BURYING THE ALLELUIAS

As we usually do before Lent begins, the Sunday before [weather permitting] our Sunday School kids help Mother Pat bury the Alleluias.  Once Lent begins, we do not say A------a! until Easter comes. The Alleluias are buried under the Black Maple Tree right outside the church door in the courtyard.

MORNING PRAYER

Remember Morning Prayer is read on Mondays at 10am. Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday at 9am. Even though our Chapel of the Holy Cross is not quite finished, that is where we gather for Morning Prayer so please join us. It is an excellent way to begin the day.

BIBLE STUDY

We are still studying Saint Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians. Discussions have been quite interesting over Paul's words on the role of women in the Church, as well as the setting of the early Church, before there were clergy leading the worship and teachings. Please join us for very interesting discussions, Tuesdays, 7 – 8:30 pm.

MISSIONS' OUTREACH

Your Food Shelf in Camden, NJ, is in DESPERATE need of men’s shoes!! Please, if you have any shoes, in good condition, they know men who need them. Maybe you could consider purchasing a new pair on sale? They are also running low on infant clothing. If you have any of these items available, we would love to deliver them for you! Simply place them in bags on our front porch and we will take it from there! We are located at 223 Highland Terrace, Pitman.

Thank you so much!

Carl and Ellie Dunn

GOOD SHEPHERD QUILTERS

Good Shepherd Quilters have finished a special project using the book "Still Stripping After 25 Years" by Eleanor Burns. I bet that got your attention!

This is part of her Quilt-in-a-Day series of publications. Sodie & I have led our intrepid and enthusiastic quilters in the creation of a quilt block pattern from that book.

We have a dedicated group of about 25 quilters who meet on the 3rd Wednesdays in the Parish Hall. We also do many philanthropic projects: Stockings for Soldiers, Konker Cancer Pillowcase projects for children, and premie quilts for neonatal units.

You are welcome to attend out meetings from 6:30 to 8 pm. Our last meeting is June 15th, until Sept. when we begin again.

Shelly Harris & Sodie Potter

PITMAN PANTRY

Good Shepherd participates with several other Pitman churches in providing food for the needy through the Pitman Pantry. The pantry is located in the Pitman First Baptist Church across the street from the post office. There are times when certain necessary items are in short supply. Currently, coffee, jellies and pasta are needed. Also needed is additional help in filling the bags of food to be given out.

Good Shepherd's dates for manning the Pantry are the even numbered Tuesdays of each month. The Pantry is opened for recipients between 6 and 7PM. Anyone interested in helping should arrive between 5:30 and 5:45 PM. Dress casually. Thanks in advance.

GOOD SHEPHERD'S EMPLOYMENT NOTICE BOARD

We are setting aside a notice board in the Parish Hall for those in our parish who are looking for work, and those who are in need of help. This is both long-term and short terms needs. Take a look. If you have needs, just fill out a card and hang it on the board.

FUN WITH FRIENDS

We have been meeting the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month for 3 years!!

Our goal is for everyone to socialize and to share some laughs by playing games. We have gotten to know some parishioners we would not have otherwise have known and we have gotten to know other parishioners better.

As a matter of fact - we are not all parishioners!!

Please come - play a game - watch a game - have a refreshment of spirit and nourishment. Get out of the house and share a laugh.

We will play any reasonable game (except Bingo). Currently we have groups playing Mexican train, Phase 10 and bridge. We have one bridge group going and could work on a second. Come - bring a friend.

If you need transportation call Tom & Marie Rigg at 243-5692 or Ruth Adams at 256-1690

THE ALTAR GUILD

But I am among you as one who serves.
Luke 22:27b

The Church of the Good Shepherd Altar Guild is searching for women who are interested in discovering how serving the altar can deepen their understanding of God, their faith, and the life of the Episcopal Church.

What is the Altar Guild? (AG)
Altar Guilds were originally begun to relieve the priest of preparing the altar and sanctuary. The members complete many tasks to help keep the services running smoothly. This includes draping the altars, pulpit, and lectern with the proper seasonal colors. We provide the wine, water, and wafers in the correct vessels for the Holy Eucharist. After each service, everything is cleaned and put away properly.

So then, what is the Junior Altar Guild? (JAG)
The JAG is a group of young women from grades 7-12 who assist the Senior Altar Guild. They may help clean and prepare communion vessels, and place flowers on the reredos behind the altar. They may help during those times when special preparations are necessary for Holy days and for the Bishop's confirmation visitations.

