Delegates’ Report from Annual Convention held October 8-10, 2020

Good Shepherd sent four lay delegates to the Diocesan virtual convention, themed A Future With Hope, based on Jeremiah 29: Becky Beall-Moore, Nan Behringer, Donna White, and Karin Elsen as the Vestry representative.  Jim Wolfe attended as outgoing member of the Standing Committee and Fr. Gary as a clergy delegate.  Here are our observations:

Convention began the first evening with Opening Worship, a Litany of Reality.  We were taken on a truly spiritual and beautiful virtual tour throughout the Church in Colorado, as we viewed and listened to fellow Episcopalians sing and pray as one!

The following evening, we were treated to the words of The Rt. Rev. Robert Wright, Bishop of Atlanta.  He spoke of A Future of Hope as God having a Plan, a Future, and a Hope!  God does not need us; God wants us, and we are in oneness with God.  The Church needs to speak about God in the present tense, with detail, affection, and "bold gentleness" as His aliveness is in our midst.  God's Plan is merciful, sharing, and redemptive.  If God is the only unchanging thing, and "wholly" as well, then God's Plan is revealed in who God has been and who God is now.

God's Plan will deliver a future.  Bp. Wright stated that "the way forward of God's people is always downward.”  There will be down times, like what we are experiencing now.  Those down times, however, move us forward, toward the future of God's Plan.

We are to hope in God, as Bp. Wright said, with a "Bible Hope!"   "Hope is not absent, because God is not absent!"  Hope is a team sport; we need community!  In this time of change, our "church time" has also changed.  We are now called to leave the "walls" of our church to find church.  We must go deeper into our gifts in order to evangelize to the world:  we are called to love, find redemption, and do justice, "in our street clothes!”   

The evening ended with a moving Compline of Lamentation, mourning lives lost to COVID, joining the whole Episcopal Church in Colorado in song and meditation.

Finances were taken up on the final morning.  At the High Plains Region Convocation, held two weeks prior, it was reported that budget for 2021 is somewhat less than 2020. Income from parishes is expected to drop $30K from $130K to $100K. The biggest change in expenses relates to grants with the Latino Ministry grant of $30K being eliminated since the Diocese will be funding that ministry directly.

The Diocesan Treasurer, Jay Swope reported at Convention that 2020 financials should end fairly well, despite the pandemic, owing to many parishes and the Diocese obtaining Payroll Protection Program loans which are anticipated to be forgiven. Net savings from cancelling events and programs further reduces total expenses. These dynamics are expected to produce a small surplus or carryover funds to next year.

The proposed 2021 budget assumes that pledge income from parishes will decline 10% with total revenues reduced by 15% from the prior year. The Office of the Bishop has been restructured with staff reductions that eliminate much of the Stewardship and Latino Ministry functions. Latino Ministry has shifted to ½ person and renamed as Multicultural Ministry. No meetings will be conducted in person and, if not virtual, the meeting must be budget neutral with no reimbursement for travel or meals. In fact, both the 2021 Clergy Retreat and Diocesan Convention will be virtual. The National Church pledge is required to be 15% and the Diocese is currently at 12% in 2020 with moving to 13.5% in 2021 and 15% in 2022 in accordance with the approved three-year plan. Being at the required 15% level allows the Diocese to apply and get grants from the National Church. The 2021 budget shows a total deficit of approximately ($85K) which is considered acceptable since there will probably be carryover from 2020 savings. Reserves could also be tapped for this relatively small amount. Income in 2021 is uncertain and will be reviewed quarterly throughout the year to inform whether further expense adjustment is needed.

The Treasurer concluded his report by stating his hope that we “build back better” as his expectation is 2022 will not look like 2019 and the budget will be different, too.

