(From a Letter Written to Boys Town) Dear Reverend Boes, Enclosed, please find a $500 gift to Boys Town. During a recent Sunday church service our congregation learned about “God’s Work Our Hands, God’s Grace Your Hands” and were given checks ...

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Dear Friends, Thank you for your support of Matthew 25. Your Gifts will help us care for those in desperate need. Matthew 25: Ministries is responding to Hurricane Dorian. Dorian swept into the Bahamas as a Category 5 hurricane causing severe flooding, destroying property, and leaving tens of thousands in desperate need of assistance. Matthew 25 is airlifting supplies into the Bahamas as an initial step to get help to the hardest hit areas. Thank you for making our work possible. Read the full Thank You Letter by clicking the Photo.

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Our family came home after receiving a $250 check and made a long list of worthy causes to which we could donate during our Sunday family meeting. Two weeks later, we discussed the options and voted. We donated ...

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We chose to support a cause near to Jillian's heart, The Hamilton County Commission on Women and Girls. The Commission does not receive any governmental funding and is run entirely by volunteers. It was formed to give women a ...

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We wanted our kids to be a part of our project and learn the impact of giving rather than receiving. We took a trip to Target and the kids went shopping. We filled 20 bags with toys, books, socks, and snacks for local kids. We keep some in our car at all times and if we come across a good opportunity, our kids get to give out a "Smile Bag." They have truly learned how wonderful it feels to share our resources and give to others in need.

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We added to the check from Good Shepherd to purchase one emergency water filtration system through Lutheran World Relief.

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The owner of the shop where we take our cars (Burton's) often helps cover the cost of repairs or offers "new used" cars at a good price to people who cannot otherwise afford them. Cars are usually a necessity to get to work, but they are so expensive to maintain, and we know Dwayne deals fairly and compassionately with his customers, many times taking a loss. We matched the gift we received and presented the checks to him, and he was truly surprised and touched that we would offer this gift. He said there are always those who are having trouble paying to maintain their cars, and he would be able to help even more with the gift.

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After much thought we passed the check on to Matthew 25: Ministries and asked that they use this to help their Bahamas/Hurricane Dorian Relief Efforts. There are many thousands of people there who have lost everything and need help with the most basic needs. Thanks to Good Shepherd for this program - it is obviously helping many people both locally and around the world.

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First Lutheran Cincinnati was contacted by a Good Shepherd household offering to donate their $250 "God's Grace Your Hands" gift along with a $250 match. We offered two $500 ideas that would provide an immediate benefit to our ministry. One was to purchase new furnishings for our nursery and the other was to purchase needed furnishings for our Gallery. Rather than choose one, the GSL members decided to fund both ideas. That means the $250 became $1,000! Thank you Good Shepherd for stepping out in faith with "God's Grace Your Hands"! In Christ's Grace, Pastor Brian Ferguson

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Thank you for providing a way for the congregation to give back to the community. The P.E.O. Florida Chapter HW Scholarship at IRSC originated in 2004. Each year, members raise money to support a ...

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Cincinnati certainly has its share of homelessness and hunger. With that fact as backdrop we puzzled over the WHERE to share our gift for some time. We won't forget the local folks like City Gospel Mission, but today we are responding to some God-sent inspiration which ...

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This week the Center for Respite Care (www.centerforrespitecare.org) received a $100 donation along with a letter from the couple, members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, explaining the God's Grace Your Hands program. How wonderful! The Center is a 24/7, 20 bed medical facility. Our clients are people experiencing homelessness, have had a stay in the hospital and need a place to recover after discharge. Along with medical support, meals and other needs, we provide ongoing case management to ensure our clients leave us for a safe, appropriate and permanent setting. On behalf of them, our sincere thanks for the generous gift and the opportunity to share the Center's story.

