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Good Shepherd Weekly Update, April 19, 2025

Easter Flowers If you donated money toward the Easter flowers, please take one plant for each ten dollars that you donated after the 10:30 service today.

Flowering the Easter Cross This Sunday, we’ll be starting a new tradition at Good Shepherd. When you enter the foyer of the church, you’ll see several containers of cut flowers. We would like to invite the children take a flower and help decorate the Easter cross. Please arrive a few minutes early and see Anne Kennedy for more information.

Easter Egg Hunt On Shrove Tuesday, all the children brightly colored a giant “Alleluia” banner that we then buried in a box marked “Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust.” This mirrors what we’ve done as a Church, removing the celebratory “Alleluia!” from our liturgy during Lent. On Easter morning, we will “dig up” the banner and hold it up at the back doors of the church for all the children to run through into the back garden for an Easter egg hunt. Join us for candy and celebration!

Soup and Stew Competition Winners Last Sunday, Good Shepherd held the annual Soup and Stew Competition.  Our judges had the difficult task of whittling the nine entries down to the top three. 

1st Place – Scott Pineau, Tom Kha Gai Soup

2nd Place – Bruce and Lyn Layman, Tortellini Soup

3rd Place – Christine Johnson, Clam Chowder

Congratulations to all of the winners!

Sunday Lunch Each Sunday after the 10:30 service, there will be lunch served in the parish hall.  Everyone is welcome to go down after the service and enjoy a light lunch before heading home.

Wedding Shower Invitation All Ladies of GS are invited to a Bridal Shower celebrating the forthcoming marriage of Adaliah Pineau to Aedan Kennedy hosted by Tal and Gwendolyn on Saturday, May 3rd, from 3-5 in the Parish Hall. Fun and Light Refreshments! Kindly RSVP by April 26, 2025, to Talitha at talpineau@gmail.com.

Adaliah’s registry can be found at: https://www.zola.com/wedding/aedanandadaliah/registry or at Adaliah Pineau and Aedan Kennedy’s Wedding Website on Zola.

We look forward to celebrating this wonderful gathering with you!

2025 ADLW Synod and Missions Conference This year’s synod and missions conference will be held in McLean, Virginia on May 15-17.  Anyone is welcome to attend the open sessions of synod.  This year should be particularly interesting as Archbishop Steve Wood, and John Stonestreet will be the primary speakers.  You can find more information here.

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.

Mayno potluck
July 6Fruit Pie Competition & Americana
August 3Appetizers
September(TBD) Church Picnic
October 5Chili Cookoff
November 2(TBD)
November 30Thanksgiving Leftovers & Cookie Competition

*  No potlucks in June or December

**Please keep in mind that dates and themes are subject to change.

Coffee Hour Stay after the 10:30 service to catch up with old friends and make some new ones over a cup of coffee or some light lunch in the parish hall. If you like to bake, there’s a sign up by the coffee urns next to the kitchen.

Mary & Martha Guild Open to all women (and girls) of any age. Meetings are usually on the 3rd Saturday of the month from 11 to 1. Contact Jenn Fowler for more information.

2025 Meeting Schedule

May 17
June 21Church Gardening & Landscaping
July 19TBD
August 16TBD
Sept 20Church Fall Cleaning
October 18TBD
November 15Advent/Christmas Wreath Making
December TBDChristmas Tea in lieu of meeting

The Great Vigil of Easter (Saturday, April 19th) 8:00PM Along with Tenebrae, the Easter Vigil is one of the most ancient services of the Church. It is the most important service of the entire year and it is the first service of Easter. The service begins in total darkness—the lights of the sanctuary are out and not a candle is burning. Then a fire is lit in a firepot at the center of the nave and from that flame all the candles in the sanctuary and the hand-candles in the congregation are lit. Then come readings and psalms, said and sung, by singers and by the whole congregation. The sermon follows and then the first Communion of Easter. The Great Vigil begins at 8:00pm in the sanctuary.

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 Holy Eucharist service, including readings from the Bible, music, 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.

This Sunday’s lectionary readings are: Isaiah 51:9-11, Psalm 118:14-17, 22-24, Colossians 3:1-4, and Luke 24:1-12.

Next Sunday’s lectionary readings will be: Job 42:1-6, Psalm 111, Rev 1:(1-8)9-19, John 20:19-31

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 Sunday, Matt preached on Luke 23:32-43. You can listen to “Father, Forgive Them” 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.

Morning Prayer is on hiatus. It will resume meeting on April 29th.

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 Judges.

The Tuesday morning bible study is on hiatus. It will resume meeting on April 28th.

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.

Home Groups are on hiatus. They will resume on the the week of April 28th.

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 Ezra. They meet at 6:15pm. Everyone is welcome. Please see Jon Groves or Warren Musselman for more information.

Thursday evening bible study is on hiatus. It will resume meeting on May 1.

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 Psalms.

Friday Morning Men’s Bible Study is on hiatus and will resume meeting on May 2.

Women’s Bible Study meets at 4:30pm on Friday afternoons in the Parish Hall. They are currently studying the book of Luke. Text Anne for a zoom link if you can’t make it in person.

Women’s Bible Study is on hiatus and will resume meeting on May 2.

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

Youth Group and Holy Group Squad are on hiatus and will resume meeting on April 27th.

Good Shepherd Food Pantry Having a bit of a hard time making ends meet?  The Good Shepherd Food Pantry is for church members stocked by food provided by the congregation.  If you could use some help, please feel free to pop into the food pantry (just off the kitchen). We also have a small basket in the freezer that might have a few items as well.

Everyone’s generous donations are appreciated!  Even a can or two can help. If you are in need, please feel free to make use of the pantry.  If you’d like more information, please see Jenn Fowler.

Food Pantry current needs are: spaghetti sauce, Parmesan cheese, tuna, canned chili (with meat), rice, flavored rice & noodle mixes, diced tomatoes, &  canned corn.

Daily Lectionary, Year I 60 Day Psalter Cycle
Monday
April 21
Psalm 119:89-104
Num 17
Mark 13:14-end
Tuesday
April 22
Psalm 119:129-152
Num 18
Mark 14:1-25
Wednesday
April 23

Psalm 118
Num 18
Mark 14:1-25
Thursday
April 24
Psalm 122, 123
Num 20
Mark 14:26-52
Friday
April 25
Psalm 127, 128
Num 21
Mark 14:53-end
Saturday
April 26
Psalm 132, 133
Acts 12:11-25
Mark 15
Sunday
April 27
Psalm 136
Num 22
Mark 16
The Staff of Church of the Good ShepherdThe Vestry of the Good Shepherd
Rector: Matthew Kennedy
Assistant Rector: Jonathan Groves
Assisting: 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
Sarah Dreher

Have an item for the Update or Announcements?

send an email to gs.binghamton@gmail.com by Monday evening.

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