The Episcopal Church of January 2016 the Good Shepherd Ti d i n g s Newsletter of the Church of the Good Shepherd Tequesta, FL 400 Seabrook Rd. At the end of each year we wonder about the prospects for the next year, Tequesta, FL 33469 the New Year. Will 2016 be the best year ever? As an old fellow, I need to modify my expectations and realize that a lot that has happened in my 561-746-4674 life won’t happen again and that much that I thought would happen in www.goodsheponline.org my life never will. Once I thought I ought to be a bishop, but I don’t ex- Pennies For Heaven pect that to happen in 2016 or ever. Hey, I never actually wanted that to 746-4674 xt.112 happen anyway! Some folk at the end of a year think about how the previous year has gone and Good Shepherd School some of us even use the occasion to think about the history of our life. Around here 746-5507 quite a few people have rich personal histories; they accomplished a lot and had won- derful experiences over the years of their lives. The Rev. Canon G. Kerry Robb Whatever the circumstances of our life at any moment, the future always holds Interim Rector possibilities for us. Whatever might be possible for our nation, world, community and The Rev. Mimi Howard family, we always have possibilities. Philosophers ponder human possibility because it Deacon is such a wondrous subject. Human beings can use their imaginations to create civiliza- The Rev. George Kinard tions, weapons of mass destruction, poems, derogatory attitudes about their neighbors, Deacon symphony orchestras and all sorts of institutions, good and ill. Human beings are a wonder to behold; their possibilities and achievements are the high point of creation so Merike Seely far. Parish Administrator One of the great human possibilities is that people are capable to focusing on James J. Hoye the needs and wants of somebody who is not them, they can maintain a balance of fo- Head of School cusing both on their own needs and the needs of others. It’s a possibility; people can do Timm C. Johnson-Reynolds it. It is possible for people to seek God in their lives; it’s possible for them to struggle Organist and Music Director to maintain openness to the Spirit of the Lord. Julie Bird Winchester Whatever else, 2016 will bring with it the usual possibilities. We hope for the Youth Director best, for ourselves and everybody else. What we can control is our attitude about what happens. Sandra O’Malley It’s pretty likely that in 2016 the Church of the Good Shepherd will call a new Sunday School Director rector. That is an exciting process. We want to pray for the future of our church, our Jo Wood families, our community, our nation and our world. Director of Newcomer A prayer in our tradition reads: Ministries For what has been, thanks; Events and Facilities Manager For what will be, thanks; Paula Fullager For what is, thanks. Parish Secretary That’s a possible prayer for the New Year. Marcia Aydlette Nursery Director Many blessings, Michelle Murasko Bookkeeper Bill Jowett Good Shepherd Vestry Sexton Paul Kirby, Senior Warden; Mike Howard, Junior Warden; Mike Greene, Treasurer; Julie Brown, Clerk; Margaret Dunstan, Brent Murray, Carol Block, Tenli Sarcia, Jerre Rannie, Mike Grashof, Tidings has Kevin Riddle, Dan Gilbert, Christine Vanderwesthuizen Gone Green! Rector Search Committee We print on recycled paper. Catherine Oenbrink, Committee Chairperson; Tenli Sarcia, Dan Gilbert, Dave Downing, Erik Pariseleti, Kate Gouery, Pete Bohnsack, Stephanie Grant, Peggy Greene, Allan Tiburzi, Howard Smith, Rob Steiner Tidings Consecration Sunday Is Coming Congregations that approach financial stewardship from a biblical perspective do not view the money Christians give to their church merely as a way to pay its bills. Rather, such congregations see financial contributions as a way to help people grow spiritually in their relationship with God by sup- porting their church’s mission and ministry with a percentage of their incomes. Good Shepherd’s Stewardship Committee has selected the New Consecration Sunday Steward- ship Program as a way to teach the biblical and spiritual principles of generous giving in our steward- ship education emphasis this year. New Consecration Sunday is based on the biblical philosophy of the need of the giver to give for his or her own spiritual development, rather than on the need of the church to receive. Instead of treating peo- ple like members of a social club who should pay dues, we will treat people like followers of Jesus Christ who want to give unselfishly as an act of discipleship. New Consecration Sunday encourages peo- ple toward proportionate and systematic giving in response to the question, “What percentage of my in- come is God calling me to give?” During