Prelude for Advent 1

Good Shepherd handbell players Delia and Karen join Ellen on piano to mark the beginning of Advent.

Joint Service with El Ocotillo

Highlights of our joint service with El Ocotillo.

Make music for Easter: Discover and celebrate new life

All are invited in the music making during Holy Week and Easter morning. No experience necessary! For more information, and to sign on, please email Ellen Oak at gsaliturgyandmusic@gmail.com.

Singers for Holy Thursday, Good Friday, The Great Vigil, and Easter Morning

Sing your way in community through the spiritual journey of living, dying, and rising in Christ. You will receive grace upon grace for the time and openness you offer. All vocal ranges and levels of experience welcome.

Rehearsals

Saturdays, March 29, April 5, April 12, 1:30-3:00pm.

Holy Thursday, April 17: Warm-Up 6:15pm. Worship 7:00pm.

Good Friday, April 18: Warm-Up 6:15pm. Worship 7:00pm.

The Great Vigil, April 19: Warm-Up 6:15pm. Worship 7:00pm.

Easter Morning, April 20: Warm-Up 9:00am. Worship 10:00am.

Handbells for Easter Morning

No prior experience needed. You will learn the fundamentals of reading music.

Rehearsals

Saturdays, March 29, April 5, April 12, 11:.00am-12:30pm.

Easter Sunday, April 20: Warm-Up 9:15am. Worship 10am.

Assorted Instruments for Easter Morning

All instruments and levels of experience welcome. Repertoire will be tailored to you.

Rehearsals

Sundays, March 30 and April 13 after 10am Eucharist for 30 minutes.

Easter Sunday, April 20: Warm-Up 9:15am. Worship 10am.

The handbell choir rings again

Pastoral Associate of Music and Liturgy, Ellen Oak, led six members of the Good Shepherd community in a beautiful handbell performance this Christmas season. The merry crew of amateur musicians learned and played four festive pieces. You can watch their moving rendition of Carol of the Bells in the video below.

Members of Good Shepherd play Carol of the Bells.

The history of handbells at Good Shepherd

In October 2007 parishioners at Church of the Good Shepherd raised enough money to purchase a 3-octave set of high-quality English handbells. Jay Lane, our music director at the time, also purchased several other items helpful for handbell choirs: stand-up music folders; music stands with space underneath to lay bells down; additional sheet music arranged for handbells. The new handbells made their debut at the Lessons & Carols service in December 2007, adding their lovely sweet sound to an already special service.

Over the years, we have assembled both adult and youth handbell choirs to provide special music at select services. Early handbell enthusiast Ronnie Diesl created several protective foam pads and decorative cover slips to use with our folding tables. Bells are an easy and fun way to participate in our music ministry. All the skills you need are the ability to count to 4, and to tell your left hand from your right.

If you’d like to get involved in making music at Good Shepherd, please contact us.

Keeping vigil: Prayer resource as we approach election day

As we approach election day, we invite you to download this prayer resource to be an aid in your time of prayer. It includes prayers selected from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, intermixed with hymns and scripture.

This prayer vigil is a non-partisan way of coming together through prayer to light a candle, say a prayer for the life and safety of our nation, and our nation’s leadership. It is also a time to remember the work we have to do as a country with regards to racism, and restoring civility and respect among all people.

As we pray, may we be so brave as to listen for God’s voice leading us to the work we have in repenting for our sins, making efforts not to repeat them, living in a new way. Prayers are designed to be offered by individuals or families at home; or while praying in the church or other sacred place. May God be with you.

06-04-23 Full Service with Instructed Eucharist (the Rector's cut)

Full Service with Instructed Eucharist

Lessons and Carols

01-08-2023 Lessons and Carols

November 19 Massachusetts Bishops' Pastoral Message

Dear Good Shepherd family,

As expected, our Bishops in Massachusetts have released new guidelines about worship given the increase of COVID-19 cases in our Commonwealth.  Please read their Pastoral Letter by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page.  

 For us at the Church of the Good Shepherd, these new guidelines make it clear that we will not be returning to in-person, indoor worship anytime soon.  While anticipated, this decision is also a disappointment.  I expect many of us had hoped there might be a way to safely return to indoor worship as the weather gets colder and the sacred seasons of Advent and Christmas approach.  As the newest member of our parish family, I share your desire to experience worship with you all in person- the way we are meant to be together as a worshipping community of faith.  I long to see your faces, to meet you in person, to sing and pray, and break bread together, and experience your renowned hospitality and fellowship.

