Youth Group tackles tough questions in fall Bible study

For the last two years we have spent our Sunday mornings going through the Bible from Creation to Revelation. We have learned a lot about God and ourselves as we explored the stories echoed to us from the ancients.

This November we are beginning a new journey to answer our tough questions about the Old Testament. Some of the questions we will look at are.........Why the Bible is so special, why certain parts made the cut, and who had the right to decide? Why do we observe some parts of the law but not others? What qualifies someone to be a prophet?

Youth in grades 6-12th join us Sunday mornings from 10-10:30 am in the youth room.

Adults with the same questions are more than welcome to join us as teachers!

From Pastor Gary: Turning towards our future

Many of you will recognize “Taz", the “Tasmanian Devil”, from the old Warner Brothers Looney Toons cartoons. There’s a lot that can be said about the character, but the things I remember the most were that he could arrive in a whirlwind and eat almost anything in his path.  Since I’m just a few weeks into my role as Good Shepherd’s pastor, it feels a bit like I’m running into Taz every day!

I doubt I’m alone, especially this time of the year. There’s a lot of “whirling” and “turning” going on. We have just marked the “turning” of the season, with the Autumnal Equinox. We have whirled from summer schedules into the school year (which may, or may not, be a good thing, depending on one’s perspective).  We have moved from the one-service-Sunday-morning-schedule back to the two-service schedule (again, which may, or may not, be a good thing, depending on one’s perspective). And, then there’s the congregation’s getting accustomed to a new priest.

With all that in mind, I found it so appropriate that the first anthem of my time with y’all was an arrangement of “Simple Gifts”, the great Shaker song. If you don’t remember all of it, is contains the line “to turn, turn, will be our delight till by turning, turning we come round right”. The Shakers would dance to this song . . . and they would “turn, turn” in their dance — knowing that wherever they landed, they would “come round right”.

And, as I considered that hymn, I was reminded of another song (some of you may remember), Pete Seeger's 1950’s adaptation of Ecclesiastes 3.1-8:  “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season)” - made popular by The Byrds. The song begins:

“To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose, under heaven.”

At Good Shepherd, there is a lot of “turning" right now! People are wondering what might change, what might stay the same. There’s anxiety over change — that’s pretty normal. But a time of chance — a season — offers all sorts of possibilities as well. There’s a sort of permission, perhaps even an expectation, to re-evaluate how things look or are done.

Thinking about this possibility of re-evaluation, another song wormed its way into my consciousness, this time much more current: Andy Grammar’s “Fresh Eyes”. While it is, as are many popular songs, a love song, the first verse seemed a suggestion of hope for the beginning of our time together:

I got these fresh eyes, never seen you before like this
My God, you're beautiful
It's like the first time when we open the door
Before we got used to usual

In the midst of our turning/whirling, can we look at Good Shepherd with “fresh eyes”? We have so much to offer! As I said in my first sermon, we have so many wonderful stories to tell! What might we see as we "turn, turn, turn” towards our future together that will spark our excitement so much that we will not only “come round right”, but it will truly be “in the valley of love and delight”!

Blessings,

Gary+

PS:    I have set up a Facebook page (@FaithnFedora) and a Twitter feed (@FaithFedora) — both of which are subtitled “A view from under the brim", should you be interested in following my ramblings and other items of note.

Pumpkin Patch time has arrived: Offload begins Saturday, October 6th at 9 am

The offload of the pumpkins begins at 9 am on Saturday, October 6th. We are hoping for a huge turnout so we can get the pumpkins off the truck and onto the palettes in record time. Bring friends, family and anyone who needs community service to lend a hand. A free hot dog lunch will follow the offload. Check your email before you come in case the truck is delayed.

Special thanks to the Men's Group for setting up the pallets, hay bales and fences in preparation for the off load. Also, to the Youth Group for planning a free, fall family carnival on October 28th from 11-1 pm. Check your Sheepskin or the Good Shepherd Facebook page for more details. You, too, can help the effort by signing up to volunteer for a sales shift at church or on line. There are many shifts still available!

Pumpkin Patch Fundraisers, the company that supplies our pumpkins is currently hiring some 500 people from the Navajo and Zuni reservations to harvest 1200 acres of pumpkins. This harvest should provide about $1.5 million payroll in a region with 40% unemployment. It takes a small army to harvest 2 million pumpkins in just six weeks.

So in addition to the money Pumpkin Patch of Centennial gives to local agencies, we are also contributing to employment in an area that desperately needs it.

