eVOICE for March 21, 2024



GOOD SHEPHERD EPISCOPAL CHURCH



Palm Sunday

March 24, 2024

We will be celebrating virtual Eucharist with Transfiguration Church (via Zoom) at 9:00 am, and Morning Prayer in person at Good Shepherd Church 10:30 am.

HOLY WEEK SERVICES, IN-PERSON at GOOD SHEPHERD

Maundy Thursday, March 28, 7:00 pm

Good Friday, March 29, 7:00 pm

Easter, March 31, 10:30 am

Joint Good Friday service with the Episcopal churches of central Montgomery County- March 28, 12 pm, St. Marks Fairland, 12621 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD.

Easter Celebration- Please bring a finger food to share for a Festive Celebration following our Easter Sunday service. Let’s share the Joy together!! For more information please contact Allen and Shaun at thrualens@mac.com. 

Join Deacon Linda Mahler for Stations of the Cross on Friday evenings from 7:00-7:40 PM in Lent from February 23-March-22, 2024. The stations of the cross describe Jesus' trial, journey with the cross, crucifixion and burial on Good Friday. It is traditional to pray at the stations of the cross on Fridays during Lent. We will use a virtual version on Zoom that includes both the traditional images and the prayers, You are welcome to come just once or twice or every Friday. Please email Linda at deacon@gsecmd.org to receive a Zoom Link.

Would you like to explore ways to deepen your faith during Lent? 

Bring your questions, your doubts, and your yearnings to a discussion group on deepening our faith. We will look to the life of St. Peter to help guide our discussion. He was imperfect and he made LOTS of mistakes, but he loved Jesus and did his utmost to follow him. Our sessions will take place on Zoom on Thursdays during Lent, from February 15 through March 21 from 7 PM to 8 PM. If you’d like to know more, please email Deacon Linda Mahler at deacon@gsecmd.org.

Make a Difference in the 2024 Elections!

The first of our 3 planned voter registration events will be Saturday, April 6, at Good Shepherd from 1:00 - 3:00. We will be announcing additional information here as it becomes available. If you're able to volunteer for this event or any of our other upcoming events, please contact Rosemary Addy at rma619@verizon.net, or Linda Mahler at deacon@gsecmd.org.

Additionally, if you are part of your neighborhood civic association or your neighborhood listserv, please consider copying the information below and sharing it with people in your neighborhood:

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church will be hosting a voter registration event on Saturday, April 6, from 1:00 to 3:00 at 818 University Blvd. West in Silver Spring. Please stop by then if you want to register to vote, update your registration, or have any questions about voting in the upcoming election. The deadline to register before the May 14^th primary is April 23rd. If you know any 17-year-olds who will turn 18 on or before Election Day in November (November 5, 2024), they are eligible to vote in the May primary in Maryland, so please encourage them to register!

Wednesday Bible Study - 11:30 am led in-person by Deacon Linda Mahler.

Telephone prayer meeting every Thursday at 9:15 am. The number to call to join the prayer meeting is 508-924-2778. If you have any questions contact Lynette Clark at 301-357-1726. 

Please pray for Don Schimmel who was our organist and so much more for many years at Good Shepherd. He currently resides in Texas and has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Let’s think of all the ways we can send him our love and support in this difficult time.

Heifer Campaign: Heifer International’s goal is to break the cycle of hunger and poverty around the world. For Good Shepherd’s 2024 fundraising campaign for Heifer we are emphasizing Flagship Projects in Honduras. One project focuses on food security (having enough food to eat) and closing the gap between actual and living income for local famers, especially those in dairy and grain production. The other project focuses on boosting yields for coffee, dairy, and honey products, and connecting small and medium enterprises to markets. More information and activities to come. You may donate at any time by indicating that your contribution is for Heifer International, such as by writing a check to Good Shepherd and indicating “Heifer” on the memo line. Our final ingathering for Heifer this year is on April 14, 2024. Contact is Elisa Elliot at elisa.elliot@verizon.net or 240-688-6994.

From the Worship Team: We are listening!

We know that people have strong feelings about worship. If you have something to share and a one-on-one conversation is the most comfortable way for you to do that, talk to one of us after church or give one of us a call. If you need more time to talk, you can schedule a time to talk with one of us.

• Come to a worship team meeting. We’ll announce our meeting dates and times in advance so you can let us know you’d like to attend and share your concerns with us. We’ll send you the Zoom link.
• If written feedback is more your speed, use this online form. (bit.ly/GSECworshipfeedback).
• We are open to ideas about how the worship team should be configured, roles and points of view that should be represented on the team. If you have ideas about this, please share them with us.

We know it's not possible to satisfy everyone at every worship service, but we are committed to making the worship experience as rewarding as possible, trying out new things from time to time to keep worship engaging, and including the traditions that are important to Good Shepherd. The conversation continues...Anna, Ray, George, and Linda           

Senior Warden's Update

It’s been another busy week!! Thanks to all for these many blessings!!

• We had our Vestry meeting on Wednesday. We had a great discussion on our finances and the rector selection process. As soon as they are ready, we will make the minutes available to everyone!
• We held our Bible and Prayer meetings (Wednesday and Thursday). Everyone is welcome to join!
• Linda, our Deacon, is holding the last Stations of the Cross Zoom service on Friday: This is a very moving and spiritual inspiration; please join!
• I met with the head of the Evergreen Montessori School (currently on Georgia Ave, website: https://evergreenschool.com) and his team who are very motivated. They are impressed with our space in the old building (to use during the week days) and especially with our location. More to come!
• Many thanks to Joe Burckle who installed a sturdy cover over the deep window well on the north side of the Education Wing. This will prevent the flood which emanated from the downstairs girl’s bathroom after a heavy rainstorm last year!!!
• Many thanks to Liz Cocke who was inspired to remove all the pallets collecting near the dumpster. Allen Wyrick helped!! They can’t change the color of the dumpster as requested by the neighbor next to the parking lot….but the area looks so much better now!!!!

From: Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditations (Center for Action and Contemplation)

 Howard Thurman (1899–1981) believed that cultivating inner stillness allows us to experience the divine. Lerita Coleman Brown writes:

“Everyday mystics are people who commune with the presence of God, receive guidance through prophetic visions, voices, and dreams, and commit themselves to living for God rather than solely for themselves. Their vision for life is larger and more expansive, knowing that they are alive for a reason, a purpose that will benefit human spirits they may never meet.... Thurman lived out an identity grounded in mysticism, as he regularly felt oneness with God and on occasion experienced visions. He also believed that mystical moments should stir people toward love, community, and social action.”

GOOD SHEPHERD EPISCOPAL CHURCH

818 UNIVERSITY BLVD. WEST SILVER SPRING, MD 20901

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