One of the prayers for Compline, the Daily Office appointed for the end of the day, asks God to be present as we sleep, "so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this life may rest in [God's] eternal changelessness."  This prayer has always been very comforting to me, because it acknowledges that change is constant, and that while it can be good for us, it is challenging; but we can depend on God to be with us in times of change.  Our parish and our diocese will be facing some big changes in the near future, and I know that God will be with us as we enter a time of transition.  

Priscilla Burns, our Parish Administrator, has accepted a position at two parishes in Boston, Old North Church in Boston's North End, and St. John's Parish in Charlestown.  This is a wonderful opportunity for Priscilla, and it will give her more hours as well as benefits.  As sad as I am that she will be leaving Church of the Good Shepherd, I know that this is a great thing for Priscilla and her family, and that this job will offer her new challenges and outlets for her talents.  She will be working with Steve Ayers, the vicar at Old North, and Tom Mousin, St. John's rector, and I have talked with both Steve and Tom, who are committed to helping to make this transition as smooth as possible for our parish.   

Priscilla has been such an integral part of our parish in these last two years, and I can hardly find words to express my gratitude for her generosity in sharing her talent and time with us.  She has done an outstanding job as our Parish Administrator, and has cultivated a vital ministry in our community.  I hope you will join me in expressing your gratitude to Priscilla and that you will hold her in your prayers as she finishes her time with us and begins her new work in Boston. 

I am working closely with our wardens and vestry and with Priscilla in finding a new Parish Administrator.  Priscilla is committed to helping to ensure that the transition is as painless as possible, and it will surprise no one to learn that Priscilla is determined to do everything she can to help recruit and to train a new Parish Administrator.  I have been in touch with clergy colleagues in Reading and in our deanery, and I am in touch with the diocese, to identify candidates for the position.  Priscilla and I are reaching out to people we know in other parishes who might be interested or who might know someone who would like to interview for the job.  If any of you know someone who might like to apply for the job, I would welcome you to contact me or to invite applications directly.  Our hope is to find someone in the next two weeks or so.

I hope that you will feel free to celebrate Priscilla's ministry at The Good Shepherd, and to offer her your appreciation and well-wishes.  I know that you will keep our parish and Priscilla in your prayers as she prepares to leave us, and as we look for a new Parish Administrator.

The other big change in the works is in our diocese.  Many of you will have heard by now that our bishop, Tom Shaw, announced his retirement on Tuesday.  Bishop Tom has been our diocesan bishop for nearly nineteen years, and after much prayer and thought, has decided that this is the time to retire.  Bishop Tom will be 68 on his next birthday, and our diocese has a mandatory retirement age of 72, and Tom wants to allow our diocese time to identify great candidates and to hold an election, and to be able to serve alongside the new bishop for several months to assure a smooth transition.  An election for a new bishop is tentatively scheduled for early April, 2014, and in the next year, our diocesan Standing Committee (the elected body that advises the bishop and helps to set policies for our diocese) will be setting up a procedure for nominations and for the election and later transition.

Please remember Bishop Tom, our Standing Committee, and all of the staff at our Diocesan Offices as they begin to prepare for Tom's retirement and the election of a new bishop. 

As always, I greatly welcome your ideas, insights, suggestions, and prayers.  Feel free to contact me if you have concerns or suggestions about our hiring process for a new Parish Administrator, or if you would like to talk more about Bishop Tom's retirement and the process for selecting a new bishop.  As we move forward both as a parish and as a diocese, all of your parish leadership is committed to making sure that everyone has as much information as we can provide, and that our process in transparent and open.

Our Annual Meeting will be on Sunday, January 27, immediately foll 

owing the 10 o'clock Eucharist.  Every member in good standing is invited to attend and to vote.  Annual Meeting is an opportunity to elect our parish leaders, discuss our budget, and celebrate our mission and ministry in the past year and hear about our goals for the coming year.  Child care will be provided, and there will be activities and games for older children so that all families will be able to attend the Annual Meeting. 

