Meeting on May 7 to discuss the future of our Pumpkin Patch

As mentioned in last month’s Sheepskin, the Outreach Committee is seeking input from parishioners regarding whether or not we should continue our nine year tradition of running the Pumpkin Patch. As of this writing, we do not have the leadership required to manage the patch this year. The Outreach Committee will be meeting on Tuesday, May 7, from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm, in the Chapel, and any parishioners who are interested in being a part of that discussion, or who may be interested in stepping up to run the patch are welcome to attend. The Pumpkin Patch discussion will begin at about 6:45 pm.

Good Shepherd to live stream The Consecration of Kym Lucas on May 18

On Saturday, May 18th, the Episcopal Church in Colorado will celebrate an historic event, the consecration of the Rev. Kym Lucas as Colorado’s eleventh diocesan bishop. It will be an exciting day, and one which many Episcopalians would like to witness! 

Recognizing that the Cathedral will not accommodate all who might wish to attend the ceremony, it will be live-streamed. We have decided, at Good Shepherd to “have an event”! On that Saturday morning, WE will live-stream the service in the Parish Hall, to be accompanied by a pot-luck brunch! We will have activities for the kids (of all ages) to make some kind of gift/remembrance for Bp. Kim. And we will present that to her when she makes her first visitation to Good Shepherd on August 18th!

The video stream will begin at 10:30, with the procession starting at 10:45, and the ceremony proper beginning at 11:00am.  

Watch the E-Newsletter and bulletin announcements for more details, including information about signing up for the Potluck!

Annual Church Picnic to be held Sunday, May 19

Come one, come all to the annual Church Picnic which will be held at the Church on the back lawn on May 19, immediately following the second service, from 11:30 am to about 1:30 pm. We will have activities for children including a bounce house, face painting and games for the whole family.  The Grow Team, the Sunday School staff and Good Shepherd’s Youth will be on hand to assist with the festivities, and the Men’s Group will provide all the food. This is a great opportunity to invite your neighbors and friends to our church – the more the merrier!

There will be a sign-up sheet in the Narthex, as well as in our weekly E-Newsletter so that we can plan accordingly for the amount of food to purchase. The love donation to offset the cost of the food will be $5 per adult and $4 per child under 12 and a maximum of $20 per family. 

Please sign up now by clicking this link. Or if you prefer, you can also sign-up in the Narthex, or in our weekly E-Newsletter so that we can plan accordingly for the amount of food to purchase. The love donation to offset the cost of the food will be $5 per adult and $4 per child under 12 and a maximum of $20 per family. 

There will be a sign-up sheet in the Narthex, as well as in our weekly E-Newsletter so that we can plan accordingly for the amount of food to purchase. The love donation to offset the cost of the food will be $5 per adult and $4 per child under 12 and a maximum of $20 per family. 

Join us June 1 for the Annual Brain Tumor Walk

The Outreach Committee eagerly invites parishioners and their friends to join the Good Shepherd “SheepWalkers” team at the Denver Brain Tumor Walk on Saturday, June 1 at beautiful Sloan’s Lake Park (17th Ave and Utica in Denver).  The walk begins at 9 am—we will gather at about 8:30 am—look for a Good Shepherd banner.  For the third year, walkers from Good Shepherd will be helping to raise vital funds for Brain Tumor research as our church recognizes past and current members and/or their families and friends who have battled or are battling brain tumors. Pediatric brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related death for children and adolescents under age 19, and the need for funding is acute—the bulk of the registration fee goes directly to funding of research.  According to the event website, all funds raised through these events allow the National Brain Tumor Society to advance research and public policy to improve the availability of new and better treatments, and fuel the discovery of a cure for brain tumors. 

This 3 mile walk is a great, low-key event for people of all ages and we especially encourage families to join the Team.

The registration fee is $25 for ages 18 and above until May 3, and $30 from May 4-May 30. The registration fee includes a t-shirt. Under 18 registration is free.  Use the websitehttp://events.braintumor.org/denver-brain-tumor-walk to register and join the Team, user name - gsoutreach, password - sheepwalk (lower case, singular). 

