This time of year can be a very busy one.  For many of us, life ramps up a lot in autumn, with work, school, church, and volunteer activities revving up after summer.  Perhaps because of all those years of school starting in the fall, I think a lot of us still think of this as a time of new beginnings.  Many churches begin what is called the program year, with church school resuming after summer, and lots of activity.  This is also the time in many, if not most, churches, when the congregation braces for what pastors and parish leaders euphemistically call "stewardship season."   A lot of clergy frankly dread this time, as do parish leaders--we feel we are asking people for money, and we worry about preparing a balanced budget and about whether we will be able to fund our mission and ministry in the coming year. 

A few years ago, our General Convention of the Episcopal Church adopted a resolution about stewardship, and it was not just about, or even, one could argue, primarily about, money or giving to the church.  It was about adopting a simple rule of life, not an annual fund drive.  Real stewardship is not just about raising money for the parish; it is about the way we order our lives and our community.  Stewardship encompasses the idea that God entrusts us with the care of all that we have been given.  Being a good steward means striving for health and wholeness as individuals, as families, and as a community of faith.

The Episcopal Church encourages all of us to be intentional about all aspects of our lives, and to live our faith in everything we are and we do.  Stewardship is a spiritual practice in which we commit to grow in our faith and to be whole and healthy in body and soul, mind and spirit. 

Our bishops and delegates at Convention resolved that at a minimum, each of us should consider intentionally committing to regular corporate worship, daily personal prayer and study, regular Sabbath time, and a goal of tithing.  Stewardship, on other words,  is about taking care--care of our families, our faith community, and our selves.  Adopting these four "holy habits," as a kind of "whole person stewardship" in which our faith affects the way we live.

Regular worship as a community is very important; we believe that gathering for mutual love and support, for common prayer, for the opportunity to experience God's grace through the Eucharist, is an essential part of the life of faith.  Each of us is important and loved, and each of us is necessary to the body of Christ.  Community worship is vital to our spiritual health, but so is individual study and prayer.  I find that I stand taller during the day if I begin the day on my knees.

Sabbath time is extremely important.  We need time for refreshment and for rest.  People of all ages need to play once in a while, and to allow ourselves to be creative.  It is important to set aside Sabbath time--time that is hallowed and sacred--time to be alone, to take a walk and savor the outdoors, to listen to or to make music, to reconnect with family or friends over a special meal or a game, to read or to write for pleasure or enlightenment--maybe even just some time to take a nap. 

Finally, giving generously of our money and our time is part of who we are as people of faith.  Giving freely and "off the top" back to God is a tangible way to further our shared mission and ministry, to show our gratefulness for God's grace, and our trust in God's abundance and love.  Tithing is a goal towards which we might all strive.  Though everyone's circumstances are different, just imagine what we could accomplish if all or most of us were one day able to give away ten percent of what we have been given.

As we approach the busyness of this season, I urge all of us to consider trying a rule of life.  As a start, make community worship part of your weekly routine.  Spend a few minutes in prayer and study.  A good start is to re-read and pray with the Sunday readings and pray the Sunday collect during the week, or to use the Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families (BCP p. 136).  Set aside some Sabbath time--perhaps a day or evening each week, or even a few minutes each day that are just for you.  And consider stretching in your giving of time and money.  I truly believe that an intentional commitment to deepening one's faith through prayer, study, community worship, and generous giving, and setting aside time for rest will nourish us all: our bodies, our spirits, and our church.

Vincent de Paul is honored as the patron saint of charitable causes.  He was born in France in 1580 to a peasant family, and studied theology in Toulouse.  He was ordained in 1600. 

As a young priest, he was called to the bedside of a dying man, to hear his confession.  Vincent was shocked by what he saw as the spiritual naivete of the penitent, and moved by the dying man's deep desire to make peace and to die with a clear conscience.  de Paul preached a number of sermons on confession, urging confession and repentance.  He was surprised at the great numbers of his parishioners who lined up in response for confession, and he realized that he had underestimated the spiritual hunger of his congregation.  In response, de Paul and three colleagues pledged to do all they could to help laypeople with theological issues and to work with them to be reconciled with God and with other people.  He also devoted himself to retreats for clergy and theological and spiritual formation for priests.  de Paul was a pioneer in renewing the church's commitment to theological education and instrumental in founding seminaries.

