News from Good Shepherd Episcopal Church

Our Lenten pilgrimage has begun. The Litany of Penitence on Ash Wednesday reminded me that being sorry is not the same as repenting. Read more.

An invitation to register for the first of four Holy Conversations will arrive in your email box tomorrow. You will be able to register online using a feature in that email. You may also register by completing a form or by calling the parish office. It is very important that you register! The Rector Nominating Committee and Diocesan Leadership Team are working diligently to prepare for these evenings. They have arranged for the gatherings to be held in the parish hall of Second Presbyterian Church in order to accommodate the 200+ participants that are expected each time. Food will be provided and a sufficient number of tables and chairs need to be set up. Also, a program for children and youth under the age of 16 will be provided at Good Shepherd on each of the evenings. Please participate in this important aspect of the process leading to the call of a new rector.

I'll see you in church!
Ron Short Signature

Preparing for Worship

Sunday, March 13, 2011
The First Sunday in Let

Collect

Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Readings
Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7; Psalm 32; Romans 5:12-19; Mathew 4:1-11

Services
7:45 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II ~ Celebrant/Preacher, Elise B. Johnstone; Lector, Nancy Jackson; Eucharistic Minister, Scott Drexler; Usher, John Kingsley.

9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II ~ Celebrant, Ronald D. Pogue; Preacher, Elise B. Johnstone; Deacon, Lauren Villemuer; Verger, Hans Flueck; Acolytes, Camille Fishback, Liz Samuel, Olivia Brewer, Olivia Fishback, Kate Samuel; Eucharistic Ministers, Jim Arnold, Tony Baxter, Jim Green, Hans Flueck; Lector, David Goodpaster; Ushers, Stephen Crutcher, Bob Gibson, Phil Roeder, Forrest Hellebusch; Greeters, Main St.: Skip and Joy Kimbrough; West Door: Jim and Pat Johnson; Children's Chapel, No Chapel today.

11:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II ~ Celebrant, Ronald D. Pogue; Preacher, Elise B. Johnstone; Verger, January Haile; Acolytes, Meredith Aker, Isabelle Kluesner, Clarita Ledbetter, David McVey; Eucharistic Ministers, Buzz Carmichael, Barbara Messer, Shannon Messer, Dan Primm, January Haile; Lector, Ann Maggard; Ushers, Bryce Franklin, Mathew Kluesner, John Thomas; Greeters, Main St.: Guy and Terry Graves, West Door: John and Alicia Landon; Children's Chapel, No Chapel today.

Music   Hymns ~ 143, 443, 142

Click HERE for a link to an online index to the 1982 Hymnal that will allow you to read the texts and listen to the tunes for Sunday's hymns.

Organ ~
Opening and closing voluntaries are omitted during Lent.

Others Serving This Sunday

Altar Guild: Dorothea Tate
Vestry on Duty: Sarah Leer, Winn Stephens

Remember to Spring Forward

Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 13. Set clocks forward one hour prior to retiring on Saturday, March 12.

Rector Nominating Committee

The Rector Nominating Committee was commissioned at the 9:00 a.m. service on March 6. They were presented to Fr. Pogue for commissioning by Senior Warden Kathy Gross. Dr. Kay Collier-McLaughlin, Bishop's Deputy for Transition, stood with Fr. Pogue for the commissioning.

Front Row - Dr. Kay Collier-McLaughlin, Bishop's Deputy for Transition; Kathy Gross, Senior Warden; Sarah Leer, Co-Convenor; Barbara Groves; David Young; George VanMeter, Chaplain; Fr. Ron Pogue, Interim Rector. Top Row - Dr. Wilson Eastland, Lee Jenkins, Secretary; Winn Stephens, Convenor; Aaron Rodocker; Lauren Goodpaster

Holy Conversations

The Rector Nominating Committee had its formation retreat at Mission House on March 5. Dr. Kay Collier-McLaughlin, the diocesan transition officer, prepared the committee for the spiritual and practical tasks that lie ahead as they lead the parish in discerning the next rector. Winn Stephens was selected to serve as Convenor, Sarah Leer was selected as Co-Convenor, Lee Jenkins will serve as Secretary and George VanMeter will be the Chaplain.

Four Holy Conversations will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on the evenings of March 24, March 31,   April 11, and April 14. Good Shepherd members are encouraged to attend all four of the Holy Conversations. The topics are:

        March 24 - The Things We Value
        March 31 - Hurts and Disappointments with Service of Reconciliation led by Bishop Sauls
        April 11 - When My Safe Place Changes...On the Way to Wishes, Hopes, and Dreams
        April 14 - My Spiritual Preferences

Due to the expected turnout, these gatherings will be held in the Second Presbyterian Church parish hall. A program is being planned at Good Shepherd on each of those evenings for children and youth under the age of 16. This will provide them with an opportunity to share what is on their hearts and minds as we move together through this process.