Good Shepherd helps a stranger in need

I wanted to share an experience that took place recently at Good Shepherd that really touched my heart.  We had an unexpected visitor at Good Shepherd late one night during our last Vestry meeting.  I think God had a hand in allowing us the opportunity to help a stranger that night. The Vestry meeting was scheduled to end at 8:30, but a couple of the topics discussed at the meeting created a lively conversation that kept us all at the Church much longer than we had planned.

At the same time a young man in his early 20's was wandering through the streets of Centennial, walking in the cold and in the rain,  carrying everything he owns on his back.  He had been walking for hours searching for a hotel in Centennial where he said he had a reservation.  He asked numerous people for help in finding his way to The Econo Lodge, but nobody would help him.  Becoming more desperate as the rain continued into the dark of the evening, his clothes soaked, his backpack getting heavier, he walked up to cars that were stopped at traffic lights, tapping on their windows, asking for help,  but no one would help him.  No one even opened their window to talk to him.

The young man made his way to Good Shepherd.  I don't know how he found us – he had been to the nearby gas station - did someone at the gas station direct him to us?  If so did they really think there would be someone at the Church this time of night that could help him, or were they just avoiding the problem like all the others he had encountered that night?  Luckily there was someone at the Church - and the opportunity was suddenly there for us to help.

As I later found out, the young man's name was John and he was from Lincoln Nebraska.  His father recently passed away in Nebraska, and John lost his place to live because of that.  He came to Denver with his girlfriend, but she was called back to Nebraska, so he was now alone.   Now, I am as leery of strangers as the next person in these situations. But John was very emotional as he stood before us in the lobby of the Church, but he didn't appear to be intoxicated or on drugs.  He was just very cold and tired and discouraged after that night out in the rain.  Stating that he had a hotel room nearby, Father Gary helped me locate that hotel and Greg offered to go with me to drop John off.  John was so appreciative that we were going to help him.  He was very polite and even warned me that his things would get my car wet.  I said that didn't matter as we loaded up the car with his things.  His belongings consisted of a fairly thick Afghan Style blanket that didn’t look very warm due to its very loose weave, a foam sleeping pad that he demonstrated how he had held it over his head in an attempt to keep the rain off, and a large internal frame backpack, pretty full and looked to be about 50 lbs.

On the way to the hotel John couldn't stop talking about how no one would help him.  He says he was a church-going man and was desperate, why didn't anyone help him?  I explained that, for me anyway, I see people like him all the time, and have a hard time distinguishing between those who really need the help and those who don't.  I also admitted that most people just don't want to be bothered or get involved since they don't know how safe it is to interact with that individual. 

As we were having this conversation and driving to the hotel I couldn't help but wonder if John really had a room waiting for him.  It just didn't seem possible.  John said it was the cheapest around and was only $25.  He may have said something about a coupon he had so maybe one of the local charities had helped him with this.  As we pulled up to the hotel I had decided that I wanted to make sure he had a room for the night.  I was even willing to purchase a room for him if he didn't have one.  As we walked into the lobby of the hotel we were greeted by the desk clerk.  John greeted her like they had met before and kept walking, asking her if it was the same room again.  She said it was, and asked if he had his room key.  John felt his pocket and said that he did.  I shook John's hand and wished him luck.  His hand was very rough like he had worked with his hands all his life.  As Greg and I started to leave the hotel lobby, the hotel clerk made a point to look at Greg and me and thank us for bringing John to the hotel.

The events of the evening have left me with more questions than answers.  As we recently discussed looking for outreach opportunities closer to Good Shepherd there may be ones available that we just don't know about.  How many people like John does this hotel cater to, and is there a way we can help them?  I will leave it here for now.  I am just thankful that God allowed Good Shepherd the opportunity to help a stranger and we did.

Thanks for reading and God bless.

Jamaica Update – Mission accomplished!

On March 10, Jamaica Missions USA successfully completed its 2019 medical and dental mission in St. Elizabeth’s Parish, Jamaica. Thanks to the generous contributions from members of Good Shepherd, and for Stephen Fiess’ Music with a Mission performance in 2018, Good Shepherd contributed over $3,000. This made it possible for us to purchase additional medicines and add a second week to the mission.

