Welcome! Mason and Audrey Erle welcomed thier daughter Hadley in the early hours of last Thursday morning. Mom and baby are doing well.
As is the tradition at Good Shepherd, we invite you to sign up to take the Erles a meal. Audrey’s sister set up a page at MealTrain.com. You can find it here.
Please keep Audrey, Mason, and Hadley in your prayers as they all adjust to their life as a family of three.
St. Nick Recap This year’s St. Nicholas Fair was very well attended. There were many wonderful moments of fellowship and fun. I’m told the highlights of the day were the children’s auction, and Jim Hull’s rendition of ‘You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch’.
Thanks to the hard work and generosity of Good Shepherd, we were able to send just over $5200 to CHE Nicaragua, praise God!
Christmas Schedule
Christmas Pageant Please join us on December 24th at 5pm as the young people and choir of Good Shepherd remember the birth of our savior.
Christmas Day December 25, 11am
As is the custom at Good Shepherd, all bible studies and morning prayer will be cancelled during the week of Christmas and New Year (12/22-1/4). All studies will resume on January 5.
Most of the staff takes a much-needed rest during the week of New Year’s. If at all possible, please refrain from contacting them unless you have an emergency. The offices will still be open and happily humming along.
Christmas Flowers Each year Good Shepherd decorates the sanctuary for Christmas Eve and Day with many flowers.
This year, we continue the tradition of inviting the congregation to join us. If you would like to donate toward the purchase of flowers, please make a separate contribution earmarked “Christmas Flowers” and fill out a slip at the usher’s table.
The 152nd Good Shepherd Annual Meeting has been scheduled for Sunday, January 25 directly after the 10:30 service.
If you are a member of Good Shepherd, please make every effort to attend. The meeting is generally close to one hour, and a potluck lunch will be served. Please feel free to bring a dish to pass, but stay, have lunch, and attend the meeting even if you don’t.
Food Pantry Needs: More and more folks are using the food pantry. Your donations can really help make a direct difference in the lives of your fellow parishioners! Some of the specific needs are: Peanut butter, Jelly (not grape), Applesauce, Canned meats (chicken, tuna, corned beef etc), spaghetti sauce, parmesan cheese, corn, diced tomatoes, canned soup (not tomato or chicken noodle), Breakfast cereal.
Potluck Schedule The first Sunday of most months is a potluck or cooking competition. Bring a dish to pass, or just come and have lunch after the 10:30! You’ll notice below that some of the months have a theme assigned to the meal. This doesn’t mean you can only bring a dish that includes those items or fits into those categories. It’s just an added element of fun if you’re up for it.
If you’re a person that enjoys competition, or judging other people (heh), please see Steph or Claudia to sign up as a judge for cooking competitions.
Sunday Worship and Holy Eucharist
The 8am service This service includes readings from the Bible, a sermon, offering, confession, and communion. There is no music during this service. The 8am service is not currently being live-streamed.
The 10:30am service This is a full traditional Anglican service of Holy Eucharist, including music, readings from the Bible, a sermon, confession, and communion. This service is available for livestream on our Facebook page. You can download a PDF copy of this week’s service bulletin here.
Next Sunday’s lectionary readings will be (Holy Innocents): Jeremiah 31:15-17, Psalm 124, Revelation 21:1-7, Matthew 2:13-18
You’ll also notice that there are links in the offertory section to take you out to two different means of giving electronically. You can give online through Breeze or you can text a donation through Breeze at 607-882-6551. Good Shepherd also has a PayPal account. As always, thank you for your great generosity and kind support.
Catching Up…
Last Sunday’s Sermon Last week, Matt preached on Matthew 11:2-15. You can listen to ‘Shall We Look For Another?’ here.
You can catch up on older sermons here.
Adult Christian Education Last week’s Christian Education class can be listened to or viewed here.
The Cranmer Fellows Podcast (CFP) explores pastoral ministry and theology from an Anglican perspective. CFP is a project that Jon and Matt have undertaken in order to 1) encapsulate the pastoral training Matt has given men over the years into an accessible resource and 2) serve as a door to, we pray, a future program to train more people for ministry. Though geared toward the pastor, ministry leader, and pastor-in-training, what Jon and Matt talk about is applicable to all Christians.