Vincent de Paul saw caring for the poor and the sick to be a central requirement of living the Christian faith, and he believed that charity must be extended to anyone in need.  He urged upper class women in Paris to take the lead in collecting funds for building hospitals to serve the poor, and he established groups of people committed to serving the poor and the sick. 

Though he believed with all his heart that he was called to serve the most vulnerable people in his community, his temperament was far from loving and gentle.  Vincent struggled with his temper and said that without God's grace, he would naturally have been " hard and repulsive, rough and cross."  But as he became sensitive to the needs of others, he developed an extraordinary capacity to connect with people, giving the poor hope and inspiring people with means to help those in need.  He came to be known as the "Apostle of Charity."  He died in 1660, at the age of eighty.

Finally, to commemorate our Centennial we would like to make a gift of a scholarship for a week of summer camp at the Barbara C. Harris Camp, for a child who would otherwise be unable to attend. Donations of all amounts are welcome!  You may bring your check to the dinner or to the church office, or leave it in the plate this Sunday or next.

Our parking can be a little challenging on Sunday mornings, particularly when we are having a special worship such as a baptism or on major feast days.  We have two designated spaces for people with handicap plates, but even parishioners who don't qualify for special parking sometimes struggle a bit if they are forced to park far from the church.  If you are able and willing to walk, please consider parking a bit higher up Chute Street and walking down the hill, or park in the MBTA spaces on Woburn Street (legal on Sunday mornings), so that the spaces closest to the church will be available for folks who find the stairs on Woburn Street or longer walks down Chute Street challenging.

Do you like working in the garden?  Our perennial gardens help make our church a more lovely and welcoming place.  And our gardens need some care in order to keep them healthy and beautiful.  We need volunteers who are willing to weed the gardens and care for the plants (deadheading the flowers, trimming back plants in fall, mulching, planting seasonal annuals, and watering).  If you don't know much about gardening, don't worry: it's easy and we can pair you with a more experienced gardener.  Weeding, making room for new growth, caring for living things can make gardening a kind of prayer. 

Our hope is to recruit five or six individuals or teams of two who are willing to spend an hour or two once a month during gardening season, maintaining and improving our gardens, and then assisting in a clean up day in spring and fall.  Maintaining our gardens with volunteers will allow us to save money on our landscaping, but more than that, gardening is a wonderfully rewarding activity.  What can be better than caring for living things, being outside, and playing in the dirt!  If you are interested, please contact the office or speak directly with Rev. Scottie.

Our annual FALL-iday Fair is going to be held Nov 15th and 16th this year.  If you haven't found your niche at Good Shepherd, you might consider volunteering for something new at the fair. Although ALL of the people who help run the fair have fun, and are THRILLED to return year after year, we would dearly love to get new people involved to "grow our family."  Whatever level of "ownership" you want, we've got it! 

• Are you able to stand for an hour and smile? You can be a "greeter/people counter."  Couples welcome.
• Do you like fast-paced? You can work the Friday night jewelry table.  If you don't like to add, don't worry, we use calculators!
• Want responsibility?  How about being in charge of our book table?
• Got muscles or energy?  Help with setup or tear down.
• Play an instrument?  Be part of our "live music."
• Need community service hours? Your help would be appreciated days before, during and after the fair.
• Going shopping in town?  Please put up 10 flyers in planned locations that have done it in years past.
• Bakers...you will be called...
• Like to work with children?  The Sunday School is going to have a table.  Contact Kim Manzelli to help at manzelli2@verizon.net.

The plan for this year is to sell toys in the Bargain Box only, so there will be no special request for used toys...just keep bringing your nice used toys to the BB all year round.  We will have newer books that haven't been in the basement all year, so hold onto those used books until we have a book coordinator.

We are looking for costume jewelry and jewelry boxes for our jewelry table.  Please see Elaine or Alice Webb.

Have new ideas?  I'm listening....

Please call Elaine Grosso at 781-942-1169 or email at ecgrosso@ieee.org to volunteer for anything you saw above.  Call now to get your first choice!

Christine Camper, Kevin Cellucci, Alec Dingee, Betty Fraser, Bernice Herrick, Tony Lopes, Lynn McDonald, Rheta McKinley, 

Elsie Saunders, Eleanor Schott, Bishop Thomas Shaw, Kevin Smith, Ralph Ventola, Stephen Wagner and Charles Weaver.