You will learn the symbols, colors and seasons of the Church year and why certain vessels and vestments are used during the three different Eucharistic services. You will be guided and led by Connie Parent, an experienced AG member who will work specifically with the JAG.

Our Altar Guild meets @ 4 Saturdays a year to determine the coverage of Altar duties by the 3 teams. We also discuss techniques and the proper ways to drape the chalice, as an example, as well as welcome 2 new members this year.

Each team takes a turn hosting the breakfast meeting. Altar Guild sets the table each weekend for the congregation, and it's during these meetings that we get to serve each other…and the food has been wonderful!

Praying the Anglican/Episcopalian Rosary (Prayer Beads)

By Sister Kara Anderson

The first prayer beads are said to have been made over forty thousand years ago and their use crosses cultural and religious boundaries. Made of teeth, bones, pebbles and shells in ancient times, they have evolved over the centuries.

Prayer beads, or rosaries, quite simply, are used to count prayers. We most often associate the word "rosary" with the Marian (Roman Catholic) rosary but that rosary as we know it, with the emphasis on Mary and devotions to the mysteries of Christ, has only been in existence since the sixteenth century. The Marian Rosary consists of five groups of ten beads ("decades") and specific prayers are said.

The Anglican rosary was developed in the 1980s by a group of Episcopalians who wanted a new meditation device and it is a blending of the Marian Rosary and the Orthodox Jesus Prayer Rope. How does the Anglican Rosary differ? It consists of a total of 33 beads (the number of years of Jesus' earthly life) plus a cross, so that when repeated three times (signifying the Trinity), totals 100 beads - the number of the traditional or orthodox rosary. There are four groups of seven beads that form "weeks" which correspond to the:

four seasons of the church year

four cardinal directions (north, south, east and west)

four cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance)

four primary elements (earth, water, wind and fire)

four seasons of the year.

The cross centers the prayers and the invitatory bead "invites" us to praise and worship God. Four Cruciform beads divide the weeks. Many Anglicans say the Marian Rosary and others select a variety of prayers that address their particular needs.

Prayer Beads invite reverence - they are a meditative tool and they help us to center ourselves for prayer, to become quiet and still and to open ourselves to God.

Some excellent websites to visit are:

http://www.kingofpeace.org/prayerbeads.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_Rosary

http://www.arosaryforall.com/

http://www.anglican-prayer-beads-rosary.com/sdk/

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/index_new.htm

The PRAYER CORNER - A Forum

Shelly Harris, Editor

Prayer Is Hard Work

One thing that I have recently come to realize about prayer is that it is work…hard work.

What do I mean by "hard work"? In part I mean that it takes time and energy, discipline, and hard thought…things that might be difficult for us to find when we pray. It often takes a concerted effort, and because it can also sometimes 'feel' ineffectual, prayer can often be a bit of a struggle for us. Now, I am sure that there are probably people for whom prayer comes very naturally and with ease, but I think that is the exception. For most of us, more often than not, it is hard work.

Now, at the outset, "prayer being hard work" might seem a discouraging thought. On the contrary, we should find it encouraging…here is why…

I think that a common notion of prayer is that it is something that is largely an inconsequential or ineffective exercise. That it is almost too easy or too good to be true. After all, how is it that we think we can do something as easy as uttering a few words, or even less, think a few thoughts, and have those thoughts be an effectual communication with the God of the universe…something he would actually hear, much less answer.

My experience is different. My experience is that my daily communication with God, my prayer, is not too good to be true. He does listen to what's on my heart, and He moves. I try to listen to what is on His heart, and I move. However, it does not get easier; it continues to be hard work. Prayer remains hard work. It is hard to make the time, it is hard to know what to pray, to know who to pray for, to know when to pray for who and what to pray for. It is hard to make sure I have prayed for everyone I should be praying for, and to know if I have prayed long enough or earnestly enough…especially when I don't feel like it. It is hard work! And, it is something we must wrestle with, and wrestling is not fun. Wrestling is hard work.

But that is the key. Since Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden, it is intended to be hard work…like tilling the soil. And just as God honors the work in the field…our tilling and planting and nurturing the crop, just as he honors that hard work with a harvest, he also honors the hard work of prayer. A hard day working in the field in the hot sun, with no visible sign of sprouting seeds under the soil can be frustrating and discouraging, yet we know we must continue to work, if we wish to sustain our life with food. So it is with prayer…we pray in earnest, we put in the effort, we wrestle, we sometimes feel discouraged…we feel like we are working hard. And we are. And so we should be encouraged…for there will be a harvest.

This month's contributor is Mark Nicolle.

