CGS Weekly: November 22, 2020 |
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Our in-person worship service will be at 10:30am in the sanctuary this Sunday, November 22. If you have not already signed up to attend the in-person worship service, you may do so here. Don't forget to bring your mask.
For those of you who will be worshipping virtually, the livestream will be available here at 10:30am. If you're unable to tune in live, you may access a recording of the service at the same link after the conclusion of the live service.
In an effort to limit handouts as much as possible, we will not be distributing a printed bulletin at the in-person service on Sunday. You may access the digital bulletin for this week's service here.
We will be providing special materials in packets for your kids during the service. Please bring along your favorite coloring utensils (crayons, washable markers, pencils) to use. If you're attending virtually, Kids' Notes for this week's service are available here.
As a reminder, you may give to CGS online here. (If you have questions, you may reference this online giving tutorial here.) You may also mail a check to the church (3741 Garrett Rd, Durham, NC 27707) if you prefer.
This week's Sermon Discussion Guide will be sent to community group leaders on Sunday, and posted here on Monday.
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Give Thanks at Thanksgiving: Wednesday, Nov. 25 |
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This Wednesday night, November 25, at 8:00pm we will stop all of our Thanksgiving plans and preparations to give thanks! Our music ministry has prepared some fantastic selections and Pastor Mark Whipple has planned a word of encouragement. But most importantly, you will have the opportunity to share with your CGS family what you are thankful for this year. Everyone (kids included) will be asked to simply fill in the following: “Father, I thank you for….”
So grab the whole family and jump on ZOOM this Wednesday night, November 25 at 8:00pm. Access the Zoom link for this service here.
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Women's Ministry Thanksgiving Zoom Tomorrow |
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All CGS women are invited to a special Zoom gathering TOMORROW (November 21) at 10:00am. It has been a long season of unrest in so many ways—a global pandemic, national distress, and constantly being called to navigate life on personal levels. Would you join us in carving out time to come together, pray, and give thanks as we head into the holiday season? We’d love to spend some time “fixing our eyes on Jesus,” giving Him thanks as a way of reminding our own hearts of His promises and His truth. Access the Zoom meeting here. The passcode is 735517.
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This year, our CGS Kids are decorating our first ever CGS Thankful Tree & we’d love for you to join in on a small, but fun way to remind us of God and His faithfulness to each of us this year! Similar to our previous coloring contests, you can download our leaf pattern here. Then color, decorate, and create to your heart’s content! Once your leaf (or leaves!) is colored & cut out, you can either drop it off in our labeled baskets at the church this Sunday, drop it off during the week at the church office (good to call ahead during business hours), or email it a picture of it to RiLee Robeson. We will post updates to our social media accounts, or you can see it on your way out of the church service this Sunday. It’s located on the wall right next to the nursery in the Narthex.
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Durham Rescue Mission Toy Drive |
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Due to the financial impact of COVID-19, even more families in Durham will need help providing Christmas presents for their children this year. CGS is partnering with the Durham Rescue Mission again this year by collecting new and unwrapped toys for children ages 0-12. Many thanks to Andrew Esther, one of our youth, for organizing this effort! You may bring your toy contributions to the church during worship each Sunday through December 6. You may also purchase toys online and have them shipped directly to the church. Please be sure to use "Toy Drive c/o Church of the Good Shepherd, 3741 Garrett Rd, Durham, NC 27707" as the shipping address. If you order online, please plan to have your gifts delivered to CGS between now and December 6. Last year we collected nearly 400 toys for the Durham Rescue Mission, and this year we would like to collect at least 500 toys. For more info and for suggestions on toys to donate, go to www.cgstoydrive.org. Please email Andrew Esther with questions.
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Alms Offering for JusticeMatters |
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The Deacons encourage us to consider partnering with long-time CGS friend JusticeMatters for our quarterly Alms Offering next Sunday, November 29. JusticeMatters is a faith-based nonprofit that addresses the roots and repercussions of human trafficking by providing trauma-informed legal services and promoting just policies and practices throughout North Carolina. They have served clients from over 65 nationalities during their first ten years, and they are active in 52 counties in our state. Please consider joining with them in their active pursuit of justice and mercy for the most vulnerable among us. See JusticeMattersNC.org for more information. |
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Children's Zoom Sunday School is back to the regular schedule this Sunday, November 22. Preschool is at 9:00am, Lower Elementary at 9:20am, and Upper Elementary at 9:40am. Access the Zoom meeting here. Also, don't forget to follow @CGSKids on Instagram for the latest updates.
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CGS Office Thanksgiving Week Schedule |
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The CGS office will be closed on Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27 for the Thanksgiving holiday. In addition, please note that all administrative staff will be working remotely on Wednesday, November 25.
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Save the Date: Special Christmas Gathering |
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Save the date for a special Christmas gathering with your CGS family on December 16 at 8:00pm via Zoom. Stay tuned for additional details!
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Whether you are worshipping with us in-person or from home, please text your name to 919-907-1428 on Sundays. This helps us stay connected with you!
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Monday Night Women's Bible Study on Zoom |
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All CGS women are invited to join a Zoom Bible Study each Monday night from 8:00-9:00pm. Robin Kiefer is leading us through the book of Jeremiah, and we will discuss a chapter each week. Please click here to access the Zoom meeting. The passcode is 053333.
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High School: Last Youth Group of 2020: November 22, 6:30-8:00pm. Don't forget to bring a mask!
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Middle School: No Youth Group until 2021!
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IN-PERSON WORSHIP SIGN UP REMINDER
The sign-up link for the approaching Sunday’s in-person worship service will be posted here on Monday each week. We are no longer sending out weekly reminder emails for in-person worship service sign-ups. Simply go directly to the website to sign up each week.
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CGS SCHEDULE CHANGES
As a reminder, you may view ongoing CGS schedule changes here. In case you missed any previous church-wide emails with COVID-19 updates, you may view them all here.
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RACIAL TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION RESOURCES
We have a page on our website with recommended resources to explore more on the background and context for the racial unrest we have been facing as a country. You may view this page here and bookmark it for ongoing reference. We will continue to add additional resources to this page.
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FOLLOW CGS ON INSTAGRAM
Don't forget to follow CGS on Instagram via @CGSDurham. We would love for you to share your Sunday worship photos with us so we can re-share with our church family. You may either DM your photos or post on your Instagram story and tag us!
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SERVE YOUR CGS NEIGHBORS
Head to our website to learn more about how you can serve your CGS neighbors through physical needs like grocery shopping for the medically vulnerable, or through lifting up your church family in prayer.
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CGS WORSHIP PLAYLIST
Thanks to Matt McClure, we now have a CGS worship playlist featuring over eight hours of music. You can access the playlist on Spotify and Apple Music.
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COMMUNITY GROUPS
If you would like to join a Community Group, email us and we will help you get plugged in!
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