Tina Hubbard
tramhubs2@comcast.net

Sally VanWelden
vanwelden@comcast.net

Guitarist Mark Kroos to perform October 19th for first Music with a Mission Concert

Join us Friday, October 19th at 7 pm for our first Music with a Mission concert featuring award-winning guitarist Mark Kroos, who plays two guitar necks at the same time with a tapping technique that involves both hands fretting the strings.  It creates an explosive and energetic genre that is as entertaining to watch as it is to listen to. In July 2011, Mark won first place in Guitar Player Magazine's International Competition in Nashville and his Dueling Banjos video is a viral hit on social media. The show will include Mark's arrangements of tunes like Linus & Lucy, Canon in D, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, and of course, Dueling Banjos, as well as Mark's original music. Mark incorporates humor, antics and stories with an all-around message of grace and unconditional love. 

Proceeds for this concert will benefit The Rose Andom Center serving victims of domestic violence.

A Thank You from Dr. Stephen Fiess, Director of Music

Many thanks to the parishioners who volunteered their time and musical talents, in order to enrich our worship services this summer!

These include our ensembles -- MorningSong and EveningSong, our adult choir and women's ensemble, and the Black Sheep choir.

In addition, we were also blessed with these soloists (and duets):

Jim Ball
Bonnie Bell
Anna Branton and Deb Sampson
Carol Bryden
Pamela Fischer and Helene Fogel
Trish Hartman
Elizabeth and Emma Laskarzewski
Lecia West

We so appreciate your contributions to our worship services!  You have truly blessed our congregation with your music.

Commitment Sunday to feature celebrations after all three services on Sunday, November 4th

Our 2019 Stewardship Campaign, “Hope Grows Here”, will officially kick off on Sunday, November 4th , with a special celebration we call “Commitment Sunday.” On this day we will celebrate the future of Good Shepherd by submitting our pledges for 2019 and uniting in fellowship after all three services.  We plan to have a breakfast after the 7:45 am service, a light lunch after the 10 am service, and surprise treats after the 6 pm service.

If you cannot make Commitment Sunday please consider mailing in your pledge, bring it in a week early, or bring it a week late and place it in the collection plate.

As we mentioned previously, the Stewardship Committee has set a financial goal for 2019 for 175 pledges, with an average pledge of $2,500 per family/ individual for a pledge amount of $437,500.  This compares with 164 pledges in 2018 for a total amount of $404,000.   

Our 20 Ambassadors will be contacting each household about one week prior to Commitment Sunday to answer any questions and to make sure all our parishioners have received our mailed packet of information with a pledge card.  Our ambassadors will also contact parishioners about 10 days after Commitment Sunday to answer any questions and follow-up.

We consider prayer to be a very important part of our stewardship program, and we have 12 parishioners on our Prayer Team praying for both Good Shepherd and our stewardship program.  We plan to have detailed prayer guides available the week prior to Commitment Sunday, and we hope you will consider picking one up at our services on October 28th.

Your Stewardship Team will be wearing ribbons identifying them on their name tags, as well our Ambassadors and our Prayer Team.  Feel free to ask them any questions, and if they can’t answer your question, the Stewardship team will get back with you.  Thank you for your consideration and your support.

Vestry Devotion: Discovering the Invite, Welcome, Connect Ministry

This month’s Vestry devotion is submitted by Vestry member Chris Hall.

Recently some Good Shepherd members and I spent a Saturday attending a seminar at St. Gabriel’s Church. The Seminar was to learn about the Invite Welcome Connect (IWC) ministry. The purpose is to help congregations like Good Shepherd’s grow by assessing and improving how they Invite, Welcome and Connect community members to their church.  These three pieces of the ministry are all equally important and give parishioners a chance to participate in different ways.

The first portion of the seminar was about the Invite piece.  We discussed the theory of evangelism and ways the congregation could prepare its members in an organized way to invite new individuals to our Church.  After the discussion, Mary, who was leading the seminar, played a short video for us that showed how you might invite someone you know to the Church.  In the video two neighbors were talking in their front yard one Sunday morning.  One neighbor had just gotten home from church, and the other neighbor was gardening and clearly did not go to church.  The church-going neighbor was asking himself, “How can I start a conversation about going to church with my neighbor?”  The other neighbor was thinking to himself “I wonder if my neighbor will ever invite me to his church?”  The video was designed to be rather comical, but also showed how these opportunities to invite exist in real life.

Thinking back to a time when our family had recently moved from Vermont to our neighborhood in Centennial, a situation happened where I experienced one of the pieces of the IWC program.  I was working in the yard when my neighbor John approached me.  John and I had the normal conversation about the weather and how nice it was to be in Colorado.  And then John turned to me and asked if my family went to church, and if we had found a church here in Colorado yet.  I hadn’t found a church for the family, but I really wasn’t looking for one yet.  I politely said that we were still busy getting acclimated to Colorado and would think about that later. 

It occurs to me now that my neighbor John was practicing the invite portion of the Invite, Welcome, Connect ministry.  I admire him for trying to invite us in, even if we didn’t accept the invitation at the time.  I can’t help but wonder now if John practices this form of evangelism with other people he meets?  And do other members of his church practice this with people they meet?  What would happen if Good Shepherd’s parishioners were like this in the future? 

