Oct 20-27, 2021
Rev. Tom Willetts
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Pastors Report to Charge Conference
Each year the leaders of Good Shepherd UMC meet with the District Superintendent and submit reports accounting for our ministry for the past year. Officers are elected and the Pastor’s salary is set for the next year. The D.S. presents goals and offers advice to help our church move forward in the coming year.
Our annual meeting was on Sunday, October 17 at 3PM. I would like to present to you my Pastor’s Report from this meeting. I love being the Pastor of Good Shepherd. This is a great church, and we have a bright future before us. I give thanks to God for each of you daily.
2021 has been a year of firsts. This was our first year in our new Ministry Center building. It was our first year to present ONLINE Worship Services. It was our first year to have an online giving opportunity. It was our first year to have major worship services outdoors (Christmas 2020, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Palm Sunday and Easter 2021). It was our first year to have outdoor worship on Saturday evenings. It was our first year to have a Leadership Team to guide our church. It was our first year to have an on-line giving opportunity. It was our first year to have an e-newsletter. It was our first year to have ZOOM Bible Study small groups. It was our first year to celebrate infant baptism in our sanctuary.
We lost family, friends, and neighbors to Covid 19 and had to find new ways to celebrate life, loss and to grieve. Many people moved “back home” to be closer to family because of the isolation and challenges of Covid life. We did not have a Trash and Treasure Sale or a Strawberry Festival. We did not have Community Small Groups meetings and studies. The Adult Choir did not gather to rehearse indoors. Many of our Community Outreach opportunities ceased or were drastically reduced. As much as we all disliked 2020-2021. We were presented with continual waves of struggle and anxiety. What I learned in all of this was that God is still with us each and every day. God will open a way where there seems to be no way and that our plans are fine, as long as we are willing to change them at the last minute.
As we seem to be coming to the end of our fifth wave of Covid 19, finally with vaccination rates at 75% and many others finally being “naturally immune” as survivors of a Covid 19 infection. We all await a booster shot to increase our long-term protection. We are opening many in-person worship, fellowship and ministry opportunities. Masking while indoors when gathering with others will remain our policy. The sign-up sheets are increasing and the posters are littering the bulletin boards and announcement spaces around the church.
New people are coming to worship services. As many moved out, new people came in. Additionally, there are new homes being built in our area for more new families coming into the area. While the majority of “new movers” will continue to be retirees, there is an increasing diversity to the ages and family configurations. We must be aware, invitational, welcoming, open, and adaptable to all the opportunities that God is opening to us as a community of faith. While tried and true is wonderful, we must be creative and ready to adjust. New traditions are ever before us.
Our challenge will be to always keep the WHY before us. Why are we doing this or that? WHY are we meeting or worshipping this way? WHY are we serving this way? WHY are we reaching these people and not those people? WHY do we give to support this mission or that need? WHY do we volunteer here and not there? There are no lack of ideas and opportunities. WHAT is easy! WHY is tough!
If the answer is, “Jesus called us to it.” Then we are doing what is needful. The results will be those which God desires. The Kingdom of God will be realized, if not by us in this moment, by someone at some time. Seed planting is often our response to God’s call.
Our situation as a church is unlike any previous year. Income has decreased. Expenses have been decreased. New ways to give have been opened. We need to find new givers to help us increase our income. We have a mortgage on the new Ministry Center which adds $3,500 of monthly expense to our bills. This is a strain, but it is in line with our expectations when we began our building project five years ago. The parsonage is debt free and with the increase in house values over the past year we have realized an estimated appreciation of value of nearly $140,000. We purchased an excellent value. It is a beautiful home for Pastor Lia and I.
Worship attendance is half of pre-Covid attendance. The national worship attendance average is only 30% of pre-covid attendance. The “online” audience does increase our attendance but does not fill in the gap. In the coming weeks we will be undertaking a telephone touch ministry to contact EVERYONE on the church rolls. The goal is to speak to everyone, not just leave a message. We want to hear from and reconnect with everyone who we know of and make sure they know we are here, we care, we serve, and they are welcome to reconnect at any time. We want to find any barrier and do our best to remove it from between the church and people participating.