This year we had 37 volunteers participate, including Melissa and Curt Watson as well as Louise and John Stratford from Good Shepherd. While all volunteers fund their own cost for travel and accommodations, our missions are only possible through gifts for medications. This year, $12,000 was spent for pharmaceuticals and supplies. 

In the two weeks, we were able to visit 15 rural clinics, treat 778 patients and distribute nearly 2,000 prescriptions. Those medications were placed in handmade bags, sewn by Bev Wolfe and her team and given to each patient.

We are so grateful for all the time, talent and treasure that members of Good Shepherd continue to provide to this mission.

Help needed sewing supply bags for Jamaica Mission 2020

The Jamaica 2019 Medical and Dental trip was a huge success. It is time to start sewing supply bags for Jamaica 2020.  There are baskets of precut fabrics and instruction sheets on the table in the hallway. Samples are available to examine.  If you don’t have “cording” available to you, don’t worry about it.  We have several different kinds of cording—ribbon, twine, braid etc. and the amazing Marjorie Lell who inserts the cords.    However, we could use more cords.  So, if you are cleaning out that ribbon/rope/cording/seam tape/hemming tape drawer—we can use them.  Just leave them on the table by the baskets.

We need to have all the bags turned in by the end of November.  Shipping documentation must be filed for in December.

If you have questions, contact Beverly Wolfe.

New Organ Fund nears completion

Our organ replacement fund is almost there!  We are almost 3/4 of the way to having a wonderful new organ to replace the inadequate and failing organ in our church.  And we have a matching donation which will make your donation double!!!  

Please help us obtain the new instrument to replace our 1984 Allen Organ.  Many things are broken on the present organ and it basically has one sound.  The new organ will have three keyboards and 128 digital sounds that will make it sound like a pipe organ.  The best thing about the new organ is that it will not go out of tune nor require expensive maintenance.

See the organ poster in the hallway at church to pick a key or a sound for a $100 donation.  Many interesting sounds are available.  And we have many black notes that need sponsors.  We hope to have the organ in place by the fall season of this year.

Thank you for your support of the music program at the church.  Please help us go this last mile to get a new organ.

Spring Update for Good Shepherd Youth

The youth had a great time at our spring Quest retreat. It was an opportunity for us all to unwind and enjoy some time together. We are already looking forward to heading back up to Buena Vista this fall.

We are excited for the parish picnic in May! We will bringing back the infamous water balloon toss and other yard games!

When school is out for summer we will switch to Wednesday night youth group from 6:30-8:30 pm. Our new schedule will begin June 12th.

Many of our high school students will be leaving for the Texas service trip June 2nd! We raised a little under $600 dollars at our Bono’s fundraiser. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who came and ate or donated! We still need another $750 to meet our goal. You can make a donation online by selecting YES Trips or by check with “YES Trip” in the memo.

And finally thank you for the warm reception we received from Youth Sunday. We had a wonderful time and can’t wait to do it again June 30th!

Stewardship Update: Still time to pledge

Someone recently asked me to define Stewardship in the Church.  I read an article recently which had a great definition that I like, “Stewardship is about using the gifts God gives us to do the work God calls us to do”.  That seems simple but very precise.

Our 2019 Stewardship Campaign was highlighted by an excellent Annual Meeting, at which there was some deep and personal sharing’s from the heart about what Good Shepherd means to us and our Good Shepherd family.  The results speak for themselves as people opened their hearts and their treasure in a very successful Supplemental Stewardship Campaign.

As a review, we have received 155 Pledges for a total of $442,933 or $2858 per Pledge.  Our original goal for the Stewardship Campaign was 175 Pledges for $437,500 or $2500 per Pledge.  As you can see from the numbers, we are under the number of Pledges we had hoped to receive but with the Supplemental Stewardship Campaign, we are significantly higher on our average per pledge. 

As we have shared, we were able to retain our entire staff in place for the future operation and growth of Good Shepherd.  Unfortunately, to balance the budget we reduced our Diocesan pledge from 2018 and cut our Regional Pledge in half.  I share this with you, to let you know that we are still accepting Pledges from Newcomers and members of Good Shepherd that would like to supplement their original pledge or make a new pledge for 2019.  Pledge cards are available on the Newcomers table as you enter the Church.