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Delores Engebrecht shared her $100 check, which she matched to Fernside. She reports that her granddaughter had designed and sewed some "hero capes" for young clients. Here is a little bit about Fernside's Mission: Fernside, established in 1986, as the nation's second oldest children's grief center, remains today a national leader in providing grief support services and outreach and education to the community and families. An affiliate of Hospice of Cincinnati, Fernside services compliment Hospice of Cincinnati's comprehensive bereavement program by addressing the unique needs of children. Fernside provides all services free of charge with the help of generous donors who support our mission.

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This gift was given to the NEEDS organization, the Monday following the Sunday when these checks were distributed. Deciding factors were outreach to impact community not only with pantry and clothing basics, but also to lend assistance towards utility and rent payments. the latter has become a recent frequent and numerous request. Two volunteers with whom I met where very appreciative and planned to direct this check to their treasurer.

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Doubling the check I received, I was able to buy a fish farm, honeybees and a community vegetable garden, and 30 chicks through the Good Gifts catalog of the ELCA - one of my favorite charities.

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I spoke with Ed Lee from Cincinnati Habitat and we are using this money to sponsor five families for $50 each to take Ramsey's Financial Peace University program. Habitat reports good responses from new homeowners and potential homeowners about this program and the resources, skills and tools it offers regarding money management. Pat and I are long time supporters, both financially and with volunteer efforts, of the mission and vision of Habitat in providing stable housing for all people.

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Sitting in the pew at Good Shepherd as Pastor Heidi discussed God's Grace Your Hands, I immediately knew I would continue to support the local Habitat for Humanity chapter. More than...

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We gave the $100 GSLC Check to NEEDS. They do wonderful work, beyond food, with needy people.

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Thank you for your generous contribution! You are a blessing! ARDF endeavors to tell the story of God's love to all the people who receive either relief assistance from disasters or education, medical, and vocational training assistance with projects funded through the local church. ARDF funded projects and assistance--while they are tangible indeed-- are given for the purpose of revealing the enduring, eternal love of God. God's peole are helping God's people through the local church. Your donations are for eternal purposes. Thank you, we value your partnership in the Gospel.

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On behalf of A Child's Hope Int'l, we would like to thank you and your congregation for your donation of $100 to the "Where Needed" program. We are honored to be a recipient of your God's Grace your Hands program (and love the little post-it note!) Across 21 countries in North America, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean, A Child's Hope Int'l is working with orphans and vulnerable children. Our Goal is to bring a tangible hope to the fatherless in our own city and around the world through the provision of high protein food, clean drinking water, life giving hope, and a place to belong in a forever family.

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Thank you so very much for your generous donation of $250 to The East End Adult Education Center. We really appreciate your support! We are in our 47th year of offering our programs to the community and are really trying to make a positive difference in the lives of our students. As we touch the lives of our students, we see more and more that without a high school diploma or a GED Diploma, the doors to a career or college are closed. Many of our students have learning disabilities and have never had a positive experience in school. We strive to change this everyday!

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Your gift is already helping make an impact! "But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."-- 1John 3:17-18 Thank you for your generous gift of $500 to valley Interfaith Community Resource Center. Your kindness supported programs assisting our neighbors who are experiencing extreme episodes of poverty.

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Thank you for your generous gift of $100 from Good Shepherd Lutheran. Your donation helps provide emergency food and stability-building services to our neighbors in need. Our generous donors make it possible for Freestore Foodbank to continue to serve over 33 million meals annually across 20 counties in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.

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Dear Good Shepherd, This week I received a gift of grace from one of your members. Currently I am raising support to do Engineering as mission in developing countries. I have been asked to help in the Bahamas with hurricane relief. So your gift was very timely. Thank you for blessing me and my work. In Christ, Natalie Thompson.

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We thought long and hard about our responsibility to share this gift and try to make a difference in our community. All the big charities go to a good cause but would be pretty lost in the large volume of donations they receive. We finally decided to go to our local fire station to see if there were any fire fighters in our area that needed a helping hand. The Anderson fire fighters have a foundation to help with memorials and aid for fire fighters that need help with food or rent right here in our home area. The whole station was outside training when I walked up and explained what I was there for. They all were grateful and appreciative of our gift and we feel it will go to the right people's needs.