RECIPES FROM THE ALTAR GUILD

Submitted by Connie Parent - Yumm!

"The Favorite Snack at the BFF Retreat" (or Snicker doodles) Mix thoroughly... 1 cup soft shortening (part butter) 1 ½ cups sugar 2 eggs Sift together and stir in... 2 ¾ cups sifted flour 2 tsp. cream of tartar 1 tsp. baking soda ¼ tsp. salt Roll into balls the size of small walnuts. Roll in mixture of 2 tbsp. sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon. Place 2" apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned but still soft. These cookies puff up at first then flatten out. Temperature: 400° Time: Bake 8 to 10 minutes Amount: About 5 dozen 2" cookies

Submitted by Connie Parent

This is a favorite recipe of my family which I got from a friend, Susan Dietz. It is the vegetable they want for holidays. Connie

Garden Vegetables with Horseradish Sauce

3 cups cauliflower

1 lb. carrots, sliced 1 inch pieces

1 lb. broccoli cut in 1 inch pieces

1 cup reduced calorie mayonnaise

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

3 tbsp. horseradish

1/4 tsp. salt

Dash of pepper

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

2 tbsp. butter, melted

1/8 tsp. paprika

Steam veggies until crisp & tender. Do separately.

In a small bowl combine mayo, onion, horseradish, salt and pepper.

In a 2 qt. casserole combine veggies and mayo mixture.

In a small bowl combine bread crumbs, butter and paprika.

Sprinkle over veggie mixture.

Bake uncovered in a 350° oven for 15 minutes.

Makes 8 to 10 side dish servings.

Unstuffed Pepper Soup

2 pounds lean ground beef

3 green peppers (cut into small squares)

2 red peppers (cut into small squares)

1 sweet onion (chopped)

32 oz. can College Inn Beef Broth

2 cans condensed Tomato Soup (undiluted)

28 oz. Tomato Puree

2-3 cloves of garlic (minced)

1-2 Tablespoons Basil

Salt & Pepper to taste

2 cups cooked rice

Brown the ground beef in a small amount of olive oil. When no longer pink, drain and put the beef into a Dutch oven or Soup Pot. Sauté the garlic, onion & peppers until soft. Add to the beef. Add the Beef Broth, Tomato Soup, Tomato Puree, Basil & salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add rice and heat through. Approx. 10 servings.

Enjoy!

Sean Woodward-Hills

Submitted by Carrie Jordan

Mel's Reuben Dip (Great for Holiday parties)

Ingredients

± 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into bits and softened

± ½ cup sour cream

± 1 cup drained sauerkraut, chopped

± ½ pound cooked lean corned beef, chopped fine

± 2 teaspoons finely chopped onion

± 1 Tablespoon ketchup

± 2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard

± 1 cup grated Swiss cheese (about 3 oz.)

± Little Party Ryes to serve on

Directions

± Preheat oven to 375°

± In a large bowl combine well the cream cheese, sour cream, chopped sauerkraut, chopped corned beef, onion, ketchup, mustard and the grated Swiss cheese.

± Transfer the dip to a small ovenproof casserole dish and bake it, covered, for 30 minutes.

± Remove the cover and bake the dip for 5 minutes more, or until it begins to turn golden.

± Serve dip warm with little mini party ryes.

± Makes 2 cups of dip.

This month's recipe comes from Lorraine Merryman - a truly gifted baker!

She acknowledges that her source is from Gourmet Magazine. It is guaranteed to leave you "all shook up"! Enjoy!

ELVIS PRESLEY'S FAVORITE POUND CAKE

Serves 10 t o12
Active time: 20 minutes
Start to finish: 3 ½ hours (includes cooling time)

Ingredients:

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, plus additional for buttering pan
3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising); sift before measuring plus additional for dusting
¾ tsp. salt
3 cups sugar
7 large eggs, at room temperature (@30 minutes)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup heavy cream

10-inch tube pan (4 ½ inches deep) not with a removable bottom; or a 10-inch bundt pan (3 ¼ inches deep - 3 qt. capacity

Directions:

• Put oven rack in middle position, but do not preheat oven.

• Generously butter pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess flour.

• Sift together sifted flour (3 cups) and salt into bowl. Repeat sifting 3 times total.

• Beat together butter (2 sticks) and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes in a stand mixer with fitted with paddle attachment.

• Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla.

• Reduce speed to low and add half of flour, then all of cream, then remaining flour, mixing well after each addition.

• Scrape down side of bowl, then beat at medium-high speed 5 minutes.

• Batter will become creamier and satiny.