Parish members who are willing to stand for office this year, and whose names were forwarded to vestry by the Nominating Committee and posted in our Warrant are:

Senior Warden: Benjamin Sands, term through June 30, 2013

Vestry Members:   Jane Farrar, David Louanis, Robert Newton, three year terms

Diocesan Convention Delegates: Linda Hank and Raymond Luddy Alternate: Bob Stasonis

Nominations may also be received from the floor at Annual Meeting.

The vestry has approved our 2013 budget, which will be presented at Annual Meeting.  Copies of the budget will be available in the sanctuary and the office beginning this Sunday, January 20.  Our Annual Report will be available on January 27.  If you are unable to attend the Annual Meeting, but would like a copy of the Annual Report, please e-mail or call the parish office so that we can make that available for pick up or mail it to you.

Hospitality is a key part of our shared ministry.  The Good Shepherd is a warm and welcoming community, and our parishioners seem to understand that welcoming our newcomers and including all of our community is an essential part of who we are.  The parish coffee hour is a time when our parish family gathers to greet one another, and get to know one another better.  Many newcomers report that the welcome they received at coffee hour was when they first felt at home at The Good Shepherd.

Please consider signing up for one or more weeks to serve as a host at our coffee hour.  Being the host for our social time means arriving early for the 10 o'clock Eucharist and setting up for coffee and refreshments and making coffee.  The hosts for coffee hour also bring baked goods or other snacks.  You can sign up to be a host at coffee hour, or to bring baked goods for one or more Sundays.  A sign up sheet is located on the bulletin board outside the sanctuary, and in the lounge, with the coffee on Sundays.  Of course, you can also sign up using "Sign-Up Genius."  just click here!  

We also need a coordinator for coffee hour.  Norma Strack is currently our coordinator, and she has served ably for a number of years.  Norma would like to turn this ministry over to someone new so that she can be open to new ministries.  To learn more about how to volunteer, or to find out if being a coordinator might be right for you, please contact Norma: 4stracks@gmail.com.   

The annual Service Auction is one of the most fun evenings of the year.  We hold this event in spring, with a social hour and appetizers, and then auction off parishioners' services for the coming year as well as goodies, tickets for sports and entertainment, and other beautiful and fun items.  We need a coordinator for our auction, which, in addition to being a lot of fun, raises money for the parish.  If you would like to learn more, please contact Mary Ines:  ineshouse@verizon.net.

Our annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper will be on Tuesday evening, February 12, beginning at 6 p.m.  The pancake supper is a traditional celebration of the last night before Lent begins, with breakfast for supper, and lots of tasty treats.  (It is a very old tradition to use up the butter, sugar, and meat before Lent, when many people gave up those things for Lent.  Though most Christians don't fast so rigorously during the forty days of Lent, the Shrove Tuesday supper has become a beloved tradition in most of the Anglican Communion.)  We also burn the palms from last Palm Sunday to use as ashes in our Ash Wednesday worship.

Ash Wednesday services with the imposition of ashes and a Eucharist will be at noon and at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 13.  Please join us as we begin the celebration of a holy Lent, in community.  These quiet services of prayer and contemplation are a wonderful way to enter into a holy season of penitence, preparation, and reflection as we prepare to celebrate Holy Week and Easter together.

Join us during Lent for a book discussion on The Rich and the Rest of Us, a thought-provoking and challenging book by Tavis Smiley and Cornel West.  This book was selected by Bishop Shaw, who has invited parishes all over the diocese to read the book together during Lent.  

The class begins on Monday February 25.  We will meet from 7-8 p.m. for four consecutive weeks.  If you would like to participate in the class, books will be available for purchase at church on Sunday, February 3.  If you want to buy the book on your own, please consider ordering on Amazon, through our parish website, so that a portion of the book price will benefit The Good Shepherd.  For more information, or to sign up for the class call or e-mail Rev. Scottie or the parish office.