Returning To Jerusalem

I have really appreciated reading the prophet Jeremiah over the last several weeks, as selections from that book have been set in the Daily Office Lectionary. Jeremiah was active for around 40 years, from about 627 BC until sometime after 587 BC. That means he witnessed a lot of what happened just prior to, during, and after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians; he covers a lot of ground. As the introduction to the book in the Common English Bible Study Bible notes: “Written for survivors of war and exile, the book is filled with pain and trauma. It bears witness to three Babylonian military invasions, resulting in the destruction of the Jerusalem temple and the royal palace complex, the taking of land, and the death and exile of thousands of people.” (p. 1205). And, so, as the commentator then writes, “The book of Jeremiah is disaster literature . . . but it is also survival literature. It is a survival guide for a suffering people . . .” (p. 1206).

In that regard, a passage that really hit home for me a few weeks ago was Jeremiah 4.27: “The LORD proclaims: The whole earth will become a desolation, but I will not destroy it completely.” I have to assume that there’s a little hyperbole there; I doubt that God (or Jeremiah) was referring to the whole earth in this passage. But, in the experience of Jeremiah, all that had provided stability was going, going, gone. And, that said, the passage did hit home for me in this time of pandemic, when much of what has provided stability for us has taken a huge body blow, and won’t come back in the same way, as much as most would like it. We’ve all felt it in numerous ways—corporately, and individually. We can identify with the description of Jeremiah as “disaster literature”! But the verse doesn’t end in disaster; there is a glimmer of hope: “I will not destroy it completely.”

Jeremiah didn’t live to see the exiles return from Babylon. He didn’t experience all the ways that they changed while there. And yet he could recognize—and said so—that God had something more in mind for the Jewish people. The exiles had to figure out how to worship without the Temple. They had to learn what it meant to be “ritually” pure in an impure country. They had to learn how to be, and how to worship as, a minority. And, so, when they returned to rebuild Jerusalem, certainly the Temple was first-and-foremost. But they also brought back with them the beginnings of what became the synagogue—worship built around a different set of assumptions, grounded, not in sacrifice, but in prayer and study. And it was out of that development that modern Judaism, as well as Christianity, eventually evolved. The “earth became a desolation," but it was not “destroyed completely."

Here, Jeremiah becomes survival literature. And I have to think that, if he’d lived to see it, he would have continued to write, and scholars would describe his later writings as a “literature of hope and renewal." And, just as we could see ourselves in the “disaster," we would see ourselves in the “hope.” We would see the Church coming back from COVID with the intent to “rebuild the Temple," but also with the experience and energy to engage in practices learned while we were exiled, such as ZOOM and digital church. And we could see that, just as the Jerusalem Temple and the synagogue co-existed, so we will find that some of our former patterns of being “church” will coexist productively with new patterns.

Building (or even re-building) is a challenge. Any contractor will tell you that there are always unknowns, some strange little “hitches and glitches” that demand attention and creativity.

We’re up to the challenge!

How Do We Strive For Justice?

When I was seventeen, my friend, Freddy, drove me home from our Junior Achievement meeting. We conversed about our hopes and dreams for our JA company and for our own futures after high school. Abruptly, Freddy dropped out of the conversation and looking in the rearview mirror said, “I think we are in trouble. Leave this to me.” Then I heard the siren as our car lit up with the police bubble lights, and Freddy pulled over.

I heard the door of the cop car slam and soon felt something hit the car as the officer broke Freddy’s taillight with his police baton. The officer leaned into the window and sneered, “What’s a good white girl like you doin’ with a n**** boy?” What I didn’t know then, but know all too well now, was that breaking the taillight gave the explanation for pulling the car over and who would believe two high school kids over a police officer as to when and how the light was broken.

Freddy quietly told me again to let him handle this as the officer dragged Freddy from the car. His approach to this situation was based in the nonviolence taught him by his AME pastor father, a follower of Martin Luther King, and on his understanding of the vulnerable position he held as a young black male in the hands of racist police.

My homelife modeled behaviors that were everything but peaceful and nonviolent. So, my anger flared at the injustice of what was happening. I jumped out of the car, furious, out of control and determined that the officer should apologize to Freddy. As a result, we were both arrested. When I called my mother from the police station, her response was, “That’s what you get for running around with n*****. Let them get you out, because I won’t.”

As you can tell I wasn’t raised to be an activist, particularly not an activist in race relations. But this was the rough and ineffective start to my life-long activity in advocacy. My advocacy efforts today are more around health care and the justice system, particularly death penalty and juvenile justice. I no longer yell at policemen. Now I do this work by writing legislators and occasionally appearing before legislative committees. By speaking for those who cannot always speak for themselves, I believe I fulfill the portion of my baptismal covenant that asks that we strive for justice and peace and support the dignity of every human being. Legislators are sometimes bogged down in the nuts and bolts of a bill and they find it helpful to be reminded of the human stories behind the bills, just as maybe my story puts a human face on the concept of advocacy.

If you have been wondering how you might strive for justice and support human dignity, consider asking someone on the Advocacy Committee for suggestions. Members are Mary Ann Panarelli, Candace and Vorry Moon, Dianne Draper, Sandra Boyd, and Merrie Need. We would welcome your joining us in the discussion.

Both the national church and the church in Colorado have specific areas they address. You can also participate by watching for articles about various advocacy opportunities as they appear in the Sheepskin and/or by signing up to be notified when our diocese or national church calls for letters to legislators and members of Congress about up-coming bills that the church endorses.

Volunteer Spotlight: Renee Tschetter

My name is Renee Tschetter. In 1988 my husband, Nick, our two sons and I began attending Good Shepherd Church. I am a cradle Episcopalian. We attended many churches searching for the right fit. We were awed by the beauty of the altar, the welcoming congregation and a comfort we all experienced. I knew we found ‘our place’. It has been one of the best decisions I ever made and has had an impact on my life in many ways these past 35 years.

