Lenten Adult Ed Series Begins February 18
This year, we will explore Will You? A Lenten Study of Baptismal Promises, a program developed by The Forward Movement, a ministry of The Episcopal Church. It will be presented after the 10:00 am service on the Sundays in Lent.
This study is based on our Baptismal vows. The program is appropriate for Lenten study as Lent is, historically, a time of preparation for Baptism which is associated with Easter.
Booklets will be provided, containing five chapters based on the five “will you” questions of our Baptismal Covenant. Each week we will examine and discuss one of these questions. Conversational-style readings will be provided to prompt our own questions, experiences, responses, and discussion.
Our Vows of Baptism are statements we, as baptized Christians, all have in common. In these days of feeling alone and isolated, where it seems we are intentionally being separated from each other, I hope you will welcome this opportunity to explore and live into this common ground of our Spirituality.
This is another opportunity to be open to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
I hope you will join us on this journey, and that, together, we will discover deeper dimensions of our faith. Come, Holy Spirit!
The Rev. Eleanor Applewhite Terry
Epiphany Morning Eucharist
2024-01-28 Gospel & Sermon, Rev Ellie Terry, Rector
Refugee support & slide show
24-01-21 Ongoing Mission Report: refugee support & slide show
Ongoing Mission Report
The Rev. Ken Schmidt
Epiphany Sunday Gospel & Sermon
2024-01-14 Gospel & Sermon, Rev. Ken Schmidt, Deacon
The Rev. Eleanor Applewhite Terry
Gospel and Sermon for the First Sunday after Epiphany, Jan 7, 2024
2024-01-07 Gospel & Sermon, Rev Ellie Terry, Rector
The Rev. Eleanor Applewhite Terry
Gospel and Reflections for the First Sunday After Christmas, Dec 31, 2023
2023-12-31 Gospel & Reflections, Rev Ellie Terry, Rector
The Rev. Eleanor Applewhite Terry
Christmas Eve Candlelight Eucharist with Special Music
2023-12-24 Gospel & Sermon, Rev Ellie Terry, Rector
Confirmation Class Starts in January
Good Shepherd and Trinity Episcopal Church in Concord are collaborating in the final preparation of confirmands for their confirmation on February 10, 2024 at Good Shepherd. The weekly classes will be split between the two churches. Please contact Rev, Ellie as soon as possible of you have not already signed up. Pizza will be provided at all meetings except the actual Confirmation. The full schedule appears below.
January 7 12-2pm at Good Shepherd - Chapters 1 and 2
January 21 12-2pm at Good Shepherd - Chapters 3 and 4 NOTE: No Class on January 14
January 28 12-2pm at Trinity in Concord - Chapters 5 and 6
February 4 12-2pm at Trinity in Concord - Chapters 7 and 8
Friday February 9 Time TBD Chapter 9 and Zoom with Bishop
Saturday February 10 10am at Good Shepherd Confirmation Liturgy
December 2023 Shepherd's Staff
Read the latest issue of the Shepherd’s staff to learn about all the ways you can experience the hope and peace of Advent and upcoming opportunities to get involved in local mission outreach
A Word from the Fold
December 2023 edition of the Shepherd's Staff
“God created human beings, nothuman doings!” I’m not sure where this phrase first originated, but a priest friend of mine is fond of saying it. For me, it’s a great reminder of who I am as we head into the season of Advent.
I love Advent. — At least, I love what it is supposed to be like in an ideal world: a time of simplicity and quiet. A time of hopeful, peaceful waiting. A time of stillness and rest as we linger in the pregnant darkness anticipating the birth of the Savior who will bring peace and hope to our weary world.
Yet, the reality of my own life... as a priest, a mother of three teenagers, a spouse, a daughter of aging parents... means Advent is often far from simple and quiet. And the burdens of the world right now, the violence erupting in the Holy Land, the ongoing war in Ukraine, the floods in Somalia, unrest in our own country, the not-yet-over impact of COVID, the looming election in a bitterly divided country... none of this makes for an easy inner peace!
I know from my pastoral care for you that many in our parish are hurting. Some are facing the first holiday season after the death of a loved one. Others are making the transition to a new home. Some are facing layoffs and work transitions. There are frightening health diagnoses among us, and mental health challenges to address. And there is the pressure to Do All The Things to be ready for Christmas.
Advent is often seen as the counterbalance for a busy December. — A reminder to simply be, rather than do. A time to light candles and breathe deeply. To read a bit more of Scripture and say an extra prayer. To go on retreat, perhaps, or attend an Advent study group so that we can focus on God, and the coming of Christ, rather than on our own burdens. The irony, of course, is that observing a holy Advent often means adding more to our schedules rather than doing less.
We want to provide a corrective to that at Good Shepherd this year. So instead of a weekly Advent program after church, or a series of evening gatherings, or a retreat day to squeeze into a jam-packed month, we invite you to experience the fullness of Advent through our regular Sunday morning worship. Each of the four Sundays of Advent will offer a different way to engage with God’s Word and an opportunity to observe a holy and meditative Advent. We’ll have Eucharist, of course, but instead of a sermon, we’ll connect with God through healing prayer on 1 Advent, through visual images and meditation on 2 Advent, through breath and non-verbal prayer on 3 Advent, and through voice and music on 4 Advent. Our hope is that for these four Sundays, as we step aside from the secular pre-Christmas chaos and offer our burdens to God, we might make room in our hearts for the hope that Advent awakens.
Ellen, Ken, and I look forward to worshiping with you this Advent. Come, Lord Jesus!
+Rev. Ellie