On the final day, the Church worshipped together with A Morning Prayer of Hope, as an intentional transition from lament to confident expectation for the future of the Church.  After the Call to Order, the business of the diocese was conducted with reports and budgets, clergy transitions, commission and board memberships, and the election of alternative deputy delegates to The Episcopal Church’s General Convention in 2021.  During this time, Jim Wolfe was thanked by Bp. Kym for his service as Secretary of Standing Committee.  Also, at the September High Plains Convocation, Shelley Hitt was elected to be a lay representative to the High Plains Executive Committee.

We were delighted to learn that the recipient of the Bishop’s Cross this year is The Rev. Sandy Boyd.  Many of us at Good Shepherd know Sandy as Celebrant at the 6:00 pm service and as a parishioner.  This highest diocesan honor is awarded yearly for outstanding ministry and service in Colorado, and certainly in Sandy’s case, to the wider church.  Sometime earlier, Bp. Kym, in purple cassock, appeared at Sandy’s door and the presentation, along with Sandy’s reaction, was filmed for our viewing at Convention. Congratulations and many blessings to Sandy!

Bp. Kym gave a wonderful closing address, punctuated, as always by personal experiences, and examples from her family life and her humor.  She reminded us that it was just two years since she was on her walkabout prior to her election, and talked about how she had prayed over her decision and came to love the people of Colorado during that experience.  She went on to make a comparison between politics and religion, that we need not be like-minded, but we are all called to follow the politics of the Gospel.  The politics of Jesus as we do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God should be our compass in all we do.  She reminded us that we are called to live as a people who can transform the world as we endure the hardships of COVID time.  This is our time of trial and like many in the past, it is by centering on Jesus and following in his way that we, too, will get through these rough times and find our place of peace at the end.

The proceedings, including addresses, financial statements, and commentary, are viewable through links on the Diocese’s website: https://episcopalcolorado.org/diocesan-resources/governance/annual-convention/133rd-annual-convention/

Good Shepherd Announces New Facebook Group: Good Shepherd Episcopal Church 24/7 Coffee Hour

Attention Facebook Users! You are cordially invited to join our new Facebook Group which we have officially dubbed, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church 24/7 Coffee Hour. We hope that this group will be a place for you to share something funny, inspirational, uplifting, and for spiritual musings and thoughts. We hope you'll join us, because together we are better! Just go to , https://www.facebook.com/groups/394244775090107 and hit the "Join Group" button to get started.  While you’re there, tell us what's on your mind. You must already have a Facebook account to join.

I don't have a Facebook account, and I would like to create one, but I don't know how. Can you help me?

Yes! If you are interested in learning how to set up a Facebook account and be linked to Good Shepherd's Facebook page as well as this new group, please email our Communications Director, DeeDee Atwood a call and she can walk you through it. Connecting on social media is a great way to handle the stress of the pandemic, make some new deeper relationships, find resources and share your thoughts. We are all in this together!

Good Shepherd’s YouTube Channel Offers Enlightenment, Education and Entertainment – Subscribe Today!

Did you know that Good Shepherd has its very own YouTube Channel, and that we have been uploading videos for over a year now? As of this writing, we have over 200 videos on our channel! The videos are organized into playlists in categories like sermons, Fr. Gary’s mid-week updates, Stewardship, Youth, Musicians, Adult Education classes, etc. which makes it very easy to view what you are interested in. Miss a sermon and want to be enlightened? Check out the sermon playlist. Missed that Faith Forum class from this summer? Check out the Adult Ed playlists for everything we have done in the last year. Want to listen to your favorite Good Shepherd musicians? Check out our musician playlist - we even have a separate playlist full of Dr. Stephen Fiess’ music. All right there at your fingertips. Keep reading to find out how to access our channel and subscribe. First though,

Why should I care about social media in general?

As we struggle to make connections during COVID-19, people are finding renewed interest in the benefits of social media such as Facebook and YouTube. The importance of socializing as part of a community cannot be overstated, particularly for many of us who are spending time living isolated at home. It can be critical for those unable to get out of the house to be with others. Social media provides the opportunity to have and be a friend, to congregate without leaving the house, to never be alone, even if you are the only one in the house.