Many years ago a dear friend shared with me in conversation that finding your ‘gift’ and giving it away was one of the great fulfillments in life. At the time, raising two boys (and five step-children) dealing with a full, chaotic house and different sports and school schedules, I didn’t have much time to reflect on that, but it has stayed with me for decades often influencing my decisions. As the children grew and I had more time to pursue my own interests, I decided my love for gardening and landscaping could become more than just a hobby. With some added education, along with years of experience in my own yard, I could maybe start my own small business. I completed the Master Gardener program through CSU Extension and loved it. From the start we were instructed that we were not to take the courses for business purposes but to instead use the knowledge and share with our community, neighbors, etc. to improve the environment and teach others. Again, share your gifts!

My gardening/landscaping ministry at Good Shepherd began in 2003 as we were completing the new addition to the church. Needless to say there was quite a mess left from construction and the front door garden was nothing but large clumps of clay, deep ruts of dirt and one big boulder! I began then and worked for many years in the church yard until a bad shoulder got the best of me. I took a long hiatus only returning after determined and relentless coaxing from my friend, Sue Mackenzie. Putting my full trust in God that I could do it, I began again with the desire the make Good Shepherd look as welcoming as possible, to give a renewed look and freshness. The project was overwhelming as so much needed to be done, and I was only one Grandma with a bad shoulder. Help came in the most amazing ways. I found helpers willing to work and share their talents for the benefit of the church that didn’t even attend Good Shepherd. Over and over they’ve showed up "unexpectedly." A wonderful helper from the neighborhood next to the church was always willing to lend a hand and did so a few times. Landscapers just driving by that stopped to offer me help. Also, a young man needing some ‘volunteer credits’ during COVID stepped up. What an unexpected blessing that turned out to be! He was so helpful. It has been amazing and so appreciated! Every time it happens, I feel God’s grace in it.

I urge each and every one of our Good Shepherd family to search your heart and talents and volunteer! Giving of your gifts and time has enormous rewards that come to you in ways you can’t foresee. Our church offers so many opportunities to get involved at every level. Please volunteer when you are able. You’ll meet the most remarkable new friends!

All of us are finally emerging from quarantine and gloom into great anticipation that, with vaccines, we can worship together in person soon. This awakening of spring, the small leaves poking up through the dead, brown winter debris, birds singing, the tiniest new buds on the trees peaking out, the greening up and re-birth of our surroundings brings a welcomed new beginning. Let the sunshine, warmth and the beauty of this spring season bring to life something new within you!

As I See It: From Death to Resurrection

Recently I was asked, when have you been moved from death to resurrection? There have been many times. However, this one stands above all others.

I was 28, living in Mississippi, in graduate school, and pregnant for the first time. I didn’t have a faith in God. In fact, I was pretty sure there was no God.

Then, at about the fourth month of the pregnancy, I lost the baby in a grim three-day process that ended in an over-night procedure in a hospital to stop the bleeding.

I was devastated, and so was my beloved husband. When I came home, I tortured myself further with the belief that I had caused all this trauma by having dragged a bag of fertilizer out of the back hatch of the car and letting it fall into place on the floor of the carport the week before. (I recently learned from a genetic work-up that my forty-something son recently had done, that there is a gene, that would be fatal to a fetus, floating in our shared genetic make-up, the more likely cause of this loss.)

My hormones all geared to pregnancy were in turmoil, wreaking emotional havoc from within. I cried constantly in grief for several days straight. Harry was so worried about my state, that he sent for his mother (a four-hour drive away) to stay with me while he was at work for fear that I might harm myself. I couldn’t guarantee that I wouldn’t because up to that moment I had never truly believed that anything in my life could go that wrong. I had led a pretty charmed life up to then. I was desperate, so, when all else failed to calm me, I, an all-but-confirmed atheist, actually prayed for help. Imagine my shock, when God responded.

How do I know it was God? Because the event began with a miracle. I went from out-of-control distress to total serenity without any transition time. Compassionately but without words, God made me aware of three truths. First, the baby was fine and had been ever since it left my body. The child was in God’s loving care, the implication being that I never possessed the ability to kill it. Second, what I was mourning, the imagined joy that I felt sure the future held for Harry, the child, and I, was at its heart, nothing but an illusion. Third, I still had a real future. It just wasn’t going to be the future I had imagined. My crying largely stopped from that moment forward.

Harry and I still are saddened by the memory of that loss. That doesn’t change. However, there is also the memory of divine compassion, of a healing and of a profound change of perspective.

When have I ever experienced moving from death to resurrection? Well, this was not the only time, but definitely the most dramatic one.

How We Care For One Another

Sometime in the future, by the grace of God, Good Shepherd will undergo a “renewal” when we will be able to be together in-person indoors. For many, myself included, this event will usher in “old/new” feelings. I suspect that at first, after a time sitting before a computer screen, things like kneeling in a pew will seem strange. My muscles will be soft and my posture shaky. Then, with time, muscle memory will kick in, I’ll gain a bit of core strength, and I’ll refocus.

Like worship, many of our ministries will undergo a rebirth and renewal of purpose to regain steam. During Covid-time, some ministries have been sidelined or reduced in activity. How some will grow depends in part on their purpose.

Back in 2020, I spoke about Congregational Care’s importance at our Annual Meeting and pointed to the Acts of the Apostles, in particular, Paul’s address to the Ephesian elders. The following passage documents the early Church’s formation especially as congregational care became a foundation of the community’s structure and integral to its health. He said, Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God (Acts 20:28). By virtue of being a member of a congregation, we all share in the purpose and responsibility for care of each other.

