Good Shepherd Sunday
Good Shepherd Sunday is April 26, 2026
Good Shepherd Sunday offers the opportunity to open our hearts to welcome all into Jesus’ abundant life. As you plan your worship services for the year, please join in celebrating the work of Lutheran Social Services of Illinois on Good Shepherd Sunday (April 26, 2026) or on another Sunday of your choice during the Easter season.
About Good Shepherd Sunday
Good Shepherd Sunday is a day every spring when congregations lift up LSSI programs with speakers, videos, and other provided resources. It offers the opportunity to financially support LSSI’s mission and ministries.Â
Resources
Each year for Good Shepherd Sunday, LSSI provides resources to help church leaders and volunteers share information and updates about LSSI programs with their congregations. This includes recorded sermons, story videos, bulletin inserts, children’s messages, and more. These resources are posted every spring.
Ways Your Church Can Participate
The Ally Package
- Bulletin Insert: Black and White | Color
- LSSI Giving Envelopes (Use the form below to request)
- Mission Moment / Temple Talk Script (Coming soon!)
- Overview video of LSSI
The Advocate Package
· All of the resources in the Ally package, PLUS:
- Flyer about LSSI’s Homes for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
- Worship SuggestionsÂ
- Children’s MessageÂ
- A sermon by Mark Stutrud, President and CEO of LSSI
- Download a copy (IMPORTANT: For PC users, when the video appears, select the three dots in the bottom right corner and click “Download.”)
- Watch on YouTube
The Ambassador Package
· All of the resources in the Ally and Advocate packages, PLUS:
- A story video about LSSI’s Homes for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and church partnerships.Â
- Impact Statement: English | Spanish
- Sunday School Lesson
- Confirmation/Youth Group Lesson
- Guest speaker by request (Please use the form below)
- Images for use on screens, printed worship materials, and social media: Landscape | PortraitÂ
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Resources
The following resources are available to help your congregation celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday: 
Print materials (Downloadable PDFs)
- Good Shepherd Sunday OverviewÂ
- Good Shepherd Sunday Flyer
- Bulletin Insert: Black and White | ColorÂ
- Impact Statement: English | Spanish
- Children’s MessageÂ
- Worship SuggestionsÂ
- Sunday School Lesson
- Confirmation/Youth Group Lesson
- Good Shepherd Sunday FAQ
- Images for use on screens, printed worship materials, and social media: Landscape | PortraitÂ
Video resourcesÂ
- A sermon by Mark Stutrud, President and CEO of LSSI
- Download a copy (IMPORTANT: For PC users, when the video appears, select the three dots in the bottom right corner and click “Download.”)
- Watch on YouTube
- A story video about LSSI’s Homes for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and church partnerships.Â
Tools to support LSSI programs
- LSSI giving envelopes. Use the form below to request that envelopes be mailed to your congregation.Â
- LSSI’s Good Shepherd Sunday Donation Page which may be shared with your congregation. Click here to view.
WebinarÂ
- Pr. Kelly Nieman Anderson, Manager of Church and Community Engagement at LSSI, hosted an informational webinar with church leaders who shared their own experiences planning a Good Shepherd Sunday service, offered suggestions, and answered questions. Watch on YoutubeÂ
Please complete the form below to let us know about your plans for Good Shepherd Sunday, request additional resources, and to receive email updates. For more information about Good Shepherd Sunday, contact Rev. Kelly Nieman Anderson at 847.635.4653 or Kelly.Nieman‑Anderson@LSSI.org.