FAQ (Frequently Asked
Questions)
About Good Samaritan Lutheran Church
When was GSLC founded?
Good Samaritan was organized in a hardware store in 1977. Southwest Las
Vegas was open space then, and Flamingo was only one lane at Torrey Pines (now it's six
lanes.) With 100+ charter members, enthusiasm for the Lord, and a faith that was
growing daily, we planted a congregation that has flourished! Ours was the first Christian
congregation in a building in southwest Las Vegas. In our temporary setting (complete with
wallpaper display tables for altar and pulpit) the prayers and praises of the early Good
Sam pioneers rang out joyfully!
The first service of Good Samaritan Lutheran Church in Las Vegas was celebrated December
12, 1976. The location was the Rainbow Mercantile Hardware Store, located at 3558 South
Jones, which has since burned down. The growing congregation was formally organized
October 23, 1977.
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Where is Good Samaritan Church located?
Good Samaritan is located at 6500 West Flamingo Las Vegas, Nevada,
89103. It is about 3-1/2 miles west of "The Strip" on the northwest corner of
Flamingo and Torrey Pines.
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When are the services?
Services are:
- Saturday Evening at 6pm
- Sunday morning at 8am, 9:30am and 11am
- Sunday School is at 9:30am and 11am.
Sunday School is held all year round with a special program during the summer months; a week-long Vacation Bible school and Camp Hope- a Christian Day Camp during the summer (see Calendar for further information.)
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What
are the goals of Good Samaritan Lutheran Church?
Short term goals:
- Develop small group ministries
- Develop active Sr. Youth Program
- Growth in worship attendance
- Growth in membership
Long term goals:
- To continue to develop programs which meet the needs of members and non-members
- Add additional staff
- Add additional classroom space
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Who are
the members of Good Samaritan Lutheran Church?
As members of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA), we are:
- Members of the largest Protestant denomination in the world and the 4th
largest Protestant denomination in the US.
- Among more than 5 million persons who belong to more than 10,800
congregations in the United States.
- Part of a church body with more than 720 agencies and institutions that
are the 2nd largest providers of human services of a non-government social services
agency, surpassed only by the YMCA.
- Part of the church body that maintains 28 church-related colleges,
enrolling more than 53,000 students each year.
- Part of a church that provides eight seminaries across the country for
the training of pastors and other church workers.
- Helping to support 310 missionaries in over 50 countries around the
world.
- Providing support for 1,000 new ministries and congregations in
transition in this country.
- Reaching thousands of men, women and children by providing more than $12
million annually in hunger funds both internationally and at home.
- Members of the Grand Canyon
Synod, one of 65 synods or administrative divisions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America. The Grand Canyon Synod consists of 105 Lutheran churches in Arizona and
southern Nevada.
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What is the mission of Good Samaritan Lutheran Church?
The mission statement of GSLC adopted in 2004:
We are a beacon of God's light and love to the community,
where all are welcomed and accepted.
We transform lives by nurturing faith,
sharing our gifts generously, and empowering God's children for service
and ministry to all people in the name of Jesus Christ.
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What
are the members of Good Samaritan doing to carry out the church's mission?
As members of GSLC, we are carrying out our missions through a variety
of multifaceted programs:
High quality educational programs:
- Youth Sunday School
- Adult Education
- Confirmation
- Thursday morning Bible Study
- Vacation Bible School
- Christmas Program
- Spiritually meaningful and diversified worship services:
- Traditional Worship, Sunday mornings at 8am and Contemporary
Worship at 9:30 and 11am. Holy Communion on the 1st and
3rd Sundays at the 8:00 and 11 services. Communion is offered
every Sunday at the 9:30 service.
- Contemporary Worship Saturday evening at 6pm.
High quality music programs for both youth and adults:
- King's Kids - Practice Wednesday - 6:00pm to 6:30pm - Sing once a month
at service and participate in special programs
- Adult Choir - Practice Wednesday - 6:30pm to 7:30pm - Sing at all
services and special occasions.
- Sonrise Choir - Practice Sunday - 10:15am to 10:35am - Sing on special
occasions.
- Visiting choral and instrumental groups. On special occasions.
We support an active Christian Education Program:
- Pre-school through adult classes each Sunday.
- Bible Study each Thursday.
- Vacation Bible School each summer
- Small Groups
We support many fellowship programs such as:
- Men's Breakfast Group
- Women of the ELCA
- Jr./Sr. High Youth Groups
- Bowling League
- Al-Anon
- Gamblers Anonymous
Community Outreach
- Sandwich Ministry
- Family Promise (formerly Interfaith Hospitality Network)
- Lutheran Social Services of Nevada (LSSN)
- Las Vegas Rescue Mission
- Martin's Mart
- Shade Tree Shelter
- Weekend Emergency Assistance Program
- Faith Lutheran Jr./Sr. High School
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