I noted that although Paul was speaking to a certain assembly at a specific point in antiquity, today every member of the church is indeed an overseer and a shepherd. We have been given these gifts by the Holy Spirit. We are shepherds in the way that we nourish one another and supply care to others. Nourishment may be food or spiritual food such as spending precious time with another. Through this and other Scripture passages, God is telling us to live beyond our own lives in loving and caring acts for one another. But in order to do this, we must first tend to our own needs and feel confident to ask for help when necessary.

In the future, Congregational Care will continue its full ministry life, such as offering classes for healthy living, like tai chi. We would like to continue to offer meals or other simple services when these are requested. But we cannot without participation by members of Good Shepherd, given the small team, full-time clergy, and an aging population. Truthfully, in the past, we’ve had a disappointing response when we asked for volunteers.

We know and appreciate that sometimes information is communicated only within a person’s social group at church. We caution that a risk here is bypassing those in a pastoral role at the church. And, of course, many of our members are not part of a network at church, so a fear is that we are not aware of their needs.

Taking all this as a sign for ministry review and renewal, in the coming months Congregational Care will look at ways to inspire participation, sign up core volunteers, make it easier to connect, consult other Episcopal churches about how they are doing Congregational Care, and see what is appealing and what will work at Good Shepherd.

We also are planning for when we can restart socially distanced and safe in-home communion by our Diocesan trained and licensed Eucharistic Visitors. I would like to focus on this blessed ministry here because it continues to be one the lesser known at Good Shepherd:

As Episcopalians, we consider it vital to be fed with the spiritual food in the Sacrament each week if possible. At worship we pray for the congregation, for those who are present, and for those who are absent (POP Form V). Eucharistic Visits connect all of these desires and concerns. Any member or family of Good Shepherd who wishes to receive communion at home, a hospital or facility, for any reason of illness, incapacitation, recent childbirth, or being homebound, can schedule delivery with the church office or with Greg Bell, Eucharistic Visitor Ministry Leader. (gimbal1@juno.com) Greg consults with Fr. Gary on scheduling these visits which are coordinated with clergy visits.

The visit usually lasts about 20 minutes and is centered around a short service consisting of the appointed collect, Gospel reading, confession, sharing of the bread (and, when allowed, wine) with all present who wish to partake, and thanksgiving. There is human contact and healing prayer. The visitor often brings a copy and offers highlights of the Sunday sermon too. A gift of our virtual worship experience is that it has opened doors to new ideas and ways of sharing the Word. We hope in the future that Eucharistic Visitors will be able to share a video of the service from which they were just sent with the person receiving the communion.

The cup of blessing which we bless is a sharing in the Blood of Christ. The bread which we break is a sharing in the Body of Christ.

Puzzling the Pastor

Thanks so much to those who submitted “puzzlers”! Keep ‘em coming! While I have a few left-overs from this issue, I’ll still need more!

“C” wrote in a comment after a Midweek Moment:

“I do pray for several people who are hurting physically and mentally. I struggle with what words to say for my prayers. I usually pray at night. And sometimes I am tired and not very creative. I would love to have some 'go to' prayers.”

I’m so glad you asked that question, as I imagine you are not alone! And, I’m so glad you keep those in need in your prayers. Certainly, there are many more prayers that can be found in the Prayer Book, on-line, or other sources than I can list here. One of my nighttime “go-to” intercessory prayers was written by a former professor of mine. I like it because it seems to include just about every category of need; some are perfect for the day, others remind me of folks/needs I’ve forgotten:

Remember this day, O Lord, in your love:

My family, friends and neighbors,

And all whom I know and love, near and far;

All your people in their several vocations:

My Bishop and my priest and the faithful laity;

My employers and fellow-workers;

And those who govern us in freedom and in peace.

Remember this day, O Lord, in your mercy

All who are in any need or trouble,

And those who minister to them;

All who are lonely, tempted, or afraid,

And the forgotten ones whom you alone know;

Those whom I should but cannot remember,

And those this day who are appointed to die.

Remember me also, a sinner, for Jesus’ sake.

Amen.

I hope this is helpful. Please feel to reach out if you’d like more conversation on this!

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“K” wrote in with several related questions – all primarily having to do with the titles for clergy in the Episcopal Church. I’ll break up my answer into two installments (that’ll keep you reading the next issue!):

Despite being a lifelong Episcopalian some of these terms or titles are not understood by me. I am guessing they come out of the Anglican tradition. So, here we go. First, what is the difference between a vicar, a rector, a pastor, and a canon? Second, If a parish has a detached office, does that make it a vicarage?

We Episcopalians LOVE our titles and honorifics, and they all (usually) have some basis in function. And, some of those titles have different meanings among different groups of Christians (and different Anglican bodies). In the American Episcopal Church (in general), a “vicar” and a “rector” are both heads of congregations.

“Vicars” lead mission congregations—that is, congregations that are not financially self-supporting, and usually receive some help from the Office of the Bishop. In that regard, the “vicar” stands in the place of the bishop in that congregation (think “vicarious”).

“Rectors” lead parishes—that is, congregations that are financially independent. (A colleague told me that a Rector once told him: “My boy, ‘rector’ comes from the Latin “Rex”, for “King”. Don’t forget it!”)

“Pastor” is not precisely (in the Episcopal Church) a title in the same way it is in some other Christian bodies. It is more of a description of a function, “pastor” coming from the same root as “pasture” – think of someone who cares for the flock. So, at a cathedral, for example, there may be a Canon Pastor, who’s job it is to offer pastoral care, while another canon may be in charge of education, or liturgy. “Canons” are (most often) clergy who are connected with a cathedral, or with the Bishop’s staff, often (using corporate language) senior staff with specific areas of responsibility.

To the second part of your question, traditionally if a congregation provided a residence for the rector, he/she would live in a “rectory." Likewise, if a congregation provided a residence for the vicar, he/she would live in the “vicarage." In the same way, the Dean of a Cathedral might be given a “Deanery” in which to live.

