The Shepherd’s Voice: October, 2009
FROM THE RECTOR: NEW BEGINNINGS! . .
. It is a great pleasure and an honor to write my first article for the
Shepherd’s Voice as the new rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd. As I write I hear the sounds of happy
children playing at the Bright Beginnings Daycare down the hall from the parish
office: my son Liam is among the children at the day care. Like me, he is thrilled to be among new
friends in a new place. When I dropped
him off he began to introduce himself to those around him; I think I will
follow his example and introduce myself.
My
wife Nicole and I were married in 2004.
We have two children: Liam, who turns three in November, and Nicholas,
who is four month old. Before coming to
Good Shepherd we lived in Times Square in
I
was born in
We
love living here: the transition from Times Square to Granite Springs has been
wonderful so far – we have a yard and we don’t live in a fifth floor walk-up,
what more could you ask for! I look
forward to meeting and getting to know my sisters and brothers in Christ at
Good Shepherd: please forgive me if I have trouble with faces and names for a
few weeks. I am so honored to be your
priest and pastor. Please know I am
always available for pastoral care. If
you can’t reach me at the office, my home phone is a listed number and my cell
phone is always on (917-696-1027). God
bless and thanks so much for the warm and gracious welcome you have given
us. It has been a bright and wonderful
beginning and we are looking forward to many happy years at Good Shepherd!
Matthew Mead
COMING EVENTS . . . Every Sunday & Tuesday through Friday at 7:45 AM: Morning
Prayer will be offered in the church every Sunday and every Tuesday through
Friday at 7:45 AM. The service lasts
about 15 minutes. All are welcome to
attend . . . Wednesdays, 8:00 AM,
throughout October and November: Father Mead will offer a Bible
Study every Wednesday at 8:00 AM, beginning in October. We will read the Prophets of the Old
Testament (all of them!). The class will
last approximately 45 minutes . . . Sunday,
October 11, 2009, 9:00 AM: Adult Christian Education class on the Holy Eucharist. This class
will discuss the basics of the Holy Eucharist . . . Sunday, October
18, 2009, 9:00 AM: Adult Christian Education class on the Daily
Office. This class will discuss the basics of the Daily Office (Morning and
Evening Prayer) . . . Sunday, November 1, All Saints’ Day: On All Saints’ Day, in addition to the normal
Sunday Schedule, we will celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Baptism at the 10:00
AM service. Nicholas Mead will be
baptized. If you are interested or
someone you know is interested in being Baptized on All Saints’ Day, please
speak to Father Mead today . . . Saturday, November 7, Christmas Bazaar: Last
year we raised much needed funds for Good Shepherd and for our Outreach
programs, and we also had lots of fun working together and growing in
friendship. This year we hope you will
be able to join us! Please contact
Arleen Flury to help plan and prepare for this year’s Christmas Bazaar . . . Thursday,
November 26, Thanksgiving
Day:
Thanksgiving Day is a major Holy Day in the Prayer Book. Morning Prayer will be said at 9:30 AM, and
the Holy Eucharist (with Thanksgiving hymns) will be offered at 10:00 AM. Begin Thanksgiving Day the traditional
Episcopalian way: with great hymns and Holy Communion!
SUNDAY SCHOOL: SMILING
FACES! . . . After the Eucharist on
Sunday, I was talking to Father Matt about the service. It was a light conversation, not much of
substance (Sorry Matt!), but one comment stood out. He mentioned how nice it was to see “the sea
of children” entering the church.
The
And then they come
in. Silence is shattered as they
eagerly look for their seat in this week’s service. Then, the preparation for the service. Where does the art work go? Where are the crayons? The older students might sit with friends,
but find their place in the service to follow along. They all share a smile when they catch one
another’s eyes like part of a secret club – regardless of their age.
And then communion! Crowded together, eagerly anticipating. I am not sure if they all understand what the
sacrament really means, but they do have a sense of reverence and joy. And they fully participate to whatever their
level of understanding. And then they
bounce away, smiling again.
And as I see those
smiles, I am reminded of how blessed we truly are. They are full members of our church – not
junior members like at a country club, where you have to “earn your way” as a
member. As much as they learn from us,
we should learn from them! Their passion
and excitement are a joy to behold.
Please share your blessings with us, as they do. We can use your help for the next session or
any session. If you have any questions,
please contact any member of the Sunday School Committee. Thank you.
Jan Corning for the
Sunday School Committee: Fran
DiBernardo, Arlene Flury, Leslie Fulton, Glenn Hintze
STEWARDSHIP & YOU . . .
