What’s Happening at Good Shepherd
Mission Group Announcement Mission groups are taking a break during the month of July. No groups will be meeting as regularly scheduled. Groups will resume meeting according to schedule in August, but the meeting location and format for each group may change weekly. See your mission group leader for specific details. Regular group format and schedule will restart at the beginning of September. If you have questions about the mission group summer schedule, ask your mission group leader or see Ben Murphy.
The Tuesday night mission group meeting that generally meets at the Dreher home on Vincent St. has been moved to the Ojetayo home at 65 Beethoven St., Binghamton for the remainder of June.
Update and Announcements If you have an item you’d like to have announced on Sunday morning, or included in the update, please be sure to forward the item to Stephanie by Wednesday afternoon, and specify if you’d like it announced or just listed in the updates. It will then be edited and forwarded to Anne/Ife to announce on Sunday and/or added to the paper and digital update.
Global Petition The Islamic State has been responsible for many genocidal actions and other serious crimes perpetrated against Christians and other local people in the areas that are under their control. These crimes are actively flaunted in their publications. Barnabas Aid has created a petition to send to the United Nations and our governments asking them to acknowledge these actions as crimes, and take appropriate action under international law. Please see Carol Hallam if you’d like more information, or to sign the petition.
Prayer Shawl Prayer Shawl Ministry will be meeting Saturday, July 2nd at 11:15. All levels of knitters are welcome!
ART-on- Mission Open House Need refreshment? Encouragement?
Psalm 113 states, “Let the name of the Lord be praised.”
Living Springs ART School serves as an engaging teaching resource to educate, mentor, and mobilize future leaders to live on mission to make Christ known.
Join the Colemans in setting aside a Day of Remembrance to honor the name of the Lord. In the sanctuary of Heart Lake Community Church, there will be a reflective ART-on Mission slide presentation of God’s love and faithfulness, and a youth and adult art exhibit that will be on display in the fellowship hall.
Please join us on Saturday, June 25, 2016 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., at the Little White Community Church at Heart Lake [20149 Route 706, Montrose, PA 18801].
Health Fair and Ice Cream Social Thanks so much to the many who helped with the Health Fair and Ice Cream Social!! This was an an wonderful opportunity for us to host an event where many bible-believing Christians joined together to promote good health and wholesome activities! It was so encouraging to witness the many Christians in our community who share our commitment to share Jesus Christ and His love! It was also amazing to hear from attendees that indeed they had felt the Spirit among us! May God continue to guide us as we seek to reach others for Him!
ACW For many years the ACW has had an event called “Lunch out“. This invitation is open to everyone. Please come and join us for good food, good conversation, and good fun! On Saturday, July 9 at 11:45. We’ll meet at Cortese Restaurant, 117 Robinson St, Binghamton, NY 13904. Let Christine Osgood or Pat Chaney know if you plan on attending! Carpooling will most likely be available.
Good Shepherd Food Pantry Summer begins on June 20th, the day after Father’s Day. With this season you’ll find families gathering together for picnics and other outings where food is involved. However, when food is scarce, children often don’t get enough essential food to make their bodies grow healthy and strong. That’s where Food pantry’s like CHOW, Loaves and Fishes, and the Food Distribution Trucks can help. They supplement a family’s income by putting food on their tables.
Our Member Food Pantry does the same thing-it helps those in our congregation who don’t have enough funds to make ends meet, do just that. So please keep it in mind when you go shopping for your family to pick up something to help others.
Food Needs: Powered Milk, Powdered Coffee Creamers, Peanut Butter, Canned Meats, Tuna and Spam; Bottled or Canned Juice or Juice boxes, Coffee, Tea, Canned Soups/Stews, One Box Meals, Crackers, Salad Dressings and Condiments such as ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, and A-1 Steak Sauce, and anything else you care to bring.
Ongoing Ministries
“And as for your little ones…”
Vacation Bible School is coming August 1-4 from 6-8 PM. It is an opportunity not only for children of Good Shepherd, but especially for children in our community to hear the gospel clearly presented. It is also an opportunity for you to lend your talents to those children. The range of skills that can be used in Vacation Bible School are broader than you may initially think. Vacation Bible School can be a beautiful quick snapshot of the body working together, all parts having the same goal but accomplishing that through a great variety of tasks and time commitments. Please talk with Anna Dreher and tell her what you enjoy doing and when (during the months of June-August) you are available. Your skills and interests are perfect.
Children’s bulletins are available to help your children follow all parts of the service today. Please pick one up from an usher.
Bread and Wine If you are interested in joining a group of moms for a monthly supper and discussion of women in the bible, please contact Liz Hull at 607-768-5499 or mizliz74@yahoo.com.
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.
Last Week’s Sermon: ‘Giving and Your Trust in God’ was based on Malachi 2:17-3:12. It can be listened to or downloaded here.
Mission Group Discussion Questions
Malachi 2:17-3:12
Main Idea(s):
- God plans to send a messenger to prepare the way for the Lord
- The Lord will bring blessing and judgement
- God has always honored his covenants with Israel and promises blessing if they repent
1) What are some things that cause you to be weary?
- What does it mean in verse 17 that the LORD is “wearied”? Does it mean the same for God as it does for you?
- What has been done to make God weary? Consider things in verse 17 as well as the entire book of Malachi.
- What does this verse reveal to us or remind us about the character of God?
2) Who are the words “I” and “me” pronouns for in chapter 3 verse 1?
- What does God reveal through Malachi in these verses to the people about what he plans to do?
- What will be the role of the sent messenger? What does it mean that “he will prepare the way before me”?
- Who will also come after the messenger? How do we know from the context of verse 1 that “the Lord whom you seek” is God himself?
3) What will the Lord do when he comes into his temple, according to verses 2 and 3?
- What does the metaphor of refining precious metals imply about the Levites?
- What’s involved in the process of refining? What is kept and what is cast away? What will be the result of this refining process?
- What does this reveal to us or remind us about the nature of God?
4) After the process of refinement, what does God promise to do in verse 5?
- What does it mean to be “a swift witness”?
- How is the judgement in verse 5 different than the process of refining from verse 3?
- What is the consequence of judgement for those people listed? How do you know?
- What does the promise of judgement reveal to us or remind us about the character of God?
5) What characteristic of God is clearly stated in verse 6?
- How has this kept Israel from being consumed?
- What comparison is being made between God and Israel in verses 6 and 7?
6) What other promise does God make in verse 7?
- Why is there a curse on Israel? Why are the people accused of robbing God? What does robbing God reveal about the nature of the people of Israel?
- How can the curse be replaced with blessing?
7) What blessings listed from verse 10 through 12 are promised to Israel if they bring the full tithe and stop robbing God?
- How can verses 10 through 12 be taken out of context and misapplied?
- What do verses 10 thought 12 reveal or remind us about the nature of God?
Preventing Grace Podcast Did you know that Matt and Anne have a podcast? They talk about everything from church polity to rustic breads. This week’s podcast is called ‘The Gay Nightclub Massacre, Gun Control, and Drafting Women’. You can listen in here.
This Week
This week’s sermon is based on Malachi 3:13-4:6.
“Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts? And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’” Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name. “They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him. “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts. “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” (Malachi 3:13-4:6 ESV)
Team Galations is working on the altar this Sunday with Jerry Shriver.
The readings for this Sunday are: Malachi 3:13-4:6 and Galatians 3:23-29.
The PDF Bulletin for this Sunday’s 10:30 service can be downloaded here.
Have an item for the Update or an Announcement?
Email the secretary at:
gs.binghamton@gmail.com
by Monday night.