There exists a great deal of grief and resulting anger in people because of the losses caused by Covid 19. Surely the loss of life causes grief, but the loss of freedom, loss of family connection, loss of employment, loss of confidence, loss of community, losses we may not even be able to identify, but experience. Grief is cumulative and can burst out in unanticipated ways. Good Shepherd as the church of Jesus Christ must take steps to help people work through their grief and find grace-filled healing. There is no one path or one curative moment for grief. It is a process that begins with recognition of loss, that change has happened, and accepting that others are still present and willing to continue to live and move forward each day. God is faithful. God gives us each today and the next day is always a promise.
Let us be faithful to the GREAT COMMANDMENT of Jesus – to love God completely with everything we have and to love our neighbors as ourselves. These words will lead us to God’s promised Kingdom and to realize all of God’s blessings in 2022.
Respectfully submitted, Rev. Thomas L. Willetts, Jr.
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CHURCH OFFICE HOURS
Mon– Thurs 9am – 2:00pm - CLOSED FRIDAYS
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THANK YOU PASTOR TOM AND PASTOR LIA FOR ALL YOU DO!
There is a card box in the Narthex during the month of October for notes, cards etc. of appreciation. God has given us wonderful, loving Pastors.
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COVID-19 UPDATE: OCTOBER 15, 2021:
As of today, Lee Health has:
- 73 COVID-19 patients isolated in our hospitals (inpatient).
- Of these patients, 6 of them are children being treated at Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.
- Yesterday, we had 10 new COVID-19 hospital admissions and 9 COVID-19 discharges.
- 69% of our ventilators and 12% of our ICU rooms are available for use. We have 8 COVID-19 patients on ventilators and 21 in the intensive care unit.
- This morning, census was at 85% of staffed operational bed capacity.
- Since the start of the pandemic, 1,193 patients have lost their lives inside our hospitals to COVID-19, including 2 yesterday.
This is an article reprinted that illustrates the value of being vaccinated compared to not being vaccinated against Covid 19. AXIOS - 10/18/2021
CDC: Unvaccinated are over 11 times more likely to die from COVID
CAITLIN OWENS
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Reproduced from CDC; Note: Data represents 30% of Americans across 16 jurisdictions: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York City, Seattle/King County, Wash., Utah and Wisconsin; Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios
The CDC recently published data evaluating Americans' rate of coronavirus cases and deaths by vaccine status, providing more data on which vaccines are working best and how much protection they offer relative to being unvaccinated.
What they found: As of August, unvaccinated people had a more than six times higher risk of testing positive for the coronavirus and were more than 11 times more likely to die from the virus.
Between the lines: Among vaccinated people, those who received the J&J vaccine had the highest risk of infection and death. Those who received the Moderna vaccine had the lowest.
- As the Delta variant surged, breakthrough cases became more common — which stands to reason.
- But these higher rates also explain some of the urgency behind giving some Americans booster shots, particularly older and more vulnerable individuals.
Good Shepherd Covid 19 policy
Everyone is requested to please wear a mask when in the buildings for worship, meetings, or business. Masks are effective in preventing the spread of Covid 19.
Please practice social distancing to prevent person to person close contact spread.
No civil authority is forcing or mandating these policies. We are choosing to express care for each other by keeping the opportunity of Covid 19 spread to a minimum. It is our experience that these measures are effective and well worth the effort. We are an older congregation with many immune compromised attenders. Please care for each other as Jesus has given us his example of care and love.
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STROKE AND TIA
We all know someone who has suffered a stroke or a TIA. Did you know that high blood pressure is the single most important risk factor for developing a stroke? I am available every SUNDAY, either before or after church services, to take a manual blood pressure. If you see me on any Sunday, please ask and I am only too willing to take a reading for you.
Other risk factors are diabetes mellitus, high blood cholesterol, Atrial Fibrillation, carotid artery disease, an inactive life style and obesity. A previous TIA, transient ischemic attack may also be a forerunner of a major stroke. About 15% of major strokes are preceded by TIA's. These are all risk factors that can be controlled or treated.
Risk factors that are out of our control are increasing age, gender, heredity, race and having had a previous stroke.
Stroke warning signs are the following: sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg, especially occurring unilaterally, sudden confusion, trouble speaking, trouble seeing in one or both eyes, sudden loss of balance, and sudden severe headache with no known cause.