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Dear Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Thank you so very much for your kind and generous donation to Barb's Beanies! On March 1, 2019 my mother Barb Fisher was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. That date changed our family forever. In spite of what felt like a tragedy, our family discovered many wonderful lessons about caring for others, finding joy in the midst of crisis and the gift of giving back. After her cancer diagnosis, Barb was determined to fight her cancer and get well. She was ready for chemotherapy but worried about losing her hair. My daughter and I scoured the internet for a hair scarf to make her smile, but nothing felt right. My daughter Aleia is an amazing seamstress and was taught to sew by her Grandma Barb...

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On the Sunday our family was given a blank check for $250 and instructions to donate it however we chose, we went home a little shocked and very excited. We thought and talked and prayed about who to give this unexpected gift to. We chose Barb's Beanies, a small group in Rochester, Minnesota who are working tirelessly to make beautiful beanies to give away to cancer patients. The group was founded in honor of a tremendous lady who is fighting ovarian cancer. She is inspiring in so many ways, and we are so grateful to Good Shepherd for allowing us this opportunity to help this worthy group. #barbsbeanies

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I decided to give my gift to Matthew 25 because I felt they could make that donation be beneficial to the disaster relief in the Bahamas. As I went to the window to give them this gift - a wonderful feeling entered my body that made such an impact on me! It just felt so good to know I was helping someone - God's work Our Hands feeling - it was great!

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We chose to donate our check from GSLC along with matching funds to The Center for Addiction Treatment. 2 1/2 years ago our son was in need of their help. They were there with love, care and guidance, supporting him and us. This center is truly a lifesaver for so many struggling with addiction.

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We shared a God’s Grace Your Hands check with Good Shepherd member, Emma Fitz who is a student at OSU. Emma had the amazing opportunity last summer to travel to Kumasi, Ghana to volunteer and shadow with OSU's Doctors Without Borders club. For the summer of 2020 she has been chosen as co-director for another study abroad trip through this organization—this time to Sri Lanka! The God’s Grace Your Hands check will go into a fund to support Emma as she expands her knowledge of International medicine. She will be shaped by this experience, and by her love for God—the gift will be multiplied many times over in her life and the lives that she touches. We are so proud of Emma!

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Several years ago we met Roger Grein who is now living with us at Twin Lakes. He is a remarkable man. He was born with cerebral palsy and was adopted by his parents at 6 months. Doctors told them that he was unlikely to ever walk or talk. His parents taught him never to accept the the limitations others put on him. He experienced many setbacks but never gave up. He graduated from UC with a degree in Finance in 3 years and built a very successful accounting business. About ten years ago he had an idea to teach children to "GIVE BACK " and launched a program for high school students called "Magnified Giving" It is now in over 100 High and Junior high schools in Ohio and Kentucky and growing. In 2018-2019, 100 schools, 4200 students, awarded $174,000 to 129 charities. In 11 years 23,000 students have participated in the philanthropy program and awarded $878,790 to community charities. With our gift and Betsy's former employer's contribution to to Magnified Giving, Good Sheperd's gift has truly been Magnified. Thank you Good Shepherd for this wonderfull program.

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My daughter and I received the $500 check from God’s Work. Our Hands 2.0 - God’s Grace. Your Hands. What a surprise! This is how we used the $500 gift... First of all, my daughter wanted to donate money to her 92 year old grandfather to use towards his medication and groceries for this month. In addition to donating money to my daughter’s grandfather, we donated to The Whole Foods School Supply Program for local schools in need; The Cure Starts Now; The Cornell Lab of Ornithology; and The American Lung Association.

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I am currently raising support to be a full time missionary with Engineering Ministries International (EMI). We are serving Christian organizations around the world with our engineering skills. Most recently I have been called to serve with Samaritan's Purse in the Bahamas. This gift came so unexpectedly, I know it is from God. Thank you for blessing me and my ministry. I pray that I will be able to serve the poor and have you as part of my journey.

