What’s Happening at Good Shepherd This Week
Confirmation/Reception Classes This Sunday Matt will be teaching the next session of confirmation and reception classes. If you’re interested in being confirmed or received, please contact Matt at lambeth98@gmail.com to let him know. If you’d like to join in the classes, please read through the 39 Articles ahead of time. The class will be discussing Anglican history, ethos, worship and most of all, doctrine using the articles to guide the discussion. If you’d like further commentary on the articles, please consider reading Foundations of the Faith by Dr. Lee Gatiss.
Acolyte and Crucifer Training There will be an acolyte and crucifer training session this Sunday immediately following the 10:30 service. If you have a child that is an acolyte or crucifer, or is interested in becoming one, please make sure that they are in the sanctuary after the service.
Women’s Bible Study The women’s bible study will be taking a hiatus. The study will resume on April 4th.
Youth Group will be cancelled this Sunday.
Coming Soon!
Holy Week and Easter Schedule
Tennebrae (Wednesday, April 8th): 7:30PM Tenebrae means “shadows” in Latin. It is a service of word, light and sound. When you arrive for worship you will see two groups of candles lit on the altar table. As readings are read the candles on the altar will be gradually extinguished until the very end of the service when the last candle left lit is removed from the worship space and the whole sanctuary is left in darkness. At that point a loud crash will (should) shatter the silence of the sanctuary. Then, after a moment, the last candle is returned to the sanctuary and the worshipers depart in silence. The gradual darkening of the sanctuary and the crashing noise symbolizes the apparent victory of death, darkness, and chaos over Jesus Christ on the cross. The final candle being removed and returned, symbolizes the truth that through Jesus’ death, God gained victory over all the powers of evil. The Light was not overcome.
Maundy Thursday (Thursday, April 9th): 6:30PM Maundy Thursday communion celebrates the humility of Jesus with a ceremonial foot washing. Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s and yet on the night before he died, during the Last Supper, he knelt down and one by one washed his disciples’ feet. He did this to show his disciples and to show you and me how to serve one another with humility and love, being willing even to stoop to the most menial tasks. Maundy Thursday is the last chance for communion until the Great Vigil.
Good Friday (Friday, April 10th): noon At about 3pm on Friday of Holy Week he lifted his eyes up to heaven from the cross and breathed out his last. “It is finished” he said. He was not only referring to his life, but he was also referring to his mission to deal with and defeat once and for all sin, death, and Satan.
Stations of The Cross (Friday, April 10th): 7:30PM This is a solemn service. The participants walk through the stations of the cross by candlelight, hearing a brief reading at each, and exit the sanctuary in silence.
The Great Vigil of Easter (Saturday, April 11th): 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 are lit along with the hand-candles in the congregation. 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.
Easter Day (Sunday, April 12th): This is the day Christians celebrate and proclaim the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. There will be music, preaching, smells and bells. Service times are at 8:00am and 10:30am.
Easter Egg Hunt The Easter Egg hunt has been cancelled for 2020.
Ongoing Ministries
Tuesday Morning Bible Study This bible study meets every Tuesday morning at 9:05am to walk through different books of the bible, verse by verse. Taught by Matt Kennedy in the main room of the parish hall.
Thursday Evening Beginner’s Bible Study The Thursday evening bible study is a beginner’s bible study that takes place in the green youth classroom at 6pm each week following the Shepherd’s Bowl Community dinner. This is a great place to connect with others and learn more about what God has to say to us through his word.
Shepherd’s Bowl Community Dinner Each Thursday evening, Good Shepherd offers a free community dinner to all. The Shepherd’s Bowl ministry seeks to give a nutritious meal to the people of Good Shepherd and the wider community. If you are able, this is a great time to get to know others in our community and congregation and have a free meal!
Friday Morning Men’s Bible Study Each Friday morning, a group of men gather at Good Shepherd at 6:30am to share breakfast, bible study and prayer time together. Men of any age are welcome to attend. If you are interested in learning more about this study, please email Pastor Matt or contact the church office.