• Spoon batter into pan and rap pan against work surface once or twice to eliminate air bubbles.

• Place pan in cold oven and turn oven temperature to 350°

• Bake until golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in middle of cake comes out with a few crumbs adhering: @ 1 to 1 ¼ hr.

• Cool cake in pan on rack 30 minutes.

• Invert cake onto a rack to cool completely.

Rich & Delicious & worth the Effort!!

*Note: if you do not have a sifter - a large mesh strainer will work; sifting makes for a finer, lighter cake texture.

*Note: could use other extracts ie. : almond, rum, orange, etc.

Mother Pat's Hungarian Goulash

• 1 ½ lbs of cubed stewing beef.

• 1 clove garlic minced

• 1 medium onion chopped fine

• 1 teasp. Salt

• ¼ teasp. Pepper

• 2 cups ketchup

• 1 cup beef or chicken broth

• 2 tblsp. Paprika

• 2 tblsp. Brown sugar

• 2 teasp. mustard

• Brown beef cubes.

• Add onions & garlic, cook until tender (not brown)

• Add all other ingredients.

• Cook for 1 ½ hours.

• Add a tblsp. of flour mixed with water to thicken sauce.

• Serve over wide egg noodles.

SHELLY'S MEXICAN QUICHE

This recipe makes 2 pies. Oven 350° for approx. 45 to 50 minutes or until the eggs are set.

1) Prepare 2 pie pans with pie crust (I use the Pillsbury refrigerated roll-ups).

2) Sauté together then let cool:

1-1b. Chorizo Sausage - casing removed
1 Onion - Vidalia is preferable) - chopped
1 Green or Red Pepper (or do ½ & ½ ) - chopped
1 clove garlic - minced

3) Shred:

Monterey Jack Cheese - a large block (or any combination of cheeses including a Colby Cheese)

4) Combine in a large mixing bowl:

7 extra-large eggs
2 cups ½ & ½ Cream
1 can diced chili peppers
1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper
½ tsp Cumin powder
Optional: A few shakes of Hot Sauce

5) Layer ingredients in pie plates as listed above, trying to distribute evenly, beginning with the meat mixture, then the shredded cheese, last pour over egg mixture.

6) Accompaniments:

Sour cream and Salsa!!!

This is a breakfast, lunch or dinner meal -and will soon become a favorite! Yumm!

RUTH ADAMS' MEXICAN HASH BROWN BAKE

Heat oven to 350°; Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until bubbly around edges. Let stand 5 mins. before serving. Makes 12 one-cup servings.

Olé!

Ingredients:

• 1 (13 oz.) container Salsa & Cheese

• 1 ½ cups Sour Cream

• 1 (4 oz.) can diced Green Chiles or diced Jalapenos

• 1 (30 oz.) bag frozen Shredded Hash Brown Potatoes

• 4 to 5 Taco Shells coarsely chopped

• Spray 13 X 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

• Combine Salsa & Cheese, Sour Cream, chiles or peppers in a large bowl

• Stir until blended - then gently stir in hash browns.

• Spoon mixture into baking dish.

• Sprinkle with crushed taco shells.

Optional:

Add 2 sliced green onions or 2 slices crumbled crisp bacon.
Use light or reduced fat sour cream if preferred.

muy deliciosos!

CHURCH FLOWERS

Please remember your loved ones by dedicating the flowers on the Altar in their memory or in thanksgiving of special events. Write a check for whatever you care to give (usually $40) and place it in the alms basin with a note attached or mail it to the Church office. After the 10 AM service you may collect the flowers to take home with you. Many thanks to all of those who have participated in making our Altar look so beautiful.

RUTH'S CHILDREN

"Wherever you go, I will go," the widowed Ruth told her aging mother-in-law. She chose to stay with the older woman and care for her even though it meant moving to a strange land. Now that Bible story is relived in many forms as adult children of the elderly face the inevitable role reversal. How do we offer care and maintain our relationships? How do we know if we are making the correct choices? How do we cope with feelings of guilt and anger? Who will care for us?

This organization is a support group for children of senior parents. This group is opened to the entire community, and will meet on the first Monday of the month. It is a free flowing conversation in which we offer support and comfort to all who are facing the difficult task of caring for our aging parents. There is complete privacy and no judgment is ever made. Not all participants are members of Good Shepherd.

We may not have all the answers, but together we can explore the questions from a Christian perspective. Call 856-589-8209 for more information.

Meetings of Ruth's Children will take place at Good Shepherd on the first Monday of each month from 7:30 to 9:00 PM.