morning worship on Consecration Sunday, we are asking our attendees and members to make their financial commitments to our church’s missionary, benevolent, and educational ministries in this community and around the world. Every attendee and member who completes an Estimate of Giving Card does so voluntarily by attending morning worship on Consecration Sunday. We urge people to attend who feel strongly op- posed to completing a card. The procedure is done in such a way that no one feels personal embarrass- ment if he or she chooses not to fill out a card. We will do no home solicitation to ask people to complete cards. During morning worship our guest leader will conduct a brief period of instruction and inspiration, climaxed by members making their commitments as a confidential act of worship. We will encourage participation in Consecration Sunday events through the Consecration Sun- day team and Vestry members. Since we will make no follow-up visits to ask people to complete their cards, we will make every effort to inform, inspire, and commit everyone to attend Consecration Sunday worship. Thanks in advance for your enthusiastic participation in Consecration Sunday events. Paul Kirby Senior Warden Transition Update Bishop Peter Eaton and Archdeacon Tom Bruttell met with the Search Committee on Saturday, December 12, and dis- cussed how we are to proceed in our search for our new rector. The committee’s first step is to create a survey for distri- bution to all parishioners. The survey will be your opportunity to tell us what you value about our parish and what you hope for in our next rector. The results from the survey will be used to create a profile to define who we are and help us to develop a fitting job description. We will present it to the congregation when it is complete. On Sunday, December 13, the Search Committee gave a summary of the meeting to the congregation in the Parish Hall, and fielded some great questions from the interested attendees. We will continue to keep the parish updated in the weekly church bulletin, in the monthly Tidings and on the church website. Outreach & Mission Committee Meeting for January This is our annual planning meeting and supper for Outreach & Missions Committee. We will meet off-site at the home of Joyce Ross. If you are interested in being a part of this dedicated group, please contact Joyce at sunshi- [email protected] for directions and to RSVP. 2 January 2016 Family Promise Thank You You did it!!!!! Terry McFarland and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all you did to make November’s Family Promise Week successful. As you know, we had 3 families - moms with children of various ages, backgrounds, needs, and goals. Because of you, they were Outreach & Missions fed lovely meals and knew they were safe because you were there during the night ---- just in Committee meets on the case of an emergency. On Sunday afternoon the families moved to Our Lady of Florida (Roman first Wednesday of each Catholic Center) month at 6:30 p.m. in the As far as we know the 1st Presbyterian/Good Shepherd team is the only time families library. Join us! are in one place for a 2 week period... Can you imagine moving your life every week? This past week makes me feel very humble and so very thankful. One more note... The Cursillo men's reunion group that prepared a meal and took the heavy lifting with overnight assignments rock ... De Colores brothers! Now onward for us to bring more people to help with this ministry. God’s Blessing on each and every one of you. Jeanne Couillard, Outreach & Missions Committee Outreach & Missions Progress Report Thanks to your generosity, Good Shepherd has recently been able to provide the following services to the needy of our area: • Family Promise, in November, provided meals and overnight supervision for 3 temporarily homeless families, total- ing seven people. • The Food Pantry was able to provide twelve Thanksgiving baskets to needy families in our community. These bas- kets included a turkey donated by the Rotary Club, all the ‘fixings’ for a Thanksgiving dinner, plus cereal and fruit and other items to feed the family the next day. • Run 4 the Pies yielded a bountiful harvest! We were able to restock our own Food Pantry shelves, plus donate 50 boxes of non-perishable food items to CROS ministries, which stocks seven food pantries throughout the north county region. • Pennies for Heaven, following a successful Holiday Bazaar and Rummage Sale, was able to ‘outreach’ the unsold items to Faith Farm Ministries. Donations to Faith Farm included furniture and household items. • Jacob’s Shoes many pairs of shoes, which were taken to the organization’s headquarters, cleaned up, and given to needy families in time for Christmas.