Welcome to the fourth electronic edition of Outreach News that started last January. We will be taking a break after this issue and will resume the newsletter in October. We hope that you have learned more about outreach ministry at Good Shepherd and enjoyed past issues. Your input into how to improve the newsletter and outreach ministry is always welcome.

 
In this issue, I will share some of my own reflections on outreach ministry at Good Shepherd. Any feedback, positive or negative, will be appreciated. In future issues, we may want to open a forum by which others can also share their thoughts and ideas.

Outreach Fellowship  

Please mark your calendar for a special meeting of the Outreach Fellowship on Thursday,  

July 12 at 6:30 p.m. in the Undercroft. These fellowship gatherings are open to the entire congregation. The speaker at 6:30 will be Kelly Doyle, the executive director of B.U.I.L.D.  (Building a United Inter-Faith Lexington through Direct Action). This organization of 18 churches in Lexington engages in advocacy on local issues of importance to the low income community in Lexington. Good Shepherd was briefly a member several years ago. The purpose of the meeting is strictly informational, so please have questions ready. The decision about whether or not to join will be made later.

Following the presentation, there will be fellowship time with refreshments served and hopefully a chance to informally discuss future plans for outreach ministry. 

Reflections on Outreach Ministry at Good Shepherd by Charley Davis
One Father's Day long ago, the choir director at Good Shepherd organized a special men and boys' choir for a Sunday service to celebrate the occasion. My dad decided that he and his twin boys would participate. John and I were about 9 or 10 years old then. The problem was that he and his boys had terrible voices. None of us could carry a tune (and that is still the case with his boys!). My dad had not only a terrible voice but a booming one as well.

Mrs. Dean, the choir director, called a special rehearsal during the week before the service. As always, my dad boomed out in his gravelly voice, and she was not amused. After a short time, she stopped the rehearsal and kindly asked Mr. Davis if he would go to the rear of the church and let her know if the choir could be heard from the back of the church. Thus, one-third of her problem was solved. After the choir practice, she came up to my dad and suggested to him that his twin sons would be very cute as acolytes for the service. Thus Good Shepherd was spared from having the Davis boys and their dad in the choir.

My dad always loved telling that story and never stopped making what he called "a joyful noise unto the Lord." Even after he became an ordained deacon at Good Shepherd and was a part of the procession, he never toned it down. Fortunately the choir could usually drown out his voice but not always. He never stopped preaching to us about making a joyful noise to the Lord.

I think my dad understood something important about church. The church is more than an organization that is guided by goals like efficiency, performance, and expertise. These goals are important and cannot be neglected. We don't want people like my dad and his boys in the choir. We want our most skilled managing our financial affairs and teaching Christian Formation classes. Still the church is more than an organization; it is also a community of the faithful that defines itself as the Body of Christ.  As in any community, there are obligations of membership that cannot be simply parceled out to experts or specialized committees--- obligations to pray and to worship, to care for each other, to welcome the newcomers, and, yes, to sing joyfully to the Lord as my dad understood. These are responsibilities that we all share.

As we plan for the future of outreach ministry at Good Shepherd, I think it is important to think beyond organizational imperatives and to consider how we can encourage others in our parish to become engaged in the ministry of serving "the least of these" and a hurting world. These obligations should not be simply left up to an organization or committees to carry out but are the responsibility of the entire congregation as stated in the Baptismal Covenant. How do we encourage and promote more engagement in outreach ministry?

Ministry Notes
Church Under the Bridge: Good Shepherd is hosting a picnic for our homeless and minimally housed friends at the Episcopal Mission House at 203 E. Fourth St. on July 15th at 3:00. There will be chili dogs, fresh corn on the cob and salad. We need donations of cookies and brownies or any dessert that's easy to eat with hands. It's going to be quite warm that day and your help serving will be invaluable. Come out and spend a couple of hours together with our less fortunate friends, it's always a wonderful afternoon well spent. Contact Pam Noyes for more information.  

St. Agnes House: For the last three years, Good Shepherd has generously donated household goods and financial donations to support the needs of St. Agnes House for a month. There will be a display set up in the Loggia from July 1 through July 31, where you can find out what the supply and monetary needs are. St. Agnes House provides a place to stay for seriously ill patients who travel to Lexington for treatment. The price of travel and a place to stay along with the cost of treatment can be prohibitive for some people. St. Agnes House charges only $7 per night for those able to afford it but has never turned away anyone because they couldn't pay. St. Agnes House is a ministry of the the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington. Please stop by the display in the loggia, pick up a Post It Note and help support this wonderful ministry. For further information, contact Pam Noyes.  

Allocations Committee: This committee that handles dispersals of outreach funds and budgetary requests from outreach ministries needs two new members. For more information, contact Jennifer Wilson, chair of the Allocations committee. 

Backpack Program: If you are interested in volunteering to help with the backpack program this coming school year, contact Virginia Valentin.This program provides lunches for impoverished children over the weekend during the school year.

Quilting Ministry: The Quilting Ministry is on summer break but will resume on September 11 at the home of Ann Miller. This ministry meets every Tuesday from 9:00 to 1:00 p.m. to make quilts for numerous causes and fellowship. For more information, contact Ann Miller at 859-266-6812.

"Bread for myself is a material question; bread for my neighbor is a spiritual one."
Jacques Maritain
__________________________________________________________