What’s Happening at Good Shepherd
What is Lent? Have you been wondering what Lent and the Lenten Season is all about? Here’s a video where Matt gives a short explanation.
Good Shepherd Coffee Hour There’s been a trend as of late for people to spend time visiting in the sanctuary after the 10:30 service. It’s wonderful to see that so many relationships have formed, and that Good Shepherd’s parishioners love spending time together. However, this is problematic for two reasons. Firstly, there are often events scheduled to happen in the sanctuary immediately following the 10:30 service. It is difficult to have these events in an orderly manner when there is noise and commotion happening in the room. Secondly, (and more importantly) when visitors come to Good Shepherd, they are encouraged to go downstairs and get to know people. If a visitor goes downstairs and finds a mostly empty hall, they don’t get to know many people and can go away feeling unwelcome. For both of these reasons, please do go downstairs and have a nice lunch, or a cup of coffee and spend some time visiting and building the community of Good Shepherd.
Scheduling Reminder If you need to make an appointment with Pastor Matt, please be sure to contact Stephanie directly at gs.binghamton@gmail.com.
Often when people come to speak with Matt after the service on Sunday, he’s already been working for over nine hours, and doesn’t always remember to put it into the calendar. This can cause double bookings or forgotten appointments. Please keep in mind that the office is closed on Mondays and Fridays, but you can always leave a message. Thank you so much for your understanding.
Life Choices The baby bottles are here for donations for Life Choices! Last year we raised $653.61 with our loose change and donations for services such as pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, parent education (smart choices), relationship mentoring, baby store visits, emergency aid, and more. Life Choices helps teens and college students facing unplanned pregnancies before, during and after. Please take a bottle home and put your loose change in it and return it to the church (empty or full) by Feb 25. Any questions can be directed to Christine Osgood.
An Offer of Prayer The prayer team prays for the needs of the church on a weekly basis. If you have a specific request (Praise or intercession) please fill out a card and place it in the “prayer box” by the bulletin boards in the parish hall. All prayers are kept confidential.
Ongoing Ministries
Good Shepherd Youth Group Each Sunday evening, the youth of Good Shepherd meet for fellowship and worship. Any young person between the ages of 12 and 18 are welcome to attend. Led by Good Shepherd member Tyler VanFossen. For more information, contact the Good Shepherd office at (607)723-8032.
If you’d like to know how to help or be involved, please contact Tyler VanFossen.
Bread and Wine If you are interested in joining a group of ladies for a monthly supper and discussion, please contact Liz Hull. The group is currently reading a book called Money, Possessions and Eternity, by Randy Alcorn. The next meeting will be on February 17th at the Hull home.
Health and Wellness Our bodies are “the tents” that the Lord has given us to house our souls. Begin to take care of the body which God Has given you. Check your blood pressure, blood sugar, and weight every Sunday in the Parish Hall 9-10AM. Please see Dolly Shaller or Carmen Swoffer-Penna for more details.
Good Shepherd Member Food Pantry Just like an old house that needs a coat of paint, our food pantry needs updating every week. The more food we bring in the more food can go out to help others, and that is what God wants us to do. We are doing his work, and our work helps to bless others.
Items needed: cold and hot cereals, canned meats and tuna, pasta and spaghetti, canned vegetables and fruits, canned or boxed juices, rice in 1-lb bags, kid-friendly foods, powdered milk, coffee, tea, and cocoa, and anything else you’d like to bring.
Last Week
Last Week’s Sermon was called ‘From Sinai to Zion’. It was based on Hebrews 12:16-25a. It can be listened to or downloaded here.
Read Hebrews 12:15-25
1) What is the “grace of God” mentioned in verse 15?
- How can you see to it that no one fails to obtain it?
- Why does a “root of bitterness” in a church cause trouble and defile many? Have you seen it happen before? How does a root of bitterness cause so much trouble?
- How should each of us be involved in identifying people in the church who are causing trouble? How should each of us be involved in dealing with individuals who deliberately cause trouble?
2) How are sexual immorality and un-holiness like how Esau gave away his firstborn status for a single meal?
- What can each of us in the church do to see to it that no one is sexually immoral or unholy? How can we hold ourselves and others in the church accountable?
- Why is it sometimes difficult for believers to confess ongoing sin?
- How can each of us be involved in creating a culture of ongoing confession, forgiveness, and growth in our church?
3) What is the significance of verse 17?
- When will the chance for repentance be gone?
- How does this urgency change the way we follow the command of verse 15 and 16?
4) Why is approaching Mount Zion better than approaching Mount Sinai?
- What were the feelings associated with being nearby Mount Sinai? What are the joys associated with approaching Mount Zion?
- What characteristics of God are conveyed by the description of Mount Sinai? What about Mount Zion? How do these descriptions together reveal the holiness and love of God?
5) Who made it possible to come into God’s presence without fear? How did he do this?
- How can we remind each other of this message? How can we share this message with others who don’t know it?
- According to verse 25, why should this message not be refused?
Tuesday Morning Bible Study was canceled this week. We will resume our study of Exodus on Tuesday, February 20, 2017.
Preventing Grace Podcast Did you know that Matt and Anne have a podcast? They talk about everything from church polity to rustic breads. In this week’s episode, ‘Ice Dancing to Ash Wednesday’, Matt and Anne Kennedy discuss the Olympics, believing in yourself while Ice Dancing and wearing a feathered Ice Dancing costume, Trudeau’s parentage, Lent and Ash Wednesday and wild-eyed liturgists, and finally, the flu.
You can catch up on all of the older podcast episodes here.
This Week
This Week in Christian Ed
Christian Education We will wrap up our present series entitled “Christian Basic Training” this Sunday as we finish our discussion of the sacraments. This Sunday we will focus specifically on baptism. You might wonder…how does my baptism help me? I was baptized a long time ago? But the bible teaches that your baptism can be a source of ongoing assurance and strength. We will discuss that and more beginning at 9:15am.
For our next Christian Education series we will take a dive back into Christian history and discuss the Great Councils of the church. From the very beginning of the church, Councils were called to discuss controversies and refute heresies. Our study will be begin with the Council of Jerusalem recorded in Acts 15 then move to the Council of Nicea (from which we get our Creed), then the Council of Constantinople, the Council of Ephesus, and finally, the Council of Chalcedon. The last of these was held in 451AD, so we will be discussing some very old church meetings. But we will see that the controversies debated at these councils remain surprisingly relevant today.
This Sunday’s Sermon will be based on Hebrews 12:25-29.
See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
Team Ephesians is working on the altar this Sunday.
The readings for this week are Genesis 9:8-17 and Hebrews 12:25-29 .
Karen C. will be serving on the altar guild this Sunday.
Shepherd’s Bowl Team 6 is serving this week with the Rabineau team (2/22).
To download a PDF of the 10:30 service bulletin, click on this link.
Have an item for the Update or an Announcement?
Email the secretary at:
gs.binghamton@gmail.com
by Monday night.