Join the Mission Outreach Committee!

The Mission Outreach Committee will be assembling a new calendar of themes and events and working with Ellie to embed our vision in liturgy and the life of our church community. We need more members in order to continue to be a vibrant energized group. The goal of the committee is to increase the hands-on participation of members of the congregation in mission projects. Committee members meet about every six weeks. There are a myriad of ways to help us in carrying out Good Shepherd's mission:

To be the change we want to see in the world by actively engaging in improving the rights and conditions of people locally, nationally, and globally.

Please join us. Contact us for more information.

Connect with and support Esperanza Academy

We at Good Shepherd have had a 13 year relationship with Esperanza Academy, a tuition-free school in the Episcopal tradition welcoming girls of diverse faiths, races and cultures from Lawrence, MA. The school is 100% privately funded and relies on the generosity of its donors. 

Esperanza is holding its annual fundraiser, Harvest of Hope, virtually this year. It will include a virtual show by the students, a silent auction and the opportunity for churches and individuals to  become sponsors. We are asking Good Shepherd folks to contribute to a $2500 sponsorship goal for scholarships. 

3 ways to connect with and support Esperanza Academy NOW

1. Tune in to a virtual show by the students Friday, Oct. 23 at 7:00-7:45 PM. The show is designed with one question in mind: “What if Esperanza girls ran the world?” This will be an antidote to depressing news… a lifting of the spirit, a performance filled with hope, love and joy. Watch the show.

2. Bid on silent auction Sunday, October 18 to Sunday, October 23. TIP: Look for a virtual Dominican cooking lesson by head of school Jadi Taveris and his wife Kelly. View the auction.

3. Sponsorship: We are asking Good Shepherd folks to contribute to a $2500 sponsorship goal for scholarships. (Remember the school is tuition-free.)

   • We have been in a relationship with Esperanza since its start in 2006! In the past 5 years our “Esperanza chef Dana Caribbean dinners” have raised between $2000 and $2500.

   • Sadly, there will be no Esperanza dinner this year, but to continue our efforts to disrupt the cycle of poverty in girls’ lives from Lawrence, we are hoping you will contribute to this sponsorship, and have Good Shepherd listed with other churches, Bishop Gates, businesses and individuals as sponsors.

   • To do this, please send a check made out to Church of the Good Shepherd with Esperanza on the memo line by Tuesday, October 20 either by

     • snail mail to Treasurer, Church of the Good Shepherd , 164 Newtown Rd., Acton, MA 01720
       OR

     • through bank by mail

The Rev. Canon Martha Hubbard

Sermon and Postscript for Morning Prayer on Sunday, October 11, 2020

recorded via Zoom by

The Rev Canon Martha L. Hubbard

Canon for the Northern & Western Region

The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts

Recorded for the Church of the Good Shepherd, Acton, MA by The Rev Canon Martha L. Hubbard Canon for the Northern & Western Region The Episcopal Diocese of M...

The Rev. Melissa Buono served as Interim Priest at Church of the Good Shepherd. The Rev. Canon Martha Hubbard honors her in this short reflection of her serv...

Farewell from Rev. Melissa Buono

“I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart;

I will tell of all your marvelous works.” (Psalm 9:1)

Dearest Friends of Good Shepherd,

Thanks be to God for each one of you! I am blessed beyond measure for having had this time of transition with you. You opened your hearts and your sanctuary to this Lutheran pastor and her family, and I am forever grateful to God for having provided this opportunity for shared ministry!

Thank you for the wonderful send-off on Sunday — from the chocolate covered oreos, and the “We will miss you banner” to the presentation of gifts (and toys for Anika) as well as the in-person and drive-by farewells — it was a grand morning! My heart is filled to overflowing with the expressions of love and signs of appreciation that you shared with me, John and Anika. The photo book, “With Grateful Hearts from the Parishioners of Good Shepherd” is full of beautiful memories of our time together - treasures for a lifetime! You will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Thank you for your partnership in helping to prepare CGS for Rev. Ellie Terry’s rectorship. Together we have accomplished a great deal! In addition to worship, we’ve studied God’s Word and sought to live it out in the relationships with our many and varied mission partners. As members of the Body of Christ, may you continue to be known for your good works and service to all who are in need.