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“K” (another “K”) wrote:

“The one I hear in groups all the time is: ‘Why does God allow suffering (or children to suffer or bad things to happen)?’”

Thanks for the softball question, K! It is one that is as old as time, and finds a biblical answer (maybe not to everyone’s liking) in the book of Job. And, I will confess, I don’t have a good answer. Indeed, any answer will get at the heart of someone’s personal theology. I know you suggested reading Theology for a Troubled Believer by Diogenes Allen. I don’t know that book, but I’ll honor your recommendation. I really have appreciated Rabbi Harold Kushner’s Why Bad Things Happen To Good People. But I know that people sometimes want something more immediate than a book-suggestion in the midst of trauma.

As I said, “any answer will get at the heart of someone’s personal theology”, and I often find myself asking, “What kind of God do you believe in?” In talking about that we often find an answer that provides some comfort to the questioner. Personally, however, I find “Why?” questions unsatisfying (while VERY human). I generally find that there isn’t a good answer to “why” questions—any answer often just jumps back to an earlier “Why?” (Think of kids asking. . . “But, why, mommy?”) When confronted by a situation that might suggest a “Why?” question (and I’ve had many of them), I, personally, find it better to ask—over the course of time, “Well, that has happened. It was awful. What would God have me do next, or in response?” This approach, again, for me, offers the possibility of anger and grief, but puts me on the track to some kind of restorative future.

‘Twas fun answering these! If you’d like to have some conversation about any of them, let me know!

Laughing Lamb: Humor for Ewes

Isn't Lent Redundant in 2021?

A few times, in the past, especially when things didn’t seem to be “going my way”, and Ash Wednesday was approaching—with its implication that I should be giving something up—I decided to give up Lent for Lent. I mean, I was already depleted/deprived by life in general, why pile on yet another “hardship”.  Some of those years, I did flip the “Lenten Obligation” to the classic “take something on”, like reading Augustine’s Confessions (a really good book by the way!). But, in both cases, something seemed awry—like I wasn’t really “doing it right”.

And, then came the pandemic. And the shift away from meeting in person for church, with the associated cessation of the Eucharist. Yes, it made good health sense to maintain distance from one another. Yes, “typical” distribution of the Eucharist requires some relatively close encounters (not to mention the physical contact of the celebrant with the bread and chalice). So a number of folks (including our Bishop) started talking about a “Eucharistic fast”–that is, to see not taking the Eucharist as a spiritual practice in-and-of-itself. I understand that, although I don’t think anyone, early on, had any idea how long that fast would be!

And, then, last week, an article came into my inbox titled, “Must we do Lent this year?” Written by a professor—James Farwell—at Virginia Theological Seminary (one of the Episcopal Church’s training centers for clergy), the author contends that, given that COVID is forcing us to face our mortality, this might be a really good year to focus on Lent. He goes on to stress that Lent isn’t just about sorrow; indeed he points to joy:

“Lent is also about joy to the extent that our effort, by the grace of God, to return to the life God offers, is a moment of solemn celebration. Not facile optimism, but the celebration of the Life incarnate in the resurrected body of him who still bore the marks of his suffering. There is sorrow in repentance – in turning again – as we acknowledge death and loss. But there is JOY in Lenten repentance. It is a turning again toward LIFE. It is a return to what heals us.”

“It is a return to what heals us.” As some of you might expect, language like that would take me straight to Appreciative Inquiry, where the focus is on the “best of the past”, on what has worked in the past. And, so I wonder, might not Lent this year—especially this year—be a time for me to take a life inventory, with the sole purpose of re-visiting all those times in the past when I was most joy-filled, and reflecting how God was present in those moments. If Lent is a time to “put in mind the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior” (from the Ash Wednesday liturgy, BCP, p. 265), then recalling those times, and the circumstances, when we most felt that pardon and absolution seems incredibly valuable at this time in our global history, when we are surrounding by so much bleakness.  God has blessed us before; God will bless us again!

“I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church to the observance of a holy Lent . . .” (BCP, p. 265)

The Importance of Gratitude

A few weeks ago, DeeDee asked me to write about "The importance of gratitude and how you incorporate it into your life . . ." I am honored to be asked; gratitude is a foundational principle in my life. So, here goes!

I have been so blessed in my life. I was a small, sickly, premature baby who wasn’t supposed to live long enough to bother going to school. Some years ago, I had a spiritual experience, while walking a labyrinth, that showed me the spiritual battle that had been fought in heaven about my pending birth, that resulted in God’s booming voice saying, “THIS BABY SHALL LIVE!!!” I know, woo woo stuff. I thought so too! God has brought me through much, good and not so good: chronic illness, childhood abuse, spiritual and emotional healing, marriage, raising children, moving to a new country, losing my parents, teaching, friendships, professional and volunteer work, and more…None of it would have been the same without the help of God.

Truly, I am thankful for it all. But, what of it? What is the appropriate response to God’s support and God-given blessings? Say thanks and move on?

For me, the appropriate response is to live my life with an attitude of gratitude. Now, to be honest, this is not something I have mastered. I still get resentful at times. I get downright angry about things at other times. But my intention is to face everything in life through the lens of gratitude.

How do I do this? This part is hard to write, because it feels a bit like I am tooting my own horn, and that is not my intent.

I do this in my prayer life. Some of you may have heard me pray when we were doing healing prayers. Most often, I begin by thanking God that he already has the circumstance under control. I ask God to go before us into whatever situation is arising: into the O.R. and fill it with God’s Spirit of love and healing. To give the medical staff a good night’s sleep and steady hands. To help the cleaning staff do an especially good job. To wrap the family in healing light and love. To give the spouse and kids patience. My prayers tend to be filled with practical stuff, not because God needs a to-do list, but because I need to remind myself and the people with whom I am praying that THIS IS WHAT GOD DOES. When I pray this way, I am praying out of gratitude for God’s goodness.

I do this in my daily work. I work hard, and I work long hours. And, intentionally, I choose to be grateful doing it. God has put a desire to teach in my heart, and it is out of gratitude for this action that I teach. Oddly, I was trained as a teacher in University, but then took a detour and went into banking. I had decided that teaching in a school system was not what I wanted to do. Guess what happened? I ended up TEACHING banking (among other things)!! Then, I volunteered at my kids’ school, which led to a teaching position in two schools and a thriving tutoring business. I walked into the two schools and asked for the jobs—and got them. I almost never advertise my tutoring...most times, God sends students to me. When I quit working at the first school in order to work at Mary’s Hope Workshops, I suggested to God that if he wanted me to work at Mary’s Hope, he’d need to help me build up my tutoring, since MH didn’t have the money to pay me. My tutoring business exploded!! God is so gracious! Out of gratitude for—and because of--God’s abundance, I have been able to keep my tutoring fees stable (and low) since 1998, and lower them for folks who cannot afford my going rate.

I do this with my friends and neighbors. Years ago, when the kids were small and I was pregnant, Bruce was out of work. Friends and acquaintances from church arrived unexpectedly with bags of groceries. I have never forgotten this. Because of the generosity of God, and Bruce’s and my hard work, we have often been in a position to help others financially. And we do, sometimes with significant sacrifice, sometimes with less. We also have been blessed to be able to offer our home to people in need on several occasions—offering them a place to stay until they get back on their feet. We have always been blessed to have somewhere to live and people who are supportive of us, and out of our gratitude for that, we share. We also share through our pledge to the church and other organizations. Over the years, our pledging has changed, depending on the circumstances: sometimes we had more money than time; other times we had more time than money. But our donation of money, time and talent to the service of others has always been the top priority in our life budget.

I do this with people who serve me. During this pandemic, Bruce and I have chosen to stay home to the highest extent. Therefore, I have not gone for my usual medical appointments, haircuts, massages etc. But I realize that this means a loss of income for these folks, so we have decided to pay them anyway. I have been blessed to be able to continue to tutor via Zoom, and so we are able to do this. God’s abundance is meant to be shared!

I do this when times are hard…at least I try to! During this pandemic, I focus on the blessings that a more isolated season of life brings. I have time to focus on my health—through eating foods that honor my body, exercising, decluttering both my home and my attitudes. These are steps that grow out of gratitude for the life that God has given me. I have more time to be intentional about growing my connection with God. It is just lovely to sit with God and just be in His presence. I work to stay in the moment and be grateful, rather than live in the past with sorrow or resentment, or live for the future with fear or envy. Every difficulty comes with a silver lining of blessing, if I but look for it. And when I seek it and find it, the difficulty becomes a burden that God carries with me, rather than something I have to take on by myself.

Living my life with an attitude of gratitude has brought me to places of joy I would never have known. I have made some dear, dear friends from working with others. I have found strength I didn’t know I have. I have found acceptance of things just as they are, as well as courage to change what I can. St. Irenaeus of Lyons once said, “The glory of God is man fully alive.” It is through gratitude that I have found the way to live my life large—fully—and only to God’s glory. I am so very grateful!

Volunteer Spotlight: Ellen Blackburn

Greetings, Good Shepherd family and friends,

My name is Ellen Blackburn. My family and I joined Good Shepherd about two and a half years ago after moving here from Indiana. I currently serve on the vestry, schedule and train lectors, lay Eucharistic ministers and acolytes in addition to singing in the choir. The whole family, Mike, Emma, Rachel and I all jumped into the deep end when we decided to make Good Shepherd home. We all make serving a priority.

I guess you could say that volunteering at church is in our blood. I grew up attending an Episcopal church and watched my parents serve. From altar guild to treasure and from counter to Senior Warden, my parents set an example of service. The taught me that it takes the entire family of God to get things done; when our family needs us, we step up. I have followed their example and served in many capacities in the churches I’ve attended. I’ve taught Sunday school, worked at Vacation Bible School, and led Youth Groups. I’ve been a lector, Lay Eucharistic Minister and Lay Eucharistic Visitor. I’ve trained lectors and LEMs and trained and mentored acolytes in addition to scheduling them for services. I’ve served on three vestries and sung in six choirs. I’ve been part of a prayer chain ministry, sewn bags for the Jamaican mission, cooked meals, cleaned kitchens, and set up more chairs and tables than you’d care to count. I’m sure I left things out, but I hope you see that not all volunteer work requires a three year commitment or a special skill set. I volunteer because I want to serve and I want to set an example of service for my children.

In serving the people in my parish, I serve God; and in taking something off the plate of someone else, I can free them to serve as they are called. My life has had many seasons. My ability to serve has varied during these times. I learned quickly to give myself grace when my volunteer work dwindled to setting up tables in the parish hall while someone else held a baby or giving a week to VBS when I couldn’t commit to teach every Sunday. I learned that no matter the act of service or frequency of such, that I mattered and so did the work I was able to do. I am part of the family and we all have chores. Think about those chore charts most of us had growing up. How can our Good Shepherd family do chores to free up time and money for our mission of serving the world in Christ’s name?

Please volunteer. Your family needs you.

The “Why” of Good Shepherd . . . and why it matters

At the Annual Meeting, I presented, on behalf of the Transition/Visioning Team, a pie chart that represented “A Vision of Good Shepherd.” The chart is a product of the months of listening, talking, praying, and imagining what Good Shepherd might “be” in the years to come. And, of course, what it “might be” is heavily dependent on what it has been.  We believe the chart reflects all of that, both looking back and looking ahead. [The chart is based on the “Golden Circle”, developed by Simon Sinek (a video explaining that can be found here). Sinek argues that it is critical for an organization to understand why it exists, and to see everything else it does in relation to that “Why”.]

As the Transition/Visioning Team went about its work, it became evident that this model could be very helpful in mapping Good Shepherd’s way forward. We recognized that establishing relationships was at the core of so much that the church does. And, as I pointed out, we do that in different ways, depending upon the “Who” it is with whom we wish to relate. So, the chart became a very visual representation of what Good Shepherd does (and has done) well. It also suggested that there were areas where the church’s efforts had been less robust.

I invite you to take a good look at the chart (it can be downloaded here). It is not meant to be a “static representation”, but, rather, one that changes over time. Indeed, between the time it was developed and the Annual Meeting, there were several things that were added—some because we simply forgot, and others (like the Living Nativity) that hadn’t been developed. The chart invites you into the life of the church. You may see mentions of current programs and wonder “What’s “Hungry Flock?” You may see gaps (as in bottom third of the chart), and say, “I think I’d be interested in being involved in “Invite/Welcome/Connect” (IWC)! Or, “I have a passion for social justice, and I’d like to engage with like-minded folks at church.”

If you have any questions or concerns, or simply want to know more, let me know!  Why? Because we’re Good Shepherd!

As I See It: More Lent?

The “As I See It” column will appear in each Sheepskin edition and will offer a “guest cleric” point of view.

DeeDee emailed a few weeks ago to invite me to contribute an article for the next Sheepskin. She said The Sheepskin’s theme was to be “Lent.” My first reaction was WHAT?!? It feels like what we’ve been going through for the PAST YEAR has been Lent! Now we’re supposed to be enthusiastic about ANOTHER Lent? And think of it as something we look forward to? Really?

When I cooled my jets and began to ponder the subject of Lent, the first thing that I recognized was that my reaction … and maybe yours … was based on an unhelpful understanding of Lent. I remembered an old story about a little girl named Jenny attending church on Ash Wednesday with her mother. In those days, before the “new” Book of Common Prayer (1979), the Ash Wednesday service began immediately with Psalm 51. It’s full of language of breast-beating and lamentations about one’s sins and transgressions: “Wash me through and through from my wickedness” and “I have been wicked from my birth”, etc. On the way out of the service, Jenny peered up at her mother and said “I do bad things now and then, but I’m not THAT bad, am I Mommy?” (Fortunately, the 1979 Prayer Book sets a very different tone in its opening collect which begins: “Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made …”). So what do we learn from this about how we might enter into our Lent this year?

We just completed the Good Shepherd Annual Meeting. Part of our discussion was about what we have experienced this “COVID” season at Good Shepherd. What had we learned, what surprised us? A major “Ah hah!” for me this year has been how I have appreciated the technology that has enhanced our community life in worship and the administration of the life of the parish. A bit of a curmudgeon about all things new and unusual - I’m an octogenarian after all - I’ve come to enjoy the ZOOM worship services and “coffee hours” and committee meetings. I’m also very much treasuring the weekly ZOOM conversations with my adult offspring in Philadelphia. There’s no way I would have said any such positive things about computer technology a year ago. It was something to be tolerated, at best.

The last Sunday in January was “Youth Sunday” with our Good Shepherd young people responsible for leading worship. This is always a blessing for the rest of us and we treasure the gifts they bring us on these special Sundays. The sermon that day was offered by Liv Hornsby who offered what I think is wise inspiration for the challenge about how to take up our practice of Lent this year. After telling a story about the struggles and insights of her teen years, she shared with us the blessings she had come to be grateful for from those experiences. And then she ended her sermon by asking us to contemplate: “what have we been blessed by in our own lives?”

So, like the gathered parish at our Annual Meeting, the guidance for our own Lent is in giving thanks for the unexpected blessings in our lives over the past year’s “Lent”. Doing so invites us this Lent to consider daily engaging in something like a “discipline” -- in the positive sense of that word. For example, every evening, we take time to consider Liv’s question: “what have I been blessed by today?” “Where has God been in my life today?” And to give thanks for that remarkable gift from a God who not only hates nothing he has made, but loves all of us so dearly.

THAT kind of Lent is something to look forward to.

Puzzling the Pastor?

A new feature of the Sheepskin will be a section where parishioners have the opportunity to ask Fr. Gary a question. It could be theological (“Why did God make mosquitos?”). It could be liturgical (“Why is green the color for all those weeks between Pentecost and Advent?”). It could be biblical (“What’s the ‘order of Melchizedek’?”)  Almost anything would be fair game.

Just submit your question directly to Fr. Gary (gbrower at gshep dot org) by Wednesday March 24. You can ask that your name be published with the question, or “anonymous” (but Fr. Gary will need to know who sent it in case he needs some clarification). 

Ministry Update: Small Groups

In our new Sheepskin format for 2021, we will offer ministry updates in each edition. It is our sincere hope that you will learn more about the wide variety of ministries we offer, and be inspired to participate or volunteer in the future. This edition highlights some of Good Shepherd’s Small Group Ministries.

Community is an important part of a healthy church life, and despite being in COVIDland, Good Shepherd has continued to offer several small group ministries to help you develop personal connections. Small groups offer an opportunity to connect with a particular demographic sub-group of your congregation, i.e. seniors, men, foodies, those seeking “fun”, etc. You can learn, ask questions, involve yourself in the lives of others, and generally make yourself vulnerable among other people who are doing the same. That may seem like a given, but the bigger the group is, the less like community it feels. The kind of community I am advocating requires a level of intimacy easily lost as numbers grow.

So, check out what’s been happening with four of our small group ministries - Fun Committee, Hungry Flock, Senior Singles and Men’s Group. Information is provided below each entry if you are ready to take the plunge and join the group!

FUN COMMITTEE

Group Leaders: Suraya Bowmaster, Kaitlyn Bridgers, and Deborah Sampson
Schedule: recurring dates

Tell us about your small group?

