link directly. In that case, you will need to go to www.zoom.com, click “Join a Meeting” and enter the following:
Meeting number: 6996794165
Password: 234133
If you do not use Zoom, you may view the Facebook live stream of the online service through our Gethsemane Facebook page.
Join us for our Sunday morning in-person service at 11:00 a.m. and/or for our Wednesday Noon worship service.
***REQUIREMENTS TO ATTEND IN-PERSON SERVICES***
This is a difficult time for all of us. However, we can feel good knowing that we are part of the community-wide effort to slow down the spread of the virus as much as possible. By doing so, we are helping keep people healthy and alive.
You can do your part in helping to keep our community well-connected by caring for one another. Call someone you know and check in on them, especially if they are elderly or have health issues that put them at risk. Offer to get groceries or prescriptions if they are trying to minimize contact with others in the community. Encourage those who are feeling anxious or depressed during this time of increased isolation. Reach out to your neighbors in the same way. Keep a prayer vigil going for our community and our church. Make an online offering to ensure we have the financial resources we need to keep operating well in this unique and difficult time. You can mail a gift or use our online giving page:
https://gethsemaneaustin.org/give/
The Season of Lent commences Ash Wednesday, February 14th with the Christian faithful receiving ashes and meditating at the Gethsemane altar 7-8am, 11:30am to noon and 5:30-7pm. Time of Reflection, Meditation, Preparation for Lenten journey – 12 noon and 7p.m.
