From time to time…
Welcome Home! Did you know that Michael and Karen Berman have officially moved into the rectory? I suppose now that the Rectors have moved out, we’ll need to call it something else…hmm, I’ve heard a few suggestions. What do you all think?
Please be in Prayer As many of you know, Mary Lindsey was hospitalized last week. She is currently in a rehabilitation center. We are prayerfully hoping for a speedy recovery. You can contact the Good Shepherd Office for more information.
A New Opportunity David Coleman has for some time felt the Lord leading him toward a more involved place in ministry. He has recently been offered an assistant pastor position at Franklin Hill UMC in Montrose. Although we’ll miss them deeply, we are so happy for the Coleman family!
What’s Happening at Good Shepherd
Saratoga Fun Day! Last week Carmen and several other folks went over to Saratoga Youth Center and hosted a ‘Fun Day’. There were games, crafts, music, face painting and PIZZA! The kids all had a great time, and were happy to see so many familiar faces from Good Shepherd. If you’d like to spend some time getting to know these great kids, please see Carmen.
This Sunday is the first Sunday of the month. There will be a potluck lunch and crucifer and acolyte practice. Please be sure that all crucifers and acolytes grab a quick lunch and head back to the sanctuary for practice. If you have a child interested in training to become an acolyte or crucifer, please contact Steph at the Good Shepherd office.
Ministry Fair Please join us on September 11th in the parish hall following the 8:30 service as we embrace stewardship as a way of life. Take a few moments to see the various ministry opportunities that are available at Church of the Good Shepherd. “If anyone would serve me” Jesus says in the Gospel, “let him follow me; where I am, there will my servant be.” Please join us in celebrating and learning more about each of these ministries.
And Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink”… There are bottles of water in the church refrigerator which are available to offer to anyone who is in the vicinity of the church. These are not for members of COGS, but are for those outside our walls. Please use this gesture to show others that we care.
Mission Groups Mission groups will return to regular format and schedule the week of September 12. If you are already part of a Mission Group, check the location and schedule of your meetings with your Mission Group Leader. See Ben Murphy if you haven’t joined a Mission Group yet and need help finding one!
ACW Anglican Church Women (ACW) are inviting all the women of Good Shepherd to a lunch next Saturday, September 10 from 11:30-2:30. 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.
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.
Ongoing Ministries
“And as for your little ones…”
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 Our lives are changing every day, sometimes even every hour. Often the plans we’ve made for ourselves are not the plans that God has for us. It’s easy to become overwhelmed with all of the need around us.
Buying items for our member food pantry is a small way that we can help our Good Shepherd family and friends that are in need.
In this simple act, we are able to keep his commandment to ‘feed his sheep’. Please consider picking up a can or two of something tasty to support the food pantry the next time that you’re out shopping.
Needs: canned meats and tuna, one box meals cereals, hot or cold cereal (other than corn flakes), crackers, cookies, salad dressings, side dishes, canned soups and stews, juice boxes or canned juices, canned fruit and veggies, coffee, tea, cocoa, and anything else you’d like to bring.
Last Week
Last Week in Adult Christian Education: This was the seventh class session of our Christian education course on the 39 Articles. We discussed Articles 12 and 13 and the inability of human beings to please God by works apart from faith in Jesus Christ. You can listen in here: Articles 12-13: Can Non-Christians Do Works Pleasing to God?
Last Week’s Sermon: was called ‘Ascending to the Highest Place’, and was based on Luke 14:1, 7-11. You can listen to or download it here.
Tuesday Morning Bible Study: This Tuesday’s Bible Study was called ‘Not Causing a Brother to Stumble’.
If you’re having a dinner party and you’ve invited a recovering alcoholic, a teetotaler who considers all consumption sinful, and someone from a European country who cannot fathom a meal without wine…and they are all faithful believing Christians, do you offer wine? Is there a principle you can apply to all such situations? Paul writes to Roman congregations where questions about food and drink, culture and custom, have the potential to divide congregations. In Romans 14, the apostle lays out principles to help the Church wade through the complications of being “One Body”. You can view it here, or watch it below.
Missed a study? You can catch up on the last month of the Tuesday morning Bible studies you might have missed 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, ‘Making Wives Happy and the Book Interview’ Matt and Anne Kennedy discuss what it takes to make women happy in marriage and also discuss Anne’s new book coming out in November published by Kalos Press. You can catch up on all of the older episodes here.
This Week
This week’s sermon is based on the book of Philemon.
Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our beloved fellow worker and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.
Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus—I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.
Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.
Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Team Galations is working on the altar this Sunday with Anne Kennedy.
The readings for this Sunday are: Deuteronomy 30:15-20 and Philemon.
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.