|
The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd
in Lexington, Kentucky
E-News Edition for September 13, 2012
|
 Five Ways to Connect at Good Shepherd
Liturgy Training Day THIS SUNDAY Lunch will be served on Sunday after the 11:15 a.m. service to those who can attend our training session for people interested in joining or having a refresher on any of the following liturgical ministries: Altar Guild, Ushers/Greeters, Lectors (readers of scriptural lessons)/Intercessors (leaders of the Prayers of the People), Acolytes, Chalice Bearers and Eucharistic Visitors. This is a great chance to join together for a fellowship meal before being trained in one of the many liturgical duties that support worship here at Good Shepherd. Men's Breakfast The monthly men's breakfast will be held this Saturday, September 15 at 8:30 a.m. in the Undercroft. Men of all ages are invited to join this dedicated group for a fabulous home cooked breakfast, great conversation and planning for future projects. Walk to Defeat ALS
Join us on Saturday, September 15 at Rupp Arena for the Walk to Defeat ALS. Check in starts at 8:30 a.m. and the one mile walk begins at 10:00 a.m. Jane Armistead, mother of Sarah and Scott Armistead and former vestry member and Junior Warden at Good Shepherd, has been battling ALS for several years. Come join the Armistead family and show your support. If you are unable to participate, donations may be made in Jane's name or in memory of Deacon Janie Catron. Fall Supper Groups Forming Supper groups are a great opportunity to make new friends. Groups of 6-8 persons meet once a month from October to January. Families, singles and couples are all encouraged to participate; groups will be made up to meet your preferences. Sign up in the Loggia by September 30 or call the church office to join in this fellowship. The kickoff potluck is Sunday, October 7 at 6:00 p.m. in the Undercroft. Contact Joyce Roth for more information. We hope to see you there!
Choral Evensong on September 23
The Good Shepherd choirs sing their first Choral Evensong of the year on Sunday, September 23 at 5:00 p.m. Evensong is considered to be among the most valuable 'crown jewels' of the Episcopal Church. This service is sung daily by English cathedrals and collegiate churches and countless composers have written music for the texts of Evensong. The recitation of the Psalter is one of the key components of Evensong, as well as the Magnificat (Song of Mary), Nunc dimittis (Song of Simeon), and a series of prayers chanted between Officiant and Choir. A great number of people have been converted to our faith after attending their first Evensong. This will also be Reggie Smith's last time to sing with the choir. Please come and bring your friends and neighbors! A reception will follow in the Undercroft.
|
September 16, 2012 - Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Readings for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Altar Flowers
The altar flowers are given to the glory of God by Mary Kay Insko in memory of the Rev. Dr. W. Robert Insko.
Liturgical Minister Assignments
Click HERE to see if you are scheduled to serve on September 16 or any Sunday in September.
|
 Banns of Marriage
We publish the Banns of Marriage between Shannon Leigh McDonnell and Jared Martin Woodford. If any of you know just cause why they should not be joined together in Holy Matrimony, you are bidden to declare it. This is the first time of asking.
|
 Prayers
Each day at noon, the persons on this list are lifted up in prayer. On Sundays during the Prayers of the People, the Intercessor pauses while we pray aloud for each name on the prayer list, which is published in the bulletin. You are also invited to add these names to your personal prayer list.
For Healing: Vivian Young, Betty Linker, Karla Isaac, David Brown, Anne Shipley, Lew Davis, Hazel Sullivan, Stephen Crutcher, Eric Johnson, Alice Rogers, Henry Tutt, Brian Newman, Norma Kelley, Clark Cramer. Ongoing Prayer Requests: Doug McCullough, Gaye Mansfield, Bob Horine, Bill Matthews, Ginny Green, Rick Elliott, Sherri McVay, Art Hellebusch, Susan, Jane Armistead, Carolyn, Cecilia Roberts, Katie Bolin, Pat G., Madeline Shore, Jake Trainor. For the Departed: Military members who died in Afghanistan: Jose Montenegro Jr., Thalia Ramirez.
For Those Preparing for Holy Marriage: Shannon McDonnell and Jared Woodford; Lauren Damron and Jesse Yannelli; Natasha Osbourne and Ryan Zellar; Colleen Cox and Tyler Madison.
|
|
It Makes Our Hearts Glad...
...that Megan Jackson spearheaded the installation of small American flags at the CentrePointe lot downtown on September 11 in honor of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack. She purchased the flags with money she earned from babysitting jobs. Megan is the granddaughter of Nick and Nancy Jackson.
...that an enthusiastic group of parents and children enjoyed hot dogs and ice cream with Deacon Lauren on the playground Wednesday evening.
...that Elizabeth Beal and her new juicing business were featured in Thursday's newspaper. Congratulations!
...that our Blessings in a Backpack ministry with Booker T. Washington Elementary School was featured in an Episcopal News Service article by Sharon Sheridan.
Virginia Valentin chairs our
Blessings in a Backpack ministry.
|
|
Sunday Christian Formation Classes at 10:15 a.m.