Men’s Group meetings in May

In May, the Men’s Group will meet on May 11th & the 25th. 

We’ll meet in the parish hall for a full breakfast on May 11th at 7:30AM and there again for a light breakfast on May 25th at 7:30AM.  A short program follows breakfast from 8:00 to 9:00AM in the Chapel, with our meetings ending generally at 9:00AM. 

The topic on the 11th will come from the Serendipity Bible focusing on “Gifts and Calling: What is the Will of God for My Life” featuring the topic on “Investing Yourself”.  On the 25th, the topic will surround a review and discussion on a Bishop Spong book.

Note, each session stands on its own, so those interested can attend any one of the individual sessions even if you miss one or several meetings.  Information relating to the topics covered will be available at the meetings.

Mark your calendars and join us on May 11th or the 25th.  We welcome men new to the Church and/or those having an interest in the Men’s Group. Please call me at (303-807-3979) or email me at (roden.pete@gmail.com) if you have any questions or need any additional information.

Thanks for your interest and hope to see you at one of our upcoming meetings!

Snapshot of Good Shepherd’s Finances as of March, 2019

From Fr. Gary: Day by Day . . .

Some of us may remember when the musical Godspell first came out (1971). Some of us may have acted in it (or seen it performed) in high school or college. Some of us may have had (or still have) an old vinyl LP of the soundtrack. But I would imagine few of us would remember that the song Day by Day spent 14 weeks on the Billboard “Hot 100”, peaking at #13 in July of 1972. AND, I would imagine that even fewer of us would remember that Hymn 429 in the Episcopal Church’s 1940 Hymnal has the same text as that Stephen Schwartz hit — a text written by Richard of Chichester in the thirteenth century. (The music in the 1940 Hymnal is, however, decidedly different!) For those who are not part of any of those sub-populations mentioned above, the text of the hymn/song is:

Day by day,
Dear Lord, of thee three things I pray:
To see thee more clearly,

Love thee more dearly,
Follow thee more nearly,
Day by day.

(By the way, the film version of Day by Day can be seen here: https://youtu.be/ekoHxB4idmg.)

As I entered Lent this year, my spiritual director suggested that I spend some time reflecting on how I might know Jesus more fully. His suggestion was consistent with a lot of our conversations over the years, and he was usually right on target!  So I said “Sure!” And, then, he gave me a copy of an article he had written for a Jesuit publication (yes, my spiritual director is a Jesuit!) entitled, “Personal Encounters with Jesus Christ”. He certainly knows how to appeal to my scholarly predisposition! As he handed the article to me, he told me that the (Jesuit) editor of the journal told him, “This sure sounds Protestant!” That comment intrigued me even more.

So I read the article . . . and, yes, it did feel pretty “Protestant” —very little in it about sacraments, for example. It suggests that Christians would do well to think of a relationship with Jesus much like that with a good friend. AND, to have easy, little, conversations with Jesus from time to time throughout the day . . . about things significant and insignificant. That practice is certainly a bit outside my prayer life comfort zone. But I’ve been giving it a try.

And, as I’ve been struggling to remember to have “a little talk with Jesus” (just to toss in another song title), I recalled the Godspell song. And that song helped me put in perspective the advice of my spiritual director. Those little conversations throughout the day are clearly helpful in “seeing Jesus more clearly”. That in turn, I would hope would help me love him more dearly, and, of course, follow him more nearly.

And, isn’t that what Lent is about? It’s a journey into the wilderness, but not a solo journey. There’s a Companion who’s been there with whom to have a conversation.

Day by day.

You can still join in our Lenten Adult Education Program: The Way of Love

Although we have already started our Lenten Adult Education program, The Way of Love, it’s not too late to join us for the remaining sessions in the series.  Championed by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, The Way of Love is an intentional commitment to a set of practices. It's a commitment to follow Jesus: Turn, Learn, Pray, Worship, Bless, Go, Rest.” This set of seven Adult Forums ties the Easter Vigil readings to the seven practices of the Way of Love. Drawing on the ancient practice of setting aside Lent as a period of study and preparation for living as a Christian disciple (known as the catechumenate), the forums encourage participants to reflect on salvation history; walk toward the empty tomb; and embrace the transforming reality of love, life, and liberation.