 Yet, we are called to be a "caring community of faith" and that means we are to care for one another in body, as well as in spirit.  Caring for our health and safety in the midst of this pandemic is how we seek and serve Christ in one another.  So we will continue to wear our masks, socially distance ourselves, and provide as many ways as we can to remain connected to one another through worship, outreach, pastoral care, Christian formation and fellowship, even while apart.

 The Wardens, staff, Regathering Team and I will be in conversation over the next weeks about upcoming plans for worship in Advent and Christmastide.  Please be patient and flexible as we seek to provide worship and holiday opportunities that are safe, beautiful and faithful to our love for another and to our God in these challenging and sacred times.

 This Sunday, we will again hold an outdoor service of Holy Eucharist in the parking lot, and live-streamed on Zoom.  Our current plans are within the guidelines set by the Bishops, so we will be able to hold in-person, outdoor worship as planned this week.  I look forward to welcoming back Andy McMahon, from the Lowell Transitional Living Center, who will be joining us via Zoom.  

 Blessings,

Ellie+

 November 19 Massachusetts Bishops' Pastoral Message

Pre-consecrated Communion hosts

Dear Friends,

I was delighted to be with you for my first worship service on Sunday and to celebrate Holy Communion. We hope to be able to do it again (weather dependent) this Sunday for All Saints' Day. For those of you planning to join us in person, please dress warmly!

For those who expect to worship with us on Zoom on November 1, pre-consecrated Communion hosts are available for you to pick up at church this week (see the times below). Please note that these are intended for your use during the service on Sunday morning so that you can participate in the sacrament from home at the same time as those worshipping in person.

The church will be open during the following days and times for you to pick up your pre-consecrated Communion hosts. They will be in a basket on the altar. All wafers are in individual baggies. We ask that you take just enough for your household for this week. Additional wafers will be consecrated this Sunday for future use.

Wednesday 9:30am-2:30pm
Thursday 9:30am-2:30pm
Friday 9:30am-2:30pm
Saturday 2:00pm-3:00pm

If you are unable to pick up Communion during the above times, please contact the church office before Friday so that we can make other arrangements to get Communion to you.

I look forward to worshipping with you on Sunday.

Faithfully, Ellie+

Weekly Word from the Fold

Greetings Church of the Good Shepherd,

I am so delighted to be among you as your new Rector!  I am particularly grateful that we can gather for worship together outside (and on Zoom) this coming weekend.

 After consultation with our Re-gathering Team, we have decided that our worship this Sunday will be a Celebration of the Holy Eucharist.  Bishop Gates gave authorization back on August 6 for parishes to resume services of Holy Eucharist and it seems “a good and joyful thing” to be able to share this service together with you on my first Sunday.  As with everything these days, there are many protocols and guidelines in place to ensure we can celebrate this sacrament safely and with the dignity and faithfulness it requires.

You can find all of the Diocesan guidelines at www.diomass.org. To summarize, here are the precautions and procedures we will be following:

 Before the service, the Communion vessels will be thoroughly washed with soap and water.  An adequate number of hosts will be placed in a covered ciborium (container) and will remain covered throughout the service. I will wash my hands thoroughly before the service and will sanitize my hands again immediately before distribution.  At the time of distribution, I will carry the ciborium to each congregant at their seat and, standing at arm’s length, will drop a host into your opened palms using tongs. Hand sanitizer will be available to use before receiving the host.  Once I have moved to the next circle, you may briefly lower your mask to receive Communion.

A small amount of wine will be consecrated in the chalice but will not be distributed to the congregation, per the Bishop’s guidelines.  I will receive last and will consume the wine as a representative of all of you.

If you prefer not to receive Communion, you may cross your hands across your chest to indicate you prefer a blessing instead.

For those of you who will be participating on Zoom, we invite you to pray the prayer of Saint Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787)

My Jesus, I believe that you are truly present in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. I love you above all things, and long for you in my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. As though you have already come, I embrace you and unite myself entirely to you; never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.

This week, I will consecrate extra hosts that will be made available for those who intend to worship at home on November 1.  We are still working out the details for how we will distribute these, so watch for further details about this early next week.

I look forward to worshipping with you all on Sunday.

Faithfully,

Rev. Ellie+