Do I need a YouTube account?

To view videos, see our channel and to get links to save and share, no login is needed, hence no account needed. If you just want to check out Good Shepherd’s Channel, then simply go to: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmQJlUkKz8XXG-GlFpPyTHQ?view_as=subscriber

and check out the channel which includes all the videos we have ever posted.

You do, however, need a YouTube account if you want to…

·         upload your own videos

·         comment on other's videos

·         save video links for easy retrieval

·         subscribe to our channel to see what is newly posted.

So, if you want to get the full benefit of YouTube, I would suggest setting up an account. If you already have a google account, then you can sign in to YouTube with that. Just go to YouTube.com and click on the sign-in button. If you don’t already have a google account, then click the link below to watch a video about setting up your YouTube account.
Obtain a YouTube account

And remember, if you have a YouTube account, you control whether you receive notifications from us when we post a new video by going to your YouTube settings page.

Need help with any of this?

I will be happy to walk through any of this with you and get you set up. Just email me at datwood@gshep.org, and I will be happy to help.

Children’s Ministry Update

As we navigate these times,

• Susan Bailey (Fr. Gary’s wife) and I are working on a video ministry at Good Shepherd. Our next project is something for Youth Sunday (Nov. 29) and a Christmas Pageant is in the works, so please let me know if your child/children are interested in being a part of this. Both will air during the Zoom church service. What I need from parents is the names of kids who are interested in participating. Both of these opportunities and future ones will also stream on the Good Shepherd website, so parents need to be aware of this, for permission reasons.

• Family Advent boxes/bags are also in the planning stages, so more details will follow.

• I am working on streaming a Veggie Tales movie to provide a break for anyone interested, without having to leave home. Please let me know what day and time works best for each of you and I will compile the answers and come up with a time and day of the week that accommodates the most families.

Sunday School for Grades 3 and up has returned

Sunday School for Grades 3 and up is meeting every Sunday, from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.  Elaine Oxenbury hosts this Zoom meeting for kids from Grades 3 and up…middle school kids are welcome to join us.  We will begin by studying a workbook on how to deal with the emotional fallout of COVID life changes, and tie that to Biblical stories and writings.  After that, we’ll look at Advent topics, and then see where the spirit leads us!  We are looking for this to be a gathering place for upper elementary/early middle school kids to be able to touch base and support one another, as well as explore the Bible in reference to our lives.

Here's the link for the Zoom meeting: 

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/73081345376

Meeting ID: 730 8134 5376

Passcode: MissElaine

You can download and print the workbook here: 

https://www.apa.org/pubs/magination/unstuck-ebook.pdf

If you don’t have access to a printer, please let Elaine know and we’ll make sure you get paper copies delivered to your home.  If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to email Elaine about them!  Elaine’s email is Oxenburyeg@comcast.net

See you soon!!

Every Sunday afternoon at 3:00, I host a Sunday school time.  I start with a science/object lesson, followed by a Godly Play presentation and ending with a craft.  Please have your kids utilize the other materials (activity and coloring sheets plus a video link for each week’s lesson) that I include in my weekly email either before or after our class time.

November’s presentations will be as follows:

• November 1: The Story of Joseph

• November 8: The Story of Moses

• November 15: The Exodus

• November 22: The Ten Best ways (The Ten Commandments)

• November 29: 1 Advent

Everyone is invited to join via the NEW Zoom link below: 

Good Shepherd is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Godly Play

Time:  03:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada) 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87410858056?pwd=bkJLdk1uSDJzMHphU2lxMDVQcUhPUT09

I miss seeing families in person, but this is the next best thing right now as we navigate COVID-Land. 

November Youth Update

Youth Group will continue to meet outdoors in person through November rain, shine, or snow. We will adjust our meeting time to take advantage of the warmest parts of the day. We will keep socially distanced and wear our masks. 

