Seven
Mission Goals for 2007
1.
An active youth ministry in place by the end of the year
2.
Hosting a quarterly Friends and Family Sunday (where we
invite non-believing family and friends to church)
3.
100% parish participation in the Franklin Graham festival
(i.e. everyone gets trained and brings a non-believing friend
to the festival itself)
4.
The vestry is seeking100% participation in Bible Study.
5
At least 30 new believers by this time next year.
6.
An active discipling program by the end of the year with
at least 4 leaders in discipling relationships.
7.
gathering at least 100 people for worship every Sunday.
Dear
Good Shepherd,
Good
morning. I was thinking this morning during bible study
about the ways this church has grown in the last five years...not
just numerically, but also in the love and knowledge of
Christ. Many at Good Shepherd are now reading the bible
every day, coming to a bible study, praying every day, coming
to church on Sunday and not just in a sort of ritualistic
or habitual way, but out of a deep desire for Christ and
his presence and his word. It warms my heart to see the
way your biblical knowledge has increased. It makes me even
more joyful to see the interest and the desire you have
to know more and see more and taste more of the gospel.
I am very thankful that God has brought me here to to be
your pastor.
And,
as Paul says, we mustn't let up. Keep fighting the good
fight all the way to heaven.
UPDATE
CONTENTS
MOTHER'S
DAY
CHICKEN
BBQ AND RUMMAGE SALE THANKS
LIFE
AND WITNESS COURSE THANKS AND UPDATE
ACOLYTE
PRACTICE
VESTRY
MEETING
OPERATION
ANDREW
VOLUNTEERS
FREE
HEBREW CLASSES
SIGN
UPDATE
SPECIAL
FUND TO SUPPORT THE FRANKLIN GRAHAM FESTIVAL
THE
WHOLE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR TOGETHER
ADULT
EDUCATION: DOES GOD EXIST?
BIBLE
STUDIES
NEWS
MOTHER'S
DAY:
is coming up
this Sunday. All love, of every sort, finds its source in
God . That includes the love a mother has for her child.
As a man this love is sometimes difficult for me to understand.
When I hear Rowan scream at 1:00am on a weekday night my
heart is not filled with loving devotion. If I had them,
I'd stick ear-plugs in my ears and roll over. But Anne can't
do that. My mom couldn't do it either. There is something
God puts in a mother's heart that men do not have. That
thing, that love, is the same sort of love that God has
for his children when they cry out to him, when they are
lost, and even when they reject him. When Jesus looked over
Jerusalem , a city full of lost people who he knew would
reject him he said: “how I long to gather you in my arms
as a hen gathers her chicks, but you would not have it…”
God
the Father is the source of a mother's love and he expressed
that love in sending his Son to bring his lost children
home.
Come
this week and thank God for giving us mother's. There will
be a flower for all women present.
CHICKEN
BBQ and RUMMAGE SALE: Thank you to everyone took
part in the chicken BBQ and rummage sale. We did very well
this time. Thank you again.
LIFE
AND WITNESS COURSE THANKS AND UPDATE:
I wanted
to encourage and thank everyone who has taken part in the
Life and Witness courses, helping and organizing and attending.
They have gone wonderfully and have been a great blessing
to us. Thank you. I also hope that those of you who have
attended will translate the great lessons into your everyday
Christian life.
We
learned more than anything else that walking with Christ
is a daily walk. Personal bible study and prayer are daily
essentials to maintaining peace and steering clear of pitfalls.
Weekly worship and fellowship are also essential for the
same reason. Christ saved you and put you into a community
for a reason. It is not good for believers to be alone.
I
also hope that you will take an active part in the Franklin
Graham festival.
I encourage everyone whether you came to the Life and Witness
Course or not to reach out to your neighbors and friends
and invite them to the festival. It is an easy thing to
do and it may end up changing someone's life forever.
ACOLYTE
PRACTICE: Is coming up next Sunday, the 20th
(third Sunday every month) of May. Please be sure
to be there if you are an acolyte.
VESTRY
MEETING: There will be a vestry meeting this coming
Wednesday, the 16 th of May at 7:00pm in the parish hall.
Vestry meetings are open to all parishioners.
OPERATION
ANDREW:
I have been asking people all week whether they've been
praying about the five people on their Operation Andrew
list and I have received a lot of blank stares...evangelism
is not a suggested pastime, it is our God-given mission.