Children and Youth
Godly Play
3 - 5 year olds - Room 201(upstairs)
Kindergarten through 2nd graders - Rooms 204 and 206 (upstairs)
Living the Good News
3rd - 5th graders - Room 254 (upstairs)
Episcopal Youth Curriculum
6th-8th graders - Room 021 (Youth Suite, downstairs)
High School Class
9th-12th graders - Room 020 (Youth Suite, downstairs)
Adults
Rector's Forum Location: Undercroft
Join Fr. Brian for the second class in a four week series on the Rule of St. Benedict and its application for our daily lives in the 21st century. You may already be a Benedictine and not know it! We will examine the Rule and explore how the spirit of St. Benedict's life has greatly impacted the way Episcopalians pray and serve in the world.
Current Events and the Christian Life Location: Library
Events currently in the news are examined through Scripture and Christian tradition, informing our engagement in the world. This is a discussion based class led by Kevin Ellis and others. A current event in the news is read, then questions for discussion are introduced followed by Bible verses and stories. The current event is then looked at through those eyes again, and finally some moral and ethical questions are discussed.
|
 Online Pictorial Directory We want to significantly add to the number of photos we have of our members and friends in the Courtyard online pictorial directory. A photographer will be set up in the Loggia/Concourse area Sunday morning to take pictures for anyone who doesn't currently have their image in Courtyard. The online directory allows is easy to use with the ability to customize your own information, search for information on other members and connect with the rest of the Good Shepherd family. If you're already received an invitation and set up your account, you can click HERE to login or find the link under the "About Us" menu on the church web site. If you desire access to the directory, please contact the church office and we will make sure you gain access to this valuable resource.
|
Calendar
The web page calendar has the most up to date information about everything happening at Good Shepherd.
|
|
Pastoral Emergencies
If you have a pastoral emergency at night or on the weekend, please call the church number (859.252.1744), press 3 when prompted and your call will be forwarded to the mobile phone of the clergy person on call. Remain on the line through ringing, periods of silence and a second dial tone before your call is answered or goes to voice mail. Be sure to include your name and callback number in the message you leave. |
|
|
Thoughts and Reflections from Fr. Brian
Good Shepherd friends,
Two Mondays ago, I met an Episcopal priest friend from Louisville for a retreat at Gethsemani Monastery, near Bardstown. By now, I am sure most of you know of my great interest in the writings of Thomas Merton, a Catholic monk who lived at Gethsemani from 1941 to 1968, when he was killed in Thailand while on a journey throughout Asia. I first visited the monastery when I was 23 years old and have returned there many times since.
I arrived in time for the midday prayers and joined my companion and one of the monks for lunch. The monk who ate with us has become a good friend of my friend. While monks at Gethsemani spend great amounts of time in silence, the monk was good with conversation and made it easy for us to speak of many things, both related to monasticism and Church talk and the everyday.
After lunch, the monk suggested we plan to take a hike on the grounds. We agreed to meet 20 minutes later so he could change out of his monastic habit into hiking attire. My friend and I took this opportunity to visit the gift shop (please don't tell Susan I came home with more icons and books!) and take these purchases to the car.
At the appointed hiking time, our monk guide arrived and took us to a path that led us into the monastic enclosure, a section of the grounds at Gethsemani that is strictly for the monks and their guests. Already, I felt as if we were being invited into a place where the silence was deeper and the call to prayer more easily felt. A few minutes into the hike, we turned on to a gravel road with an incline. While it was not all that steep, the noonday sun made it clear that our bodies felt we were indeed going up, even if ever so slightly. At the top of the incline, the gravel road began to turn to the left.
It was there that we first saw it-the hermitage of Thomas Merton. Merton lived in the hermitage for the last few years of his life. It was here that he retreated as he sought a greater solitude. It was also here that he welcomed many friends. Some were well  known, such as Joan Baez and Wendell Berry, but just as many were not, instead only known to Merton. While seeking to live as a hermit, Merton continued to practice hospitality. A hospitable hermit? At first, the idea of such a thing seemed to be at odds with each other, but the more I have considered it since, the more it makes sense to me. Merton himself once said, "We do not go into the desert to escape people but to learn how to find them; we do not leave them in order to have nothing more to do with them, but to find out the way to do them the most good."
We entered the hermitage after taking a few photos of the exterior. Once inside, we viewed the small chapel with simple altar and crucifix and icons. Then, we sat in chairs in front of the fireplace and the monk read to us a journal entry from Merton. For the next two hours, the three of us spoke about the Church and our own vocations, about young people and about no longer being young.
I needed to get back to Lexington, so we made our way back to our cars. As I drove home, I marveled again at how much life and energy and wisdom came from Merton once he left New York City and found his way to a monastery in Central Kentucky. In Nelson County, in the monastery, behind those walls, and then behind the walls of a hermitage, Merton's world remained large.
At Good Shepherd, we find our common life together gathered around an altar on Main Street. We are not off the beaten path. Yet, I believe we would be wise to follow Merton's wisdom in finding a time to feed our soul even as we open ourselves and our parish life to strangers who come to us, hungry and thirsty, to be fed at the table of Christ. Our ability to offer hospitality is not simply something that comes from good raising. That is manners. True Christian hospitality comes from a place in our hearts where we have also experienced welcome-the welcome of the Risen Christ. As we have been welcomed by Christ, so let us welcome all as Christ. In the midst of a 21st century active life, let us continue to offer a hospitality first practiced by the early Church.
Peace,
|
|
The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd
 The Rev. Brian L. Cole, Rector
533 East Main Street
Lexington, Kentucky 40508
859.252.1744 phone
859.252.1745 fax
Email
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
