| Update
April 28th, 2006
Dear
Good Shepherd,
Good Morning! Well, here's your first post-Easter pre-Pentacost
Weekly Update
PLEASE
READ IT VERY CAREFULLY. I'm trying not to repeat much of this
on Sunday to cut down on annoucement time.
Enjoy!
WEEKLY
ARTICLE
HOME
GROUPS
Weekly
Article by the Rev. Matt Kennedy
The
Church of the Good Shepherd
April,
28th, 2006
As
I mentioned in my last weekly artcle
, the vestry and I have been thinking and praying about
ways to integrate new believers and new members into the parish
body as well as how to make it possible for everyone, both
new and long time members, to be discipled and nourished during
the week.
God
has given us alot of growth lately. The bible studies are
quickly filling up. Three of them: Tuesday Morning, New
Beginners, and the Men's Breakfast/Bible Study , are
packed out to the point that they are less and less intimate
gatherings of believers (as they were originally intended
to be) and more and more like large bible classes.
This
has been God's doing. The spiritual growth and life flowing
out of these classes and into the parish body is amazing to
see. And since God, apparently has his own plans for these
classes we want to keep on keeping on and let God do as he
pleases.
But
what seems to be emerging is this: Since the bible studies
(at least three of them) are becoming more and more like bible
classes, there remains an unmet need to have small groups
of believers gathering weekly on a more personal level to
share needs, study God's Word, and pray for each other.
We've
been praying about this for some time and the leadership of
the church (Anne, the vestry, and me) believes that we are
being called to establish some home groups.
Home
Groups are small groups (usually no more than 8 to 10 people
and no less than 3) that meet together in a home once a week.
During each of these gatherings there will be time for prayer,
bible study, food and fellowship. The purpose is to grow in
the knowledge of God and his Word while developing lasting,
supportive relationships with fellow believers.
Over
the next few weeks I'll be praying with and calling on some
believers at Good Shepherd who I know to be spiritually gifted
in leadership and teaching. I'll ask them to set aside some
time and pray each day/week this spring about whether God
is calling them to lead one of these groups. Those who sense
the call will be invited to meet several times over the summer
for some training sessions.
By
the fall of 2006, we hope to launch at least three, hopefully
four, new home groups.
Who
are home groups designed for? The short and predictable answer
is "everyone."
At
the same time the primary focus will be three groups
of people:
•
Everyone who wants to officially join Good Shepherd
as a member will be asked to sign up for a home group. This
will help us to disciple new believers and new members and
help them find a smaller group of friends in the church so
when they come on Sunday morning they won't feel alone. They
will have a family within the larger body of believers. It
will also allow new believers to establish close Christian
friendships at the very beginning of their Christian walk.
This is very important for new believers, especially those
who are leaving behind destructive habits and destructive
relationships to choose Christ.
•
Existing members: We will encourage every
existing member not currently attending a weekly bible study
to at least sign up for a homegroup and give it a try for
a month. If every member of Good Shepherd were to be involved
on a weekly basis in a home group or bible study then the
whole body would be deeply strengthened and nourished and
our fellowship would grow even stronger.
•
Seekers: people who you know to be looking
for God or something to believe in. Building relationships
is crucial to the process of coming to faith. If you belong
to a small group or know when and where they meet inviting
a seeker to come and join in may prove to be the way God finally
reaches them.
If
you're already committed to a bible study once a week, you're
still welcome to join a home group, but don't burn yourself
out. If you can't make the extra commitment don't.
This
is a big transition but an important one. I pray it will:
1.
draw us closer to God and his Word through study
2.
bring us closer to one another through fellowship
3.
teach us to pray for and listen to each other through hands
on personal interaction and experience
4.
provide new believers with close Christian relationships from
the very beginning of their Christian life.
I
hope and pray that you will participate in this new part of
Good Shepherd's walk with the Lord and that God will use home
groups to bless and nourish you. personally and Good Shepherd
as a body.
