Happy Friday and
Welcome to The Good News!
This is the weekly e-newsletter of Church of the Good Shepherd - the edition for December 20, 2019.
The Good News gives you the most up-to-date information about news and events at Good Shepherd.
Please feel free to forward this issue of The Good News to a friend. If you wish to offer comments or content, please contact the church office at goodshepherd@gslookout.com.
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This Week at Good Shepherd
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East Side's Pajama Try-ons
Merry Christmas from East Side! A great group of ladies helped students try on pajamas donated by Blue Cross Blue Shield. Thank you to Marian Steffner, Susie McGinness, Rebecca Byrd, Lee Moore, Jo Pine, and Jo’s sister, Karen Matthews.
Look for upcoming opportunities to volunteer at East Side in 2020!
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Christmas Cards
for Outreach Haiti
For the person that has everything! You can honor friends and family by supporting the students and teachers at St. John the Evangelist School in Petit Harpon, Haiti.
We offer three levels of giving:
- $15 card for two months of nutritious meals for a student
- $25 card for a student's books and uniform
- $100 card for one year’s tuition
Contact Ann Aiken, archiann51@gmail.com or (423) 821-2032, or Charles Mahan, cvmahan@aol.com or (706) 398-3766 or cards are available at the church office between 9:30 am and 4:30 pm.
This is a meaningful way to remember family, friends, teachers, and co-workers at this special time of the year and support a great cause. Thank you! |
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Lessons for Sunday, December 22, 2019
The Fourth Sunday of Advent
Here are this week's lessons appointed for use. At the 8:00 am service, the lector will read the scripture lesson selected by the clergy, as indicated below. At the 10:30 am service, the first lector reads the Old Testament lesson, the second lector reads the Epistle lesson, and the third serves as the intercessor for the Prayers of the People. All normally appointed lessons are read by clergy at the 5:05 pm service.
To read the lessons for Sunday, December 22, click on the links below:
Isaiah 7:10-16
Romans 1:1-7
Matthew 1:18-25
This Sunday's Lectors are:
- Molly Adams (8:00, Isaiah)
- Meg Brock (10:30; Isaiah)
- Oscar Brock (10:30, Romans)
- Peter Avisto (Prayers of the People, 10:30)
The complete December 2019 ROTA/serving schedule can be found here. |
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Thank You Good Shepherd
Thank you Good Shepherd for your amazing support! As of December 16, our total gifts pledged for 2020 is $1,251,976 from 216 households, and young parishioners have smashed through their $50,000 goal! We’ve almost reached our annual giving goal of $1.3 million! THANK YOU!
If you’ve yet to turn in your pledge for 2020, stop by the church office to fill out a pledge card, or go to http://bit.ly/BetheChurch2019 and complete your pledge online! |
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December 2019 and Christmas Eve ROTAs
You can always find the most up-to-date version of each month's ROTA (serving schedule) on our website. Click here to access the complete December 2019 and the most current Christmas Eve ROTAs.
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Happening Soon at Good Shepherd
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Beginners & Intermediate Tai Chi Class
Starting in January
A 12-week class to gain proficiency in beginner and intermediate level forms (or poses) of Tai Chi will be held at Good Shepherd on Mondays at 10:30 am in Talbird Hall beginning January 6.
The weekly, one hour class is open to anyone, regardless of age, gender or level of fitness. The forms can be done standing or seated.
Instructor John Johnson is certified at all levels of Tai Chi, including wheel chair. He is an experienced practitioner (18 yrs) and instructor (11 yrs), and a member of the Tai Chi Chattanooga Community.
Cost: $125 for the 12 week class. For more information or to sign up, contact Jeff Campbell at (423) 280-5333 or email - mudbugsoup@epbfi.com .
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Family Promise: Save the Dates
We will be hosting families for Family Promise the week of January 19-26. Stay tuned for more information and to sign up in the coming weeks!
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Happening in our community, diocese, and around The Episcopal Church
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Bishop Brian Featured on Day1.org
"The season of Advent reminds us that the church year is just begun, and the calendar so far is fresh and new. However, the faith you and I bring to this season might be feeling its age, uncertain of how to go forward, with hearts that doubt and fear."
Bishop Brian Cole was the featured preacher on Day1.org, an ecumenical radio show and blog forum, with his sermon "The Gift of Doubt". You can listen to or read his sermon by clicking here. |
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Tis the season! And hackers know it and try to take advantage of it!
We are beginning to see an uptick in fake emails making the rounds in our community and the diocese purporting to be from our own clergy and diocesan clergy (in particular Bishop Brian Cole).
If you receive a strange and/or brief email from a clergy member, do not instantly reply! Stop. Check the sending email address – not just the name. If the email is coming from an address you do not recognize, mark it spam or junk and/or delete it. Then, call the church office to let us know.
These quick steps will ensure you have a merry holiday season and not a blue Christmas.
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Christmas Shopping at St. Martin of Tours
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