If you experience any of these signs, call 911 or seek immediate medical attention. Seeking medical attention ASAP is the only way to minimize the after effects of a stroke and prevent long term disability.
Please get your BP checked routinely!!! It could save your life!!!
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Candy Collection for Page Park Community Fall Fair - candy
GREEN BAGS for Thanksgiving Food Collection – food
UMCOR for Disaster Relief Efforts - funds
All Soul’s Community Assistance Center – hygiene items
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WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Fri., Oct 22nd 10am Alzheimer's Caregiver Group
Sat & Sun Oct. 23rd & 24th - CUTOFF FOR CHILDREN'S CANDY - Children's Home Envelopes will be available.
We will collect the 5th Sunday offering for the Children's home on Oct 30th & 31st
Mon., Oct 25th FINANCE at 1pm
Tues., Oct 26th - Clergy meeting at 10am
1pm LEADERSHIP MEETING-ZOOM
Wed., Oct 27th 11:30am - 1:30pm Choices in Living, Senior Resource Seminar -
reservations needed for free lunch
Thur., Oct 28 9am - Handbells
1pm BIBLE STUDY - Ephesians "The Foundation of the Gospel" Conf Room A
Sat & Sun Oct 30 & 31 - GREEN FOOD BAGS will be distributed to donate for
Thanksgiving Dinner for Page Park
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Our church will be "hosting" a panel of health-related experts, which may be very beneficial to many of us, as we question the future and handle the best way forward in our lives.
We held a similar program, prior to the Pandemic, which was received very well. Kathy Hudson, owner and operator of "Choices in Living," an adult day care center in Cape Coral, is the organizer of this program.
Listed below are the various areas and experts that will be present:
An Elder Law Attorney, A Certified Dementia Practitioner, Adult Day Care Opportunities, Home Health with Rehab, Options for Medicare prior to open enrollment, Mobile Physicians Group, and Senior Transportation Options.
This program will be held on Wed., Oct. 27th at 11:30-1:30pm.
PLEASE sign up for this program to ensure you receive reservations for a FREE LUNCH, courtesy of the presenting vendors. A sign up sheet will be will be available in both buildings.
We hope to see you there if you think you may need assistance in any of these areas....
Judy Greenstreet, RN, Faith Community Nurse.
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NEW WOMEN'S STUDY COMING
NOVEMBER THRU MARCH
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This season’s women’s study is based on the booklet, Bearing Witness in the Kin-dom: Living into the Church’s Moral Witness through Radical Discipleship, by Darryl W. Stephens, $10. It is a larger book than last year’s but I participated in the Zoom study for United Methodist Women from all over Florida, over two days, led by Pastor Lia and she broke it down very well, which will help us receive the message of the book. It has four timely subjects that we will cover in four sessions on November 22nd, January 24th, February 28th and March 28th at 1pm, in the Chapel of the Ministry Center.
At the November meeting, Beth will have fellowship after the summer break and facilitate the introduction and summary of the study. Now the exciting news! In January, February and March, we are fortunate that Pastor Lia will lead the study. To join the study, call Beth Ferris at 920-839-9648. Starting on November 1st, at 239-543-6295. Hope you join the study and we will order the book for you. Beth Ferris
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WORSHIP SCHEDULE - OCTOBER - DECEMBER
Saturday 4:45 PM - CHAPEL OF MINISTRY CENTER
Sunday 10:00 AM - SANCTUARY OF WORSHIP CENTER
Online - Sunday Morning on Facebook & YouTube.
Find us at: Facebook.com/goodshepherdumc.org.
OR on YouTube: Good Shepherd UMC NFM. PLEASE press SUBSCRIBE (at no cost or obligation to you) then please share our posts to others we will become easier for others to find.
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EPHESIANS - THE FOUNDATION OF THE GOSPEL
BIBLE STUDY
RESTARTING ON
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28TH AT 1PM IN
THE MINISTRY CENTER
CONFERENCE ROOM - "A"
REV. BARIE FEZ-BARRINGTEN, TEACHER
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CHECK OUT OUR
WEBPAGE!
www.goodshepherdumc.org
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If at any time you wish to unsubscribe to our weekly e-newsletter
please call us at 239/543-2686.
Good Shepherd United Methodist Church | 239/543-2686
OFFICE HOURS MON-THUR 9-2PM
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