UPDATE
CONTENTS
NEW FACES
CONFIRMATION/BAPTISM/RECEPTION
HAVE
YOU…
SOLEMN/FIRST
COMMUNION
FAMILY
AND FRIENDS SUNDAY
ADULT
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION: “THE HARD QUESTIONS”
EASTER
SUNDAY
ACOLYTES
ALTAR
GUILD
RESOURCE
FOR INFORMATION ON THE ANGLICAN CRISIS
PARISH
DIRECTORY
CAMPING
TRIP
NEWS:
NEW
FACES: We've had an excellent year so far and we've
welcomed several new faces (11 to be exact) since January.
Some of these are not only new to Good Shepherd, but new believers
in Jesus Christ as well. Thanks be to God for bringing more
and more people to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ
and thanks be to God that he is doing it here at Good Shepherd.
Here is a brief list of some of the new faces you might see
around: Micah Towery, Elizabeth, Abigail, and Payton Finch
(David is already listed as a member) , Bill Lane, Tina Smith
and her girls: Megan, Morgan, and Madison, Rick Moat, and
Russell and Lillian Malinek.
CONFIRMATIONS/BAPTISMS/RECEPTIONS:
We are currently
negotiating with our bishop, bishop Adams, to allow bishop
Bena from the diocese
of Albany (an Anglican Communion Network diocese) to visit
Good Shepherd for Confirmations. Confirmation is the time
when you, as an adult, publicly profess your faith in Jesus
Christ and have that faith “confirmed” by a bishop, or overseer,
who will lay hands on you and pray for you to be filled with
the Holy Spirit.
There
are a number of people at Good Shepherd who have not yet been
Confirmed. If you would like to be, please let Anne or me
know. I have some of you already in mind and I will be speaking
to you if you privately.
But
if I don't approach you and you'd like to take part in this
please contact me.
This
will also be a wonderful opportunity to be Baptized if you
are not already or to be Received if you have been Confirmed
in another denomination.
Requirements
for Confirmation, (adult) Baptism, and Reception:
1.
If you are committed to a weekly bible study or come to Christian
Education on a weekly basis then you are prepared for Confirmation.
If not then you will be asked to commit to a bible study or
Sunday morning group.
2.
There two mandatory meetings for everyone hoping to be confirmed/received/baptized.
The first meeting will be to discuss what it means to be confirmed
into the Anglican expression of Christianity and the second
will be to discuss the service itself. I will publish these
dates as soon as I get a better idea of who will be attending.
PS:
We will also be doing lake Baptisms this year at the Parish
Picnic coming up in June at Cole Park so if you would like
to wait until the picnic please feel free, but if you
are participating in the Solemn Communion program, you will
want to be baptized by Bishop Bena or at some point before
Solemn Communion Sunday.
The
date being discussed for bishop Bena's visit is Wednesday
evening, May 24th .
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. You are, judging by our recent growth,
obviously doing a great job and at that! If we continue at
the same rate God will have added 33 new believers/members
to our fellowship by the end of the year.
We're at the end April. Have you shared your faith?
SOLEMN/FIRST
COMMUNION: IS COMING THIS WEEK Here is a note from
Anne+
Solemn
Communion is coming up again! For those of you who are new
to Good Shepherd, Solemn Communion is part of Catechesis of
the Good Shepherd, the curriculum we use for elementary Sunday
School. In the evangelical Anglican tradition, children are
invited to receive communion as soon as they are baptized
and reach for the bread and wine at the communion rail. It
is the choice of parents to allow them to receive as infants,
or to wait until they are a little older and have a more mature
understanding of the sacrament. Regardless of when children
receive communion, however, we like them to know what is going
on and so that is what Solemn Communion is all about—deepening
an understanding of the sacrament of holy communion and coming
to a mature faith in Jesus Christ. Solemn Communion is made
up of 5 evening mediations, a retreat day and Solemn Communion
Sunday. The dates and times are listed below. This is a special
and important time for our children and I ask the whole church
to participate in three ways. First, I ask you to pray daily
for those participating. Second, I ask that you invite any
children you know to participate in the program—even going
to so far as to bring them yourself. And third, if you yourself
would like to deepen your relationship with God and understand
more what communion is all about, let me know and I will make
available the meditations and material we are using. This
is a special and important time for the whole church and I
encourage everyone to participate in anyway they can. –Anne
+
Evening
Meditations
6:30-7:30pm
Tuesdays
May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 at the rectory (call 773-4810 for directions)
Retreat
Day
Saturday
9am to 4pm, June 3
At
Good Shepherd
Solemn
Communion Sunday
10:30
am June 4
At
Good Shepherd
FAMILY AND FRIENDS SUNDAY: The next Family
and Friends Sunday will be May 21st , so
start thinking and praying now about someone else to invite.