The next segment of the seminar was about the Welcome portion of the ministry.  Once a newcomer comes into your church, how well do we welcome them?  Mary talked about the fact that everyone has a story, and that story is probably the reason they are at your church. Their story is the link to bringing them into the church, and the only way to learn their story is to talk with that person and ask questions.  After a short discussion, Mary presented an exercise that we all were asked to participate in.  Since this was the Welcome portion of the seminar, the exercise was to practice greeting and talking with someone you haven’t met before.  Mary asked each of us to turn to a stranger in the room and introduce yourself, as if this was somebody new who had come to your church for the first time.  Well, my first thought was that this will be a little difficult and that I hadn’t prepared for this. Will I know what to say and will what I have to say be interesting enough?  What if I can’t keep the conversation going?  Okay, the real problem was that I was about to be forced out of my comfort zone. Well, there was very little time to get anxious about the exercise since almost as fast as Mary explained it she instructed us to start.

I turned to a gentlemen near me and we started talking.  Peter was his name and he was a native of Colorado and was from Evergreen.  I told him that I moved here from Vermont 10 years ago.   Peter said he used to travel to Vermont to ski when he lived in New Haven Connecticut for a time.  I said that my wife was born in New Haven and the conversation continued from there.  Keeping the conversation going was actually easier than I thought it would be, and I met a nice person that I wouldn’t have met otherwise.  However, you could say I failed the exercise though since I failed to find out Peter’s story.  At least this was practice and I learned from the experience just the same.  Leaving my comfort zone wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be and with some practice this could be fun instead of intimidating.

Lastly, the seminar focused on the Connect piece of the ministry.  The purpose of Connect is to link individuals to a ministry and give them a sense of belonging.  The theory is that if a new member of the congregation becomes interested and connected to a ministry then they are more likely to stay connected with the church long term. Current members of the church help connect new members by getting to know them, to learn their skills and interests. I recall soon after joining Good Shepherd being approached by a member of the congregation that I hadn’t even met yet.  He had heard through someone else that I was an accountant and wanted to talk about an opportunity that he thought would interest me.  I became involved with a ministry because someone noticed me and took the time to talk with me.  I believe the connect piece was very important for my family at Good Shepherd and the reason we are still here today.  Each of us has been involved in multiple ministries over the past 10 years.  Our sons joined the youth group and benefitted from the companionship and experiences they wouldn’t have had otherwise.  We all enjoyed working on the Pumpkin Patch together and felt really good about the money we helped raise for local charities.  Today, years later, my youngest son is a member of the choir, my wife is on the Altar Guild, and I am on the Finance Committee.  We are very connected to Good Shepherd.  The ministries at Good Shepherd have definitely created that sense of belonging for us.

I am excited that our Church is starting the Invite, Welcome, Connect ministry.   I believe we are just scratching the surface of what the IWC ministry can do for Good Shepherd.  It will be exciting to see how each of the three pieces of the ministry evolves, and how they help the congregation of Good Shepherd grow in the future.  What will your role in the Invite, Welcome, Connect ministry be?

Transition Update: We are the Church

Have you noticed we are growing as a congregation?   Not necessarily in numbers, but in taking on more responsibilities at Good Shepherd.   When Fr. Craig left, he gifted each vestry member with a manual of all the things that he does to keep Good Shepherd running.  Things such as turning off lights, putting chairs away after events, making sure certain chairs go in the chapel and others in the parish hall.  Who knew?   We all have taken on a little more “ownership” of our church and hopefully we will continue in that vein once we have a priest in charge.  We are the church!

Yes, you and I are the church.   The vestry and all of the ministries and everyone who sits in the pews on Sundays is the church.  Let us support one another in this challenging time.  The Good Shepherd staff have been working diligently to keep things moving forward without a leader to guide them.   Kudos to them as well.  We are an amazing group of people with many talents, skills and experience to share.  This is our time to grow our church stronger.  

So, let’s celebrate our successes large and small.  We are putting chairs away, utilizing Eucharistic Ministers to acolyte when we are short of staff, and getting to know more of our congregation as we celebrate together at one service.   And soon, the pumpkins will be here and the youth will be at Quest, their fall retreat, so we will need everyone to pitch in and move those pumpkins!  If you have always said you’d start an exercise program, now’s your chance.  Start lifting those light weights to prepare for those pumpkins!

We are also speaking up and giving feedback.  Recently, the vestry asked for feedback on the Sunday morning services.  The vestry wants to hear more from you. In the weeks, months and years ahead of us, we will have so much opportunity to engage and grow.

