Good Shepherd Lutheran Church 50th Anniversary Celebration Sunday

Published Wednesday, August 17, 2022
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church’s annual Worship in the Park will look a little different this year as the church congregation celebrates its fiftieth anniversary since the merging of its founding churches: Christ Lutheran Church and Salem Lutheran Church in 1972. Following the 9:30 a.m. worship on August 21, food, fellowship, and games will be had at the Badger Park pavilion. The event is open to the public and all are welcome to bring lawn chairs to enjoy live music, as well as games such as bingo and cornhole. Good Shepherd Lutheran asks that those interested in attending please call or email the church office to let them know how many will be in attendance.
 
Even though Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (GSLC) in Peshtigo has only existed under that name for the past 50 years, the impact of the church’s ancestors lives on. Early immigrants to America from Scandinavian countries made the voyage and awaited the promise of America. It was these early immigrants who established Christ Lutheran Church (CLC) which was affiliated with the Norwegian-Danish Lutheran Church and began its ministry in 1872. Similarly, Salem Lutheran Church (SLC) was started in 1785, four years after the Peshtigo Fire by a group of Swedish families who met and belonged to the Zion congregation. At the beginning, these congregations worshipped out of members homes, but that would soon change.
A sort of harmony existed between the members of Christ Lutheran and Salem Lutheran congregations and so it was decided in 1878 that a single church would be built to service both congregations. While each church had its own pastoral worship teams, they would sometimes worship together in both English and their native languages until eventually transitioning into fully English services.
 
By 1971, the two congregations were convinced that God’s “unifying power should be manifested through a united profession of faith...for a more effective stewardship of His gifts” and this led to year long merger negotiations. As current pastor, David Murphy, of GSLC reflects on that historical merger, “It was a courageous expression of faith to join with another congregation in forming a new one.”
 
Flash forward to July 1972 and the first worship service for Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (GSLC) took place. Reverend George A. Olson of Rapid River, MI became Good Shepherd’s first pastor in October of 1972. The leadership of Rev. Olson set another milestone for the Church as he was their first full-time pastor while their previous pastors had served in interim capacities.
 
In those first days, both church structures (the CLC and SLC buildings) served the new congregation with the Salem building being the new worship center and the Christ building serving as the education center. The unified congregation decided to construct a new facility on the corner of Cranberry and Pine Streets in Peshtigo after their April 1978 meeting, and the first service in the new building was held on Ash Wednesday, February 20, 1980. Of the original membership which aided the church in its merger, 22 members remain today as involved members of the church.
 
Since those early days after the merger, the congregation at Good Shepherd has extended its faith community out into the greater area with welcoming arms, compassionate service, and a willingness to celebrate community victories.  Currently, members of the congregation make quilts, school kits, and hygiene kits for Lutheran World Relief. Locally, the congregation hosts a Chicken Booyah Dinner every October where funds earned are given to local initiatives. Last year the congregation donated their $2,800 in fundraiser earnings to the Badger Park Rejuvenation Project and in the year prior, they donated funds to the Peshtigo High School Students Eat Every Day (S.E.E.D.) project. GSLC also holds a family support program where they welcome new tenants into Peshtigo’s low-income housing with open arms, a basket of blankets and other housewarming gifts.
Not only does the congregation donate funds, but they also donate their time and skills in events such as in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America’s annual “God’s Work, Our Hands” Sunday, where they perform service projects such as landscaping at city parks and picking up garbage. Further, the congregation carols every December at local nursing homes and the homes of shut-ins to bring joy and love. During Lent, the Church hosts soup and sandwich lunches where the public is invited to share in a meal after listening to a brief service. As congregation member Rhonda McClain says about how her faith inside the church informs her service involvement outside the church, “My faith has brought me closer to the need to serve members of the community and treat others as I would want to be treated.” This certainly seems to be the sentiment for most of the congregation as their service and care for the community can be felt through numerous community outreach services.
 
The message and mission of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church “When we gather for worship, we connect with believers everywhere and of every time. When we study the Bible and pray, we are drawn more deeply into God’s own saving story. When we serve others and address social issues that affect the common good, we live out our Christian faith” rings as true fifty years ago as it does today. This is what the congregations of Christ Lutheran and Salem Lutheran celebrated one hundred fifty years ago and is what the congregation of Good Shepherd invites the larger Peshtigo community to celebrate with them on August 21.
As a final note from Pastor Murphy, he would like to invite all who are seeking community, to “Join us on Sunday’s at 9:30 a.m. Come and see that when we say all are welcome, we truly mean all are welcome. In addition to worship, we offer various Bible study and Christian education opportunities, as well as numerous service fellowship opportunities. Check us out online at goodshepherdpeshtigo.org or on Facebook. Our worship is broadcast every Sunday and many other services throughout the year.”

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