Youth group time/location will be shared in the Children, Youth & Family Email sent weekly on Wednesday mornings. It is also important for all of our youth and parents to join our Remind App for text reminders and updates for youth meetings and events. Please email me rwhipp@gshep.org if you are not receiving the weekly email for Children, Youth & Families.   

Join Remind  
https://www.remind.com/join/gshepyo 

Mark your calendars for a very special Children and Youth Sunday November 29!

Men’s Group meetings in November

The Men’s Group meetings in November will continue to be held by Zoom meetings on the Saturdays of November 7 and November 21 beginning at 7:45 am. This has been and will continue to be our main method of maintaining our meetings throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

If interested, information relating to the Zoom meeting logins can be obtained by contacting Pete Roden at roden.pete@gmail.com or by calling 303.807.3979.

The topics for the month will surround a review/conversation on the book entitled, “Why Men Hate Going to Church” written by David Murrow.

Note, each session generally stands on its own, so those interested can attend any one of the individual sessions and maintain the overall theme, even if you miss one or several meetings.

Mark your calendars and please join us on November 7 and November 21 for conversations relating to this interesting topic. We welcome men new to the Church and/or those having an interest in the Men’s Group.

Please email me at (roden.pete@gmail.com) if you have any questions or would like to receive any additional information.

Thanks for your interest and we look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming meetings!

Financial Update

From Fr. Gary: More Light!

I can very clearly remember driving into that tunnel! 

I was twelve or thirteen. I was with my parents, traveling through Sweden and Norway. We were way up north, I think, in Norway, driving west. We entered a tunnel that we knew was going to be long. But numbers on a map didn’t prepare us for what we would experience. 

You have to realize that this was not a busy road/tunnel. We hadn’t seen anyone on the road for a LONG time before we entered. But we had a fully fueled car . . . and Mom and I trusted Dad to have the overall map in mind. And, so, entering the tunnel wasn’t a big deal.  Until . . ..

We had driven a while (in retrospect it seems like HOURS . . . probably minutes), and, then, Dad stopped the car, turned off the engine . . . and turned out the lights. 

We were in pitch-black.  And that is NOT a metaphor. The only light was from the (now-I-realize-radioactive) dots on my watch-face. The road was empty in front of us and behind us. And we were—by reason of distance or turns-in-the-road—prevented from seeing either entrance to the tunnel. Both my mom and I were freaked out. 

After seconds/minutes/hours/days/months/years/decades . . . Dad re-started the car AND TURNED ON THE LIGHTS!  Oh, what relief, what bliss! We continued through the tunnel. I think the next thing I remember was seeing a Norwegian fjord’s beauty (but of course, my memory is a bit “iffy”; it may have been a pasture). 

After fifty-plus years, I still remember that experience vividly! And I remember what it taught me about being in the dark . . . but on a road.  And that is: “Roads are NOT built to nowhere!”

We, at Good Shepherd, have been in a tunnel in COVID-land. There is NO doubt about that. Some of us feel that we’re stopped, with no light . . . except some memory of the scenery before we entered. Others are simply anxious to get out the other end (“Who cares what things looked like before!”). Together, however, we have left someplace beautiful on our way to an equally gorgeous destination.

But in the tunnel, it’s hard! There is no doubt about that. It’s hard for many who worry about contracting the virus. It’s hard for parents trying, in the midst of home-schooling/remote learning, to provide a spiritual foundation for their kids. It’s hard for musicians, who are so limited in what they are able of bring to their ministries to the congregation. It’s hard for those who live alone, who count on Good Shepherd for community. It’s hard for those of us who simply long for familiar faces IN PERSON (rather than on the computer).

It’s hard. 

I get it.

We want more light.

And it’s coming.  By the time you read this, we should have plans in place, not only for re-gathering, but also for communion. It has been a long time in a tunnel, longing for the end. And we’ll see an end . . . but also, I suspect another tunnel. We ALL hope it will be shorter, and that, at the end of that tunnel, we’ll see level land (or maybe a fjord!). And the tunnels will be behind us. 

