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

Lowell Transitional Living Center

“Whatsoever You Do to the Least of My Brothers You Do unto Me”

                                                                                                  – Matthew 25:31-46             

Sunday November 22

  We will be joined by Andy McMahon, Director of the Lowell Transitional Center

 Andy will present an overview of the conditions at the Center.  As a follow up to his visit last year, he will outline the specific challenges the LTLC faces during the coming winter months.

As most of you know, we have supported the Lowell Transitional Living Center (LTLC) for many years. Each year we gather and send new underwear, socks, undershirts, scarves, and hats to the LTLC. We’ve also had fundraisers for specific items such as pillows, blankets, cots, and a commercial washer machine.  

Due to the Pandemic, we will be asking for “virtual donations” this year.  If you would like to support this ministry we ask you chose a donation ( listed below) and send a check directly the the Church of the Good Shepherd.  Please write LTLC in the memo on your check.

I also encourage you to send a card ( or cards if you’d like to write/make more than one) with words of encouragement to the staff and residents along with your donation.

Here are the donation options:

$10.00 - socks, underwear, undershirts scarves, hats

$20.00-  pillows

$50.00 - blankets

$100.00 - cots

(If you’d prefer you can also send checks/gift cards for items that are not on the list above. )

In closing, here is my last email from Andy on 10/31:

 “Thank you and everyone else at the Church for your continued support of LTLC's mission to help the homeless. You are certainly correct about Winter Bed needs....cots, blankets and pillows are great and always in need. As far as drives go...anything warm..... Gift cards to places like Market Basket or the Dollar Store or similar stores are great too. Checks are fine. Whatever makes the most sense for folks is perfect. This Winter will likely prove to be the most challenging yet. It is comforting to know that we are not alone as we head into the "great unknown"

Andy”

 I thank you all for your past generosity and hope that in this very difficult time, you will help sustain this ministry.

Helene Gagliano

SOLIDARITY IN ACTION: UNDERSTANDING THE CENTRAL AMERICAN REFUGEE CRISIS

Solidarity in Action: Understanding the Central American Refugee Crisis

The United States has long been the main destination for Central American migrants people seeking asylum, but in recent years, the rights of migrants and refugees have been questioned in an increasingly divisive political context. How do we talk about migration, refugees, and asylum seekers? Who defends and promotes their rights?

Join Solidarity in Action, an online workshop organized by The Church of the Good Shepherd, Acton and facilitated by Cristosal Global School to learn about the international and U.S. laws regarding refugees and asylum seekers. With a focus on the Central American refugee crisis.

Join us for an exciting opportunity to learn more about the rules that guide immigration for refugees and asylum seekers and to reflect upon our response as Christians in an interactive online workshop led by Cristosal experts Jeanne Rikkers, Elizabeth Hawkins, and Diego Jones.

When: December 5 and 12 7:00 – 9:00pm.

Registration is free and limited. It will be open exclusively to CGS through this Wednesday November 25. Then it will open to the diocese and neighboring faith communities.

To register click here.

For more information click on More Information

Join the CGS Gratitude Challenge 2020

Challenge: Show gratitude for 20 different things.

It’s a fact that expressing gratitude not only has a positive effect on your mood, but it also improves your relationships and your overall health! Join the Church School in this fun gratitude challenge.

What things can I show gratitude for?

Download this calendar for ideas (but you can also come up with your own).

What ways?

That part is up to you, but here are some suggestions:

• Write a card

• Give a smile or hug

• Take a walk

• Attend a prayer service

• Create something

• Talk about it

• Give your time

• Look

• Listen

• Enjoy
  

Reward

Check off 20 gratitude topics before the end of November and win a prize!

Record your efforts in any way you like and share with Taryn, Church School Coordinator at Church of the Good Shepherd. The kind of prize will remain a mystery. Along the way, though, you will earn obvious other types of rewards.

The November 2020 issue of the Shepherd's Staff

A Word from the Fold

November 2020 edition of the Shepherd’s Staff

Dear Good Shepherd friends,

I am so delighted to be with you! My first weeks have been a lovely and busy whirlwind of the Spirit as I am blown about from one virtual gathering to another. I have been so heartened to discover a community very much alive and active in spite of the pandemic. Despite not being able to gather regularly in-person, you have found a way to carry on many cherished activities virtually. It has been a joy to join so many of you in these virtual experiences—Wednesday Morning Prayer, Virtual Lunch, Thursday Compline, Bible Study, and Book Group.

Sunday morning worship continues to be a highlight of the week for me—and I hope for you, too. While not the way we would normally gather, I am impressed by your faithful and creative efforts to provide worship that is prayerful, interactive, and inclusive of all who join us, regardless of whether in person or online. Thank you for your dedication and patience as we work to plan worship for the coming winter months, including the beautiful and festive seasons of Advent and Christmas. Stay tuned!

