eVOICE for March 20, 2025



GOOD SHEPHERD EPISCOPAL CHURCH



The Third Sunday in Lent

March 23, 2025

We will be celebrating with Transfiguration Church via Zoom at 9:00 am, and in-person at Good Shepherd Church 10:30 am.

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Announcing a meeting of all current Altar Guild members and Lay Eucharistic Ministers -on April 6 after the 10:30 am service. We will be meeting to go over current practices and preferences for our worship service with Reverend Linda our Deacon. We would welcome anyone who seeks to serve with us. More hands means less work and our worship service is a reflection of our love and dedication. During this Lenten season we hope you discern the call and join us!

Heifer Campaign- Heifer International’s goal is to break the cycle of hunger and poverty and create a path to sustainable income for those in need around the world. Last year during Lent Good Shepherd raised $2257.72 for Heifer. Last year Heifer International supported 1.3 million participant households and worked with 31,284 partners including (farmer-owned hubs, cooperatives, NGOs, and others). For Good Shepherd’s 2025 fundraising campaign our goal is to send two gifts of “Joy to the World” ($1500 each). Each gift includes two sheep, four goats, one heifer, and a bundle of seeds, along with training and education. You may join us to support these farmers and collaborations by donating at any time. Please indicate 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 27, 2024. Contact is Elisa Elliot at elisa.elliot@verizon.net or 240-688-6994.

Lenten Adult Education Series- The Lenten Study group will take place on Tuesday nights, 7- 8:30 pm through April 15th. We'll be discussing Bishop Mariann Budde’s book, How We Learn to Be Brave. You are welcome to attend as many of the sessions as you can. In her book, our Bishop provides stories of how she felt God empowered her to undertake steps and actions she might not have considered. Our discussions will explore her stories, when we have felt the same, how we have responded, and what we can learn. What are the journeys and outcomes that have helped us practice our own personal and faith-based bravery? Come and help us explore this fascinating book. To receive the Zoom link for the discussion, even if you have already spoken to one of us in person, please send an email to deacon@gsecmd.org.

Stations of the Cross- Join Deacon Linda for Stations of the Cross on Zoom on Friday evenings during Lent from 7:00-7:30 PM. The dates are: 3/21, 3/28, 4/4, and 4/11. The liturgy for Stations of the Cross is the same each week. Many people find that it is a helpful spiritual practice during Lent. Come as many times as you wish. For more information or to sign up, please email Linda at: deacon@gsecmd.org

Maundy Thursday & Meal In A Bag- We are reviving an old favorite at GSEC - our simple bread and soup supper on Maundy Thursday, April 17, 2025 @ 6pm. It involves a simple meal of a bowl of hot soup, some bread and water. After the meal, we will proceed to the sanctuary for a service involving foot washing and prayers. All GSEC and friends are invited; the meal will be provided to you. Please bring a donation of a bag of groceries (non-perishable foods), or a cash donation or gift card from a local grocery store. Donations will be added to our usual food drive. See Florence Walters for more information.

Wednesday Bible Study - 11:30 am in-person with 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. 

SAVE THE DATE!  Good Shepherd’s Annual Plant Sale returns on Saturday, May 3 from 1:00-2:30 PM in the church parking lot. We'll have a tempting selection of vegetable and herb plants specially suitable for small gardens and container growing!

Announcement from the Worship Team- Worship at Good Shepherd has been through many changes in 2024 as we worked with several different supply priests and guest preachers, offered morning prayer and Taize services. The Zoom service we collaborate on with Transfiguration Parish is still going strong. Whatever form our worship has taken, whoever has been present, the Holy Spirit has been with us. Since December 1st, we have been very fortunate to have Reverend Randy Wilkinson with us as our long-term supply priest, offering us very welcome steadiness and stability. In recent weeks, Good Shepherd has also begun live-streaming our in-person worship service. We are working steadily to improve the quality of the recordings so that they can be a resource for our parishioners and others through Facebook.

Schedule of Services for Lent, Holy Week, and Easter

Maundy Thursday, 4/17 7:00 pm

Good Friday, 04/18 7:00 pm

Easter, 4/20, 9:00 am zoom, 10:30 am In-Person

Senior Warden’s Message

Good Shepherd is in the process of working with the partnership between Montgomery County Green Bank, Interfaith Power & Light (IPL) and the Episcopal Diocese of Washington to convert to solar energy for our electrical needs. This partnership will enable us to minimize our dependence on non-renewable energy sources and save money in the process. We started this journey in 2022 by participating in the Diocesan “Solar Bootcamp” but could not follow through at the time because we did not have the money to put a new roof on our building (a requirement for solar). Fortunately, the program has continued and with our new roof(s) we are finally able to take advantage of this opportunity and join other parishes in the Creation Care Initiative that is a fundamental program in the Diocese. Joelle Novey, the Director of IPL, recently wrote the following:

“There is an instruction that is inscribed in Hebrew at the front of many Jewish prayer spaces: ‘Know before Whom you stand.’ I draw strength from faithful ancestors who defiantly insisted they served a holy purpose beyond any human idol. I am so grateful, as ever, to be in sacred partnership with you, ever sustained by the one Breath of all Life right here in the common home we share.”

We at Good Shepherd are grateful to her for her leadership and the leadership of the Diocese and Montgomery County as we do our part in caring for God’s Creation.

GOOD SHEPHERD EPISCOPAL CHURCH

818 UNIVERSITY BLVD. WEST, SILVER SPRING, MD 20901

Quick Links: GS website GS facebook Episcopal Diocese

Questions/Comments Form