We will regather. We will be around the Table again. 

But we are still the Body of Christ now. We've shared our community in imaginative ways. We’ve learned new things: what’s important, what’s life-giving, what we don’t need, what we DO. We’ve seen the members of the body step up! And when we drive out of that tunnel none of that will have changed. Only the environment. 

We will be Good Shepherd in a new pasture.

Blessings on this journey!

Fr. Gary +

Blessing of the Animals to be held Sunday, October 4 at Willow Creek Park Shelter

Bring your furry friends and favorite pets for a special service of blessing by Fr. Gary, at Willow Creek Park Shelter, 8000 E. Phillips Cir., Centennial 80112. The blessing will begin at 2 pm.

This is a wonderful opportunity to be outside, see friends and neighbors and play with your pets. Fingers crossed for a beautiful fall afternoon!

Masks required for humans, not pets!

We will collect towels and blankets, to be donated to The Dumb Friends League, so be sure to bring them to the park.

 

Six Week Book Study on Racism to begin Wednesday, October 7th

We as Christians firmly believe in Jesus' teachings of justice and equality for all people. But.... have you ever considered that the Christian church may have been complicit in our country's history of racism?  If you are willing to open your mind to this history, please join Fr. Gary and me for a 6-week book study of The Color of Compromise, by Jemar Tisby (215 pages, $13.99 on Amazon). 

We will meet by Zoom for 6 Wednesdays from 7:00 until 8:00 pm starting October 7 concluding November 11. Our plan is to read 2 chapters a week (about 30 pages). The reading is not lengthy but could be challenging for some of us, but we are committed to working through the material together.  You need not agree with the author's premise to join us but be ready to open your mind and heart to our discussion and we hope you will participate when you are comfortable doing so.

The group will be limited to 15 participants to allow for ample time for discussion.

Questions and to enroll e-mail Shelley Hitt, skhco@msn.com.

Social Committee’s Fall Schedule includes Pumpkin Carving & Costume Contest, Friday, October 23

Hi everyone!

Update here from the Social Committee about upcoming events! You may have seen that in August we had our inaugural/kick-off event with Sports Trivia Night! Congrats again to Andy Folkerth for winning the Buffalo Wild Wings gift card – he beat us all fair and square with deep knowledge of College Sports!

In September, we hosted a very successful Cooking with Wine Night! Our own Deb Sampson (a closet Food Blogger!!) led us through the creation of French Onion Soup with 3 wine pairings from Lukas Liquors.

Here is a preview of some upcoming events:

October 23 – Pumpkin Carving and Costume Contest! Do you have hidden talents carving pumpkins into Westminster Abbey? This is the night for you!

November 20 – Make Fleece Blankets and Bourbon Tasting! We will be making fleece blankets to donate to animal shelters, and tasting bourbons!

December 18 – Christmas Craft Night (ornaments, etc.) and BYOB cookies! Submit your favorite Christmas Cookie recipe early so we can combine them and send them out to the participants.

January 29 – Superbowl Trivia Night! Whether we have a Superbowl or not!

February 26 – Chinese New Year Night! Enjoy some a night learning and having fun, while experiencing new cultural traditions!

We hope you can join us for these fun things, to bring us together as a family and community during this “virtual time”. Please contact Suraya Bowermaster, Kaitlyn Bridgers or Deb Sampson with suggestions or feedback, and if you’d like to join us in planning future events!

Stewardship Campaign 2021 to be both Exciting and a Challenge

Why . . . “Exciting and a Challenge”?

Our Stewardship Campaign this year is exciting as we use the input we’ve received from the Congregation over the last couple of years to develop a future vision for Good Shepherd.  It is also exciting as we enter the third year of the Priest-in-Charge process with Father Gary and we begin to discern the calling of a permanent Rector.

