| Update
December 9th, 2005
Dear
Good Shepherd,
Good
Morning. There are actually two weekly articles this
week. The first is a very short edited excerpt from the stewardship
letter I sent out Thursday. It contains some very good reports
from this year's stats that I wanted to repeat in this week's
update. The second article is not printed in full but it is
linked below. If you are reading this in the bulletin and
don't have access to the internet, copies will be provided.
The second article is on the subject of Christian truth as
it relates to evangelism. Is it really right to ask people
of other faiths to leave their synagogues or temples or covens
and become Christians? Is faith in Jesus Christ really the
only way to God? I thought it might be a fitting subject to
coincide with our evangelism walkabout.
Weekly
Article
A
Year of Growth
Anne
and I along with the entire vestry have been so very encouraged
and thankful for the way you have stepped forward to support
the mission of Good Shepherd through your hands-on hard work;
through your fantastic participation in worship, Christian
education, and bible study; through your prayers; and through
your monetary gifts to the victims of the Tsunami, Hurricanes,
and the Shepherd's Bowl.
Thanks
be to God, we have again seen some wonderful increases and
blessings this year. Take a look at just some of them:
- We
welcomed ten new members, most of whom invited Jesus Christ
into their lives for the first time right here at Good Shepherd.
- The
Shepherd's Bowl now regularly feeds 30 to 40 hungry people
each week.
- There
are now five well-attended bible studies each week on top
of the classes offered during our well attended Sunday Morning
Christian education hour.
- Including
all five studies and the various Christian education programs
74% of our active membership now attends a study/fellowship
group on a weekly basis.
- Our
average Sunday attendance is higher than last year, our
pledge base has expanded, our faith has grown deeper.
Good
Shepherd is called to 1. spread the saving message of Jesus
Christ to as many people as possible, 2. raise up and train
believing disciples through teaching, worship, and fellowship,
and to 3. feed the hungry on the south-side.
This
year, I am very happy to report that by the grace and power
of God,
the
mission of Good Shepherd is being fulfilled. The lost are
finding Jesus Christ, the hungry are being fed, believers
are being deepened, strengthened, and nourished.
There
is, of course, more work to do. There are, as you might notice,
plenty of empty pews. There are lots of people outside our
walls hungry for food and hungry for Jesus Christ. There will
never be a time prior to the second coming when a disciple
of Jesus Christ can truthfully say the race is finished.
But
while still far from the finish line, we have progressed far
and well this year and for that we can all be thankful.
Praise
be to the Lord.
Here's
the link to the second Weekly Article: The
Only Way
Next
Week:
A question from Jenna Dean "How did people
live so long in the Old Testament? Some of them are hundreds
of years old?"
Here's
the news,
UPDATE CONTENTS:
EVANGELISM
STEWARDSHIP
ADVENT
CHRISTMAS PAGEANT
VESTRY
ELECTIONS
DECK
THE HALLS
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION: FAMILY LIFE
BIBLE STUDIES
THE
NEW BEGINNER'S BIBLE STUDY Q AND A
BIBLE
STUDIES ON THE WEB
CHRISTMAS
WORSHIP SCHEDULE
NEWS
EVANGELISM:
The bread
making/walkabout is THIS SATURDAY. For those who are new to
Good Shepherd, here's how it works.
First
a team of volunteers makes bread in the church oven. Those
who have signed up to help bake should be at the church at
around 8:30am
Then,
at around 10:00am to 10:30am another team
places the bread in small paper bags along with some information
about the church, a bible verse (“I am the bread of life”)
and a brochure with the gospel message.
Then
at around noon , those who have volunteered
for delivery split up into as many delivery teams as we can
(at least two per team) and fan out through the neighborhood
knocking on doors and handing out the bags.
This
makes it very easy to be an evangelist. All you have to do
is smile and give away free homemade bread. Last time we delivered
bread to 240 homes. I had hoped to double this number this
year, to deliver about 500, but we're still not sure if we'll
have the time to do that many. At the very least, we'll do
more than last year.
I
pray you will lend your effort to any or all phases of this
project. But if you cannot, I do ask that you pray that God
uses our efforts on Saturday to turn hearts to Jesus Christ.
STEWARDSHIP:
The pledge
cards went out this week, We'll be collecting them throughout
December, so please fill them out and return them by mail
or in the offering plate as soon as possible so that we can
formulate a budget for 2006.