• Session Four / BLESS: A New Heart and a New Spirit (Ezekiel 36:24-28)

• Session Five / REST: The Valley of Dry Bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14)

• Session Six / WORSHIP: The Gathering of God’s People (Zephaniah 3:12-20)

• Session Seven / GO: The Empty Tomb (Luke 24:1-12)

 You can learn more about The Way of Love from this video with Presiding Bishop Curry.

There are two opportunities to engage in the “Way”! - Sunday morning Faith Forums at 9 am, and our Monday Evening class at 7 pm. Each Sunday/Monday will deal with the same material; the Monday evening opportunities will allow for a bit more discussion, but the subject matter will be the same).  There are no books/resources necessary!

Lenten Quiet Morning on April 6 will feature Stations of the Cross Shrine

The Lent Quiet Morning, scheduled for April 6 between 9 am and noon, will feature an unstructured meditation using photos of the Stations of the Cross Shrine in San Luis, Colorado. The pictures, taken by former parishioners Rev. Diane Moore and Sherry Niermann, will serve as thought provokers to guide participants through a unique and personal Lent experience.

The Stations of the Cross are a series of bronze statues that depict the last hours of Christ’s life—his judgment, sufferings, and death. Each station shows a different scene and is accompanied by a plaque with several Bible Scriptures. Each plaque also asks for special prayer requests, most are for the families that donated that station. There are 15 stations in all with the last station being Christ’s resurrection.

In exchange for Sherry and Diane allowing us to use their photographs, we agreed to do a free-will offering for the Episcopal school for the disabled in Port au Prince. St. Vincent's Center is a school for 200 children in Port-au-Prince. On the 8.6 acre campus, they daily teach 100 deaf, 60 blind, and 40 physically-challenged children, many of whom are in wheelchairs. They also operate a medical clinic and a brace-making shop in downtown Port-au-Prince, near the former site that was destroyed in the 2010 earthquake. Some of the graduates, under guidance from professionals, make prostheses for Haiti's poorest of the poor. Founded in 1945 by Sister Joan of the Episcopal Order of the Sisters of St. Margaret, St. Vincent's is known throughout Haiti as a place where children with disabilities are both educated and cared for.

For more information about the Lent Quiet Morning, contact Karin Elsen or Deborah Sampson

It’s not too late to give your feedback for our Vitality Survey

During our March 31 services we administered the "U.S. Congregational Vitality Survey" which is intended to help our congregation identify our strengths and our “Overall Vitality” in several key areas. If you have not had a chance to fill out this important survey, you will still have a chance to give your feedback after service on April 7, or go to https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4881599/USCVS-2019-Worshiper-Episcopal-Diocese-of-Colorado to fill it out online. Your feedback is important and will help us determine several things - how well we prepare people for, and engage in, mission within our congregation and outside our walls; do we prepare servant leaders; is our worship Spirit-filled; how well we care for each other, etc.

 Not only will we get a snapshot of Good Shepherd’s vitality, but we will also be able to see how we compare to other churches in our state and across the country.

Stations of the Cross in Music & Art to be held Wednesday, April 17

This Holy Week, we will offer an opportunity to engage in the centuries’ old “pilgrimage” known as the “Stations of the Cross” . . . but with a difference!

 Instead of physically moving from station to station—retracing Jesus’s Passion from his appearance before Pilate through his Crucifixion and burial—the “movement” will be musical and artistic. Accompanied by Marcel Dupré’s organ masterpiece “La Chemin de la Croix “, each “station” will be preceded by the Collect for that Station (from the Episcopal Church’s Book of Occasional Services), and then illustrated by art from across the ages and around the world.

 A moving, meditative, introduction to the Great Three Days of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday.