The vestry has spent hours weekly on this process and discerning this journey.  We so appreciate all you have done to contribute in moving us forward and letting us know what you want.   KUDOS to everyone!!!

Announcing the 4th Season of Music with a Mission

It's hard to believe that we are embarking on the fourth season of our Music with a Mission Concert Series. Thanks to all of you who once again contributed to our cause. Your efforts have enabled us to land a great lineup of artists this year, ranging in style from opera to ragtime, with a few surprises thrown in for good measure.

We begin the season on October 19th with an award winning guitarist from North Carolina named Mark Kroos, who plays two guitar necks at the same time. Our second concert of the season will be just two weeks later on Friday, November 2nd when we welcome Central City Opera’s performance of Love Notes. This show will showcase music from favorite operas and musicals featuring a soprano and tenor who will be accompanied with piano. In January, our very own John Mumford will perform with his group from The Mile High Banjo Society featuring ragtime and Dixieland favorites. And finally, we will round out the season with the highly acclaimed Spiritual Voices choir who will perform an uplifting concert of spiritual music. Specific dates and detailed information for each concert is available at our website at gshep.org. Access the full list now by clicking here.

Hard copy brochures of the season will soon be available in the Narthex if you would like to pick up a few and hand them out to your favorite friends and neighbors. Never lose sight of the importance of your role as a parishioner to spread the good news of our series, and to act as an ambassador for Good Shepherd. Together we can do great things in the name of Christ.

See you all at the concerts!

Pumpkin Patch News

The 2018 Pumpkin Patch will officially begin with the offload on Saturday, October 6th at 9am. This will be followed by a hot dog lunch for all volunteers. Please invite your friends and family, neighbors, colleagues, high school sports teams and anyone needing community service hours to join us for this morning of fun and fellowship.  It takes well over a hundred people to set up, decorate, sell pumpkins, wave signs, count the money, plan the lunch and clean up the patch. Our five outreach partners are counting on our financial support to help them serve the needs of the hungry and homeless in our area.

Please visit www.gshep.org to learn more about these partners. You may sign up to be a Volunteer Sales Associate and/or a counter beginning September 16th. This can be done online and at the church. We hope you will sign up often!

If anyone has a shade canopy/tent that they would like to donate or loan to the Pumpkin Patch it would be greatly appreciated. We “lost” ours to the wind last year.  Please let Tina or Sally know as soon as possible. Thanks.

Tina Hubbard
tramhubs2@comcast.net

Sally VanWelden
vanwelden@comcast.net

Ever thought about going on a Medical Mission?

The Jamaica Medical/Dental mission sponsored by Good Shepherd is currently registering volunteers for two spring of 2019 mission trips to St. Elizabeth Parish, Jamaica. We are looking for medical, dental, nursing, vision, and pharmacy professionals to fill out our teams.  We also have space for a limited number of general helpers to serve as prayer warriors, runners, and to teach basic health, hygiene and nutrition (no experience needed).  

If you have ever thought about a mission trip, this could be a great opportunity.  It can be life changing!

Mission trip dates:
Week 1: February 22 – March 2, 2019
Week 2: March 1 – March 9, 2019  

The mission participation fee is $995 per week, plus roundtrip airfare to Montego Bay, Jamaica. The mission fee includes all accommodations, meals, and in-country transportation. All fees and donations are tax deductible. Please apply by September 15. 

For more information, go to the Jamaica Missions USA website www.jmusa.org or contact Melissa Watson.  
 

Ambassadors and Prayer Team Needed for Fall Stewardship Campaign – Hope Grows Here

Volunteers play a vital role in our annual Stewardship Campaign, and it takes over 30 people giving of their time and talents to help us get the job done. Becoming an Ambassador or a part of the Prayer Team for this year’s Hope Grows Here Campaign is a great way to contribute to your church, and will help set Good Shepherd up for a success in 2019.  

We need 20 Ambassadors who will be the face of the campaign to our parishioners. Each Ambassador will have a list of 10 parishioners who they will contact via phone about the campaign, answering questions and acting as leaders in motivating our congregation to action. Our Prayer Team, which will consist of 12 prayer warriors, will take on the important role of praying daily during the campaign.  If you are interested in helping with our campaign, please contact Jim Wolfe at jimwolfe05@comcast.net.

Your Stewardship Committee is very excited about our 2019 Stewardship Campaign and we hope you will be also, as we welcome a Priest-in-Charge to provide Leadership for Good Shepherd. Our Theme, Hope Grows Here, is very appropriate as we move into this transition time to select a Priest-In-Charge to lead Good Shepherd over the next several years.  

Commitment Sunday will be Sunday, November 4th this year where we celebrate our support of Good Shepherd and its ministries by symbolically dropping our pledge cards in a basket during services that day. We will kick-off our Hope Grows Here campaign via our weekly E-News in the next couple weeks.
 