Music Notes for Sunday

The season of Lent lasts for forty days, but Sundays are not included in that count as they are feast days. Nevertheless, many liturgical changes occur from the color of the clergy vestments to the musical selections to reflect the penitential nature of this holy season. The Great Litany is appropriately named. It is the most comprehensive of all prayers said or sung during the liturgical year. King Henry VIII bid Archbishop Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) to write the first Book of Common Prayer in 1549, and one of the first parts completed was the Great Litany, which was actually a compilation from Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and pagan traditions. In fact singing litanies in procession predates Christianity. Cranmer's Great Litany was designed to be sung in procession each Sunday of the year, but most Episcopal parishes save this monumental prayer for the season of Lent. Other notable liturgical changes includes the singing of a different Gospel Acclamation during the season of Lent, and omitting the Gloria in excelsis (which will reappear at the Great Vigil of Easter). The Anthem by Richard Farrant (who was a younger contemporary of Cranmer) uses text from Psalm 27. The work is characterized by homophonic part writing throughout (chordal, like a hymn), peppered with subtle syncopations usually found in the alto part.

Sunday Adult Christian Formation Opportunities Spiritual Gifts

The Discovery Series

This class is for those interested in becoming a member at Good Shepherd, renewing their membership, or just learning more about the Episcopal Church

Sundays, March 13-May 15 at 10:15 a.m.

Location: Undercroft

Christianity for the Rest of Us
Based on "Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith" by Diane Butler Bass.
Led by Keila Thomas and George VanMeter
Sundays, March 13-April 17 at 10:15 a.m.
Location: Library

Lectio Divina
Latin for divine reading, spiritual reading, or "holy reading," Lectio Divina represents a traditional practice of prayer and scriptural reading intended to promote communion with God and to increase in the knowledge of God's Word.
Led by Terry Samuel and Kevin Ellis
Sundays, March 13-April 17 at 10:15 a.m.
Location: Bride's Room

Ordering Our Lives in Lent

Lent is the season of the 40 days (excluding Sundays and Holy Week) before Easter. You will notice that some things are a little bit different around the church during Lent. One is the fact that the fabric hangings on the altar, pulpit, and lectern are all purple, as purple is a color that represents penitence. Also during Lent, we do not use the word 'Alleluia' as it is a word denoting joyful praise. While it is always appropriate to use words of praise when we approach God, this time away from words like 'gloria' and 'alleluia' allows us a time of preparation for Easter, the most joyous season of the church when we especially recall Christ's triumph over death and sin for our sake.

Lent is a time for us to re-focus our lives in order to have God at the center. For many centuries, this meant a period of fasting, especially for those people who were preparing for baptism, which occurred on Easter. It has also taken the form of abstaining from certain practices, like eating meat. While these practices may be helpful for some, it is not the point of Lent to put the focus on giving something up in one's life, but rather to put the focus on either removing or adding something to one's life so that the primary focus is on God, rather than on oneself. In the Proper Liturgy for Ash Wednesday from The Book of Common Prayer, we are called to engage in a holy Lent: "I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word."

This season of Lent, let us remember it is God who loves us and who created us and it is God who is the focus of our lives. For if God is at the center of our lives, then we will find our relationships with others-our spouses, children, friends, and family-to be stronger and more reflective of the love that God has for each of us.

Hallowed Be Thy Name in Commerce

Join us this Wednesday, March 16 at 7:00 p.m. for our Lenten series. This year's Lenten series centers around the plaques that were placed in the bombed-out ruins of the old Coventry Cathedral in England. Each plaque concentrates on a different area of our common life and helps us to remember that God makes all areas of our lives holy. Cherie Flueck, a leader at Lexmark International, will be with us on March 16 to share her experience of how her faith affects her vocation in business. We often feel that there is a disconnect between business and religion or faith, that they cannot intersect, so this is an area where challenges can exist. We hope that you will be able to join us on March 16 at 7:00 p.m. and the subsequent Wednesdays in Lent.

Daughters of the King

Fr. Pogue admitted Julie Elliott, Barbara Baldwin, Gay Pogue and Cynthia Matthews to The Order of the Daughters of the King on Sunday, March 6.

Daughters of the King will meet on Sunday, March 13 at 4 p.m. in the Library. March 22 Room in the Inn sandwich team members are Dorothy Nichols, Ema Jean Niles, Barbara Mostert, Phyllis Campbell, Izzie Purdon, Kitty Mattingly and Nancy Wilson.

Vestry Meeting

The next Good Shepherd Vestry meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 15, at 7 p.m. in the Undercroft. The meeting is open and anyone can attend.

Come to Breakfast

The monthly men's breakfast will be held on Saturday, March 19 at 8:30 a.m. in the Undercroft. Sign up in the Loggia on Sunday or call the church office at 252-1744.

It Makes Our Hearts Glad...

Elizabeth Greenfield has been awarded a scholarship to study Shakespeare this summer at the University of Cambridge. Scholarship awards include tuition, lodging and two meals daily for two-week courses at the institutions chosen by the scholarship winners. The award also includes one more week's lodging in London and a cash allowance. Elizabeth is the daughter of Al and Jo Greenfield.

Ellie Fogg is one of two Sayre School juniors teaching free, basic ballet classes to kiindergarten-5th grade students one afternoon a week at Ashland Elementary School. Ellie and Jamie Rosenstein spend two hours with the Ashland students, giving them a taste of basic ballet positions and steps. Ellie is the daughter of David and Philippa Fogg. Click here to read the article and view pictures.