GROWING THE CHURCH: It is a pleasure and honor to be rector at a church that is growing – and growing rapidly! Total attendance for Easter services was 213. Average Sunday attendance for 2010 is 93 people. My goal for 2010 is an average Sunday attendance of over 100. We are almost there! Our pledge drive for 2010 has surpassed $100,000. Our goal for stewardship is $120, 000. Again, we are almost there! These are obvious outward signs of church growth that have happened, and it is growth that, God willing, will continue this year. Other signs of growth might not be as obvious, but they are equally important.
The food basket at the back of the church has been regularly filled to capacity about every six weeks. When it is full, the donations are brought to the Katonah Food Pantry. The outreach efforts of the church grow when more people – new or old – are in church each Sunday, and for that reason the basket has been filling up faster and faster in recent months. My goal is a full basket every month. If you are interested in offering a donation, there are take-home refrigerator magnets next to the basket indicating what supplies are needed. Thanks so much to all who have contributed to this effort!
Weekday services are not counted with Sunday attendance, but over the last few months they have grown to become part of the worship and fellowship life of the church. Morning Prayer is offered at 7:40 AM every day that I am officially at the church (Tuesday-Friday and Sunday). I have found the daily office to be a great way to keep up my own daily prayer life, learn the Psalter that is read over the course of each month, and encounter the Word of God in the Scriptures that are read each day. My knowledge of Scripture and my prayer life have grown immensely after six years of saying the daily office. I believe it will make a difference in your prayer life too. All are welcome to say the office at Good Shepherd.
In addition to the regular morning services offered each week, some of the greater festivals and feast days of the church year are celebrated during the week. It has been thrilling to see so many people in the church for these services. The services of the Triduum, celebrated in Holy Week on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were attended by an average of over thirty people. Special services on Candlemas and Annunciation, celebrated on a Tuesday and on a Thursday, respectively, each were attended by nearly forty people. At my Institution & Induction, celebrated on a Friday night, the church was full to capacity, chairs were setup in back, people were standing in the foyer, and the official count was “over 200”! There is nothing like an active and full church on a week night to promote a feeling that “this place is really alive”. It says a great deal about how active and lively a parish is when parishioners are having a great time in church on a random weeknight! On Thursday, May 13, 2010, we will celebrate Ascension Day. The Holy Eucharist will be celebrated at 6:00 PM. The service will be followed by a steak and wine dinner – a sign for potluck sides, salads, appetizers, and deserts is up in the hallway. Mark your calendars and tell your friends. It should be a fantastic night and a wonderful celebration; I hope you can be here!
The most obvious time that the church grows is when there is a baptism – a new Christian is born of water and the Holy Spirit! On Sunday May 23, the Easter Season concludes with the Day of Pentecost (fifty days after Easter Day). There will probably be many visitors in church on Pentecost this year since we are likely to have three infants baptized! If you haven’t been to a Baptism at Good Shepherd since I arrived as rector, fear not: I keep the service short and sweet! Pentecost is always a joyous day, but this year we will all get to be a part of growing the church – not only Good Shepherd, but the adding in new members to the Body of Christ in the world! Please mark your calendars for this great celebration!
Finally, the growth of the church is often seen in individuals. Our Confirmation Class this year studied the Gospel passion narratives in depth. It is very difficult to grow as a Christian if you do not understand your faith, and I am confident that those who participated in the class learned a great deal about who Jesus is and what the four evangelists wrote about his death and resurrection. On Sunday, June 20, 2010, Bishop Sisk will return to Good Shepherd to confirm the young people of the Confirmation Class and make his official visitation for 2010. June 20 is also Father’s Day. In celebration of the Confirmations, the Visitation, and Father’s Day, the Brotherhood of Saint Andrew (the men’s group) is planning to serve REAL BBQ – we hope to have a Wood Smoker with Pork Shoulder cooking in front of the church when the Bishop arrives! Many people will probably have plans for lunch with their families on this special day, but not everyone will. Whether you have plans later in the day or not, please save some time and some room in your stomach for the reception after church.
The Church grows when you and I tell the people around us that we love our church and what it is doing. Sunday morning is an obvious place to start when we want to begin telling our own stories of why we love Good Shepherd, but that often is only the beginning of the story. Telling people about the outreach efforts – including but not limited to the food basket – helps them see that the church practices both active love of God in worship and love of neighbor through charity. Telling people about the regular worship of the church that occurs outside of Sunday helps them understand that having faith is a something that Christians have and cherish every day at every moment, and that faith isn’t a switch that gets turned on Sunday mornings and turned off a few hour late. Telling people about the fun festive events (be honest – what other church do you is having a steak and wine dinner to celebrate Ascension Day or plans to welcome the Bishop of New York with a cloud of BBQ smoke!) that are happening at Good Shepherd helps them appreciate that church can be a blast. In my experience the church grows when CHURCH=OUTREACH&WORSHIP&FUN.
Saint John the Evangelist concludes his Gospel with one of my favorite passages: “There are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” I love this passage because it reminds me that everyone has a wonderful story to tell about Jesus Christ and the church. I have listed a few things going on at Good Shepherd because I am really excited about what we are doing and what is happening here this spring. You might say it’s my story about why I love Good Shepherd. Lots of people want to hear the story that you have to tell too!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Why I Love Good Shepherd #6
“WHY I LOVE GOOD SHEPHERD” (May 2010)
This article is the sixth 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 Jackie Ringer:
When Father Matt asked me to write about why I love Good Shepherd I have to admit my first, tongue-in-cheek response was “you mean more than because ‘it’s right next door to my house?’” But, of course, Good Shepherd, the church, and faith are far more meaningful in my life than simple location – just convenience wouldn’t have kept me an active member for more than 34 years.
Faith makes a difference in my life in so many ways. I find so much comfort in knowing I have a community of friends who are praying for me in good times and bad. I find Good Shepherd a calming sanctuary – a quiet, comforting place – to meditate and pray about my family and my life. I come to celebrate and be thankful when things are going well and to seek guidance and comfort when troubles arise. It is the steadiness of Good Shepherd and it’s stewardship that has always made me feel at home.
I am inspired by Good Shepherd and its continual outreach efforts, which are always on the forefront: the work with Carpenters Kids, our community work with the food pantries, and our involvement with community groups like the Boy Scouts and Alcoholics Anonymous. I believe our influence is felt on a broader level than just within our walls, and I am proud to be a part of it.
And yes, I love Good Shepherd because I live next door. There, I’ve said it. I love hearing the church bell calling everyone to worship on Sunday morning and as a reminder that God is present in my life. I love being able to see the glorious stained glass window, virtually each and every day as I pass by on my way to and from the activities in my life, feeling that God is watching over us. Good Shepherd is my constant, and my peace, and I’m thankful to have it, the wonderful parishioners and now, Father Matt, in my life.
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