God wants disciples to make more disciples. That is why
we are here. He loves people and wants to bring them to
his Kingdom. The question is whether you have the love of
Christ for the lost? Christ suffered humiliation, torture,
and finally gave his life to save you. Some of us are barely
willing to risk an embarrassing conversation for him. We
can do better.
Let's
do it.
Write
down 5 names, pray for them and then invite them to the
Festival or to Church. Here are those three steps again.
Step
1 is to Look
Around where you live, work, or go to school—this is your
mission field. List names of individuals you know who need
Jesus Christ, whom you will pray for regularly.
Step
2 is to Look
Up because God changes people through prayer. Pray each
day for those on your list, that God will give you opportunities
to share His love with them.
Step
3 is to Look
Out for ways to cultivate friendships with each person on
your list. Spend time with them. An invitation to dinner
or a sporting event will build friendships, which can open
the way to talk about Christ.
If
we want to grow as a church and as a people, if we want
to reach out to the lost and bring them the hope of Christ,
we must become fishers of men.
VOLUNTEERS
(second notice): Rabbi Ron Goldberg and I are looking for
willing volunteers to help take some of the Franklin Graham
material door to door sometime in May. The idea is to let
people know that the festival is coming up and that they
are welcome to come.
FREE
HEBREW LESSONS: Classes,
taught by Rabbi Ron, began last Saturday at 4:30pm and will
continue this Saturday. If you cannot make this first class
on such short notice you can pick it up any time in the
next few weeks. Please take advantage of this wonderful
opportunity.
SIGN
UPDATE: Okay,
apparently in the last three years, the city of Binghamton
re-drew property
zones on the South-side so that we are now part of a Neighborhood
district. The zoning regulations permit signs 2 feet by
2 feet. Anything larger must be approved at a public hearing.
You may have noticed the notices posted around the church
to that effect. The public hearing is June 6 th . I do not
anticipate any difficulty getting the sign approved. But
it is another delay.
SOFTBALL
and the PARISH PICNIC:
Rabbi Ron said that some of his people are interested in
challenging us to a series of softball games this summer.
I told him that we'd be happy to beat him. I also invited
them to join us at the annual parish picnic where we can
have our first game. The Picnic is scheduled for Sunday
June 17 th .
SPECIAL
FUND TO SUPPORT THE FRANKLIN GRAHAM FESTIVAL
(final notice)
: God has used
the Franklin Graham Festival to bring thousands of people
to faith in Jesus Christ across the country. But there are
significant overhead costs associated with this ministry
and they have asked for all Christians to give their financial
support. At Good Shepherd, we are setting aside a special
fund for this purpose. If you would like to support the
Franklin Graham Festival in Binghamton , please mark your
check or cash donation for that purpose and it will be given
directly to the Festival from Good Shepherd.
THE
WHOLE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR TOGETHER:
If you are following along in your bulletins you will notice
that I print each week's readings there in advance. I post
them on the website each Sunday afternoon as well.
ADULT
EDUCATION SERIES: APOLOGETICS: DOES
GOD EXIST?
Okay, we've gotten
to the point where we can agree that there must be some
eternal, infinite power source and that this power source
must be superlative and immutable. This also means that
it is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent and, possess qualities
that tend to build rather than destroy.
This
Sunday we'll take it from there and begin to speak a bit
about revelation.
This
is a great class to invite non-believers and those searching
for or doubting their faith. We'll start again next Sunday.
BIBLE
STUDIES: All of them are up and running this week
except the First Light Bible Study which will resume the
week after the Life and Witness Courses end.
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
This
is what the LORD says—he who made you, who formed you in
the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, O Jacob,
my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour
water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing
on your descendants. They will spring up like grass in a
meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams. One will say,
'I belong to the LORD '; another will call himself by the
name of Jacob; still another will write on his hand, 'The
LORD's,' and will take the name Israel . (Isaiah 44:2-5)
Don't
forget to....BRING A FRIEND TO CHURCH!
Daily Schedule for the week of Sunday May 6th 2007 Easter
V
Monday:
7:00 p.m. LIFE AND WITNESS
COURSE
Tuesday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
9:00 a.m. Tuesday Morning Bible Study
6:00 p.m. First Light Bible Study (not
meeting until after the Life and Witness courses are complete)
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
Pastor's sermon prep day
Saturday:
10:00 a.m. Women's Bible Study
4:30
p.m. Hebrew Class
Sunday
May 20th, 2007 ASCENSION
SUNDAY
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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