Thursday Notes

Dear Good Shepherd,

Good morning and happy Thursday. I've got a terrible cold thanks to our two youngest children who don't know how to not sneeze on other people yet, so my mind is a bit clouded by cold medicine but I'll do my best.

Good Shepherd Calendar: If you've ever felt out of the loop at Good Shepherd, take a look at the online Good Shepherd calendar here. I've already uploaded all the regular activities, upcoming events like the BBQ, the picnic and the parish festival. And, with some help from Cookie, I've uploaded the duty roster for May, am working on the roster for June and July. We've also entered the cooking schedule for the Men's Bible Study and Breakfast.

The calendar is a living thing and it will be updated daily/weekly so save it on your favorites menu and check it often especially if you've volunteered for any kind of ministry at Good Shepherd

BBQ and work day: I mentioned the BBQ--that will take place next Saturday (the 23rd of May) and along with it, will be a parish work/cleaning day. Please come enjoy some great BBQ and help keep your church clean.

Parish Picnic: The annual Good Shepherd Picnic is coming up on Sunday June 7th at Cole Park at shelter #1. The worship service will start at 11:00pm at the park and then we'll start up the grills. There is a baseball diamond and a playground out there so there will be lots for kids to do. Please bring guests! For those who cannot go, there will be an 8:00am service at the church.

Systematic Theology Course: There was a great turnout last Saturday for the first class which was an overview of Natural and Special revelation. This Saturday we'll begin a deeper and closer look at arguments for God's existence and the nature and character of God. Should be a great discussion. Here is the audio from last week's class and the notes.

Podcast sermon: Last week's sermon podcast is here. This week's sermon will focus on Jesus' appearance to Thomas and the place of doubt in the Christian life.

Neighborhood Festival: Don't forget to invite friends and neigbors to the festival at Good Shepherd on Saturday June 13th. I'm looking for volunteers to start going door to door with flyers in early June, so please call me and let me know if you would like to volunteer.

Sunday Morning Adult Education: The Christ and Culture series is winding down. This Sunday will be the final class in the series. So I'll be planning a new one to start on May 24th. I have an idea of my own, but please feel free to make suggestions or provide any ideas for the next series.

Prayer Meeting: Last year a group of us met every wednesday for about two months to pray for God's protection and blessing for Good Shepherd. God certainly heard our prayers. Now that we are a bit more settled, we'll be starting these meetings again for a period of two months. We'll meet beginning next Tuesday at 6pm in the chapel. We will not meet on the Wednesdays set aside for vestry meetings.

Anne's Dad is Ordained an Anglican priest: the Rev. Dr. Robert Carlson was ordained a priest by Archbishop Nzimbi at All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi Kenya last Sunday. Anne has the story and some pictures here. Dr. Carlson will be here at Good Shepherd on June 14th.

Open Office Hours: We've restarted open office hours from 9am to 1pm Tuesday through Thursday every week. You are invited to come by without an appointment during those times.

Men's Breakfast and Bible Study: Charles and Ray are scheduled to cook. The study and the meal begins at 6:30am. see the parish calendar for details.

There will be Beginner's Bible Study tonight at Conklin avenue Baptist church. See the parish calendar.

Youth Update from Micah:

I will be working on an activity schedule for the whole summer. If you have any ideas for youth activities, give me a holler. I will be handing it out in a week or two. Parents, let me know when you will be in/out of town. It's very important that we all get on the same page. In the meantime, Junior High will be meeting regular time, Sunday, 1-3; Senior High, 6-8.

This week's youth tip: Don't make promises you can't keep. As Youth Leader, I can admit right up front that I have failed in this regard and have learned the hard way that it takes time to rebuild trust. It's especially hard for kids to deal with unkept promises, because they are typically unable to do anything about it. For example, if you promise to take them somewhere, then cancel last minute, all their preparations (mental and actual) have been all for naught. They can't simply decide to go on their own anyhow. By the same token, make sure your own kids keep their promises as well--to you, to their youth group!, to school. Don't let them overcommit to the point where they are unable to follow through.

That's it for now.

In Christ,
Matt