What’s Happening at Good Shepherd
Potluck This Sunday is the first Sunday of the month, and therefore a potluck week! The theme this month is ‘Secret Ingredient’. Do you have a recipe with a surprising ingredient? Bring a batch for the potluck this Sunday and let us know what your secret is! Please stay to have lunch even if you don’t bring anything.
Lunch with a Missionary! Please take your plate of delicious potluck food to the green room, where you will be able to have lunch with the delightful Carrie Moorhead (InterVarsity) and ask her all the questions you can think of regarding her work with students, and IV leaders in our region.
Shrove Tuesday A big Thank You for all those who helped with the Shrove Tuesday outreach event! There were new friends and old ones! Many were impressed by our hospitality and generosity! Please continue to pray for our efforts that they bear fruit for His kingdom!
Life Choices Thank you to all who returned Life Choices baby bottles so far! There are still 9 bottles that have not been returned yet. It is NOT too late – so please bring them on Sunday if you still have one at home. Thank you!
CANA East Synod Our diocese, CANA East has asked Good Shepherd to host the annual Synod meeting again this year. It’s an honor that Good Shepherd has been chosen to host this event again, and we are looking forward to it! On May 3rd-5th, close to 300 clergy and lay people from around the country will come together to decide church business, and to worship and fellowship together. This year’s theme is: The Divine Allurement of God – Archbishop Cranmer’s Missional and Pastoral Principles for the 21st Century.
The Rev. Canon Dr. Ashley Null, our guest speaker, is one of the foremost experts on Thomas Cranmer. He travels widely throughout the Anglican Communion, teaching regularly on the godly, biblical heritage of Anglicanism in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Australia.
Many things will need to be done to prepare for this event, and many hands will be needed. In the coming weeks, you’ll be hearing about opportunities to serve by painting, cleaning, reorganizing, decorating, and even helping with some construction work! Please consider coming in to help beautify Good Shepherd as we prepare to host this exciting event.
There will also be a great need for volunteers during the event. If you are able to come and volunteer for part of the event, please let Stephanie in the office know by email or a phone call. We’ll be looking for volunteers to help with serving meals, cleaning, keeping refreshment areas well stocked, running small errands, child care, parking coordination, and ushers. If you’d like to attend the event, you can register at the CANA East website. The cost is $100 if you register before March 1, and $135 after March 2 for the full event. If you’d like to attend for free, then please contact Stephanie to sign up as a volunteer.
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.
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 at 6pm on 3/10 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.
Last Week
Last Week’s Sermon was called ‘Life in the Father’s House’. It was based on Hebrews 13:1-6 It can be listened to or downloaded here.
Mission Group Discussion Questions
Read Hebrews 13:1-6
1) Which of the commands given in verses 1-6 surprise you? Why?
- Which of the commands challenge you the most?
2) How has brotherly love been shown to you by someone in the church?
- What makes this love different than agape love?
- Why are both commanded to be practiced in the church?
3) Besides the fact that it is commanded in verse 2, why show hospitality to strangers?
- In what practical ways can you show hospitality to strangers?
- Are there any individuals in the church who are strangers to you? How can you know them better?
4) How can you identify with believers who are mistreated?
- What makes it difficult for many believers to identify themselves as Christians to those outside of the church building?
- What outcomes are possible when you identify yourself with other believers?
5) Why is marriage commanded to be held in honor?
- How is the gospel exemplified in the covenant of marriage?
- How does dishonoring marriage dishonor Christ and the gospel?
6) Why does a love of money also dishonor Christ and the gospel?
- How does a love of money show your disbelief of the quote in verse 5?
- In what ways has God disciplined you to love him instead of money? In what ways do you still need to be trained?
7) Why can we confidently believe and say that “The Lord is my helper”?
- What or who gives you the strength to act in faith rather than out of fear?
- How can you make verse 6 true in your life this week?
Tuesday Morning Bible Study This Tuesday morning, we finished up Exodus 32 and moved into Exodus 33 and the departure for Sinai. After the great apostasy of the Golden Calf, when Israel rejects God in favor of an idol, Moses begins to meet with God “outside the camp”. This prefigures Christ, who was rejected by Israel whose leaders handed him over to the gentiles who hung on a cross outside the walls of Jerusalem. But it is to him we must go, alienated and rejected by the world, if we would meet God.
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, ‘About Billy Graham’, Matt and Anne Kennedy discuss the life and ministry of Billy Graham, the good and the bad.
You can catch up on all of the older podcast episodes here.
This Week
This Week in Christian Ed This Sunday we continue our series entitled “The Great Councils of the Church”. Last week we kicked off the series discussing the setting for the Jerusalem Council recorded in Acts 15 (listen here). What is the relationship between works and faith? Should Christians keep the Old Testament dietary and ceremonial laws? How do Jews and Gentiles come together peaceably in individual congregations? These were the questions discussed and settled at the Jerusalem. This week we will dive in to the actual minutes of the council as recorded by Luke in Acts 15. If you can, please make time to read the chapter before class. Class begins at 9:15am. Hope to see you there.
This Sunday’s Sermon will be based on Hebrews 13:7-14.
Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. We have an altar from which those who serve the tenthave no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
Team Romans is working on the altar this Sunday.
The readings for this week are Exodus 20:1-21 and Hebrews 13:7-14.
Karen B. will be serving on the altar guild this Sunday.
Shepherd’s Bowl Team 2 is serving this week with the Osgood team (3/8).
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.