Vestry Devotion: The Power of Hope

This month’s Vestry devotion is submitted by our Junior Warden, Nora Earnest. 

This past summer, I had the great opportunity to travel in Europe. While the trip focused on locations within the British Isles, our final day was spent at the Normandy landing sites of D-Day, in France. While there, the stories I heard of extreme courage and brutal combat during those fierce days in June, 1944, were difficult and moving. But what struck me the most was the persistent hope that permeated the minds of the soldiers, the military leaders, and the rest of the occupied and free world. A literal world of people supported the soldiers, through praying for them, working to sabotage the enemy, or simply cheering for them from the sidelines. 

Prior to the start of the D-Day operation, General Dwight Eisenhower even sent a letter to the soldiers preparing for this difficult mission. General Eisenhower said, in part, “You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you…  Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well-trained, well-equipped, and battled hardened. He will fight savagely… I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle… Good luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.”

The soldiers knew their mission was a difficult one. The odds were against them. Yet, their stories of perseverance are legendary.  Of course, they were well-trained and had a job to do. But I believe that the hope of the world played a part in their success as well. People across continents prayed for and believed in those soldiers.  It’s easier to believe in yourself when throngs of people, most of whom you don’t even know, believe in you.

I believe in the power of hope. For me personally, this summer also marked seven years since I underwent a successful stem cell transplant to cure my relapsed cancer. In the days and weeks leading up to this risky procedure, my husband and I sat through numerous appointments with doctors and discussed the very real likelihood of my untimely demise. It was clear that the chances of a successful outcome were slim. I began to question whether the transplant was worth the risk. I began to lose hope.  

However, I too had the hopes and prayers of countless supporters. My husband, family, and friends stabilized my diminishing hope and their encouraging words, prayers, and kind gestures built a foundation of hope that carried me through treatment and recovery. I knew I had an army of support behind me and that made my own hope grow. 

I believe God is present in our hope. God lives in that glimmer, no matter how small, that says “I will not give up.  I will try again.” I have seen what hope can do. It can transform lives and change the world.  

The faith I enjoy today grew out of those dark days of illness. I experienced God through the hope and prayers of others and I know that God was present in the darkness and in the hope-filled light.

It has been 74 years since D-Day.  And while our post-World War II world is often complex and unjust, there is much to hope for. Glimmers of hope live in every nation. God is with us as we say, “I will not give up. I will try again.” May God be with us all as we live out our own struggles and our own “great and noble undertakings.”
 
 

Reflections on National Church Events in Austin

Karin Elsen recently attended national Episcopal Church meetings and the General Convention in Austin, TX.  Here are her thoughts:

I attended as a United Thank Offering (UTO) representative and at the meeting of Episcopal Church Women (ECW).  It was my first time there and I am profoundly grateful.

There is much activity:  bishops and elected deputies gather for the purpose of church governance.  Affiliated groups hold their own meetings.  The church youth are officially present.  Add to this mix, vendors, seminaries, special interest groups (did you know of the Episcopal Conference of the Deaf and their work?) and foundations.  There are attendees from worldwide and religious orders, as well as invited ecumenical guests.  It is a sight to be seen!

My own time spent is best described as being engaged in:

Education and Formation:  I attended UTO workshops on The Jesus Movement, Abundance Stewardship and Best Financial Practices, Asset-Based Community Development and the new UTO smart-phone app.  I learned more about the spiritual practice of gratitude.

Worship:  There were plenty of opportunities for intentional prayer, such as daily Morning Prayer.  In the evenings and on Sunday morning, a Eucharist was celebrated, and although we were in a cavernous hall with 3,000 other people, the service seemed intimate through connections with fellow worshippers, the traditional, gospel and jazz music, and liturgy.

I had amazing experiences at worship – twice as a Chalice server and once as a liturgical participant.  The UTO representatives (104 of us) processed with the bishops to offer our diocese’s three-year pledge card.  One by one, we stepped up to a large raised altar, placed our card in a beautiful Navajo basket and were received by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and House of Deputies President, The Rev. Gay Clark Jennings.  It was humbling.

On Saturday, the Diocese of Texas hosted a special old-fashioned “Revival” Service and barbeque.  We enjoyed the very charming and talented Spanish-language interpreter, Dinorah Padro, who kept up with the very animated “country preacher”!

Witness and Service:  Witness was an important undertaking.  I attended prayer gatherings sponsored by Bishops and Episcopalians Against Gun Violence.  A public witness was held in a park highlighting the family members of Carmen Schentrup, a high-schooler who was killed in Parkland, Florida.  Her father and mother gave moving attestations of their faith in times of unimaginable tragedy and loss.

Many Episcopalians feel the duty to give something back to the place they’ve called home for several days.  To this end, ECW raised funds for a local Tiny House Village transitional housing and made summer survival kits for Austin shelters.

