Choral Opportunities

There are several ways singers can share their love of making music. The Good Shepherd Choir is open to all ages and sings regularly for Sunday worship.

Rehearsals, during the program year, are Wednesdays from 7:30 pm to 9 pm. Singers attend when they are able. No audition is necessary. The choir sings music representing all ages of the church from Renaissance to modern. Contact Carl Heine at music@goodshepherdlc.org for more information.

Several times a year, special ensembles are announced for members who can't commit to weekly rehearsals. Included in these are GospelFest, Passion Sunday Blues, and Summer Pop-up Choirs.

Jazz Prayer Service

Recharge and reflect through spirited, soulful, jazz music and meditation, which combines music with readings, poems and prayers to create a one-hour Spirit-filled experience. 

Jazz Prayer was a spark from a few of our members and the first Jazz Prayer was held September, 2014. All are welcome to Jazz Prayer in its seventh consecutive season, which is held on the third Friday, September through May. The services start at 7:30 p.m., with time before the service for fellowship and connections.

Jazz Prayer is led by Director Michael Stryker, the Director of the Chicago Jazz Studies Program at the UIC and features Chicago-area jazz artists who bring their experience and perspective to create a unique experience each month.

Instrumental Opportunities

Musicians are welcome to play for services: strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion. All skill levels are accommodated. Contact Carl Heine for more information.

Visual Arts

You don’t always need a sermon to get the picture. God often reminded us of his presence through visual signs. Rainbows, piles of stones, the Ark of the Covenant, a star, and even a dove. At Good Shepherd we follow God’s lead and reclaim the visual arts to remind us of God’s presence among us.

Good Shepherd’s Visual Arts Committee endeavors to create visual religious art that illustrates a doctrinal truth, i.e., a representation of the spiritual mystery to support and enhance faith relative to the seasons of the Church year.  Its purpose is to help congregants ponder, engage in and achieve deeper emotions within each individuals’ spirit. 

Membership in the Visual Arts Committee is voluntary and includes those who may believe they have little to no artistic ability but would enjoy contributing in the development of ideas for the creation of a new banner through discussion of what we are trying to achieve through this art.  It usually involves the use of cloth to create a banner or other hanging; occasionally it is as simple as a draping of cloth that creates an atmosphere specific to a season (such as purple during Lent and white for Easter).  For the anticipated return to GLSC following the 2019 fire, a group of members (adults and teens) helped make some 400 plus white paper origami doves that were incorporated into an installation for Pentecost.   Other “skills” include cutting out shapes and letters that will be adhered to a background.  Often, some sewing is involved, and there are generally some members who have that skill.  On other occasions, no fabric has been used.  Some members enjoy participating solely in the development of the idea, while others enjoy participating in pulling it all together.

Anyone interested in any aspect of creating visual arts to enhance worship are encouraged to contact Nola Roth via email at njroth@comcast.net.

Liturgical Dance

Liturgical dance is a language of faith to communicate the gospel and to offer embodied expressions of praise, prayer, thanksgiving and more within a worshipping community.

Dance in the context of faith is not new. The Bible references dance as expressions of joy (Ps 30:11), praise (Psalm 149:3, 150:4) and community celebration and processions (Exodus 15:20, 2 Samuel 6:14 and Luke 15:25).

Dancers act as worship leaders, inviting the congregation into further participation in the liturgy. As is other art forms used in churches, dance is meant to draw worshippers more deeply into the presence of God and the life of faith. It can take the form of images, expressions of emotion, prayer, reflective meditations, or interpretations of the Word, and accentuate existing congregational choreography such as standing, turning, processing etc.

There is no set style of dance, nor do dancers require professional training. The dances may be choreographed or spontaneous, but are thoughtfully integrated into the planned worship theme and order of service.

Dramatic Readings

A dramatic reading is a recasting of Scripture texts into a dramatic form for presentation in worship. The intent is to enrich and enhance the reception of Scripture. It can often take the place of The Reading of God's Word, and it can also be effectively integrated into other parts of the liturgy.

Some passages of Scripture have become all too familiar, and as a consequence they have lost meaning and import for us. In order to disturb this familiarity, dramatic readings often make use of juxtaposition to heighten the sense of contrast or tension. Old is set against new, right against wrong, weak against strong - so each can be seen more plainly for what it is.

Seasonal Services

Members have the opportunity to participate in seasonal services throughout the year including Lenten services, Palm / Passion Sunday readers theater, and Advent services. Members are able to share their talents with the congregation in celebration of faith.