The challenge is that we will need to have parishioners consider increasing their pledges to meet an ambitious goal in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.  We challenge new parishioners and parishioners who have been members of Good Shepherd but have not pledged in the past to consider pledging in 2021.

Our 2021 Stewardship Campaign goal is $500,000 and we hope to meet it with 170 Pledges.  This compares with 2020 when we had 160 Pledges for $463,172.  In 2021 we hope to gain 8-10 pledges from the 60 families that call Good Shepherd home but for various reasons have not pledged in the past.  We also hope that those who pledged is 2020 will increase their giving as we try to reach the $500,000 goal.  While the goal is a challenge, we believe it to be one that is realistic and achievable.

The 2021 Stewardship Program will start on October 4 with a commissioning for the Stewardship Team with our 20 Ambassadors, our 15 Prayer Team members and the Stewardship Committee.  We will tell our story in our Stewardship brochure—to be sent out in October along with the pledge cards.  We will enclose a stamped return envelope in the Stewardship Package to make it easier for you to return the card.  If for financial or personal reasons you will not be able to pledge for 2021, we are asking you to return the pledge cards to make it easier on telephone calls by our Ambassadors.  You will, of course, be able to pledge online also.

We have designated November 4 as Commitment Sunday. We hope to have pledges in by then . . . and we will update the congregation regularly on our progress!

Our theme for 2021, “Celebrate, Serve, and Share the love of Christ”, will encourage us to come together as congregation—both in the Stewardship Campaign, as well as in continuing mission to our broader community. 

We thank you in advance for your support and your consideration.

Jim Lee Wolfe and Anne McMahon, Co-Chairs for your Stewardship Committee and the Team, Keith Anderson, DeeDee Atwood, Nan Behringer, Tom Billings, Rev. Gary Brower, and Andy Folkerth.

A Note from Dr. Stephen Fiess and Neal Wegener

Dear friends,

Our hearts are still aglow from the absolutely remarkable drive-through farewell event we received from all of you prior to our move to North Carolina.  We want to extend a gigantic thank-you to Father Gary & Susan, Connie, and all the members of Good Shepherd!!  We were overwhelmed by the incredible love and warm well-wishes we received from so many members and friends! 

The huge number of cards and gifts truly “bowled us over,” and we are incredibly appreciative for the many beautiful cards and phenomenally generous gifts we received from you!

May God continue to bless Good Shepherd and each of you with God’s richest blessings in all the days ahead.  We greatly miss not being with you in person, but very much continue to be with you in Spirit!

Our Love,

Steve Fiess and Neal Wegener
1613 Colleen Circle
Cary, NC  27519-6681

Take Rest at Cathedral Ridge

For those practicing safer-at-home but longing for a change of scenery, consider the Episcopal retreat center in Woodland Park. This fall and winter, cottages, lodge rooms and an apartment are available for family respite and individual directed or self-guided retreats. Guests may bring their own food or order pre-prepped meals a la carte. Wi-fi will support remote work and learning. Call 719.687.9038 or visit cathedralridge.org to learn more. 

A Note from your Parish Administrator, Kathy Hunter

Hello Good Shepherd.

I miss seeing you in the Parish office, and I hope you are all hanging in there.

I thought I would send a brief update.  I am working from home quite often, but also am in the Parish office most days, especially Tuesdays and Wednesdays. 

Please contact me if you have a question or need to schedule a Zoom meeting or anything else, or if you just want to check in.  

This is a challenging time for all of us, but be assured that I am here if you need me. Please call the office at 303-740-2688, or email me at khunter@gshep.org.  I am always glad to hear from you.

I certainly look forward to the time when we are able to come and go from the church as needed, and when we can get back to some semblance of normal.

Take care, and be well. 

Blessings,

Kathy Hunter
Parish Administrator

HAAT Force Announces Fall Fundraising Campaign

Greetings to Supporters of HAAT Force South Metro!