I heard people talk about how they were looking for Jesus at General Convention – I found Jesus amidst a rich church that is both traditional and progressive, reverent and accessible, structured but seeking to be a Movement, and yet, still one body.

Help us Connect with Potential Corporate Sponsors for our Series

Do you work for a company that has a heart for helping non-profit organizations? If so, we’d like to ask that you help us connect with the person at your company that might be interested in a Corporate Sponsorship for our Music with a Mission Concert Series. According to a 2013 Consumer Behavior Study, 61% of consumers are willing to try a new brand, or one they’ve never heard of because of its association with a particular cause*. Business is brisk for companies with a heart, and consumers will support socially responsible products and companies. 

This year we are seeking four new Corporate Sponsorships of $1,000 each to help us offset the ever-increasing costs of funding our series. All we are asking for is a contact name, address and email, and a personal connection to your company. The Music with a Mission Board of Directors will take care of approaching the companies and telling them the story of our series. 

Our concert series is like the ripple effect – the more money we raise for the series, the more people we can market to, which in turn creates higher numbers at our concerts, which generates more money for our mission partners. And who knows, some of those concert goers might even decide to give Good Shepherd a shot on a Sunday morning – all by the grace of God.

If you can help us out with a contact name and email, please email DeeDee Atwood at ddatwood08@gmail.com

*2013 Cone Communications / Echo Global CSR Study
 

Tulips and Pansies and Daisies, Oh Yeah!

How can we glorify God?  We do so by singing, serving, building relationships, praising, spreading the good word, listening and sharing our gifts.  We thank Him for all the beauty that surrounds us, too.  I am thankful that every week, Shunila Rae and I are blessed by selecting and arranging the amazing flowers that adorn the altar.

When I started out doing this over 10 years ago, I had no idea how joyful it would make me feel.  I never considered myself creative, the flowers have taught me a lot!  This ministry is invigorating my need to learn and grow – it’s about balance and beauty, adventure and color.

The opportunity for you to grow and feel the love abounds.  Come share in the joy! If you are curious and want to learn about how you might try your hand at arranging flowers please get in touch with one of us, no permanent commitment required.  

Please contact Lori at lldelue@gmail.com or Shunila at shunila_rae@yahoo.com for more information.

A Day in the Life of a Good Shepherd Pumpkin

This picture shows a Good Shepherd Pumpkin in the first stages of its life, soaking up the sun and taking in lots of water to help it grow to maturity.  Our pumpkins are grown on the Navajo Reservation near Farmington, New Mexico, just waiting to get big enough to send to us this fall. We work with a company called Pumpkin Patch Fundraisers out of Greensboro NC. They have been in this business for over 40 years, and they grow, harvest and deliver the pumpkins to patches all across the US. This fall we will accept delivery of one semi-truck filled with thousands of pumpkins.

The 2018 Good Shepherd Pumpkin Patch runs from October 6 - October 31. We are asking you to start thinking about what you and your family can do to make it another successful year. It takes ALL of us! Perhaps you'd like to try something new this year: set-up, participate in the offload, decorate, be a day captain, take pictures for social media, provide refreshments, be a sign waver, count the money, take-down. See what we mean about it taking ALL of us? Whether you’re new to Good Shepherd or a pumpkin patch veteran, we encourage you to schedule some time to help out with this rewarding, meaningful, fun community service. Let us know how we can help you find the best use of your time and talent. Our outreach partners thank you and so do we. 

Join us on August 19th for “Pumpkin Patch Kickoff Sunday”. We will be in the Parish Hall to answer any questions you may have and to encourage your participation in October. There will even be pumpkin themed treats.

Tina Hubbard –tinahubbard30@gmail.com
Sally VanWelden –vanwelden@comcast.net
 

Finding Purpose in Helping Others – A Reflection on St. Clare’s Ministries

Susan Jones is the St. Clare’s Ministries Coordinator for Good Shepherd. She also serves as the Chair of their Board of Directors in 2018.

I restarted my life five years ago.  I was divorced after a long marriage, sold my family home, rented a condo, and started a new job all in July 2013.  I began my journey to rediscover myself, and I continue on that journey even today.  I was fortunate to find Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in November 2013 where I was made to feel welcome from day one by Father Craig and Ann Pounds.  Marjie Rogers invited me to join her team in the Altar Guild, and I joined other ministries as well.   I was invited to serve at St. Clare’s Ministries in the spring of 2015.  I was apprehensive on my first visit because I thought the guests would be sad and angry.  Bob Arnott gave me a tour of the facility, and I was assigned to serve rolls with butter to each guest.  After my first shift, I was elated and so full of hope.  Most of the guests were so very grateful to receive the warm, delicious meal and they told us thank you for the meal.  I was hooked that very first shift because helping other folks “fills my bucket”, and so I tried to volunteer each third Tuesday with other parishioners from Good Shepherd.  I accepted the invitation to join the St. Clare’s Ministries Board of Directors (SCM BOD) in the fall of 2016, and I am now proud to be the Chair of the SCM BOD in 2018.  I volunteer most Tuesday evenings because I have gotten to know a lot of the guests, and I like to check in with them to see how they are doing.  Some guests are homeless, some are low-income and some are on a journey to find a job or a home or a loved one.  I will share some of their stories in my next article so that you can learn more about the St. Clare’s community.

