Advent is upon us

This Sunday is the 1st Sunday of Advent. 

 A time that the Church uses to call us into preparation for the coming of the King.  The next 3 Wednesdays we will have Soup and bread ready at 5:30pm to come and have a quick bowl of Soup, a slice of hearty bread and a thought for the Advent journey.  Then stay and celebrate 6:30 Eucharist with us or go onto your next event. 

We also invite you to pick up an advent wreath and a book of prayers for your homes or pick up some new candles for the wreath we gave out last year.  Have a blessed Advent and Don’t forget that Next Friday is the eve of St. Nick and Saturday is the Feast of St. Nick.  Have a blessed Advent.  God bless,  Fr.  Mike

December ‘08 Newsletter

December 2008 Newsletter

Sunday, Nov. 23 – Feast of Christ the King

Feast of Christ the King

      Thanks to all who helped with Bob Devenish’s funeral.

 

We will be participating this year in an ecumenical thanksgiving eve service at Our Savior’s Lutheran.  I will be preaching.  There will be no service here at 6:30pm on the 26^th.  There will be a service on Thanksgiving Day at 9am.

 

There will be worship service at 10am and Bible Study at 11am next Friday, November 28, 2008.

 

Men’s breakfast is next Saturday, November 29th at 7:30am at Pancake Café.

 

December 5^th is the ecumenical concert at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church to benefit the food pantry at 7 pm and December 7^th is our benefit concert to raise funds for the Christmas dinner at 1pm.

 

If you didn’t bring your estimate of giving cards or time and talent forms back please do so next week. 

 

Please remember that we are collecting new born diapers, soap and shampoo.

 

This weekend is the last week to order church logo shirts and sweats, we are also adding a long sleeve knit shirt.  The prices are on the sign up sheet.

 

I have two people willing to straighten the church on Friday and am looking for two more.

 

On December 3^rd, 10^th and 17^th  we will have soup and bread on the Wednesdays in Advent before Mass at 6:30pm. There is a sign up sheet in the Narthex to bring soup or bread.

 

We are looking for a group to help work with the greening of the Church on Sunday, December 21^st.

 

I am looking for adults to help with the children’s pageant on Sunday, December 21 at the 10 am service.  The practice will be after 10 am service on Sunday, December 14^th for children of all ages.

 

 There will be a New Year’s Eve mass at 6:30pm if interested.

 

 We need 3 additional fire extinguishers @ $50 each – need $150.00 to complete project.

 

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving.  This Sunday Nov. 23rd is the Feast of Christ the king.  The last weekend of our liturgical year.  We start Advent next weekend and liturgical year B which will feature the Gospel of Mark.  This Thursday is Thanksgiving and I want to wish you and those you love a blessed Thanksgiving.  I give thanks for the blessings of Good Shepherd and the year we have been able to share, grow and do mission together.  God bless,  Hope to see you soon.

 

Fr.  Mike

Liturgy and Bible Study, Friday, November 21, 2008

Due to a funeral that is to be held at Good Shepherd on Friday, November 21, 2008 the regularly scheduled liturgy service with healing and Bible Study will be cancelled.

Bob Devenish Funeral Arrangements

We are very saddened this morning to inform you that a long time congregation member of ours has passed and gone to see his Lord and Savior at 11:45am, on Wednesday, November 19, 2008.

The funeral arrangements are as follows: Friday, November 21, 2008, 10am-2pm visitation @ Good Shepherd and funeral mass to follow at 2pm.

Pentecost 25 Stewardship Nov. 2nd, 2008

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them Rabbi. But you are not to be called Rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your Father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.

What does it mean to belong?  In the first letter of John we hear those comforting words, see what love the Father has given us that we should be called children of God.

In the first reading from Revelation we hear about the white robed martyrs those who have made it through the Ordeal.  I don’t know about you but I feel like I am wading through the Ordeal this day and every day.

We celebrate the one-two punch of All Saints yesterday and the Feast of the faithfully departed today.  A day to remember those who loved God greatly and inspire us and a day to remember those we love who have went home before us.

All this wraps into a bunch of questions as to what it means to belong.  The Gospel lays out a pretty intense set of what it means to be on the team.  I think the beatitude which we heard in Matthew’s version of the Gospel is a way of saying there is something on the other side of the ordeal worth being part of.

This weekend and next my sermons will be on stewardship.  Then on November 16th, we will ask you between now and then to pray over your tithing of your gifts.  Part of that tithing we hope will include Good Shepherd.  I would ask you to take the envelope with your name on it, in the Narthex, home with you and read the information and pray with your loved ones about your giving to God in the next year.  I encourage you to reach toward 10% of a combination of time, talent and money which we call treasure.

In your prayer and thoughts please think, pray and discuss what this faith community, what being part of this team of the Body of Christ means to you.

I have asked the Bishop’s committee to allow me to be the point person for stewardship this year.  I wanted to do that because I think we have a great start to being a vibrant and missional parish but I am putting my core beliefs to the test. 

I hate talking money but when we do talk money I feel that being straight and honest as I can be, is the way to do it.

I think God has a great plan for us and I believe that God will cover us and we will have not just enough to cover the ministry God intends but there will be abundance. 

I believe that everyone should work toward tithing because it is biblical and it shows trust in God.  That being said I think that everyone can tithe this year with a combination of time, talent and treasure. How that balances or how you do the math is between you and God.

I encourage all of us to work toward 10% of our financial resources toward charity and Good Shepherd and I encourage us to step up by ½ or whole % every year.

I know this is a tough financial year for folks but that’s why we call it a faith based budget. If you give us your honest answer to what you think you can give and your situation changes God and Good Shepherd will understand.  If you are saying I can’t afford anything than committing a dollar a week you are still on the team and that means committing.  Membership means coming to weekend services more than you miss, being involved in one more activity than just weekend worship and financially supporting the church to the best of your ability.

I believe in God’s plan, I believe in us and I believe in the stone soup concept that if you give what you can from God’s abundance in your life we will not only have enough we will have abundance.

Welcome to the team.

In the name of God