HAAT Force is getting ready for their severe weather season starting in October. They will be continuing their mission to provide motel shelter to families and people with disabilities experiencing homelessness. 

During the entire month of October, they will be having their virtual Fall Fundraising campaign! The fundraiser will help them ensure that they will be able to shelter families and people with disabilities through April 2021.

Financial donations from Good Shepherd have been very vital to the success of HAAT Force. They would like you to know that, “We value your participation in our vital community, in solidarity with our neighbors in need of shelter”.

With your help, during the 2019-2020 season they:

• served 104 families with children, disabled adults and their pets: 35 men, 35 women, 34 children, 9 dogs and 1 cat. 

• from mid-March to mid-May, continuously sheltered 33 people in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; thank you to the City of Englewood and Colorado Access for making this additional work possible!

• with the generous support of individual donors, faith-based organizations and community partners, ended the season having provided 2,216 person-nights of shelter.

• partnered with terrific community agencies - all the Change the Trend partners - who provided supportive services to our clients; we appreciate Littleton Rotary for their financial support!

Watch the weekly E-News for more information about HAAT Force, how you can contribute to their efforts and their upcoming silent auction!

Outreach Update: Many ways to Help During Covid

There are many Outreach opportunities available for Good Shepherd parishioners in this extraordinary time. Our church has helped all of these ministries over the years, both as volunteers and as donors. Read on to learn more about these worthy organizations.

Family Tree/House of Hope

Susie Street, a parishioner here at Good Shepherd, works for this organization, which provides housing and family stabilization services to the homeless and those at risk of homelessness, including the House of Hope in Englewood and the GOALS (Generational Opportunities to Achieve Long-Term Success) housing program in Aurora. Feel free to contact Susie regarding information about the House of Hope and Family Tree’s GOALS program. Susie’s email is 615street@gmail.com. For volunteer opportunities, contact Rebekah Hawthorne, who is Family Tree's Director of Volunteer Engagement, and coordinates all volunteer efforts. She can be reached at rhawthorne@thefamilytree.org.

Giving Heart Day Shelter

Giving Heart is a small organization at 4358 S. Broadway in Englewood providing assistance to the homeless, including meals, motel vouchers, P.O. boxes, resume assistance, clothing assistance and related services. Please contact Donna Zimmerman for more information at givingheartenglewood@gmail.com.

Upcoming food drive in the neighborhood to benefit Covenant Cupboard

This food ingathering will be hosted by RE/MAX Realty in the Cherry Creek Vista neighborhood on Saturday October 3rd. The Covenant Cupboard truck will be at 11350 Orchard, in front of Cherry Creek Vista Pool , next to Cottonwood Creek Elementary, to collect food for Covenant Cupboard food pantry, which as many of you know has long been supported by Good Shepherd. Donations of food will be accepted between noon and 2:00 pm. If you are unable to drop off food on Saturday, October 3rd, the Covenant Cupboard food pantry accepts food every Friday morning between 9:00 and noon at 5400 S. Yosemite Street in Greenwood Village.

St. Francis Center Ministries

St. Francis Center (SFC) is a refuge for men and women who are homeless in the metro Denver area, providing shelter, along with services that enable people to meet their basic needs for daily survival and to transition out of homelessness. St. Francis Center’s programs and services are tailored toward adult women and men, and focus on daytime shelter, social services, health and wellness, housing, employment, and outreach. At SFC, guests have the opportunity to work with a variety of specialists, depending on their individual needs, which is often the first step toward transformation and ultimately self-sufficiency.

St. Clare’s Ministries

An open and inclusive community, attempting to seek and serve Christ in all persons, to strive for justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being. Their guests are some of Denver’s homeless, the marginalized, those in poverty or the poor needing meals, clothing, spiritual community, and other support that our ministry provides. Their mission is to offer short-term respite from the harsh realities of homelessness and poverty by offering a hot, homemade meal on Tuesday evenings, clothing, spiritual support and a caring community to those in need. They’re open every Tuesday, practicing radical generosity in Denver’s Baker neighborhood, in their host church, The Episcopal Church of St. Peter & St. Mary, 126 West 2nd Avenue, Denver.

