In This Issue...

REMINDER: We have returned to in-person church!

Like last year, our Silent Auction will be online, on Facebook. Bidding will open online beginning Wednesday February 23 at noon and continue through midnight on Shrove Tuesday, March 1.

TO BID, GO TO https://www.facebook.com/groups/865645247570116/?ref=share

On Sunday February 27, auction items will be on display in Henslee Hall. There will be no bid sheets in Henslee Hall, but you may pull out your cell phone and bid while browsing the auction items in person! If you don't have Facebook, find a friend who does, and they can bid on your behalf. (We had a few folks do that last year.)

This year, we will be celebrating Shrove Tuesday on Sunday, February 27. 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!

Before and after church on February 27, we invite you to view the items that are in our online auction, place bids on the Facebook online auction page using your cell phone, and purchase from the Cash and Carry area. Support our awesome youth!

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.

Drivers are needed for FISH to deliver groceries Monday, February 28 and on the 4th Monday each month afterwards, from 10:30 to about 1 or 2.

Please contact Mary Ann Venable at mahv@outlook.com.

We are excited that Peter Green, Volunteer and Co-Sponsorship Manager for Bridge Refugee Services, will join us again on March 6 as we continue to build our Good Sam Team to welcome and support a refugee family arriving in Knoxville. 

This will be an opportunity for Peter to share with us in-person and to ask further questions. If you have already expressed interest to Malinda Lewis and/or Ed Hochnedel about being a part of the Good Sam Team working with Bridge, please plan to attend. And if you haven't yet expressed interest but are still discerning how you might get involved (or are hearing about this opportunity for the first time), please also plan to attend! CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT JOINING THE GOOD NEIGHBOR TEAM.

We will also provide a zoom link so you may be a part of this gathering if you cannot attend in person. Look for the link in the worship email on March 5. 

Adult Formation in Lent: JOY

Beginning Sunday, March 13

At first glance, "Joy" may seem an out-of-place focus for Lent. This is the season where we put our "Alleluias" away and remember that we will one day return to the dust. What place does "Joy" have in the midst of the ashes?

His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu would say that "Joy's" place is in the center of the ashes - right in the mix - play and laughter right alongside struggle, loss, and grief. These holy and spiritual leaders invite us to practice joy, and after a pandemic season which has felt like an extended Lent - perhaps now more than ever, we need to practice joy. Only then will we arrive at Easter Day with the fullest "Alleluia!" we can proclaim.

Please join us beginning Sunday, March 13, in Henslee Hall or on Zoom as we prepare for Easter by practicing joy. Be watching for a reading schedule and further details. 

The Book of Joy may be purchased at any of your favorite book sellers.  

We are beginning our Family Promise outreach on Sunday, March 6, going through to Sunday, March 13. We will be providing supper only for up to 3 families. At the suggestion of Family Promise, we have been providing food cards which allows families to purchase their own breakfasts.

Meals need to be dropped off at the Family Promise Center at 3545 Middlebrook Pike at 5:30.

Don't Miss Out On The Fun!

Our schedule of upcoming events is listed below.

Feb 19 - UPDATED NEWS!

Operation Backyard build day! 9 am - 1 pm. We will be building a ramp! Address and details can be found HERE. Our first OBY of 2022! Open to youth 12+ on their own, or under 12 with a parent. I MUST have your RSVP as soon as you can for this event, so I can send you details/location/etc, and so I can tell them how many people are attending. RSVP at sinead@goodsamknox.org

Gatorade minis and snacks will be provided; you bring a water bottle, closed toe shoes, and weather-appropriate clothing!

Our annual pancake supper/silent auction will look different this year, but will be special still. The silent auction will be online, and open Wed 2/23- Tues 2/25, with an in person option including special cash/carry items only on Sunday the 27!

Mission Trip to Nashville, TN! (see the article below for more information)

Youth MUST be over 12 to attend. Youth under 12 can attend with a parent, but many places we volunteer on these trips require 12+, so we cannot guarantee that those youth could participate fully in the trip.

Grace Point Camps!! VBS!! Local service project opportunities!!

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

Our 2022 Good Sam Mission Trip is heading to Nashville TN!

We will travel around the area to many different learning, service, worship and recreational opportunities!

To register, contact Sinead Doherty sinead@goodsamknox.org

Have you ever met a purple person? Today's story, called The World Needs More Purple People, teaches children that it doesn’t really matter what color their skin is, but to be kind, good and most importantly be you!

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.

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

The Cash in the Plate for Sunday, February 20 will go to Absalom Jones Fund for Episcopal Historically

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 "Absalom Jones" in the memo line).