Growing God's people  with laughter, song and love.
                                     October 30, 2016
Jesus and Zacchaeus
Amanda Retana
Watercolor

J esus entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today." So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, "He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner." Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much." Then Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost."
Luke 19:1-10
Sunday,  October 30, 2016
Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

One combined service of Holy Eucharist, 10:30am

A note from the Good Shepherd Stewardship Committee

Dear friends,                                                                        
 
It is with thanksgiving for your giving to the Church of the Good Shepherd that we write.
 
The past year has been full of fruitful ministries and deep worship with God and each other!
 
Every week, we worship together in our beautiful Nave on Spring Avenue.  Then we go out to do the work that God has called us to do together:
  • Parent Café at Francis Nungester
  • Backpack Feeding Program partnership with King's Memorial UMC
  • The Market at Good Shepherd
  • Kairos inside and out prison ministry
  • Christmas Party and gifts for children from Boys and Girls Club
  • Violin lessons for the under-served
  • Food collections for the CCC
  • Provide space and snacks for GED classes
On Sunday mornings, musicians of all ages find a safe and comfortable place to share their gifts during our 10:30 service, and weekday worship services include Holy Eucharist, pot luck, and fellowship on Wednesday evenings, and Morning Prayer and fellowship on Thursday mornings.
 
There are many ways that we are growing God's people with laughter, song and love in this church and we thank you for all of the ways that you contribute to the ministry of this place.  We look forward to all that God will yet show us as we continue to build and dream and listen for God's leading.
 
For the past 6 weeks we have been hosting stewardship gatherings in our homes.  We've shared deeply about the many ways that we've been blessed by our giving to the church.  And we've shared many wonderful stories about all that this vital community of faith has meant for us.  As we look ahead to a new year of ministry and with a budget being derived from our pledges, we ask you to consider this important question:

     What portion of my income is God calling me to give in the coming year?
 
We hope that you will make plans to join us this coming Sunday, October 30 for one combined 10:30 am service as we bring our pledges to the Church of the Good Shepherd for the coming year and give thanks to God for the ministries that we share in Christ's name. 
 
Please complete an estimate of giving form and bring it with you this Sunday. 
We will offer them together during our service on the 30th.
 
The Good Shepherd Stewardship Team
 
Joe Bogle
Marilee Doepel                     
Mike Ford                  
Bobby Howell              
Sharon Landis
Giving thanks for God's abundance

A note from Tim Hazle, Senior Warden

Hello all in the Good Shepherd family!  As we all know, your pledge is vital for the operation of the church but just as vital are the many ministries we offer to our community.  There are ample opportunities for you to serve God and this parish that take a small gift of  your time.   

As recorded in Peter's epistle,  --
" Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms"-1 Peter 4:10.  

There is a place for everyone to be involved in this community.
 
Any of your time you can devote is time well invested.  
Current and ongoing opportunities are:
 
Parent Café  Once a month during the school year we provide a meal for the PTA meeting at Nungester Elementary. Cooks, food transporters and servers are areas you can help.
 
Backpack Ministry For the second year, we have partnered with our friends from King's Memorial United Methodist Church to provide backpacks of food for 18 preschoolers to make sure they have food for the weekend.  It is unfathomable for most of us that in to 21st century with self-driving vehicles there are children all  over the city that are hungry.  You can help shop for supplies or deliver the backpacks on Friday.
 
Parish Care team This is a new ministry that we are starting that will focus on our church community.  We will provide meals and identify other needs for those that are sick within our parish.  Provide resources in situations that extra hands are  needed.  No matter the need nor the situation it is a comfort to
know if you reach out that the church will be there.  The team is composed of any in the parish that are willing to be available.  Two or three leaders are needed to organize and coordinate this team. 
 
Grounds care  If the outdoors are your passion, consider being a team leader for our grounds care team. A great team is already in place but we need someone to oversee ground maintenance and organize work days when needed.  No landscaping experience required.
 
Kairos prison ministry.  Spreading God's message in Limestone Correctional and Decatur work release.  Volunteers always welcomed.
 
Our altar guild, flower guild, ushers, coffee hour team and choir are always ready to welcome newcomers.
 
Christ commands that we all be servants by following his example.  

If you are interested in any of these areas or want more information see David, Tim, Shelly or any vestry member. 

Tim Hazle
Senior Warden

Excerpts from an essay by JD Lander,
The Episcopal Church Network for Stewardship
 
     "Too often we see the words, 'stewardship,' 'development' and 'fundraising' as synonyms.  By doing so we do a disservice to ourselves and to the important work of all three...
 
       "Stewardship is living out our lives with the belief that all we are and have is God's, entrusted with us to share... "
 
The Good Shepherd Stewardship Committee


The Backpack Program cranks up for the school year

Each week during the school year, volunteers from Good Shepherd assemble backpacks of food and deliver them to the PRE-K program at King's Memorial United Methodist Church here in Decatur.  This important program for kids in need in our community feeds these students breakfast and lunch every weekday during the school year. 
The food that we contribute from Good Shepherd helps to ensure that these 18 kids take home a reliable source of food for each weekend during very critical stages in their growth and development.

So that we can continue to provide this vital support throughout the entire school year, please contribute to the Good Shepherd Backpack Feeding Ministry.  Please make your checks to The Church of the Good Shepherd with "Backpack Ministry" in the memo line.

THE 
CHURCH OF THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD