Dear
Good Shepherd,
God
certainly blessed us in 2007.
Here
are just several blessings just off the top of my head...
1.
He's added significantly to our numbers (22 new members)
including many college students, young families, and two
new believers.
2.
He's more than provided for us financially. Our pledges
and tithes are 30% over budget and overall we ended the
year with an income significantly over what we expected
and budgeted for.
3.
He's preserved Good Shepherd as a solid, unified, body in
the midst of controversy and division on the national and
diocesan levels.
4.
He's deepened intellectually and spiritually and enlarged
numerically our classes and bible studies. They seem sometimes
to be bursting at the seems with people and with enthusaism
for studying the bible. 60 people attend at least one class
or bible study a week at Good Shepherd out of an Average
Sunday Attendance of 80.
5.
He's given us the resources to hire a youth minister and
he's established the youth ministry.
6.
He's provided the means to maintain and grow the Shepherd's
Bowl (the numbers fed on Thursday nights are regularly above
40. Last night we had 57)
7.
The Christmas Eve pageant and service for the first time
in decades, drew over 120 people both from Good Shepher
and the community for worship.
All
thanks and glory must go to our Lord for his mercy and his
grace in providing these blessings.
2007
was a year of growth and it was also a year of change.
Here
are just a few of the major changes that took place this
year.
1.
Good Shepherd is now affiliated with the Anglican Church
of Kenya and we have a new bishop, Bishop Bill Atwood. The
Anglican dioceses and parishes in the United States, most
of them formerly part of the Episcopal Church, are working
to establish a new Anglican province. This effort is presently
called the "Common
Cause Partnership". It is already quite large with
over 200,000 members in the US. The hope is that there will
be a home for Anglicans in the United States who want to
remain faithful to Christ and his Word. Good Shepherd is,
both through our affiliation with the Anglican
Communion Network and our affiliation with the Church
of Kenya, a member parish of the Common Cause Partnership
along with St. Andrew's Vestal and St. Andrew's Syracuse
in this region. We are presently engaged in friendly negotiations
with the Diocese of Central New York regarding the property.
2.
Micah Towery was hired during the summer to serve the Jr
High and High-School age students at Good Shepherd and he
has recruited a number of college-students from Good Shepherd
to help him establish the youth ministry. He has done great
work so far, establishing a core group in each age category.
3.
Good Shepherd was a primary participating parish in the
Franklin Graham Festival which God used to bring over 2000
people to faith in Jesus Christ, including 2 of our new
members. This was one of the first major inter-denominational
events in which we have participated beyond the South Side
Ecumentical Council.
4.
We welcomed and were honored to open our doors to Rabbi
Ron Goldberg's Messianic Jewish congregation on Saturday
morning's to celebrate the Sabbath.
During
the Annual meeting we'll compare what has happened this
year with the seven goals we set in January 2007 and begin
thinking about some parish goals for ministry and mission
2008.
We
pray that God will continue to be gracious and bless us
in 2008 and we know that whatever lies in our future, that
we can trust God and rely wholly upon his promises and his
Son Jesus Christ.
UPDATE
CONTENTS
ANNUAL
MEETING
THE
AGENDA
ACOLYTE
PRACTICE
BYLAW
MORMONISM
CHRISTIAN
BASICS
VESTRY
ELECTIONS
SERMON & PODCASTING INFORMATION
WEEKLY OPEN-DOOR HOURS
BIBLE STUDY
YOUTH INFORMATION FROM MICAH
HERESIES AND CULTS (ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL SERIES)
NEWS
:
ANNUAL
MEETING: THIS SUNDAY,
January 20th, will be the Annual
Meeting. This is the time the whole church comes
together to hear the various reports for the year, elect
officers to various offices, and get a sense of the mission
and goals for the coming year. Every member of the church
is eligible to vote. But please come even if you are not
a member. It is very important to see how the church makes
decisions and to be involved in discussing the important
issues that have come to the fore this year.
We'll
keep our regular service schedule and hold the meeting between
the 8:00am and 10:30am services (during the Christian Ed.
hour).. Canons require the polls to remain open at least
one hour, so we'll open them at 9:15am and close them at
10:15am before the 10:30am service. This
means that we will not have Sunday School that Sunday as
all the teachers are invited to take part in the meeting
itself.
Breakfast/brunch,
will be served during the meeting...
THE
AGENDA: The agenda for the meeting will be a bit
different this year. The reports from each ministry, as
usual, will be printed and distributed.
In the past, however, we have gone over every report during
the meeting itself.
This year, we will not ask or expect each ministry leader
to say something about their ministry. If you would like
to, you are welcome to do so but since your report is published,
you can simply let it speak for itself.
The reason for the change this year is that we wanted to
devote more time to the discussion of 1. the proposed by-law
and 2. a review of our 2007 goals 3. some of the significant
changes that have taken place this year and 4. where God
may be leading us in 2008.
The polling for vestry and warden elections will begin at
9:15 and end after the 10:30am service. The polling for
the bylaw will begin after the discussion of the bylaw is
concluded and end after the 10:30am service.
Please do make every effort to be there.
ACOLYTE
PRACTICE: THIS Sunday after the 10:30am service.
It is a very important meeting so please be there.
BYLAW:
At the Annual Meeting I will be introducing a new
by-law (a new congregational rule) for a vote at the Annual
Meeting that will ensure that every vestrymember, teacher,
and clergy-person at Good Shepherd has consented to the
essential biblical doctrines of the Christian faith.
The
reason I will be introducing this by-law is so that in the
future, those who serve God in his Church at Good Shepherd
will do so in accordance with his Word. Faithfulness to
the scriptures is vital to the health of the parish and
the eternal destiny of the souls to whom God ministers through
us.
As
ministers of the gospel (not just me, but all believers
are ministers of the gospel) we have been entrusted with
divine truth, the very Word of God. It is vital that we
remain rooted and grounded in God's Word despite the fact
that such a commitment will inevitably bring hardship. As
Paul tells Timothy:
"Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in
Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors
will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
But as for you, continue in what you have
learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you
learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted
with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise
for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture
is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for
reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every
good work." (2 Timothy 3:12-17)
It
is important, especially in our day, to be sure that the
leaders and teachers at Good Shepherd, both today and in
the generations to come, are faithful believers in Jesus
Christ and committed to upholding his Word.
Paul
goes on to warn Timothy:
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound
teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for
themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will
turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into
myths. As for you, always be sober-minded,
endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill
your ministry. (2 Timothy 4:3-5)
It
was assumed, when our by-laws were written, that everyone
in leadership and teaching positions would affirm the classic
and foundational teachings of the Christian faith and accept
the authority of God's Word in scirpture.
Given
what has happened in the Episcopal Church over the last
three years, we can no longer make that assumption.
This
new by-law will help to ensure that our children and their
children will not be led astray into dangerous and destructive
teachings or drawn away from Christ by false teachers.
The Common Cause Theological Charter (or the Anglican Theological
Charter) was drawn of by a number of the most renowned theologians,
bishops and pastors in the Anglican Communion. It is intended
that every congregation, diocese, and jurisdiction in the
Common Cause Partnership (if you do not know that is, please
follow this link) of which we are a part, to accept the
Charter.
The Charter is long, I know, but it is also an important
description and definition of Biblical Anglican Christianity
in general as well as a specific response to some of the
errors that plague the church today. The Charter will shape
the future of Anglicanism in the United States.
For these reasons, I think it is important to incorporate
the Charter into our by-laws and make affirmation of it
and accession to it a prerequisite for serving in any leadership
or teaching office at Good Shepherd.
That
will mean I and any future candidate for the position of
rector (don't worry I'm not planning to leave any time soon)
will be held accountable to a written standard as will wardens,
vestrymembers, and Sunday School teachers.
The
resolution presented on Sunday will include the requirement
that all who are nominated for any elected position and
all who are appointed to serve as teacher or leader of any
sort affirm the Theological Statement below and the Theological
Charter of the Common Cause Partnership and reaffirm this
commitment annually as a condition of remaining in office.
To create a by-law, a resolution must be passed two years
in a row. If passed next week,this by-law will not be in
effect until after next years annual meeting.
Below, you will see a copy of the Common Cause Theological
Statement which will be at the center of the resolution
we will present on Sunday. There are seven points. We will
go over those seven points during our meeting. The appendix
of this statement is called the Theological Charter. The
Charter is very long but I encourage you to read it. The
Statement is shorter and easier to understand. It is essentially
the charter boiled down to 7 points. Here is the statement:
Theological Statement (altered to accomodate
We believe and confess Jesus Christ to be the Way, the Truth,
and the Life: no one comes to the Father but by Him. Therefore,
we identify the following seven elements as characteristic
of the Anglican Way, and essential for leaders and teachers
in the Church:
1. I confess the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments
to be the inspired Word of God, containing all things necessary
for salvation, and to be the final authority and unchangeable
standard for Christian faith and life.
2. I confess Baptism and the Supper of the Lord to be Sacraments
ordained by Christ Himself in the Gospel, and thus to be
ministered with unfailing use of His words of institution
and of the elements ordained by Him.
3. I confess the godly historic Episcopate as an inherent
part of the apostolic faith and practice, and therefore
as integral to the fullness and unity of the Body of Christ.
4.
I confess as proved by most certain warrants of Holy Scripture
the historic faith of the undivided church as declared in
the three Catholic Creeds: the Apostles', the Nicene, and
the Athanasian.
5 . Concerning the seven Councils of the undivided Church,
I affirm the teaching of the first four Councils and the
Christological clarifications of the fifth, sixth and seventh
Councils, in so far as they are agreeable to the Holy Scriptures.
6 . I receive The Book of Common Prayer as set forth by
the Church of England in 1662, together with the Ordinal
attached to the same, as a standard for Anglican doctrine
and discipline, and, with the Books which preceded it, as
the standard for the Anglican tradition of worship.
7 . I receive the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion of 1562,
taken in their literal and grammatical sense, as expressing
the Anglican response to certain doctrinal issues controverted
at that time, and as expressing the fundamental principles
of authentic Anglican belief.
In all these things, the Church of the Good Shepherd is
determined by the help of God to hold and maintain as the
Anglican Way has received them the doctrine, discipline
and worship of Christ.
I
believe all that is contained in the Theological Statement
and Charter of the Common Cause Partnership and vow to conform
my life, ministry, leadership and teaching to them.
MORMONISM:
The Bible Answer man is hosting a week of call in broadcasts
dedicated to the topic of Mormonism. So far the shows have
been fantastic. You can listen to them here:
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Bible_Answer_Man/
CHRISTIAN BASICS:
Dr. RC Sproul , one of my favorite preachers and theologians,
is running a series of daily broadcasts on the basics or
essentials of the Christian faith. The first sermon or lecture
is on the topic of the nature of humanity. Listen to it
here:
http://www.ligonier.org/rym.php
scroll down to the audio file titled: The Nature
of Man.
That is the first sermon in the series. The subsequent
episodes are listed above that one.
I encourage you all to listen.
VESTRY
ELECTIONS and the calling of an elder:
There
are three vestry members up for election and one warden
position.
Three Candidates
for vestry:
Camille
Lane
Fred
Moat
Tom
Woolsey (he is stepping down from the Jr. Warden position
due to work commitments)
One
candidate for Jr. Warden: John Chaney
If you are hoping to run for any of these seats or want
to nominate someone please let Anne know this week so that
she can prepare ballots if necessary.
Serving
as an elder on vestry requires both faithfulness and commitment;
faithfulness to the Word of God and commitment to the mission
of the church.
Both
qualities are essential.
Without
faithfulness to the Word, plans are made and decisions taken
solely on the basis of worldly and/or practical considerations.
When
that happens a church runs the risk of acting faithlessly
or disobediently in times of trouble or crisis. It is more
important to have a committed believing Christian on vestry
than to have an able banker, attorney or CEO, however skilled.
Good Shepherd must always put God first and to do that we
need leaders who know and love his Word.
Likewise,
it is important to have someone committed to the mission
of the church; willing to put in the necessary time and
equipped with the necessary wisdom to see that mission to
fulfillment.
Before
you run or vote take some time to read the requirements
for leaders in the church found in 1st Timothy 3:1-10 (reprinted
once again in the “Good News for the Week“ section below)
and ask God to show you whether you or the person for whom
you are voting is called to this ministry.
After
expressing faithfulness to Christ and submission his Word,
Here are some of the primary requirements
for vestrymembers and wardens:
•
Weekly Attendance at worship
•
Monthly attendance at Vestry meetings
•
regular pledge
•
Baptism (for vestry) Baptism and Confirmation (for wardens)
We
expect but do not yet require all vestrymembers
and wardens to
•
Participate in at least one bible study and/or Christian
education once a week
•
Pray and read the scriptures daily
•
Tithe
SERMON & PODCASTING INFORMATION:
If you missed Anne's great sermon last week
or want to hear it again, you can listen to that sermon
and many more at the podcast
site .
I
encourage you to come by if you'd like to or need to talk
about anything at all.
BIBLE STUDY: All
the Bible Studies are up and running this week
YOUTH INFORMATION FROM MICAH
:
Youth Group will
be meeting at regular times, 2-4 for Junior High and 6-8
for Senior High. Jason Bronson is scheduled to bring the
snack for Jr. High.
Remember to get a schedule and save the dates for the big
upcoming events, including the Jr. High All Nighter on February
22/23 and the Sr. High Ski Trip, March 1.
If you are a Sr. High parent, please see me (Micah) after
church on Sunday. I am looking to get a head count on who
is coming and will have more information regarding costs
and other details.
The ski trip is the most expensive outing we've had yet.
Some might not be able to afford the full cost. If you are
interested in helping defray the costs, please see me or
mark it on your offering as such.
ADULT EDUCATION SERIES: HERESIES
AND CULTS :
This Sunday we will have the Annual Meeting in place of
Adult Education this Sunday. But next Sunday we will
conclude our discussion of Unitarian Universalism and then
bridge into a discussion of Bahai.
HAVE YOU…. shared your faith with a friend? The vestry has
challenged all of us to share our faith in Jesus Christ
with at least one non-believer each month.
Good News for the Week
10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my
conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love,
my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings
that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which
persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued
me. 12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life
in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil
people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving
and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in
what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing
from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood
you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which
are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in
Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by
God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction,
and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man
of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (2nd
Timothy 3:10-17)
Don't forget to....BRING A FRIEND TO CHURCH
Daily Schedule for the week of Sunday January 20th, 2008
Monday:
pastor's day off
Tuesday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
9:00 a.m. Tuesday Morning Bible Study
10:00a.m.-1:00
p.m. Pastor's Open Door Hours
6:00 p.m. First Light Bible Study
Wednesday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
10:00a.m.-1:00
p.m. Pastor's Open Door Hours
Thursday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
10:00a.m.-1:00
p.m. Pastor's Open Door Hours
5:30 p.m. Shepherd's Bowl
6:30
Thursday Night Bible Study
Friday
6:30 a.m. Men's Breakfast/Bible Study
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
Pastor's sermon prep day
Saturday :
10:00 a.m. Women's Bible Study
4:30
p.m. Hebrew Class
Sunday
January 27th 2008 SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP (SEASON OF EPIPHANY)
8:00am Worship, Holy Communion and Sermon
9:15-10:15 a.m. Christian
Education for all Ages
10:30am Worship, Holy Communion, Music, Sermon
2:00pm to 4:00pm
Jr. High Meeting
6:00pm
- 8:00pm Sr. High Meeting
Matt+
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