Zoom Morning Sunday School is back for Grades 3 and up

We are excited that Sunday School has resumed every Sunday, from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Elaine Oxenbury is hosting this Zoom meeting for kids from Grades 3 and up. (middle school kids are welcome to join us as well). We will begin by studying a workbook on how to deal with the emotional fallout of COVID life changes, and tie that to Biblical stories and writings. After that, we’ll look at Advent topics, and then see where the spirit leads us! We are looking for this to be a gathering place for upper elementary/early middle school kids to be able to touch base and support one another, as well as explore the Bible in reference to our lives.

Here's the link for the Zoom meeting:

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/73081345376
Meeting ID: 730 8134 5376
Passcode: MissElaine

You can download and print the workbook here:
https://www.apa.org/pubs/magination/unstuck-ebook.pdf

If you don’t have access to a printer, please let Elaine know and we’ll make sure you get paper copies delivered to your home. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to email Elaine about them! Elaine’s email is Oxenburyeg@comcast.net

See you soon!!

Every Sunday afternoon at 3:00 (except for Oct. 4 as noted below), I host a Sunday school time. I start with a science/object lesson, followed by a Godly Play presentation and ending with a craft. Please have your kids utilize the other materials (activity and coloring sheets plus a video link for each week’s lesson) that I include in my weekly email either before or after our class time.

October’s presentations will be as follows:

• October 4: Blessing of the animals at 2 pm and thus NO Godly Play

• October 11: The Story of Abraham

• October 18: The Story of Sarah

• October 25: The Story of Jacob

PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT NOTICE CONCERNING A BIG CHANGE FOR ZOOM MEETINGS:

ZOOM is requiring that all meetings have either a passcode or waiting room enabled. We have chosen to enable a passcode. This will be embedded in your new invitation link. You must use the new link in order to join Godly Play. (You should NOT need to enter a passcode if you use the link; if one is requested, it will be the church’s phone number 3037402688.)

NEW GODLY PLAY LINK:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87410858056?pwd=bkJLdk1uSDJzMHphU2lxMDVQcUhPUT09

I miss seeing families in person, but this is the next best thing right now as we navigate COVID-Land.

ARE YOU SKILLED IN VIDEO EDITING?

As we are planning for the season of Advent, we are looking into the logistics of having a virtual Christmas Pageant and need your help! Our thoughts are to have kids video their lines and then put the individual readings together, possibly in Zoom form. We are very open to any suggestions and expertise! Please contact me (slefant@gshep.org) or Fr. Gary (gbrower@gshep.org) if this is something that you are interested in being a part of.

Men’s Group meetings in October

The Men’s Group meetings in October will continue to be held virtually on Zoom on Saturday, October 10th and October 24th beginning at 7:45 am. This has been and will continue to be our main method of maintaining our meetings throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

If interested, information relating to the Zoom meeting logins can be obtained by contacting Pete Roden at roden.pete@gmail.com.

The topics for the month will surround a review/conversation on Chapter 9, “Judas Iscariot– Turning Away” and Chapter 10 (the final chapter), “Three Others – Faithful to the End” within the book entitled “The Twelve Disciples” from the Life Guide Bible Studies written by Douglas Connelly.

Note, each session stands on its own, so those interested can attend any one of the individual sessions and maintain the overall theme, even if you miss one or several meetings.

Mark your calendars and please join us on October 10th and/or the 24th for conversations relating to these interesting topics. We welcome men new to the Church and/or those having an interest in the Men’s Group.

Please email me at (roden.pete@gmail.com) if you have any questions or would like to receive any additional information.

Thanks for your interest and we look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming meetings!

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