We are talking and listening together to rediscover our core values and through this articulation will frame our future. Your experiences and opinions are necessary and valuable. Thank you for taking the time to fill out this questionnaire. (Questionnaire ends Feb. 14.)

Join us at Good Sam IN-PERSON on Sunday February 13 during the 11:15 am Sunday School hour for LISTENING SUNDAY!

In This Issue...

February 6

11:15 AM - Zoom

This Sunday at 11:15 am (via zoom), our Study of Exodus will continue. We'll be discussing Exodus 15 & 16 and Chapter 5 in the book Journey through the Bible.

NOTE: The link to the zoom class will be in the Worship Email that goes out on Saturday afternoon.

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CONTINUES this Sunday, February 6

11:15 AM - Zoom

This class is for those seeking Confirmation in the Episcopal Church and is also for those just wishing to learn more about or refresh their knowledge of The Episcopal Church.

Confirmation, Reception & Reaffirmation will be held at Good Samaritan on Sunday, May 22 when Bishop Brian L. Cole makes his annual visit to Good Samaritan.

NOTE: The link to the zoom class will be in the Worship Email that goes out on Saturday afternoon.

Don't Miss Out On The Fun!

Our schedule of upcoming events is listed below. Good Sam will resume in person worship Feb 13th, and I really hope we will be able to regain some momentum with youth events.

We will have a youth gathering!! Please try RSVP by Thursday so I have a head count! We will not eat a full lunch, but will have some treats. We'll do some games and activities, discuss upcoming events including the 2022 mission trip (May 27-June 2) and prepare for a collection of donations on Shrove Tuesday. Masks required. All ages (4th grade+) invited to this, we’ll have lots of different things going on.

Combined youth Sunday School/Youth Group! Middle/HS youth. Lesson, lunch, and activities! This is a Valentine's themed event focused on Love is the Way, a motto from our Presiding Bishop Curry.

Operation Backyard build day! I don’t know what our project will be yet, but I am excited for another great day of service with you all. 9 am - 1 pm. Ages 12+ on your own, or under 12 with an adult.

IF you are not able to attend this date, Ascension’s youth are doing their first OBY day on Feb 12th, and I will be assisting them. You can let me know if that date would work better for you and join me then. But I need most of our youth to choose the 19th.

Shrove Tuesday is now Shrove Sunday! Instead of our usual pancakes and auction on Tuesday, we will have a modified event on the 27th, complete with burying the alleluias during worship, and a special Sunday School activity. If you have a skill or item to donate to the silent auction, such as yard work, baby/house/pet sitting, cleaning, etc, please let me know! This silent auction is our biggest fundraiser for the mission trip!

Please stay tuned for more details and information. I hope to see you Sunday! Contact Sinead at sinead@goodsamknox.org with questions.

Just as the Good Samaritan tended to the man on the road to Jericho, we have the opportunity to tend to a refugee (possibly Afghan) family…to help them get settled into their new lives here in Knoxville.

In partnership with Bridge Refugee Services, Good Sam is looking to form a “good neighbor” team who will get to know and build friendships with the resettled family. The family will need assistance in transportation, cultural assimilation and English language skills. There will also be an opportunity to welcome them at the airport and set up housekeeping for them.

Perhaps Mr. Rogers said it best, “Won’t you be my neighbor”.

Please contact either Ed Hochnedel at edhoch1944@yahoo.com or Malinda Lewis at malinda.lewis@gmail.com if you are interested or have any questions. Thank you.

Mardi Gras Silent Auction

This year’s auction is going to be a hybrid of in-person and online bidding. Bidding will open online beginning Wednesday February 23 and continue through midnight March 1, which is Shrove Tuesday. Items will be on display in Henslee Hall for viewing on Sunday, February 27.

This is the main fundraiser for our youth. All proceeds will be used to support their many outreach projects and mission trips. Those who participated last year enjoyed the friendly competition of the online format. Please bid high and bid often. Support our amazing youth!

This year, we will be celebrating Shrove Tuesday on Sunday. Instead of eating pancakes, we are asking folks to bring some “fats” to be donated to local organizations. Suggested items: pancake mix, muffin mix, small bags of flour, small bags of sugar, syrup, cookie mixes, etc. If your item requires cooking oil, a small container to pair with it is a huge gift for families. There will be a collection bin in Henslee Hall for these items!

Also on Sunday, we will be Burying the Alleluias during the 10:00 AM service. Supplies will be available to color an alleluia, but you can also make your own alleluia at home and bring it with you on Sunday. We think this is going to be a fun and meaningful way to get ready for Lent together.

We invite you to view the items up for auction before and after church, place bids and purchase from the Cash and Carry area. Support our awesome youth!

The response has been very good so far, but we are looking for more donations. Handcrafted items, condos, gift baskets, baked goods, gift cards, jewelry, services such as babysitting, pet sitting, yard work, any items you might have that would sell for $10 or more would be welcome. Email Ann Backus at mombackus1@gmail.com with pictures or descriptions of your items, or put them on her desk in the copy room at church.

