invites you to join us!
to download the March issue of the Shepherd's Staff newsletter.
This Week at Good Shepherd
Thursday, March 18 6:30 - 8:00pm: Re-Connect Saturday, March 20 8:00am: Men’s Breakfast Group Sunday, March 21 8:00am: Holy Eucharist (HE) 10:00am: HE with Church School Children’s Choir after Church Monday, March 22 7:15pm: Adult Handbells Tuesday, March 23 No Staff Meeting 4:00 - 5:15pm: Special Communion Class 7:30pm: N2S Book Group Wednesday, March 24 7:30am: Holy Eucharist (HE) 8:00am: Potluck Breakfast 7:15pm: Anthem Choir 7:00pm: ALL PARISH MEETING WITH THE BISHOP EVERYONE IS WELCOME! Please try to attend. Please sign up for childcare to ensure age appropriate activities. 8:00am: Men’s Breakfast Group Sunday, March 28 PALM SUNDAY 8:00am: Holy Eucharist (HE) 10:00am: HE with Church School and Special Communion Class Reception Children’s Choir after Church 7:00pm : Taizé Prayer and Healing
EASTER FLOWERS
There are just two more Sundays to purchase Easter flowers using the green sheets in your bulletins. These sheets must be in the office by the Monday after Palm Sunday. In the alternative you may email Laura at the admin email address above with your order including whom the flowers are in memory of or what they are in celebration of.
The Diocese of Haiti and other partners are actively responding to the situation on the ground in Haiti with critical support from Episcopal Relief & Development. Please pray for those impacted and donate to the Haiti Fund. The most up to date information is available on the Haiti Crisis page.
Re-Connect Thursdays in Lent Beginning 2/25
Do you Believe? Exploring our creeds. Sign up now! Are you willing to cook or plan menus?
We have one volunteer but we need more.Please call the Rector, Gale, to volunteer.
There will also be a children's program. Please be sure to sign up.
Children's Re-Connect Program: "Were you there?" This six week program will offer children the chance to "be there" during the moments of Jesus' life before and leading up to Easter. Creative dramatics, singing, crafts and picture books will enliven the lessons. This prayerful program begins with sharing a meal each week. The last session, on Maundy Thursday, will include a children's foot-washing liturgy. Thursdays from 2/25 through 4/1 from 6:30-8pm. Led by Barbara Claire Kean and assistant Anna Dawley. Please sign up in the parish hall.
Coffee Hour - A Lenten Appeal
GREAT NEWS! We have a wonderful stockpile of goodies for coffee hour after everyone's generosity at the annual meeting. What we need now is a KITCHEN INGATHERING to complete our store of coffee hour provisions. If everyone brings something from the following list, it will free up approximately $1,200 for other worthy purposes.
*ground coffee (We need approximately 2 cans of regular to every 1 can of decaf)
*herbal tea in individual envelopes
*black tea
*hot chocolate
*paper napkins, plates, coffee cups
*paper towels
*plastic forks and knives
*powdered dishwasher soap
THANK YOU in advance for remembering church of the good shepherd when you shop.
BRING YOUR PLEDGES UP TO DATE!
Our treasurer, Noelle Dattilo, advises us that the church operating account is short of funds. If you are able to bring your pledging up-to-date, please mail a check today. If you can manage to make an additional donation on top of your planned pledge, this is the time to send that check. Any amount you can contribute will be very helpful. If you would like to contribute to a specific bill, please contact Noelle directly. This is the time to be generous. Together we can all keep Church of the Good Shepherd up and running. Thank you in advance for your support.
The Vestry
Do you like to make music? We have musical programs for people of all ages and all experience levels. Click on "Worship" and then "Music," above right.
Questions? Contact Casey Hannan at the church.
CHILDREN’S CHOIR NEWS
Junior Choir practices will move to Sundays right after the late service beginning 10/18
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION NEWS
Lenten Mission Outreach: Thanks to all who have brought in pennies for the Pennies for Peace project so far. We have four more weeks to collect them. The donations will be used to build schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. As one of the children in a video about the project say “Education brings peace.” Please collect and bring in pennies!
Good Friday Walk - Friday April 2nd! Pick up walking papers from the packet on the Community Events bulletin board in the Parish Hall. Youth, children, families, adults - all are welcome. Youth please meet at 10am at the Church on April 2nd to walk together. Funds collected will go to Loaves and Fishes food pantry and Sharing, Inc.
Making Summer Plans? Consider Good Shepherd Vacation Bible School, June 28-July 2 and/or the Barbara C. Harris Camp. Info on the latter is available in the parish hall—there are wonderful programs throughout the summer.
Spiritual Oasis, the Church of the Good Shepherd blog
http://www.goodshepherdacton.wordpress.com
What is a blog? It is a web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer. Unlike the church web site, however, a blog is more dynamic and made for readers to participate by adding their responses to the posted content. Users can start a dialog or conversation that others may see and extend. Having a blog would help the parish with its spiritual outreach, enhance educational programs like Connect, and foster greater communication and understanding within the parish. We hope to have discussions threads dedicated to parish seminars, hot topics, and the Youth Group. Right now the daily Advent meditations and prayers from parishioners and Rector Gale are displayed and available for comments. Pretty soon other topics of interest to Good Shepherd folks will be popping up so bookmark this link. If you lose it, you can always find it again under the Resources-Links page on this website.
Good Shepherd Parish Prayer
Universal and unchanging God,
We are one, unalterably one,
With all the human race.
Grant that we
who share Christ's blood, may,
through your unifying Spirit,
Break down the walls
that divide us.
Amen.
NZPB page 637
Request for Furniture Donations
The Household Goods Recycling of
goods to agencies, such as Community Teamwork, Inc. (CTI) in Lowell, who are transitioning
homeless families out of shelters and hotels. We are in dire need of box springs, mattresses,
bureaus, dining tables and chairs. Of course we take all kinds of furniture. Please consult our
website: www.hgrm.org. Our drop-off times at
