What’s Happening at Good Shepherd
Thank You! Mary Lindsey and her family wish everyone to know how much we appreciate everything you did to make her 100th birthday special. Also, for all the ongoing visits, prayer, and caring.
Take a look at the paper update on Sunday for a special note from some far-off Good Shepherd family.
March for Life Today was the annual March for Life at the US Capitol. Even if you were unable to attend, please pray for the event, travel mercies for all attending, and most importantly for our nation’s leaders. May their hearts be softened to repent from legislation that legalizes the murder of innocent babies. May they instead submit to God’s gift of life and honor that in their legislative decisions.
Next Sunday is the first Sunday of the month! That means it’s time for a potluck and acolyte practice! We’re hoping to bring back some of the fun of potluck dinners by giving them each a theme this year. This month’s theme is Game Day Grub, since next Sunday is the super bowl. Please bring a dish of your favorite Superbowl party food to share, but stay and enjoy lunch even if you don’t! If you do stay and enjoy lunch, please be sure to clean up after yourselves and your family, to lessen the burden on those that are cleaning.
Stephanie will be recruiting coffee hour help in the next few weeks, so if you’d like to give some time once every month and a half or so, please let her know. The commitment would be to clean up and make sure everything is put away after coffee hour. Ultimately, we’d like to have teams of two or three people, so please consider getting together with your friends and volunteering!
If you have an acolyte or crucifer (the young people who help during the service) in your family, or a young person who’d like to be one, please be sure to send them up to the sanctuary for practice time with Father Matt and/or Ife.
Life Choices Baby Bottle Drive With the number of babies that have been born within the Good Shepherd community this year, this effort feels particularly important. Life Choices is a local charity that helps mentor women who are working through the effects of abortion, encourages teens to set boundaries for healthy relationships, equips new parents with the skills to care for their babies, explains options to women who have just found out that they are pregnant, gives young women a chance to see the life inside their wombs, and much more. Last year, the abortion total in the US since Roe v. Wade broke 59,000,000. That’s fifty-nine million children whose lives were taken. Pastor Matt has recently been appointed a board member at Life Choices, so this is a cause that Good Shepherd really believes in. Please be sure to stop at the usher’s table on your way out of the sanctuary to pick up a baby bottle. Give what you can to help this worthy cause, and return the bottles by the end of February.
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.
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.
New Members and Attenders Class As we announced this Sunday and last Sunday, we will be starting a new members/inquirer’s class this Sunday after the 10:30am worship service. If you are considering membership at Good Shepherd or just want to know more this class is designed to help you get an overview of what we believe, how the church functions and what membership means.
It is also a good class for existing members. If you find yourself confused about what exactly is happening and how decisions are made and who leads what ministry, etc. this is a good class for you as well and you are welcome to be there.
There will be three classes. The first is this Sunday but we have not yet scheduled the other two. We are waiting to see who will be joining us before deciding on those dates.
Concert coming to Good Shepherd On Thursday March 9th of this year at 7pm Good Shepherd will be hosting a free concert by the Northwestern College Symphonic Band. We hope to use this event as an outreach to the community. Northwestern College is a strong Christian college (Jason Carlton’s alma mater) and the concert will include some brief testimonies by the musicians. And the music is excellent. The orchestra includes about 53 student members and we are looking for volunteers who would be willing to open their homes for Thursday evening, providing breakfast on Friday morning and perhaps a sack lunch for their departure. If you are willing and interested in supporting this outreach and opening your home, please contact the church office at 607-723-8032.
Ongoing Ministries
Children’s bulletins are available to help your children follow all parts of the service on Sunday. 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 If you have looked into our Member Food Pantry recently, you will see that we have an abundance of cereal, crackers, cookies, peanut butter and jam, apple and cranberry sauce, and some veggies like peas and green beans. Thank you so much for your generosity, these items are all well stocked.
Items Needed: Canned meats and Tuna Fish, Assorted Salad Dressings, and cooking oils such as Vegetable and Canola oils; Ketchup, mayonnaise, relish, pickles and olives, Stews, one box meals other than mac and cheese, Bread Crumbs, Canned fruits, Coffee, Tea, cocoa, powdered milk, Canned corn, creamed corn, carrots, beets and asparagus or anything else you care to bring.
Note: Please don’t bring flour or sugar, or leave any open packages of pasta or rice in the pantry, as it attracts mice.
Last Week
Last Week in Christian Ed we finished discussing Article 37.
Last Week’s Sermon, ‘Entering God’s Rest’ was based on Hebrews 4:1-10. It can be listened to or downloaded here.
Mission Group Discussion Questions
Read Hebrews 4:1-10
1) Describe what rest means to you.
- When do you feel most at rest? Where are you most at rest? Who are you with?
- How is the rest that God offers similar? How is it different?
- What most often prevents you from experiencing God’s perfect rest?
2) Of what does the writer say in verse 1 that we should be afraid?
- Why is this something to be afraid of?
- What does it mean that “the promise of entering his rest still stands”?
- Why is this good news?
3) Who is it that is able to enter God’s rest mentioned in verse 3?
- What does the word “believe” mean in this context?
- How is the idea of faith involved?
- What things do you believe in and why?
4) What does it mean that “it remains for some to enter [God’s rest]” said at the beginning of verse 6?
- How has God called believers to be involved in his work to bring others into his rest?
- Why is the rest that he offers better than any other kind?
Tuesday Morning Bible Study was cancelled due to poor weather. We’ll resume our studies next Tuesday.
You can catch up on the last month’s videos here.
This Week
This week in Christian Ed we’ll finish our series on the 39 articles by discussing article 38 and 39. You can read them here.
This Week’s Sermon is based on Hebrews 4:11-16.
11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Team Ephesians is working on the altar this Sunday with Ife Ojetayo.
Shepherd’s Bowl Team 3 with the Warner team will be working this week (2/2).
Altar Guild Karen Berman is serving this Sunday.
The readings for this week are: Micah 6:1-8 and Hebrews 4:11-16.
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.