There’s a little booklet published by Channing
Bete Company entitled Stewardship and
You. It has a way of clearly stating
the obvious, and I’d like to quote it:
What
is a Steward? One definition states that a Steward is a person who manages the
affairs of a household or an estate for the owner. In the Christian sense, a steward is the
manager of the affairs of God on earth.
God has made each of us a steward and has given us abilities and talents
that are unique. We should use these
abilities and talents to serve god.
Everything
we have is given to us by God: time, health, talents, property, the
environment, relationships, the Gospel.
A Christian steward serves God out of love and gratitude for these
gifts, knowing that it’s not how much we have but what we do with what we have
that is important.
Like
good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift
each of you has received. (1 Peter 4:10)
At
Good Shepherd, God’s grace has been amply poured out on us this year…a new
rector and a facility in wonderful condition/working order. But it is the truth…it’s not important what
we have, but rather what we do with it.
In order for us to continue doing God’s work, each individual
must be willing to share our time and treasure.
As we prepare to make our Stewardship commitment to God again in
November, let’s consider what we have….and….what we can do with it!
Leslie Fulton for the Stewardship
Committee
CHRISTMAS BAZAAR UPDATE .
. . The
Christmas elves have been hard at work over the last few weeks, planning and
working on this year’s Christmas Bazaar.
Last year’s event was a big success because so many of you participated
and contributed your time and talents in preparation and then came out to
support us the day of the bazaar. We
are counting you again this year.
Nancy Anderson has
volunteered to captain the White Elephant table again this year. She will be
asking for donations for new and gently used gift items, which she always
manages to turn into a charming Christmas boutique array. There will be weekly workshops (dates and
times to be announced) for making fun ornaments and gift items. You don’t need a lot of skills, just the
desire to help. We all learn something
new and just enjoy getting together.
Please talk to me if you have any questions or craft ideas for the workshops
or if you need to ride to them. Since
Wednesday seems to be the night that works for most of our elves, and AA is
already meeting here each Wednesday, we will be getting together in people’s
homes rather than in the Guild Room.
There will also be a
baked goods table (baked goods, candies, jams, all sorts of gifts from the kitchen)
so dig out those recipes. Vilma
Mulholland will head up the Advertising Committee and she will also be looking
for help posting signs and distributing fliers as we get closer to the date. We’ll also need help setting up and cleaning
up afterward (guys – if you’re not into crafts or baking, here’s your chance to
jump in!)
Thank you to everyone for
your enthusiasm and support. Your ideas
and suggestions are always welcome. Save
the date & tell your friends, family and neighbors: Saturday, November 7th 10:00 AM –
4:00 PM.
Arleen Flury for the Christmas Bazaar Committee
BAZAAR: WHITE ELEPHANT
TABLE . . . We are now accepting small, nice and gently used saleable items: china,
pottery, lass ware, costume jewelry, other gift items, Thanksgiving and
Christmas items, toys, books (Please no
text books and no clothing). Come to
the bazaar and bring family, friends and neighbors. A fun day for you, a profitable day for Good
Shepherd!
Nancy Anderson, Thelma Barlow, Madeline Bronzo, Connie
Holzer
ALTAR
FLOWERS NEEDED . . . There is a signup sheet at the back of the
church (on the door labeled “Choir”) for altar flowers. If you would like to donate the cost of
providing flowers for a Sunday, please sign up.
The Parish Office will be in contact with you to arrange for
payment.
HURRAY FOR PAT MULHOLLAND
. . . “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels,
and then He will reward each according to his works.” Matthew 16:27. The measure of a man is
the good works he achieves here on earth. By this measure Pat Mulholland, as
described so eloquently by Christine Robbins in a previous edition of The
Shepherd’s Voice, is indeed an example of modesty, courage and humility,
something sorely missing in today’s society where brutishment, coarseness and
lack of civility has dominated public discourse. Pat’s activism on the part of veterans is not
only commendable but a Christian moral imperative. We often forget that Christ
was an activist for the poor, disenfranchised and victims of abuse, whether
that be by government or dishonest businessmen who place illegal profits over
the welfare of their constituents.
Veteran Bill Greene
SCOUTING NEWS . . . The Westchester Putnam
Council of Boy Scouts awarded Carl
Gebauer the District Award of Merit for his outstanding volunteer service
to Muscoot District and dedication as Scoutmaster to his troop. Carl is now Asst Scoutmaster to Troop 376
sponsored by Good Shepherd. He is also
Merit Badge Counseler an a Crew Adviser to Venture Crew 1104 sponsored by
Somers Lion’s Club.
PARISH NEWS . . . Bill Siemerling received a
50-year badge for continuous service awarded by the Somers Volunteer Fire Dept
at their recent monthly meeting . . . Rachel
Duprey and Tad Siemerling were
married in August in Chazy, NY. Tad is
the son of Anne and Bill Siemerling.