ADVENT:
For those of you new to the Anglican tradition wondering about
some of the changes in worship during Advent, be sure to read
this article.
CHRISTMAS PAGEANT
: Anne
wanted me to remind you once more that there will be Pageant
practice EVERY SUNDAY after the 10:30am
service beginning this Sunday!
VESTRY
ELECTIONS: There
will be some open seats for vestry this January. 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 1 st Timothy 3:1-10 (reprinted
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.
DECK
THE HALLS: The
“Greening” of the church will take place on Sunday December
18 th , after the 10:30am service. For those of you who are
new to Good Shepherd, the “greening of the church” is essentially
decorating the church for Christmas. Greenery and wreaths
are hung, trees set up, ribbons tied, lights and decorations
put in their proper places and a good time had by all. There
will be a potluck lunch for all who stay and help. HELP is
something we need every year, so please don't be shy. There
are some jobs that require strong men, unafraid of heights,
and others require a great deal of attention to detail and
organization. If you have these qualities and skills, what
a great time to use them and have fun in the process.
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION: FAMILY LIFE
Last week
we looked at the promises God gives to believing parents and
the covenant He establishes with you and your family for generations
to come.
This
week, we'll turn to a more practical look at ways to make
your home more consciously Christian. How do you pass on your
faith to your kids? How do you make sure that the faith of
your family is not just a Sunday morning affair?
We'll
give some principles and practical steps.
For
those interested, here are the two books I have used throughout
this section of our family life series:
Dare
to Discipline ,
by Dr. James Dobson
Standing
on the Promises
by Douglas Wilson
CHRISTIAN
EDUCATION: THE NEXT SERIES
As I mentioned a few Updates ago, the next series
is going to begin very soon. This time, we'll be examining
the biblical role of the church. What is the church? Is it
a building? Is it a people? Can it be both? What is it supposed
to be and do? The bible answers all of these questions and
in it, God provides the mission for every local parish, including
Good Shepherd.
The
vestry and I encourage everyone to attend this series as through
it you will learn and see some of the principles that have
been at the core of some of the programs we have established
and leadership decisions we have made over the last three
years.
BIBLE
STUDIES:
All the Bible Studies will be running as scheduled this week
with only one change: see below.
THE
NEW BEGINNER'S BIBLE STUDY Q AND A. The
official class time begins at 6:30am. The Question and Answer
period will begin at 6:00pm. The Q and A is not part of the
official class. It's just an extra bit of time for you to
come and ask questions about your homework or the discussion
or anything else relating to your faith.
BIBLE
STUDIES ON THE WEB: Remember
that the notes and assignments for the New Beginner's Bible
Study are posted on a new
webpage designed specifically for that purpose. Soon all
the bible studies will have similar pages where those who
attend can see what was discussed and what will be discussed.
CHRISTMAS
WORSHIP SCHEDULE: Christmas
is on a Sunday this year and there will be church that day,
but at a different time so please pay special attention to
the schedule below.
Christmas
Eve
5:00pm
Christmas Eve family service with pageant
10:30pm
Christmas Carols
11:00pm
Christmas Eve Celebration: communion, sermon, music, lights!
Christmas
Day
11:00am
Christmas Day Worship: Communion and sermon
GOOD NEWS FOR THE WEEK:
Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on
being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer
must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate,
self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not
given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome,
not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and
see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone
does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take
care of God's church?) He must not be a recent convert, or
he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as
the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders,
so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's
trap. Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect,
sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest
gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith
with a clear conscience. They must first be tested; and then
if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.
(1 st Timothy 3:1-10)
Don't
forget to....BRING A FRIEND TO CHURCH!
Daily Schedule for the week of Sunday December 11th,
2005
Monday:
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
Tuesday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
9:00 a.m. Tuesday Morning Bible Study
6:30 p.m. Tuesday Evening Bible Study
Wednesday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
Thursday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
5:30 p.m. Shepherd's Bowl
6:30 p.m. New Beginners Bible Study
7:30 p.m. Choir Practice
Friday
6:30 a.m. Men's Breakfast/Bible Study
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
Saturday:
10:00 a.m. Women's Bible Study
Sunday
December 18th : Advent 4 year B
8:00am Holy Communion I and Sermon
9:15 Christian Education for All ages
10:30 am Holy Communion I, Music and Sermon
PAGEANT PRACTICE
God bless you all
Matt+
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