We will offer a small cash and carry area on Sunday, February 27 and are looking for a few people to donate baked goods, casseroles, snack mixes, or other items for that. Please let Ann know if you will be able to donate. Also, if you would like to help run that area and collect the money on that day, please let Ann know.

Note: Items must be dropped off no later than Valentine's Day, February 14, so that we can photograph them, set up and get everything loaded onto the auction site.

SOME MORE GREAT DONATION IDEAS

Everyone has a talent, and all our talents are different. Think about what you are good at and make an offering of that for the silent auction. For instance, I can not sew, and yet every pair of pants I buy needs to be hemmed. I am always looking for someone to hem my pants. So if you can sew, you might want to offer hemming 5 pairs of pants, alterations, or maybe you make baby doll clothes, which are impossible to buy. Are you an organizer? Maybe you could offer to organize someone's closet? Good at flower arranging, how about a spring flower arrangement? Everyone needs reliable babysitters, and adults can offer to babysit too! Maybe an overnight offering. Do you have UT football or basketball tickets that you might not use, just for one game? Do you smock? Monogram? If you love to bake, how about offering your specialty casserole, meal or dessert? I challenge you to be creative and offer what you can. Thanks!

The story this week is all about celebrating Holy Eucharist, and how we are called into the world in the breaking of bread. It is a central part of our church service, one I have missed so very much. The book is called We Gather At This Table. I look forward to celebrating Holy Communion with my church family soon.

Good Samaritan is looking to hire 3-4 people to work in their church nursery. The hours are Sundays, 8:15 am -12:15 pm. Our nursery is small; there are typically not many children who need care.

There are also occasional opportunities to work during parish dinners, evening services, etc. (Evening work is not a requirement for employment.)

A few housekeeping duties are included in the job. Safeguarding God’s Children training is required and will be offered by the church. Covid protocols will be in place. If you are interested, please contact Ann Backus at ann@goodsamknox.org or call the church office at 865-693-9591.

Mark Your Calendars now for Vacation Bible School!

Vacation Bible School will be held this summer, July 11-15, from 9:00-12:00 every day except Friday when it will end at 11:00. Put this on your calendar now so you do not sign up for any other camps and your children can attend this fun week of fellowship and learning.

Families, be watching the mail for your Great Kindness Challenge to arrive. I thought this was the perfect way to celebrate Valentine's Day and help us keep a holy lent. It's a chart with100 hearts to be colored in each day you do an act of kindness. Some older folks have asked if they can participate....of course! If you would like to receive a Great Kindness mailing, just let me know and I will get one to you.

Interested? Contact Ann Backus at ann@goodsamknox.org

During church services, how often have you said to yourself "wow, the altar flowers are beautiful!"

We have some talented folks on our Flower Guild, but they depend on your dedications and donations to purchase the flowers they arrange each week. Please go to our online signup and pick a Sunday to give the altar flowers in thanksgiving for or in memory of someone special or to commemorate a special event.

Instructions are included on the online portal form.

PLEASE NOTE: ON THIS FORM, WHERE IT ASKS YOU “HOW MANY PEOPLE ATTENDING”, THIS MEANS HOW MANY ALTAR FLOWER VASES YOU ARE GIVING. CHOOSE ONE ($35) OR TWO ($70).

You may pay through the online giving portal (choosing the Flower Fund Donation option in the giving portal. There is a required memo line for you to put the date for which you are giving the flowers. Cost: $35 for one vase; $70 for two vases.) Alternately, you can mail a check to the church (made out to Good Samaritan) or put a check in the plate on Sunday. Please put “Altar Flowers” and the date in the memo line. Thank you!

SIGN-UP AT: https://rsvp.church/r/Ax7eApz2

We're back! Now that Good Sam will be resuming in-person services on February 13, I think we are safe to meet for our next Book Club meeting on Thursday, February10 at 6 pm at Panera Bread. Hopefully, this will be our last interruption (like Mary Embler so succinctly put it, I hate COVID).

Our book in February is The 100 Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin.

In March, we are reading The Music of the Bees by Eileen Garvin; the April selection is The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall; for May, it's A History in Six Glasses by Tom Standage; and in June, we read The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. If you have any questions, please contact Kathy Gray at either klgray125@gmail.com or call me at 423-379-0091.

Contact Sinead Doherty for more information.

The Cash in the Plate for Sunday, February 6 will go to Drums Up Guns Down.

Drums Up Guns Down is a program for students at Austin East Magnet High School that is designed to help address the cycle of teen gun violence by teaching West African Drum and Dance with the goal of promoting healing. Students learn healthy problem solving strategies, communication and practical social emotional coping skills through drum and dance. The founder of the program, Obayana Aajanaku, states that the goal of Drums Up Guns Down is to show students that there are outlets for their emotions other than violence.

You can make an online cash plate gift to the cash in the plate on the Good Sam online giving page. There is an option on the giving page to give to the "Cash in Plate". As always, you may also send a check to Good Samaritan. (Please designate that it is for "Drums Up" in the memo line).