Outreach Committee update includes the future of our Pumpkin Patch

As most parishioners know, for the last nine years the month of October has turned the yard at Good Shepherd into a Pumpkin Patch.  The Patch has been a very successful way of raising funds for five different charities.  It has also provided a way for us to reach out into the community, increasing our visibility and establishing an identity.  It has served as a way of opening our arms (and our doors) to people who might otherwise have no inclination to stop by Good Shepherd.  It’s fair to say that it has become a Centennial tradition.  It has always been a Congregation-wide effort—it can’t happen without almost all of us playing a part.  Our nine years of experience have allowed us to develop a very well-developed plan for running the Patch, and the infrastructure (pallets, wagons, scarecrows, Ipads, Square credit card readers, decorations, etc.) that goes with it.

The Outreach Committee is currently in the midst of discussions about whether the Pumpkin Patch should continue at Good Shepherd.  As with many activities, there will come a time when it runs its course, and reaches a point of diminishing returns.  As we are trying to make that decision, we would welcome input from the Congregation.  More importantly, however, if there is even to be a possibility that the Pumpkin Patch will continue this year, we will need one or two people from the Congregation to step up and volunteer to lead the effort.  Although the Patch requires many volunteers, it can’t be done without one or two people as leaders.  As a committee, we have decided that if one or two people don’t let us know by the end of May that they are willing to be the leader(s) of the Patch this year, then the decision will be made for us, and the Pumpkin Patch will come to an end.  If the Spirit moves you and you are interested in being a leader, please let Randy Hubbard (the chair of the Outreach Committee) or any of the other members of the committee (Sally VanWelden, Joyce Manning, Sherri Hesen, Shelley Hitt, Kip Travis, Liz Peel or JoAnn Schomerus), or Fr. Gary know, and we will get you involved in our discussions.  We will also be very willing to provide support to the new leader(s) if the Patch continues.  Thanks.

Volunteer Activities  

One of the things the committee has been focused on for a number of years, and on which we have a renewed focus based on perceived interest from the Congregation, is providing hands-on volunteer activities for people to participate in.  We would be interested in any specific ideas members of the Congregation have about activities that they would like to be involved in.  If you have any thoughts, please don’t hesitate to contact one of the above-

referenced members of the Outreach Committee.  In addition, at some point in the next few weeks we will have butcher paper up and markers available, and parishioners will have the opportunity to simply identify ideas by writing them down—we will ask you to provide your name along with your ideas so that we can contact you if we have follow-up questions.  We would very much appreciate your suggestions.   

Update on the new church organ for our church

We wanted to share the fact that we have about $40,000 toward the goal of $65,000 for the organ. As you know, the organ continues to be inadequate, limiting what our organist and choir can accomplish musically.  We also want to have organ concerts by guest organists.  We hope that the congregation will participate in this vision, and that we can finish up our campaign soon, order the organ, and have it installed by our fall season. We all have a stake in this, as the new organ will greatly enhance our worship and bring joy to our congregation and visitors for many years.

From DeeDee Atwood: The importance of “sharing” on Facebook

Are you a Facebook junkie? Or, do you fall somewhere between “I have an account, but never use it”, to “I don’t do social media”? Whether we like it or not, Social Media is here to stay, and is a valuable tool to attract new members.

 Wherever you fall on the spectrum of Facebooking, I’d like to discuss a two very important and simple Facebook practices that will greatly help us in our efforts to grow our congregation – that is, Facebook “liking”, and its more important sister, Facebook “sharing”.

 Many of you know that when you see a posting on Facebook you have an option to click a button below the post to “like” it. The “like” function is effective in showing others that the post is popular – which is great, but this “like” is only seen by those who already follow our page. We already know we are great – but, it’s newcomers that we want to attract.

That brings us to “sharing”. On the bottom far right of each post is a button to “share” the post. When you click on this button, you are able to “share” the post with all of your personal friends on Facebook. And, if they decide to share our post, then you can see how quickly the word can spread. So go ahead, and make our day, by "sharing" posts from Good Shepherd with your friends. This is how we grow.

 Table Top Display Cards

As you enjoy fellowship after Sunday morning services, we hope you will take the time to notice our new table top displays which you will see starting in April. These cards will be three-sided, and will feature upcoming church events for the month, ideas from our Invite, Welcome, Connect committees, and questions to engage you as you sit and socialize during coffee hour.