I invite you to assist in this wonderful ministry in one of three ways.  
1.    Each month on the third Tuesday evening, Good Shepherd parishioners are invited to staff SCM and serve meals and drinks, wash the dishes, and distribute clean clothing, blankets and toiletries.  If you would like to be added to this email list, please send an email to susanjones72013@gmail.com.   
2.    A hot, three course meal is served every Tuesday evening at St. Clare’s Ministries which serves from The Episcopal Church of St. Peter and St. Mary at 126 W. 2nd Avenue, Denver, CO 80223.  You could sponsor one of the weekly meals for 150 guests for $200.  You can make a donation in any amount to St. Clare’s Ministries with a check payable to:
St. Clare’s Ministries
126 West 2nd Avenue
Denver, CO 80223
3.    Your tax deductible donations defray costs for SCM.  Over 95% of our guests are men, so at this time, we ask only for men’s clean, gently-used clothing and items.  Place your donations in the bin in the parish hall and be sure to complete a donation form including your full name and address so that we can send you a receipt and thank you.
a.    Men’s jeans (size 28 – 34 waist)
b.    Men’s boxer briefs (M – L)
c.    Men’s v-neck or crew-neck undershirt (S-XL)
d.    Men’s white or black socks
e.    Rain gear, jackets, coats
f.    Hats, ball caps
g.    Shoes, boots – especially steel-toe boots
h.    Backpacks, blankets, sleeping bags
i.    Personal size toiletries – sunscreen, deodorant, toothbrushes/toothpaste

Thank you for your past donations, prayers, and assistance for the St. Clare’s guests.  And let me know if you want to help with our efforts to offer a respite, clothing, meal, and worship service for the homeless or low-income community in the Baker neighborhood. 
 

Vestry Devotion: Discernment

This month’s Vestry devotion is submitted by our Senior Warden, Shane Jones.

[1] Don’t Trust Your “Feelings”

The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? – Jeremiah 17:9

God has woven emotions into the core of our beings.  We are not to take them for granted. However, they should not cloud your discernment and dictate your actions or your principles. In today’s American lingo, we often hear phrases like these thrown around:

• Be true to yourself.
• Go with your gut instinct.
• Listen to your heart.
• Do what feels right.

These phrases might sound inspirational, but do you notice something that each of these examples of phrases have in common? They are all man-centered; all about “you” and/or “me.” There is no mention of seeking the God’s opinion on life’s matters.

Be careful not to base your rationale on cultural clichés, such as those previously mentioned. Instead, take God at His Word.

Guard Your Heart

Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. – Proverbs 4:23

Throughout Scripture, the heart and mind are very closely connected. In fact, many places throughout the Bible connect our heart to every other aspect of our lives.

One example is the verse shown above, Proverbs 4:23. If you were to continue reading beyond this verse, you would see that the teachings of wisdom are related to the mouth (speech), the mind (thoughts) and the feet (actions).

It is crucial that we guard our hearts. What does this look like? A person guarding his or her heart is one who makes conscious choices in the direction of godliness, such as choosing to be faithful in the study of God’s Word, or choosing to keep him or herself from something or someone that causes them to lust.

If we work toward developing a discerning heart, the “springs of life” will flow more freely. We will, as a result, be more discerning with our speech, thoughts and actions.

Know the Scriptures

For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edge sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12

Even in today’s Christian culture, we are subject to deception and false teaching. The only real way to spot deception is to first know truth. And the source of ultimate truth is the Word of God.

The more time we spend studying the Scriptures, the more familiar we will be with truth. As biblical truth becomes ingrained in our hearts and in our thought patterns, we can then live a life of discernment.

The holiness of Francis of Assisi (1182-1226), like all holiness, was unique and never merely a copy or imitation. In his Testament, he tells his brothers, “No one showed me what I had to do,” [2] and then, at the very end of his life, he says, “I have done what is mine; may Christ teach you what is yours!” [3] What permission, freedom, and space he thus gave to his followers!

