A Word from the Warden

From Julie Lowe, Sr. Warden 

"...We will serve thee faithfully."

This closing line from a recent anthem has been stuck in my head for the past week.  I finally stopped to think about what it was really saying to me, and then, after hearing Bob's sermon on discipleship, another line of that song came to me:  "That by caring, helping, giving, we may true disciples be."  That pretty much sums up what we are called to do and be at the Church of the Good Shepherd:  faithful servants of the Lord and disciples spreading His Gospel in our community and world.  Hmm, Discipleship sounds a little bit like Stewardship.

One of our Vestry goals for the past few years has been to create a year round Stewardship program at Good Shepherd.  "Stewardship" is one of those terms that we Episcopalians love to throw around but don't truly understand.  Being Stewards of God's earth is so much more than just giving annually to the church's operating fund.  Yet we tend to confuse the two. 

A group of folks has been meeting over the past several months to talk about year-round Stewardship.  Yes, Annual Giving is part of it, but it is also Christian Formation, Outreach, Fellowship, and just about everything we do at church-even Discipleship.  You will start to see the fruits of our efforts in the coming months, as we offer new opportunities to share time and serve the Lord with fellow parishioners. If you like sports, you can start by signing up for the Good Shepherd coed softball team by contacting David Haygood.  It's also not too soon to mark your calendar for a new church-wide event at Lake Wheeler on Saturday, September 12:  "Welcome Home to Good Shepherd."

You can read my full mid-year report to the parish here. But, in closing, I'd like to thank everyone in our parish family for your ongoing support of our church.  These are trying economic times, so your church is grateful for the support we continue to receive from our parish family.  However, if your family has been particularly hard hit by the recent economic turmoil, remember that you can always speak in confidence to any of the clergy about problems you may be having.  In addition, the Rector's discretionary fund is available to provide assistance in a time of need.  All it takes is a phone call to Bob, Bill or Miriam.

Faithfully,

Julie