Here is a link where you can listen to previous episodes. https://anchor.fm/thecranmerfellowspodcast.
You can subscribe to CFP on all major platforms.
Ongoing Ministries
Intercessor Ministry On Sunday at both the 8 and the 10:30, you may notice a person standing at the side altar rail as you come forward to receive Communion. That person is part of the Prayer Ministry, people trained to pray for any anxieties or troubles you may have. If you would like prayer for any reason, please feel free to stop as you pass.
Audio-Video Team Are you a technologically capable person who would like to serve the church with your gifts? Good Shepherd is adding a volunteer team to run sound and the livestream for the 10:30 Sunday service. If this is a ministry that interests you, please reach out to Micah.
Morning Prayer meets online by Zoom at 7am Monday through Friday. The liturgy and readings are available at www.dailyoffice2019.com. Join the parish email list and look for a weekly email invitation in your inbox.
Evening Prayer meets online by Zoom at 7pm Monday through Friday. The liturgy and readings are available at www.dailyoffice2019.com. Join the parish email list and look for a weekly email invitation in your inbox.
Tuesday Morning Bible Study meets at 9:05 am in the Parish Hall to walk through the bible, verse by verse. It meets in person and is available online by livestream. They are currently studying the book of Proverbs.
Home Groups meet weekly around the Binghamton area. They study the readings for the Sunday coming up, pray, and build relationships. Check in with Jonathan or Joe Kovac to get connected.
Shepherd’s Bowl Community Dinner Good Shepherd offers a free nutritious meal to the people of Good Shepherd and the wider community on Thursday evenings from 5:30-6:30. If you are able, this is a great time to get to know others and enjoy a delicious meal.
Thursday Evening Bible Study meets directly after Shepherd’s Bowl in the sacristy and will be studying Nehemiah. They meet at 6:15pm. Everyone is welcome. Please see Jon Groves or Warren Musselman for more information.
Friday Morning Men’s Bible Study meets at 6:30 am for breakfast, study, and prayer. If you are interested, please email or text Matt or Jonathan, or contact the church office. This class is currently in the Book of Genesis.
Women’s Bible Study meets at 5:15pm on Wednesdays in the Parish Hall. They are currently studying the book of Ezra.
Holy Group Squad (Young Adult Ministry) Post high-school aged people meet together Sunday evenings (6pm) in the Sacristy for book studies and conversation.
The Mary & Martha Guild is Good Shepherds women’s group. It meets the 3rd Saturday of the month. Women of all ages in the church are invited to come and enjoy each other’s company, a light lunch, and the month’s scheduled program or project. The guild also helps coordinate and run funeral luncheons and other events throughout the year. Join the email list and keep informed about upcoming meetings and events by contacting the church office or talking to Jenn Fowler.
Good Shepherd Youth Group meets Sundays at 6pm in the choir loft. This is an engaging context for kids to grow in:
1) Knowledge of scripture and doctrine
2) Faithfulness to Christ
3) Service to others
Good Shepherd Food Pantry is available for anyone who can use a bit of help. Families, young adults, seniors, all are welcome to use it. The pantry is located just off the kitchen, stop by and take what you need. We are completely supported by donations from the congregation, so please consider picking up a few items to drop in the basket in the lobby whenever you can.
| The Staff of Church of the Good Shepherd | The Vestry of the Good Shepherd |
| Rector: The Rev. Canon Matthew Kennedy Assistant Rector: The Rev. Jonathan Groves Director of Liturgics: Anne Kennedy Director of Operations: Micah Lovell Director of Music: Michael Berman Admin. Assistant to Matt Kennedy: Stephanie Warner Director of Children’s Ministry: Anna Dreher Janitor: Mike Roseboom | Senior Warden: Tom Dinnel Junior Warden: Scott Pineau Treasurer: Greg Myer Mary Restino Kariah Manwaring Christopher Jones Bill Lane Bryan Hill (interim) |
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