What’s Happening at Good Shepherd
InterVarsity Student Visit Students from InterVarsity go to various churches throughout the area and at the beginning of the school year. We do something called a “Church Tour” in which we organize an order in which a handful of new students can systematically visit the 5 churches that we provide rides to. COGS will be hosting Church Tour on Sunday September 3, 2017. Basically, this means that we will be having many new students (and some returning students) come check out our church…they will attend Christian Ed, the 10:30 service, and the potluck afterwards (it perfectly fits on the first of the month which is awesome!)
It would be wonderful if members of our church really went out of their way to meet these students and intentionally bring food to share at the potluck. Many of the students that attend the Church Tour are freshman and have just left their home churches. COGS has so much to offer to students (community, solid teaching, etc) and we would love for their first impressions to be welcoming!
Potluck Next Sunday (9/3) is the first Sunday of the month. This month’s theme will be International Foods. Please bring a dish to pass (but stay and enjoy lunch even if you don’t!) and spend some time meeting the BU students that will be visiting with the InterVarsity Church tour.
Take Them a Meal Pauline King will be having her hip replaced on August 11. Her husband John does not cook. They would appreciate any meals that you can provide as she recuperates from her surgery.
You can sign up to take them dinner at this website: http://www.takethemameal.com/meals.php?t=VPYT5077
Good Shepherd Women’s Get Together The Annual “Get Together Lunch” at Pat Chaney’s will be Saturday, September 9 from 11:30-2:00 with lunch at noon. Come enjoy good food, fun, and fellowship at the Chaney’s home! Reservations are not required, but appreciated. If you need a ride or directions, see Pat Chaney or Christine Osgood.
School Supply Giveaway and Free Barbecue Tomorrow, August 26th 12-2PM we will host our annual School Supply Giveaway and FREE Barbecue. Please consider coming to help or just to be a friendly face. Let’s help make the beginning of the new school year a little less burdensome to the less fortunate in our community. See Carmen or Stephanie for more information.
Water Please take time to offer a bottle of cool water to a passerby or a basketball player! If you spend any time at COGS, you will notice folks just outside our doors. Make that small effort to touch them as you offer a bottle of water in Christ’s name. The water bottles with Christ’s message are in the fridge.
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
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.
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.
Member Food Pantry When Moses led the Isrealites out of Egypt and through the Red Sea, God provided for their needs for 40 years. We can certainly learn from his example and help our fellow brothers and sisters that are struggling to make ends meet in a similar way. By keeping our food pantry stocked with healthy foods, we can be God’s helpers giving a hand to those that are less fortunate.
Items Needed: canned meats, tuna in water, canned fruit, canned vegetables, soups, stews, one box meals, peanut butter, jelly/jam/fruit spreads, and anything else you’d like to bring.
Last Week
Last Week’s Sermon was called ‘Crumbs Under the Table’, and was based on Mark 7:24-30. It can be listened to or downloaded here.
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, ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, Matt and Anne discuss the prophetic meaning of the eclipse, books, camp cooking, and argue about the Saratoga Battlefield.
You can catch up on all of the older podcast episodes here.
This Week
This Week in Christian Ed
(a note on Christian Ed from Pastor Matt:
For our next Christian education series (9:15am-10:15am Sunday), I thought it might be helpful to discuss and think through from a biblical perspective some contemporary crises and issues. As you know, I do not like to delve too deeply into politics and this series will be no exception. Nevertheless, there is a tendency in difficult times to retreat from the world rather than engage the world with the Gospel. I don’t think that retreat is a viable Christian response (despite what we might read in the Benedict Option…a book with which I disagree and yet am considering using for Sunday School someday). In this series we will address three issues: Race, Sexuality, and Life (not necessarily in that order). I’ll introduce the series this Sunday (August 27th), but then we will skip the next Sunday(September 3rd) for a Q and A session since the BU students will be visiting on their annual church tour and I wanted to address some of the questions they have.
This Week’s Sermon is based on Hebrews 10:15-25.
And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
“This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
and write them on their minds,”then he adds,
“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Team Ephesians is working on the altar this Sunday.
The readings for this week are: Isaiah 51:1-6 and Hebrews 10:15-25.
The PDF Bulletin for this Sunday’s 10:30 service can be downloaded here.
Karen B. will be serving on the altar guild this Sunday.
Stephanie W. will be serving in nursery this Sunday.
Shepherd’s Bowl the Rice’s will be cooking this Sunday.
Have an item for the Update or an Announcement?
Email the secretary at:
gs.binghamton@gmail.com
by Monday night.