I leave you with a charge to continue to care for each other, especially remembering those who are unable to sign on to zoom or come to the church for worship. I encourage you to use your new church directory to keep in touch. Consider praying over the names and faces each day. Send a card to say, “Thinking of you,” “Greetings from Good Shepherd,” or “How can we pray for you today?” These small acts of kindness will go a long way to keep you connected during this challenging time of COVID-19.

In the next phase of your journey, may you continue to be blessed as you are a blessing to others. Keep your sense of humor intact and remember to look for the good in each day. Know that you are deeply loved by God! Farewell and God bless you!

Yours in faith,

+Melissa

"Reclaim Our Vote" Initiative

This month, a group of Good Shepherd volunteers is writing 350 postcards for Reclaim Our Vote, a non-partisan organization that is working to encourage minority voting in states with voter suppression. The postcards inform and mobilize voters of color to make sure they are registered and they know how to get a ballot and vote. The Center for Common Ground, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, runs this campaign which has sent almost 5 million postcards in 2020.

Esperanza Academy COVID response

Esperanza Academy is a tuition-free independent middle school in the Episcopal tradition welcoming girls of diverse faiths, races, and cultures from Lawrence MA. Good Shepherd has had a long relationship with the school since its start 14 years ago.

Jadi Taveras, head of Esperanza Academy, gave an inspiring Zoom update on the school’s response to COVID-19. He shared the effects of COVID on students and families of color—the high risks, barriers, and the fact that COVID is magnifying the often invisible inequities. He highlighted three main focus areas for the school: Esperanza’s commitment and innovation in anti-racist teaching, the strength of their community partnerships, and an updated mission statement and core values. The school’s work with students and families using Restorative Justice Circles is an example at the local level of what Ibram X. Kendi’s book How to Be an Anti-Racist is all about.

Learning will be remote the first four weeks of school and then go hybrid with some on-line and some in-school learning. The school will be open for the most vulnerable learners and they are offering a daily pick-up lunch. The level of response and action at Esperanza goes beyond academic skills to embracing and supporting these students of color and their families. To quote Jadi, “Esperanza is a home and safe place for the girls.” We plan to share the recording of this update when it becomes available later this month. Meanwhile to learn more about Esperanza, go to esperanzaacademy.org.

Esperanza Mission for 2020-21 Academic year:

Through the 2020-21 academic year Esperanza will deliver a holistic program focused on addressing the academic and social disparities that impact our students and their families as a result of the covid 19 pandemic. We will continue to be a school that focuses on the growth of each student through culturally responsive teaching and prioritizing restorative justice practices. We will maintain our relationship-centric ethos and our commitment to our program that honors and celebrates the cultural, linguistic, familial and navigational capital of the families from Lawrence MA.

Christmas wreath fundraiser

Dear friends, this year we hope to continue our tradition of selling Christmas wreaths as a holiday fund raiser. The choices will be the same as last year with red, burgundy, wintergreen and cranberry bows. It would simplify everything if we stick to the 25” wreaths and eliminate “swags” this year! Prices have gone up a bit: Classic (red) will be $28, Victorian (burgundy) will be $30, and Cranberry Splash and Wintergreen will be $32. We will try to have them delivered by the week before Thanksgiving so we can have them up for the whole holiday season. We should be able to keep a safe distance throughout the sale process. You can begin placing orders Sept 15th. For more information or to place your order, contact us or sign up at church.