I write this on Tuesday, November 3, Election Day. Obviously, there are no results to reflect upon; no reaction yet to how our divided nation will respond. Yet, I am very aware that this election feels very different from those I have experienced before. The stakes feel higher; the divisions more extreme. Friends have complained of insomnia leading up to the election. The anxiety is palpable. Surely, you feel it, too.

I found great comfort in the National Service for Healing and Wholeness this past Sunday afternoon that the Episcopal Church broadcast. It is still available online for those that might have missed it. Bishop Michael Curry’s sermon was particularly wonderful and a balm to my wearied soul. I commend it to you. He spoke of the importance of values—Christian values, American values, values that are at the core of our Scriptures, at the core of Jesus’s teachings, at the core of our faithful community here at Good Shepherd. Here is an excerpt:

Our ideals, values, principles and dreams of beloved community matter. They matter because they drive us beyond service of self alone, to commitment to the greater good of us all. They matter because they give us an actual picture of God’s reign of love, and a reason to struggle and make it real. They matter to our lives as people of faith. They matter to our life in civil society. They matter to our life as a nation and as a world. Our values matter! …

We don’t think of it this way very often but love for each other is a value on which our democracy depends. On the Great Seal of the United States, above the bald eagle are banners on which the Latin words, e pluribus unum are written. Those words, e pluribus unum, literally mean, “one out of many.” One nation from many diverse people.

But do you know where those words come from? They come from the writings of Cicero who lived during the time of the Roman Republic. Cicero said, “When each person loves the other as much as himself, it makes one out of many.” Cicero who gave us those words said that love for each other is the way to make e pluribus unum real. Jesus of Nazareth taught us that. Moses taught us that. America, listen to Cicero, Jesus, Moses. Love is the way to make e pluribus unum real. Love is the way to be America for real.

Amen, Bishop. Amen. We don’t seem to talk much about values these days. Of the importance of them to our lives, our families, our society. Perhaps one of the unfortunate consequences of falling church attendance and an over-emphasis upon those great American ideals of personal independence, freedom and liberty is that we have lost sight of the collective values that bind us together. Values like love for neighbor, the importance of community, the grace of forgiveness, the strength in diversity, and responsibility for the least of those among us.

I pray that as we walk together through these days of pandemic and election, and on into Advent and Christmas, we may find comfort and joy and strength in the things that bind us together, rather than those things which would drive us apart. I look forward to getting to know you all in the days and weeks to come.

Grace and Peace,

Ellie+

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+

Esperanza Good News!

Thanks to generous donations by Good Shepherd parishioners, we raised $2500 for Esperanza Academy scholarships through their Harvest of Hope this past weekend.!!! Our sponsorship will help provide a rigorous curriculum to 60 middle school girls of Lawrence. The tuition is still free and their fundraising options are limited due to the pandemic. The students gift to us is this 40 minutes entertainment and informational show designed with one question in mind: " What if Esperanza girls ran the world?" The program is infused with Esperanza's joy, love, and inspiration! https://www.esperanzaacademy.org/hope

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

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+

Welcoming The Rev. Eleanor Applewhite Terry

Good Shepherd is delighted to announce that our new Rector, The Rev. Eleanor Applewhite Terry, starts on October 20, 2020. Her first Sunday will be October 25. Please join us for worship on the 25th, either in person in our parking lot or via zoom!

Ellie comes to us from Old North Church in Boston, where she was Associate Vicar and then Bridge Vicar. Her previous clergy positions include Vicar of a small parish in Plainfield, Connecticut and Associate Rector of an urban parish in Portland, Oregon. She received her M.Div. at Yale Divinity School and was ordained a priest in 2003. Her experiences have been varied, including serving in an Anglo-Catholic parish, involvement in a parish-based Celtic spiritual community, and several diocesan positions. Before her ordination she worked as a lay staff member of a social-justice oriented parish in Connecticut, where she focused on pastoral care and support of older members of the congregation.

Ellie, her husband Bronson, and their three children have lived in Acton for eight years. Ellie’s parents recently moved to Bedford from Connecticut, and Bronson’s family is still in Concord where he grew up, so this area is very much home to them. Coming to us during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ellie faces special challenges getting to know us all. In addition to sharing the collection of autobiographies that many parishioners wrote to introduce themselves to Ellie, the Transition Team will be organizing Zoom meetings with all the different church groups and committees to help Ellie learn what our various ministries are and who is involved. We hope that everyone will take advantage of the opportunities to meet and talk with Ellie. We are very excited to welcome her to our parish!

An energetic crop walk team

Sunday, October 18th was a beautiful day for walking, discovering turtles, and spending time with friends. The gang from Good Shepherd drew the attention of passersby on the Bruce Freeman Trail with their hand-designed Crop Walk sashes. Click  here to visit the Church of the Good Shepherd team page and to make a contribution to support families with food challenges during this pandemic.