” THE HARD QUESTIONS”: Our current Adult Education
series is based on the book, “Reason
to Believe” by Dr. RC Sproul. You can find this book in
most bookstores. And I'm almost positive you can find it at
Arrowhead.
Last
week we discussed the problem of evil: “Do Christians have
a good answer to evil and suffering?”
We
saw that God did not create evil. Rather, in the act of creating
beings with the capacity to love it was necessary to create
them with the freedom not to love, the freedom not to choose
the good. Evil is simply the result of free creatures choosing
not to love God and follow him.
This
Sunday we'll take up the question: “Doesn't the bible contradict
itself? It's just a fairy tale, a collection of myths.”
I
hope you will join us for this new series and invite your
friends who may be questioning as well. "Christianity
and the Hard Questions" will last throughout the summer.
EASTER
SUNDAY REPORT: Combined
attendance for the Easter Vigil and both Easter morning services
was 131. This is fantastic. Thank you to all the people who
served during Holy Week and Easter. You made the week a wonderful
worship experience for so many people.
ACOLYTES
: Thank you to
the acolytes who served so well. You all did a fantastic job,
especially for the Vigil and Easter Morning. I am very proud
of you all and thankful to Rob Finch who has trained you so
well.
ALTAR
GUILD: Thank
you also to the altar guild who made everything look so beautiful
this year (as you do every year).
RESOURCE FOR INFORMATION ON THE ANGLICAN CRISIS: If
your looking for a complete and handy resource for understanding
the current crisis in American Anglicanism , this PDF
file put out by the American
Anglican Council is superb. I heartily recommend it.
INFORMATION NEEDED FOR PARISH DIRECTORY: If you are
a new member or your contact information has changed and you
would like to be on the parish address/phone list, please
write down your information and either give it to Anne or
drop it in the offering plate on Sunday.
CAMPING
TRIP: The vestry
is planning for the second annual Good Shepherd Camping Trip.
We were planning on a date sometime in mid-July, but many
people who want to go are tied up in July so we are turning
our sights to August. More information about dates and location
will be coming in the next few weeks. The cost will be 22$
per night for Campers, and 16$ per night for tents. For more
details please speak to Fred Moat.
Good
News for the Week
"This
is what the LORD says: 'You say about this place, "It
is a desolate waste, without men or animals." Yet in
the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted,
inhabited by neither men nor animals, there will be heard
once more the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride
and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings
to the house of the LORD, saying, "Give thanks to the
LORD Almighty, for the LORD is good; his love endures forever."
For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,'
says the LORD. "This is what the LORD Almighty says:
'In this place, desolate and without men or animals—in all
its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest
their flocks. In the towns of the hill country, of the western
foothills and of the Negev, in the territory of Benjamin,
in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah,
flocks will again pass under the hand of the one who counts
them,' says the LORD. (Jeremiah 33:10-13)
Don't
forget to....BRING A FRIEND TO CHURCH!
Daily Schedule for the week of Sunday April 30th, 2006
Monday:
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
Tuesday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
9:00 a.m. Tuesday Morning Bible Study
6:00 p.m. First Light Bible Study: Q and A
6:30
p.m. First Light Bible Study: Discussion (Matthew 13)
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
MAY 7th , 2006 EASTER IV
8:00am Holy Communion II and Sermon
9:15-10:15 a.m. Christian Education for all Ages
10:30 am Holy Communion II, Music and Sermon
God bless you all
In
Christ,
Matt+
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