Rejoice!
Good News from Church of the Good Shepherd, Watertown
January 2018
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On entering the house, the magi saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh
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- Matthew 2:11
It was touch and go for the camel this year. The blizzard overtook our Epiphany celebration. Bad luck arrived in the form of smoke alarms, the flu, and more frigid weather. But on Sunday, January 7, the camel finally arrived at the creche in the apse at Good Shepherd. I was glad that the child delivering the camel danced it up the aisle - a celebratory arrival after a long journey - and placed it front and center (see the photo above).
Like the camel's journey, our spiritual trek through this life is filled with unexpected delays, road hazards, and detours. It can be tempting to feel that we are "behind," or to wonder whether we are making any "progress" in our journey to Jesus. But the spiritual life is not linear. God's work in us and through us often is most profound when we are off the beaten path. When our well-laid plans get thrown up in the air, it is then that the Spirit can reach us in particularly transformative ways.
One of my resolutions for this year is to cultivate a spirit of curiosity at times when fear or anger would be my natural reactions: When family commitments prevent me from getting to Hidden Brook, to wonder how else I might carve out quiet time before bed. When my prayer life feels dry, to wonder what the Spirit is inviting me to do about it. When I am irritated by someone's attitude or behavior, to be curious about what more I need to learn about her in order to see her as Christ does.
I'm going to keep the image of the camel in my mind when I am tempted to fear or anger. The slow, circuitous journey is a holy one. And God is with us all along the way. I look forward to wondering with you as we carry out Christ's mission in the days ahead.
Faithfully,
(The Rev.) Amy McCreath
Rector
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Parish Annual Meeting: Feb. 4
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Everyone is encouraged to join in the Annual Meeting on Sunday, February 4 at 9 am. The meeting incorporates worship, and replaces both the 8 am and 10 am services for the day. We will finish by 11 am. Everyone has voice, and parish members aged 16 and above can vote in the election of lay leaders for the year ahead. The nursery will be open, and a supervised activity for children will be offered from 9:15 to 10:00 am.
The meeting will include:
* A light breakfast and table conversation.
* Prayer, music, scripture, and table Eucharist.
* Distribution of the Annual Report, a written record of the life of the parish in 2017.
* Verbal reports from the Rector and the Wardens.
* Presentation of the 2018 budget.
* Election of the following leadership positions. The Nominating Committee will send out a list of candidates a few weeks before the meeting, so you can prepare prayerfully for the election:
Executive Committee members:
2 Co-Wardens
Treasurer
Assistant Treasurer
Clerk of the Vestry
2 Vestry Members - both for a full, 3 year term
2 Delegates to Diocesan Convention
1 Alternate Delegate to Diocesan Convention
5 Representatives to Deanery Assembly
Our Annual Meeting is a great chance to learn more about the parish, get to know people, ask questions, and let the Holy Spirit work through your vote.
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A dozen people helped make sandwiches for Common Cathedral in December, and seven CGSers participated in the distribution and worship service on the Boston Common.
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The Gift of Service at the Harvard Homeless Shelter
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On Saturday, December 30th, a team from CGS prepared and served a meal for the homeless. Kate Gyllensvard, Marylin Eastwood, Mary Skinner, Charlie Kitts and his daughter were in action with two friendly staff members from Harvard. The food just had to be heated up, but CGS added some special touches to it along with baking bread and cookies for dessert. And when one staff member tried to tell us how to make grilled cheese sandwiches (a staple there), my daughter Deborah cut him off, "I have two young kids at home, I know how to do that." He laughed and meekly slipped away.
While outside the kitchen in the common area, I saw one resident of the shelter put a bag of potato chips on the table for others to share. Another, hearing me cough, brought me over a bottle of water. I told him "no
thank you" and he said he would leave it on the table. Later I was asked to go pick up some bread and pastry at a nearby coffee shop. The three workers at the shop all came out and were so happy to see me. They kept thanking me. Five large bags they donated! Despite the weather outside, it was indeed a warm and delightful evening at the shelter.
-- Charlie Kitts
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Bishop Gayle Harris is Visiting CGS on February 11
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Did you know that the word "Episcopal" is Greek for "of bishops"? Our church is organized around bishops, who serve as chief pastor of the clergy and as the symbol of the wider church to each parish. Our bishops are ordained into the "apostolic succession," which means that they are part of a line of ordination through the laying on of hands that extends back to Jesus's original twelve apostles.
About every other year, a bishop of our diocese makes a "visitation" to our parish. This is a Sunday when the bishop comes to preach and preside, to learn about our life together and our ministry, and to help connect us to the wider church. A visitation is a blessing and a great opportunity to learn and to share.
On
Sunday, February 11, Bishop Gayle Harris, our Suffragan Bishop, will be at CGS. We will have just one service, at 10 am
, so we can all be together with her. Because our diocese is one of the largest in the Episcopal Church, we have two bishops: Bishop Alan Gates is our "Bishop Diocesan," and Bishop Gayle Harris is our "Suffragan," which means she helps Bishop Gates and takes on particular ministry areas in support of the diocese on his behalf.
