OUTREACH & INREACH: A recent conference on Church growth noted that churches that do not actively work at charitable outreach do not grow. I’m very happy to be the rector of Good Shepherd, in part, because we are growing and we actively work at charitable outreach. In addition to our annual efforts supporting the Carpenter’s Kids (see the letter on pages 7-9 of this newsletter) Good Shepherd is offering several important outreach projects in the next month.
On Thursday, March 25, we will celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ with the Holy Eucharist and a wine tasting fund raiser. At 6:00 PM we will gather for worship in the church. The service will be sung and will feature a guest preacher, the Reverend John Merz. Father Merz is the chaplain at New York University for the Diocese of New York. He will also be at Good Shepherd in July as our assistant supply priest. After the service concludes there will be a wine tasting in the Parish Hall. A minimum suggested donation of $20 is asked to raise funds for the parish and for two specific outreach projects: The Keon Center and the Northern Westchester Community Center Food Pantry in Katonah. Wine will be sold at the wine tasting and both a portion of the proceeds from the wine that is sold and the money offering from the Holy Eucharist will go toward this fundraising effort.
On April 1, 2010, the church celebrates Maundy Thursday. (More information on the service is below in the section on the Easter Triduum). The offering at the 7:30 PM Celebration of the Lord’s Supper traditionally goes directly to the poor. This year, the entire offering will be given to two outreach efforts: the Northern Westchester Community Center Food Pantry in Katonah and Episcopal Relief & Development’s Haiti Fund.
On Sunday, February 14, 2010, the Last Sunday after Epiphany, the Sunday School offered a chocolate fountain fundraiser which raised over $250. The proceeds were given to Episcopal Relief & Development’s Haiti Fund. Thanks so much to all who contributed and to all who made this wonderful event happen.
Inreach may or may not be a real word, but at Good Shepherd we actively practice both charitable outreach and charitable inreach. The Family Support Fund is a parish fund that is designed to assist members within our own parish family in times of need. Currently, the Fund has a little less than $2000 in it; I would like to make a specific appeal to every member and friend of the parish, who are able to, to support and contribute to this Fund. It is my hope that by June 20, 2010, when Bishop Sisk visits for Confirmations, we can double the amount of money in the Fund. I hope you will join me in making a donation to the Family Support Fund: please make checks payable to the “Church of the Good Shepherd” with a note designating “Family Support Fund”.
These outreach and inreach efforts are only possible when we work together. Supporting the parish financially allows us to keep the building open and staffed so that we can gather and begin to live out Christ’s command to love our neighbors. Our pledge goal for 2010 is $120,000. We are currently at $88,654 (74%)! Making our goal allows us to balance to continue to do the many different outreach projects we are doing… and then do even more! If you haven’t yet made a pledge, please consider making one – please speak to Bob Bubeck or to me, the rector. A pledge supports the entire mission of the church and makes the charitable outreach and inreach projects that we do possible. Thanks so much and God bless!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Why I Love Good Shepherd #4
“WHY I LOVE GOOD SHEPHERD” (March 2010)
This article is the fourth in a series presented by the 2010 Stewardship Committee. If you are interested in submitting an article for the series, please contact Father Matt, we’d love to print your submission! This month we continue the series with a note from Arleen Flury:
We first came to Good Shepherd in the summer of 1984 when my daughter Michelle was 9 years old. Her Brownie troop buddy invited us to attend a Sunday service with her family. It happened to be a “folk Sunday” which was held once a month. Fr. Dresser gave a children’s sermon using a puppet named Gloria and the music was light and uplifting. Michelle looked forward to returning, and although I was raised in the Presbyterian Church, and the Episcopal Church seemed a bit foreign to me, I was glad that she wanted to come back so I decided we should give it a try. At coffee hour the first people we met were the Stebbins and the Sotters. They were warm and friendly and made us feel welcome. That was over 25 years ago. Since then I have been involved with Sunday School, Altar Guild, Lay Readers, Ushers, WOCOGs and Vestry. I have made so many more friendships… and it all started with a simple “Hi, my name is…..Welcome to Good Shepherd!”.
What I love most about Good Shepherd is the real sense of family. I have felt God’s hand at work in this parish time and time again. Over the years, as a parish family, we have overcome some huge bumps in the road. Like most families, we have had some major disagreements and rifts. But even in those times, the issues never rose above our love and concern for one another. Whenever someone was hurting, we circled the wagons, dropped all other issues, and did whatever we could to take care of them. There were some years when there were more funerals than we thought we could bear, among them two precious children, which broke our hearts. But it was then that I learned we are God’s gift to each other. The faith and hope that we share supports us and helps us heal.
I can see that good things are happening now. The enthusiasm and sense of expectation is palpable; much of which is attributable to Fr. Matt’s enthusiasm and energy. We are growing in numbers and in fellowship. I see new faces every week, and the sound of chattering children streaming in from Sunday school during the 10:00 AM service gives confirmation that we are a living, thriving parish. The fact that nearly 100 family and friends attended the 12th Night celebration is exciting. I am certain that we are on a good path and things will only get better.
We came looking… we stayed because we found what we were looking for…. I hope that those who are new to Good Shepherd will come to feel this sense of family as well and stay with us for a long time to come.
Hi, my name is Arleen Flury….Welcome to Good Shepherd!
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