Women’s Bible Study The Women’s Bible Study meets every Saturday morning from 10 to 11AM. Women of various ages join together to study the bible, moving book by book, and verse by verse. All women are extended a warm invitation to attend. The ladies are currently studying the book of Psalms. The Psalms express so much from praise, forgiveness and gratitude for God’s grace and so much more. Join us while we study this ancient collection of songs and poems that has been woven into our worship services for centuries. Please contact Christine Osgood for more information.
The Women’s Bible Study is on hiatus and will resume meeting on April 4th.
Good Shepherd Member Food Pantry With the rising cost of food these days, it gets harder and harder for some parents to feed their children, so food pantries like ours can help. However, if our pantry is depleted of good healthy food, that is also a problem. We need all of you who can afford to purchase an item or two to help us. We don’t want to turn anyone away when they are hungry, so please give generously.
Items needed: Peanut butter, spaghetti and spaghetti sauce, canned meats (ham, beef, turkey, tuna), one box meals, nutritious child friendly foods, cereals (hot or cold), brown or white rice (1 lb bags only). cooking oils, macaroni, noodles, and soups, and anything else you’d like to bring. Paper plates and plastic cutlery, and cleaning and hygiene products are always welcome.
*Please do not donate flour or sugar as it encourages mice.
Good Shepherd Youth Group Youth Group meets on Sunday night from 6:00 – 7:30pm at Good Shepherd. All youth between the ages of 12-18 are welcome to join as the youth group continues to study the book of Romans. Please contact Tyler Van Fossen if you’d like to know how to help or be involved in the Good Shepherd Youth Group in any way. Email: tvf.arrowhead@gmail.com.
Last Week
Last week’s sermon Last Sunday’s sermon was called Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled, and was based on John 13:36-14:1.
To access previous sermons, you can follow this link.
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 podcast, ‘Women’s Day and Revoice‘, Matt and Anne discuss the International Women’s Day, Elizabeth Warren and little girls, and the Revoice movement.
You can listen to past podcast episodes here.
Tuesday Morning Bible Study This Tuesday morning’s we returned to Mark 13, discussing the Olivet discourse in chapter 13. There Jesus discusses what lies in the future for the Temple and for the world at his Return.
You can watch the class at this link, or in the window below.
Posted by Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd on Tuesday, March 10, 2020
This Week
Weekly Bible Readings
| Morning | Evening | |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Psalm 17, Exod 36, 1 Tim 4 | Psalm 18, Hosea 13-14, Luke 22.24-38 |
| Tuesday | Psalm 19, Exod 37, 1 Tim 5.1-6.2 | Psalm 20, Micah 1, Luke 22.39-end |
| Wednesday | Psalm 21, Exod 38, 1 Tim 6.3-end | Psalm 22, Micah 2-3, Luke 23.1-25 |
| Thursday | Psalm 23, Exod 39, 2 Tim 1 | Psalm 24, Micah 4.1-5.6, Luke 23.26-end |
| Friday | Psalm 25, Exod 40, 2 Tim 2 | Psalm 26, Micah 5.7-ch. 6, Luke 24.1-35 |
| Saturday | Psalm 27, Lev 1-2, 2 Tim 3 | Psalm 28, Micah 7, Luke 24.36-end |
| Sunday | Psalm 29, Lev 3.1-4.21, 2 Tim 4 | Psalm 30, Isaiah 1, Acts 1 |
This Sunday’s Sermon will be based on John 14:1-6.
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
This Sunday’s Lections are Exodus 17:1-7, Psalm 95, and Romans 1:16-32.
Team Corinthians is working on the altar this Sunday.
Karen C. is serving on altar guild.
Nursery Emma K. will be serving in the nursery this Sunday.
Walter and Martha G. are on coffee hour.
Shepherd’s Bowl Team 4 is serving on Shepherd’s Bowl with Amanda R. as cook.
You can find a PDF version of the 10:30 bulletin for this Sunday morning available to download at this link.
Have an item for the Update or an Announcement?
Email the secretary at: gs.binghamton@gmail.com
by Monday night.