Please plan to be part of this great day. After worship, there will be a question and answer session for the whole parish with Bishop Harris. Help tell our story to our bishop and hear about her great work!
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The Rt. Rev. Gayle Harris was ordained Suffragan Bishop of the Diocese of MA in 2003. A native of Cleveland, she was ordained as a priest in 1982. She is the immediate past president of the Massachusetts Council of Churches. She has a deep commitment to the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East. Bishop Gayle led the pilgrimage in which three members of our parish recently participated. In the photo below, she is celebrating the Eucharist at dawn in the wilderness outside Jerusalem.
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Remember when people found a church by looking in the yellow pages? Times have changed! Help us share the good news of Good Shepherd by writing a Google review. Just google "Good Shepherd Watertown," then click on "write a review." Do you use Yelp? If so, write a review there, too!
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Ministry Behind the Scenes
So many wonderful people offer time, talent, and treasure to allow us to worship, learn, and share our space with other groups that serve the community. The photo here shows Karen Russo and Roya Naseri, who often join Sandy Lampert in baking the bread we use at communion. What a gift!
Our altar guild is a group of people who prepare our worship space for sacramental worship on Sundays. They set out "the elements," (bread and wine, and the vessels to hold them), mark the lectern Bible, attend to the candles and torches, and place the hymn numbers on the hymn boards. After worship, they clean up and put things away. The commitment is usually about one Sunday a month.
It would be ideal to have one or two more people on our altar guild. If you love beautiful worship and would like a prayerful activity to do at your own pace, this might be a ministry for you. Please speak with Jim Donna or Susan Brown for more details.
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The Rev. Duncan Hilton, who was sponsored for ordination by CGS, at his priesting in Brattleboro VT, with the CGS crowd. Duncan serves as Assistant Rector at St. Michael's, Brattleboro.
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Some of the amazing young people who led our Christmas Pageant this year. What a beautiful, holy day it was! Special thanks to Erik Rosenmeier, Ronan Sullivan, Julian Boas, and Sylvia Sakata for special music in the pageant.
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Santa made an unexpected appearance after the Christmas Eve service. What a delighted group of kids! Thank you to the Baggio family for coordinating a truly magnificent reception so the celebration of our Lord's birth could continue long after "Hark, the Herald Angels" sang!
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Tuesday, January 16 -
Women’s Spiritual Memoir Reading Group
at 6 pm, at CGS. We are reading
Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place
by Terry Tempest Williams.
Wednesday, January 17 -
Youngish Adult Group,
6:30 pm at the rectory.
Sunday, January 21 -
The Rev. Frank Fornaro returns
as our guest preacher at both services.
Lent planning
gathering after the 10 am service.
Friday, February 2 -
Stories from Pilgrimage
, 6:30 pm. A potluck dinner and sharing from Brigitte & Steve Steadman and Pat Ahern, recently returned from Israel/Palestine.
Sunday, February 4 -
Parish Annual Meeting
at 9 am with breakfast (replaces 8 am and 10 am service).
Saturday, February 10 - CGS hosts the annual
“Doll and Me Tea”
with Watertown Family Network. Contact Pastor Amy to help greet or bring snacks.
Sunday, February 11 -
Bishop Gayle Harris visitation
to CGS at 10 am.
No 8 am service today.
Wednesday, February 14 -
Ash Wednesday service
, 7 pm. (Lent begins).
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Jerusalem Marketplace Report
Many thanks to everyone who made Jerusalem Marketplace such a wonderful part of our life together in December. We raised $1,829 in support of our ministries with Christians in the West Bank! Special thanks to...Sally Hajjar and family for spectacular food; Jon Spector, for signs educating us about our sister parishes; Pat Ahern, Steve Steadman and Rob Flynn for presentations on Bethlehem and the upcoming pilgrimage; Pat Ahern for inventorying all the goods for sale; Bernardine Chan and Julian Boas for selling beverages, and Sylvia and Eve Sakata for helping make lavender sachets.
-- Sharon Bogue
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Winter Friday Pot-luck & Sharing Series
Join us on Friday nights from 6:30 to 8:30 pm in the upper parish hall for a pot-luck dinner and some great sharing! Details soon, but mark your calendar now:
February 2
: Stories from the Holy Land Pilgrimage, led by Brigitte & Steve Steadman and Pat Ahern.
February 16
: Being Human: Sex, Religion, and Politics in Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Opus, led by Rock Baggio.
March 9
: A Night of Poetry, featuring the Poems of Rosamund Rosenmeier, led by Peter Rosenmeier.
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n thanksgiving for the prayer life of this congregation, including the thirty-two people who served as prayer partners in Advent and Christmas seasons, our final word is about prayer:
For me, prayer is a surge of the heart;
it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.
-Thérèse of Lisieux 1873-1897
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Keep in Touch
The Rev. Amy McCreath, Rector - 617-967-7780
The Rev. Ken Schmidt, Deacon - 508-735-1019
Linda Lyster, Organist/Choirmaster - 617-734-3072
Kate Gyllensvard, Warden - 617-661-9859
Brad Parsons, Warden - 617-501-4539
The parish office is open on Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons.
Church of the Good Shepherd | 9 Russell Ave., Watertown MA 02472 | 617-924-9420
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