The Fun Committee was officially formed at last year’s annual meeting, when the three of us were sitting together and chatting about a small group that would offer fun events and fellowship for our parishioners. Our events have been centered around popular themes like sports trivia, cooking and wine, Halloween and Christmas. We try to offer events that alternate between adult and family friendly offerings. This way, every parishioner should be able to find at least one event that will appeal to them. You have the flexibility to come to just one event, or attend them all.

How has COVID affected your group?

When the committee was first formed, we had no idea that COVID was lurking around the corner. Initially, we wanted to have heavily attended in-person events, so when COVID hit, we had to totally change our game plan. We knew the only way forward was to utilize ZOOM meetings, so we got busy generating ideas that could be done virtually and still be fun for participants. The blessing was being able to involve not only members of our parish, but also experts from the community as we strengthened our relationships with Lukas Liquors and Rezdawgs Rescue Center. Parishioners have also had the chance to show their expertise by leading an event.

We are looking forward to more fun events in 2021, including a Souper Bowl with trivia and more food donations to Covenant Cupboard which has been serving many more families than ever before, a chocolate tasting where a local expert will talk about the health benefits of chocolate, and a Chinese New Year activity.

How can I join in the fun?

It’s easy to find out about our events by simply watching your Weekly E-News for information. Registration is usually required, so the ZOOM link for both the meetings as well as the registration will be sent several weeks before an event.

We welcome new members, either as a full member or as an expert to share at an event. Just contact Deb Sampson (sampson.dk@gmail.com) for more information or if you have questions. We hope to “see” you in the near future!

HUNGRY FLOCK DINNER GROUP

Group Leaders: Tricia Hartman and Amy McLaughry
Schedule: Monthly

Tell us about your small group?

Hungry Flock is Good Shepherd’s monthly “supper club.” Before COVID, we gathered monthly in the homes of parishioners, with participants taking turns hosting the group. As the host, you set the number of guests and the main course, and your guests will bring whatever you need to complete the meal. You also had the option of hosting your dinner from Good Shepherd’s parish hall. Hungry Flock is a great way to meet other members of the church that you normally don’t have the opportunity to connect with during church services.  And, best of all, you could come home with great new recipes!  

How has COVID affected your group?

We have continued to meet the second Saturday of the month throughout the pandemic, although now our meetings are by Zoom.  Thus, we have missed sharing yummy food, but have been able to continue our fellowship, the most important part of Hungry Flock.  We look forward to being able to meet in each other’s homes once again in small groups, hopefully, this fall.

How can I join in the fun?

Please contact Tricia Hartman at hartmanpe@me.com or Amy McLaughry at admclaughry@yahoo.com to join us. Everyone is welcome, including significant others who do not attend Good Shepherd. 

SENIOR SINGLES

Group Leader: Connie Branton
Schedule: Every Friday at 6 pm

Tell us about your small group?

Senior Singles of has been a close personal and active group at Good Shepherd for several years. Whether widowed, divorced or never married, if you find yourself single in these best years of your life, we encourage you to join us for our monthly meeting. Prior to COVID, we met in homes for food, fun and fellowship, and we even took several “road trips” to interesting places. These times together have created many new friendships, especially for those new to our church. People who are part of diverse groups in the church have a chance to connect with others who serve in different ministries. We also help out when special donations of funds or goods are solicited by groups in or outside of the church. For instance, we donated many dozens of cookies to a homeless shelter during the Christmas holidays.

How has COVID affected your group?

Unfortunately, the Covid pandemic curbed almost all of our in-person get-togethers after March 15th. We started ZOOM meetings almost as soon as the quarantine began, and these sharing times have continued every Friday evening at 6 pm to the present day. Sometimes the meetings feature a question which is answered by all, i.e. “your favorite vacation,” “most embarrassing moments,” “our animals,” etc. Other meetings consist of mainly checking in with one another, sharing thanksgivings or prayer requests for our families, friends, or ourselves. We also share favorite books, family visit reports, ways to handle getting groceries and other items, and tips for handling the isolation most of us feel.

Senior Singles very much missed meeting together so after a few months of the pandemic we got together for three in-person picnics in summer and fall. Each person brought their own food, chair, beverage, and wore a mask, or course. We all enjoyed seeing one another again. However, the weather in late fall and winter precluded further meetings face to face. We look forward to our famous dinner meetings when the weather improves and we have all had our vaccines.

How can I join in the fun?

People who consider themselves seniors (AARP says 50+) are invited to participate.  Please contact Connie Branton (cbmusik@comcast.net) for more information, or just join us any Friday evening at 6 pm on ZOOM.  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87036409916?pwd=ZHp3enY5bFd1LzhrTGlmUWtsSVh6QT09

MEN’S GROUP

Group Leader: Pete Roden
2nd and 4th Saturdays at 7:30 am

Tell us about your small group?

The Men’s group is built on three principles; prayer, study, and service. We completed our 35th year of meeting in 2020. Wow, 35 years, amazing isn’t it!! We meet twice a month on Saturday mornings for either breakfast or coffee and pastries along with our program. Our programs originate from the Serendipity Bible, Sunday scripture readings and book reviews. All program topics have studies standing on their own, therefore allowing attendees to miss a session without losing the overall theme.

We pray for and serve our parish and community by hosting several yearly events including the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper and the annual Parish Picnic, and we were proud to be involved with last December’s Living Nativity event providing assistance and set-up. In addition, we offer assistance with on-going maintenance/clean-up projects at the church, and we are involved with St. Clare’s ministry which serves the hungry in our community.

How has COVID affected your group?

With COVID-19 and the related restrictions in place, our involvement in community events has been curtailed, but we continue to meet twice a month via ZOOM meetings for study and fellowship. Unfortunately, were not able to have our annual Men’s Retreat generally held in February. We plan on resuming this special event in February/March of 2022.