PRAYER
LIST ADDITIONS. . . If you would like your name or a the name of someone
you know added to the weekly prayer list, please call the parish office at 914.248.5631 or send an email to
mead@goodshepherdny.org. If you would
like the name of someone who has recently died prayed for throughout the week
at the Holy Eucharist and Morning Prayer, please contact us as well . . .
If you would like your name
added to the birthday or wedding anniversary list, please call the parish
office at 914.248.5631 or send an email
to mead@goodshepherdny.org.
OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS . . . October 2: Diana Bubeck;
October 4: Jim Corning; October 4: Paige Ciallela; October 8: Janet Wilson;
October 9: Lauren Batten; October 11: Arleen Flury; October 14: Sarah Manders;
October 17: Molly Gardineer; October 19: Stephen Slattery; October 20: Daniela
Murphy; October 21: Alex Mattos; October 23: Michael Harris; October 28: Janice
Vesperman.
MISSION & OUTREACH UPDATE:
CARPENTER’S KIDS . . . The
Carpenter’s Kids Program is a partnership between the Anglican Diocese of
Central Tanganyika and the Episcopal Diocese of New York. “Carpenter’s Kids”
are Tanzanian HIV/AIDs orphans and other vulnerable children who are selected
after screening by their parishes. The aim of the program is to ensure that
each child receives a school uniform, a pair of shoes, breakfast every morning,
and adequate school supplies to enable them to attend primary school. Good
Shepherd has participated in the Carpenter’s Kids program for two years now by
sponsoring 54 children.
In
a country where there are more than 2.5 million AIDS orphans (children who are
missing at least one parent to HIV/AIDS), we are blessed to be able to see that
54 children will be able to attend school.
While education is free in
The
Rev. Deborah Tammearu has visited
Letters
are going out now to Good Shepherd’s participants reminding them the third of
five committed payments is due. $50
sponsors a child for one year. The 54
children we sponsor depend on us to complete our payments, but we have lost 5
sponsors. The good new is that 3 of
those sponsorships have been picked up, but we could use 2 more. If you’d be willing, a commitment of $50 for
the remaining 3 years will fill those vacancies.
Even
in difficult economic times, we’re so blessed!
Thank you all again for being willing to help these children.
Leslie Fulton & Mdeline Bronzo
SUNDAY & HOLY DAY
ATTENDANCE . . . The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost: 113; Saint
Matthew’s Day: 11: The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost: 62; Saint Michael
& All Angels: 9.
DO
YOU HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT . . . Please call the parish office
at 914.248.5631 or send an email to
mead@goodshepherdny.org and your announcement will appear in the
Shepherd’s Voice!
SAVE
OCTOBER LITURGICAL ASSIGNMENTS . . .
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10/11/09 |
10/18/09 |
10/25/09 |
11/1/09 |
11/8/09 |
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1st Lesson |
Kidder |
Arleen Flury |
Sunday School |
Bernie Sotter |
Rick Vesperman |
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2nd Lesson |
Phil Levy |
Jim Corning |
Sunday School |
Dorothy Baeder |
Fran DiBernardo |
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Ushers |
Diane Buschel |
Glenn Hintze |
Sunday School |
Bernie Sotter |
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Bernie Sotter |
Bernie Sotter |
Sunday School |
Rick Vesperman |
Diane Buschel |
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Chalice
Bearer |
Phil Levy |
Jim Corning |
Diane Buschel |
Dorothy Baeder |
Fran DiBernardo |
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Prayers/People |
Bob Bubeck |
Glenn Hintze |
Sunday School |
N/A |
John Kaprielian |
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Servers |
Emily Barber |
Gretchen Hintze |
Jessie Lewis |
Emily Barber |
Jessie Lewis |
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Jessie Lewis |
Emily Barber |
Emily Vesperman |
Abby Vesperman |
Abby Vesperman |
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Altar
Guild |
Rotating basis |
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The Shepherd’s Voice is a monthly
publication of
The Church of the Good Shepherd.
If you would like to subscribe to
the Shepherd’s Voice via email,
please send an email to mead@goodshepherdny.org
The Church
of the Good Shepherd
www.goodshepherdny.org
914-248-5631 (phone and fax)
The Reverend
Matthew Mead, Rector
mead@goodshepherdny.org;
914-248-5631; 917-696-1027;
home phone
is listed in case of pastoral emergency
Cindy
Sotter, Secretary,
goodshepherdgs@aol.com
Cecilia
Sparacio, Organist;
Anne
Siemerling, Sexton.
The Church of the Good
Shepherd
P. O. Drawer A
914.248.5631
www.goodshepherdny.org