We are acquainted with a man named Lawrence McNickles who is a full time pastor at a local church near Colerain Avenue and also a full time therapist for Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services. Lawrence lives the mantra every day , between his church and job: God's Grace, Your Hands. When we were given the opportunity to offer this gift to someone we both thought of Lawrence and his church. Here is the letter that was enclosed with the check to Lawrence's church:

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The Center for Addiction Treatment on Ezzard Charles is a non profit agency where patients have access to both residential and intensive outpatient services. In an effort to meet increasing needs for addiction treatment, CAT recently added a second building to its campus. We chose to donate our $250 check from Good Shepherd plus a $25 personal check to this agency to support their efforts in guiding & supporting people toward recovery from their addictions.

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I've known "Rick" for over a year and a half. We met when I was working at a drug and alcohol treatment center. While I was never officially his case manager, we would often talk and eventually became friends. Rick is in recovery from opioid addiction and has been clean for over two years. He is nearing the end of his time with the center and has fulfilled his requirements with the justice system. Rick is ready to make a step out on his own, but needed some money in the bank for the transition. When I gave him the check...

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For the past three years we have been actively involved with the VEIL ministry, being tutors for the Homework Club on Sunday afternoons during the school year, assisting with the Summer Reading Program, and serving on the Board. And more recently, we became godparents for one of the VEIL youth. When we received the God’s Work Our Hands check of $100, we decided to match that amount and give the monies to Pastora Carmen to put in the VEIL discretionary fund. She, in turn, is going to give that money to one of the families who is in particular need of additional funds. To have helped even one family over a bit of a hump, to have helped them breathe a bit easier financially, is to have shared God’s grace.

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There are not enough words to say what this donation meant to me. It could not have come at a better time. Due to circumstances beyond my control , I needed money to pay my rent and electric bill. I prayed to God to help me find a way to pay these bills. I truly consider this a miracle and certainly God's answers to my prayers. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH TO GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH AND TO WALT ANDERSON . Virginia Dunchus

My first reaction to the envelope was to put it back in the offering plate. I live in a sheltered world and could think no one to whom the gift would make a real difference. I did not consider an organization because the gift would be invisible to the final benefriary. When the plate came around, I accepted the challenge and put the envelope in my pocket. As I drove home, I approached a stop light where a man always stood, holding a cardboard sign. I thought about him as the corner came closer. What would he do with such a gift? See a doctor? Sleep indoors? Go on a bender? Or maybe share with others who also had needs? The gift might be life changing or it might be wasted. And then I pictured Jesus in Gethsemene, asking those same questions about me! I stopped and rolled down the window.

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Today we received our donation from your parishioner, David Schackmann. He has been a longtime volunteer--over 20 years! He believes in our mission to help educate individuals, and volunteers weekly in our tutoring program. A little bit about what we do! Last school year we served 191 individuals-- 76 in the educational program, with 25 who graduated with a GED, and 115 in the computer lab for testing, college refresher, job and college search, and application writing. Our mission, as a government approved charitable organization, is to provide quality educational programs for the residents of the Greater Cincinnati area, aimed at increasing students' basic literacy, academic, computer, and job skills. We turn no serious student away and our services are free. Programs Offered: GED Instruction with one-on-one and group instruction On-site GED Testing for the Official GED College Preparation and Counseling Tutoring for Current College Students Job and Career Counseling Computer Instruction

Since many families suffer from hunger (food insecurity) in Cincinnati, we donated our $100 check to the Freestore Foodbank.

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On Sept 6 an acquaintance of my daughter gave birth to her 4th little girl. Her other girls are 13,9, and 7. Two hours after delivery the mother died. She had been told earlier that she a tumor in her abdomen and needed to have surgery. She refused to do anything to harm the baby and made the decision to wait til after her daughter was born. She told no one. So even though they attempted

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Chance, Jake and I were blessed with an envelope containing a $100 check. The boys were pretty excited by this challenge and gave lots of thought to the best way to put God’s grace to work. We tossed around thoughts about helping a homeless person(s), supporting a foster care agency, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and in the end the boys selected a charity they had spent time with recently.

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