We’re very proud of our activities and the contributions we make to and on behalf of Good Shepherd and we’ll continue to do the same in 2021, when and where we are able, while building support within our team.

How can I join in the fun?

We welcome any interested men of the church to join us via ZOOM meetings on our scheduled Saturday mornings at 7:30 am. Contact Pete Roden (roden.pete@gmail.com) for more information and for schedule and ZOOM link.

Laughing Lamb: Humor for Ewes

Each edition of our new Sheepskin will feature tidbits of humor cultivated from a variety of sources. We hope you enjoy these entries, and if you have a source for good Christian humor, please contact DeeDee Atwood with your suggestions.

Apparently, Episcopalians are ahead of the curve on social distancing.

What's Coming Up?

Since we are publishing the Sheepskin every other month, we will include a simple two month calendar of upcoming events. Details on these events will be sent out in our Weekly E-News.

From Fr. Gary: The hopes and fears of all the years . . .

A few weeks ago, while meeting with my spiritual director (a Jesuit), the conversation turned towards the issue of “hope.” We were both musing about the effects of COVID on communities, as well as the upcoming (at that time) election. And he pointed me to the introduction of a fellow Jesuit’s book, Images of Hope: Imagination as Healer of the Hopeless (by William F Lynch; University of Notre Dame Press, 1974). That “Introduction” begins: “We human beings, who need hope more than anything else in life . . . [are] . . . attracted more toward the hopeless than toward hope; we are passing through a period of fascination with despair” (p 21). Despite the fact that Lynch wrote these words fifty years ago (actually in the midst of all of the civil unrest of the ’60’s), I don’t think much has changed!

But Lynch’s book is not about despair . . . rather, it's about hope. In the “ Introduction,” he identifies three characteristics of hope: (1) hope requires imagination; (2) hope is an “act of collaboration or mutuality . . . it imagines with” (p 23—emphasis his) — that is, it requires a community; and (3) “there is a strong relationship between hoping and wishing” (p 24). In short, Lynch argues that hope requires imagination, a community, and a desire.  I found that description . . . well . . . hopeful! And I’m holding it close as I enter Advent.

Advent is sometimes called a “little Lent”, the implication (at least as I see it) being that it is a time for introspection. But the equation of

Advent with Lent often brings up connotations of “repentance.” Far be it from me to suggest that we don’t always have need of repentance, but Advent, I believe has its focus elsewhere, in the areas of expectation and hope. And, with Lynch’s description of hope, I’m thrown into asking myself (changing his order of characteristics)

• “What do I really wish the Christ-child will bring . . . to me, to Good Shepherd, to the world?”

• “How can I imagine—REALLY imagine—that that can become a reality?”

• ”How can I help, and be helped by, a community to make that happen?”

Even thinking of these questions lightens my spirit in a darkening time.

This Advent—really, no different than any other Advent—is, for me, all about hope, about seeing something new arise, different, and amazing! And, I invite you to join me on the hopeful quest. Elsewhere in this edition of the Sheepskin, you’ll see information about an ongoing devotional discussion opportunity, as well as our Faith Forum series based on the same devotions—ALL focused on how we can practice and realize hope, as well as other resources to enrich your spirits over the next several weeks. Let us rise, and hope for a healing, joyous and life-altering Advent . . . and beyond!

Advent Service of Holy Communion to be Livestreamed every Sunday at 11:30 am; Host Pick Up Offered from 12:30 to 1:30 pm

Beginning Sunday, November 29, and every Sunday during Advent, we are pleased to offer a service of Holy Communion which will be broadcast live from our Chapel at 11:30 am on Good Shepherd’s YouTube Channel. You can watch this service from the comfort of your home by “tuning in” to our Channel just prior to 11:30 am on Sunday mornings by going to our YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmQJlUkKz8XXG-GlFpPyTHQ?view_as=subscriber.

Fr. Gary will be the celebrant/homilist for this service which will also feature one lector/intercessor and Connie Branton on piano. All participants will be socially distanced and masked and will follow all COVID-19 protocols.

In addition to the special service, we will also be offering drive-by Communion pick-up at Good Shepherd from 12:30 to 1:30 pm on Sundays during Advent. If you would like to pick up your drive-by Communion Host, you must register each Sunday on Good Shepherd’s website. Watch for the link to the registration page in our weekly E-News.

Advent Faith Formation: “Practicing Hope with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind”

The season of Advent is all about hope and expectation. And “Hope” seems to be a very appropriate focus for December 2020!  So this year, we are coupling an Advent Devotional Practice with a weekly opportunity to share insights and questions, all on the theme “Practicing Hope with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind.”

The Advent Devotional Guide can be downloaded free at:  https://tinyurl.com/PracticingHope2020. OR, you can have the daily reflections sent directly to your inbox; the link to do so is found here: https://www.livingcompass.org/advent. Each day’s reflection will also be posted to our Good Shepherd 24/7 Coffee Hour Facebook Group — comments and conversation will be welcome. And, then, on the four Sundays of Advent (beginning 11/29), we will join together at the Faith Forum time for more guided conversation.

Fr. Gary & His Wife to Record an Audio Advent Calendar

An Audio Advent Adventure

The Christmas Mystery (by Jostein Gaarder) tells the story of a Norwegian girl, Elisabet, who, while Christmas shopping with her mother, vanishes into thin air. Accompanied by angels, shepherds, kings and even a Roman governor, she is rushing back through time and space to Bethlehem, to be present at the birth of Christ. Fifty years later a boy called Joachim pieces together her story from a magic advent calendar and brings it to a conclusion.

This Advent, Fr. Gary and his wife, Susan Bailey, will record The Christmas Mystery for the Good Shepherd flock.  The book is a literary Advent Calendar, with one chapter for each day from December 1 to December 24. Each chapter will be ready by the appropriate day, and will be archived (as individual audio files, in case someone misses a day) on the Good Shepherd website.