Victorian wreath

Cranberry wreath

Classic wreath

Adult Formation

I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief... For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

The Adult Formation group continues to meet via Zoom on Sunday mornings after worship. This has been a wonderful opportunity to connect through a variety of resources. Throughout the summer, the group read and discussed Barbara Brown Taylor’s An Altar in the World. This book challenged each of us to see our faith reflected in ordinary everyday occurrences. Each chapter highlighted a way in which to experience God as One who is integral to our lives beyond our experience of worship. With a treasure trove of personal stories, Taylor shared some of the ways that her faith has been challenged and stretched thus bringing her to an understanding of God’s presence in everyday encounters from the grocery store clerk to the occasional power outage. Her reflections invited us to think about our own encounters with the Divine in places we’d least expect.

The next series of Adult Formation discussion will focus on the Sabbath poems of Wendell Berry, American novelist, poet, essayist, environmental activist, cultural critic, and farmer. “For nearly thirty-five years, Wendell Berry has been at work on a series of poems occasioned by his solitary Sunday walks around his farm in Kentucky. From riverfront and meadows, to grass fields and woodlots, every inch of this hillside farm lives in these poems, as do the poet’s constant companions in memory and occasion, family and animals, who have with Berry created his Home Place with love and gratitude.” The book is called This Day: New and Collected Sabbath Poems 1979-2012 and is available through special order at the Silver Unicorn Bookstore and at your local library. Please plan to join us on Sundays at 10:45am - 12:00 pm via Zoom as we delve into these treasured writings. The Zoom link is available in the weekly e-blast.

+Melissa

Good Shepherd Music

On Friday, August 28th, two builders from Andover Organ Company visited Church of the Good Shepherd to take back with them several ranks of wooden pipes from our beloved Hook & Hastings tracker organ, 1892. These pipes, made of pine and original to the organ, will be repaired and voiced for some weeks to come at their shop in Methuen.*

What this means is that, although the organ is still playable, there are three stops I will not be able to use; two on the Swell - upper keyboard manual, and one on the Great - lower manual. Additionally there are some notes or keys which will not sound within certain stops. Those of you that participate in live Zoom services on Sundays may notice this difference in certain music I present; in other repertoire, not so much. I will no doubt also play more music on the piano in light of the absence of my usual range of various colors or instrumental sounds at this time. Please bear with me.

On another note (ha!), in the coming months I plan to add additional musicians to our gatherings, including the possibility of soloists and/or vocal duets! It’s been great to have Ray Lyons playing live with me in the sanctuary from the start, and we are separately practicing another piece slated for September.

September 8th marks one year since I began my work here at CGS, so I’d like to say how gracious, generous and congenial all of you have been as I navigate my way in this most wonderful advent in Episcopal music ministry! I have enjoyed working with you, having some laughs here and there, and otherwise doing our best to provide the congregation with music as befits our particular parish. I look forward to the future, learning and growing in my role as church musician.

Deborah Colageo

News from the Transition Team

Hello. Emmanuel Aronie here, a member of the COGS Transition Team. We are responsible for meeting and greeting our new rector, Rev. Ellie Terry. Secondly, of saying goodbye and good luck to our dear Rev. Melissa Buono, who has beautifully shepherded us all through these many months, some of them quite difficult.

During our first meeting while discussing what might make the transition easier for Ellie, I came up with an idea which will be nourishing and possibly inspiring for any church member. We are asking all who feel moved to write a little bio about yourselves or your entire family in whatever way your creative self directs introducing yourself, so that before we even meet with Reverend Ellie, she may feel some comfort about all the people she will come to know. This could be short; in print, 300-500 words, or a short introductory video, or perhaps paint a picture of welcome, sing a song, play an instrument, etc.

Does that get your creative juices flowing ? I hope so. And, in these times of Covid, it’s a real way to get close, while we cannot be close in the old ways we are used to, so, this may help convey our collective joy at receiving and communing with our new Rector.

Please send your various forms of biographies by Sept 27th.