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For many of us, the coming of summer has given us some time off from our busy schedules. Not so for those who will be making their way to Denver, Colorado for the 73rd General Convention, July 5-14. According to the Canons of the Episcopal Church, every three years both the Laity and clergy (all three orders) meet to formally conduct the business of the Church. The Lay and clergy delegates won’t be vacationing. They will be very busy legislating the issues and items that are on the agenda for the Convention. Along with issues of human sexuality and the Church which require our careful and prayerful attention, there will be other important items on the agenda which will also be considered at the Convention. There will be a resolution to adopt the Revised Common Lectionary, in place of the current lectionary. If this is adopted, we will be using the same Sunday readings and Scripture Lessons as many other Christian faith communities, including other Anglican Provinces in the world. It would be a positive move toward promoting ecumenical relations. The Commission on Liturgy and Music will report on their recommendations in many areas such as a leadership program for musicians who serve in small parishes, future revision of the Book of Common Prayer as well as creating supplemental liturgical materials specifically for rites of ministry For the sick, during times of death, weekday Eucharists, and ministry to individuals who are confined in health care facilities. These are only a few examples of the focus and work of our delegates to Convention. We offer our prayers for them as they begin their task. Let us pray...
Mother Pierce † As many of you know, large jobs don't always go as planned. So it is with our A/C. We didn’t have enough space in the electrical boxes for the circuit breakers. Four thousand dollars later, we will have enough breaker room, power and upgraded our system out of the 1950’s. Sometimes you just have to "bite the bullet" and do it. So it was with Good Shepherd. Through the generous memorial donations of our parish, we raised the necessary funding for the initial A/C installation. We need your help with the electrical system. I make the appeal here in writing. I thank you in advance for your support. We’re flexible here at Good Shepherd. The weekly plate works with a note works or you can just mail it to the church. Either way gets it done. On a lighter side, kudos go out to the Portocalis Kids, Maria and Beth, and their kitchen crew for another Fathers’ Day Breakfast. I understand that the men on Mothers’ Day left a tray of what appeared to be round flat objects, which, in a former life, may have been pancakes. Sony ‘bout that and thank you ladies. The dishes were washed in the dishwasher recently repaired. It never seems to end with such a large physical plant that we are stewards of. Just as with the recently departed Coulson family, we say good-bye to another family who must move on. We wish the Sherrills all the best as they start again in Tampa. Having done this before, I’m sure they’ll adjust. Maybe some day they will be able to "come out of their shells" and get to know people. Hopefully they take a little bit of our Christian family with them. ‘Til next month... In your service, The Grass Always Looks Shorter at Other Churches Have you been looking for a low commitment way to get involved in your church? All it takes is less than an hour or two - on the weekday or Saturday of your choice. Volunteers are needed to mow the church lawn. At the present time, we do not have enough volunteers to mow the church lawn. Leave your name, phone number and the date of your choice on the church office answering machine (589-8209) or call Hank DeLooff at 589-4452. Hurry to volunteer before all the best weeks are taken!
It's time to start planning activities and events for the 2000-2001 year. There will be a calendar-planning meeting in the Parish Hall on July 16 at 12:00. The purpose of this meeting is to plan the Parish calendar of events and resolve conflicts prior to accepting building use reservations from outside groups in August. It is not the time to plan events -- this should be done before the Calendar Planning Meeting. All committees or groups should plan to have a representative at the meeting with the dates and times of all events planned so they can be put on the Parish planning calendar.
We
welcome Cindy & Michael Eaton and their children, Brittany & Kells
We will be starting a new Biblical Mini-Series, Wednesday nights from 7pm to 8:30pm, July 12, 19 and 26. We are going to go back into history, looking at the Gospels, including some which were written but not included in the Canon of Scripture as we know it. To add a contemporary flavor, we will be including Norman Mailer’s recent book, The Gospel According to the Son, (which is available at the library or in most bookstores) to add to the discussion. Please join us. Mother Pat †
Our choir is now on its well-deserved summer hiatus. We thank them for leading us in worship, and delighting and inspiring us with their singing. Our music program this year has been excellent! We now also have a Children’s Choir, which provides a wonderful chance for our children to raise their voices too, to the glory of our Lord. All these good happenings come from the willing participation and time, given by the members of both choirs. But most importantly, we must thank Sally Larrabee, who makes all this possible by her enthusiasm and musical creativity. Thank you all!
O n Sunday, the Day of Pentecost, our parish family said goodbye to the Sherrills, Bob, Jann and Sabina. They have moved to Florida. We will miss their presence very much. God’s Blessings be with them in their new home.Mother Pat †
July
The Office Volunteers: aka The Shepherd's Staff Since the middle of Lent with the organizational help of Dot Scott, the Church Office has been graced with the helping hands of a group of our parishioners. They help with the phones, mailings, general office details, and in any way that helps our secretary, Patti, or Mother Pat.
Over this past year, we’ve had a lot of new activities and programs. So having their help is really making a difference, especially in having a person answer the Good Shepherd phones, during times when the answering machine would take over.
So we thank all of you for making life in the office much easier.
Baptisms Amanda Lee Newman Daniel Stephen Ashenfelter Burials Jane M. Stanton
Parish Families Being Prayed for in July We pray for the following families this month
These families will be remembered in the Sunday prayers of our congregation and we ask you to pray for them in your daily prayers too. Thank you.
The following Vestry members are the liaisons for the following areas of our church community. If you have suggestions, comments or wish to volunteer, contact the person(s) associated with their area. Become involved, it's a wonderful thing. Christian Ed. Elizabeth Nelson Finance Bob Peel Jeff Snodgrass Lee Braidwood Outreach Sue Nicolle Inreach Eileen Hubler Parish Life Janice Gowland Pastoral Care Mother Pierce Personnel Len Carita Mark Sobolewski Property Stu Lynd Volunteers Dot Scott Worship Rich Newman Youth Bob Peel
The third annual Father’s Day Breakfast was well attended and everyone was well fed. Thanks to all those who supplied food and helped in the kitchen with cooking and cleaning up. For those of you who missed out this year... there’s always next year. Mother Pierce † We will be showing videos for children during the 10:00 AM Eucharist during the summer months Adult or teenage volunteers are needed to help with the video room If you are willing to help supervise the video room, please sign up on the sign up sheet in the Parish Hall. Recently Bishop David Joslin, the new Assisting Bishop of the Diocese of New Jersey had two meetings in our Convocation. One was with parish representatives in Clarksboro. Dot Scott, Babs Phalunas, Jack Pierce, Jeff Snodgrass and I attended and were very pleased to meet him and hear what he had to say on a variety of topics. The next day, the clergy of the Convocation met with the bishop. One of the many things on the agenda that day was the subject of the Bishop’s Visitations to the parishes. In referring to Fall/Winter 2000 & 2001, he informed us that he intends to do his best to visit as many parishes as he personally is able to do. A schedule will be sent out. With this in mind, I am beginning to formulate some plans for a program to prepare our youth (as well as any interested adults) for the. Sacrament of Confirmation. If any young people or adults are interested; please request and fill out an information form and return it to the Church Office as soon as possible. Thank you. Mother Pierce †
Do You Have Information For The Crook? If you have an idea, news brief or article for The Crook, or if there is something special you would like included in our next edition, please get it to the office by the 20th of the month. There are five ways you can get
news in The Crook: Please include your name and phone
number in case further details or clarification is needed. Thanks!
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