We are each unique incarnations of God, bringing to visible and tangible expression God’s presence in the world. Sr. Ilia Delio paraphrases Francis’ message from his Later Admonition and Exhortation:

When love transforms our actions in a way that Christ is “represented”— then we become mothers, sisters and brothers of Christ. This birthing of Christ in the life of the believer . . . is a way of conceiving, birthing, and bringing Christ to the world in such a way that the Incarnation is renewed. It is making the gospel alive. [4]

So, how do we discover what is ours to do? How do we connect with our sacred vocation in service to the needs of the world? How do we give birth to Christ in the world? How do we renew the Incarnation and give flesh to the Word? First, we must go through a process of discernment. Henri Nouwen explains:

Christian discernment is not the same as decision making. Reaching a decision can be straightforward: we consider our goals and options; maybe we list the pros and cons of each possible choice; and then we choose the action that meets our goal most effectively. Discernment, on the other hand, is about listening and responding to that place within us where our deepest desires align with God’s desire. As discerning people, we sift through our impulses, motives, and options to discover which ones lead us closer to divine love and compassion for ourselves and other people and which ones lead us further away.

Discernment reveals new priorities, directions, and gifts from God. We come to realize that what previously seemed so important for our lives loses its power over us. Our desire to be successful, well liked and influential becomes increasingly less important as we move closer to God’s heart. To our surprise, we even may experience a strange inner freedom to follow a new call or direction as previous concerns move into the background of our consciousness. We begin to see the beauty of the small and hidden life that Jesus lived in Nazareth. Most rewarding of all is the discovery that as we pray more each day, God’s will—that is, God’s concrete ways of loving us and our world—gradually is made known to us. [5]

As we prepare to discern who will best serve Good Shepherd as our Priest In Charge, let us allow God to guide our speech, our thoughts and our actions.  Let us all be mindful that the process may reveal new priorities, directions and gifts from God.  As Ann Fleming mentioned to us at our interview training, at the conclusion of our discernment process, we should feel the joy, and the weight, of what God is calling us to do.   

References:

[1] Joy Allmond, How to Have a Heart of Discernment (billygraham.org: 2010)

[2] Francis of Assisi, The Testament, line 14. See Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, vol. 1 (New City Press: 1999), 125.

[3] Francis of Assisi, quoted by Thomas of Celano, The Remembrance of the Desire of a Soul, chapter 162. See Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, vol. 2 (New City Press: 2000), 386.

[4] Ilia Delio, Franciscan Prayer (Franciscan Media: 2004), 150-151.

[5] Henri Nouwen, Discernment: Reading the Signs of Daily Life (HarperOne: 2013), 17.

Stewardship Committee Announces our 2019 Stewardship Campaign Theme

Your Stewardship Committee has decided to work again this year with Church Development out of Kansas City for the format we will use for our 2019 Stewardship Campaign.  Our Theme for 2019 will be “Hope Grows Here,” which we consider to be very appropriate as we move into this Transition time to select a Priest-In-Charge to lead Good Shepherd over the next several years.  We have also chosen November 4 to be our annual Commitment Sunday for a time to receive pledges for 2019.  We will have more details on our plans for that Sunday as November 4 get closer.

The Stewardship committee includes Jim Wolfe and Kip Travis as Co-Chairs and Deb Roden, Anne McMahon, Griffin Bridgers, Tom Billings, Curt Watson, and Keith Anderson.  DeeDee Atwood works with us on graphics and communications to the Parish.

This year we hope to emphasize Time, Talent, and Treasure in our Stewardship Campaign.  As you may be aware, Good Shepherd has several key positions open at this time. We will have three Vestry slots up for election, as well as the positions of Junior and Senior Warden.  In addition, the key positions of Newcomers coordinator, Legacy coordinator, Congregational Care coordinator, and Grocery sales coordinator all need to be filled.  And, as most of you know, we are looking for one or two people to step up to take over the Pumpkin Patch in 2019.  Therefore, as you can see, we have many opportunities for your time and talent in 2019.

The Stewardship Committee has set a financial goal for 2019 to have 175 pledges, with an average pledge of $2500 per family/ individual for a pledge amount of $437,500.  This compares with 164 pledges in 2018 for a total amount of $404,000.  We believe this is a reasonable number of Pledges and financial amount for 2019.  

The video that Mike Orr from the Office of the Bishop shot at the Church picnic should be available in the next few weeks.  We will place the video on our Website for everyone to see when it is available.  We are hoping to shoot several more videos to highlight several of the Ministries at Good Shepherd.

You may be asking; how can you help?  We will be recruiting Ambassadors (make contacts with Parishioners regarding the Stewardship Campaign) and a Prayer team (praying for the Stewardship Campaign) in early September.  These teams worked very well last year, and we plan to repeat this formula this year.  We just ask that you be open to the opportunity when we contact you.  We will also be recruiting at least three Testimonial speakers to make a short sharing to the Congregation during the campaign, and we would also ask for you to be open to this opportunity.  Your Stewardship Committee is very excited about our 2019 Stewardship Campaign and we hope you will be also.