Save the date for this Parish Life Event and watch for details to come.

Please join us for an Easter Egg Hunt following our 11am service on Easter Sunday, April 20,2025. We plan to start immediately following the service. We will be outside our front door to have the kids follow us to the playground area. We have some eggs that we can use but could use more as well as candy to stuff them with. Any and all contributions are welcome! Our number of children is small and we want to prepare for anyone who will be joining us. We can take donations in the nursery. Please have them to us by Sunday, April 13, so that we can coordinate our time to fill the eggs and get ready for our egg hunt! . Thank you all!

Parish Life Ministry is organizing a movie and dinner at VIP Fieldstone 6 in Hiawassee on Saturday, April 12th. Movie time is 4:20pm. We’ll meet at the theater to see “King of Kings.” Afterwards if anyone is interested, we’ll go across the street for dinner at Marina Station. Join us for some fun and fellow ship!

St. Francis Catholic Church in Blairsville, GA will host an Icon Writing Class from April 27 - May 2. The instructor is Kara Gillette who studied with Teresa Harrison. There are several spaces available. The cost is $525 per person which includes all supplies and lunch each day. For more information or a registration form please contact Rita Casey via email at rbear11@hotmail.com or by phone at 678-350-3739.

Lenten Supper Series 2025
Forgiveness
Wednesday in Lent at 5:00 PM

“American culture, which pits self-fulfillment against self-sacrifice, [will] produce revenge or withdrawal as a response to any mistreatment. . . . In such a culture, forgiveness is seen as self-hating, and revenge and anger are considered authentic.” - Tim Keller
“If you believe the gospel – that you are saved by sheer grace and the free forgiveness of God – and you still hold a grudge — at the very least it shows that you are blocking the actual effect of the gospel in your life, or you’re kidding yourself and perhaps you don’t believe the gospel at all.” - Tim Keller

What is the mission of the Church? The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ. So answers the Book of Common Prayer to the question of our mission as members of the body of Christ. We are in the mending, healing, bridge building, reconciliation business.
Saint Paul, in his Second Letter to the Corinthians, makes this missional directive explicit stating that as God has reconciled the world to himself through Christ, we as ambassadors of Christ and bearers of the message of reconciliation are to be reconcilers. Where there is injury we are to seek justice with forgiveness and mercy. In a time when victimhood, grievance, resentment, bullying, revenge, and aggressive language and action have taken over public and private discourse, followers of Christ have much work to do.

March 12 Stories of Forgiving

March 19 The Love, Mercy, and Justice of God

March 26 To Be Forgiven

April 2 To Forgive Others

April 9 The Ministry of Reconciliation

Dinner of soup, salad and bread begins at 5:00 PM. Your donations are welcome.

This course is led by Fr. Bill.

To follow up on Father Bill’s recent classes entitled, “Lord, Teach Us To Pray,” the Adult Spiritual Formation Ministry and the Arts and Spirituality Ministry will offer two Anglican Prayer Bead Workshops in March. At these workshops you will create your own prayer beads and will learn how to incorporate them into your daily prayer life.

The dates have been RESCHEDULED and are Tuesday, March 25th from 1:30 - 3:30 pm & Thursday, March 27th from 10:00 am - noon. The cost is $10 and includes all supplies and refreshments (a light lunch following the morning session and a tea following the afternoon workshop). The workshops are limited to 15 participants, so check the bulletin board and sign-up!

To follow up on Father Bill’s recent classes entitled, “Lord, Teach Us To Pray,” the Adult Spiritual Formation Ministry and the Arts and Spirituality Ministry will offer two Anglican Prayer Bead Workshops in March. At these workshops you will create your own prayer beads and will learn how to incorporate them into your daily prayer life.

The dates have been RESCHEDULED and are Tuesday, March 25th from 1:30 - 3:30 pm & Thursday, March 27th from 10:00 am - noon. The cost is $10 and includes all supplies and refreshments (a light lunch following the morning session and a tea following the afternoon workshop). The workshops are limited to 15 participants, so check the bulletin board and sign-up!

Good Shepherd will host a Red Cross Blood Drive on Monday, March 24th from 12:30 - 5:30pm in the Parish Hall.

During January and February, Father Bill offered a series of classes entitled, "Lord, Teach Us To Pray," where he shared how we might pray using the Book of Common Prayer as well as some of the commonly used prayer practices of the Christian Church. The purpose of these classes was to encourage us to strengthen our prayer practices and to refresh our prayer life.

To continue with the theme of enhancing prayer life, the Adult Spiritual Formation and the Arts and Spirituality Ministries will offer two Anglican Prayer Bead Workshops in March. You will have the opportunity to create your own strand of prayer beads and learn how to pray with them to incorporate them into your daily prayer life. The emphasis of the class will be on prayer rather than craft. Father Bill will provide instruction on the use of the prayer beads.

The workshops will be limited to 15 participants each and there will be sign up sheets on the Bulletin Board in the hallway beginning March 2, 2025. The cost will be $10.00 which includes all supplies and refreshments (a light lunch following the morning session and a tea following the afternoon workshop).

The first workshop will be Tuesday, March 18th from 1:30 - 3:30 pm. The second workshop will be Thursday, March 20th from 10:00 am - noon. All participants are asked to bring a small towel to use at your work space. Contact Kathy Wright for further information or if you have questions.

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Tickets for the annual pancake supper on Tuesday, March 4th will be on sale beginning Sunday, February 23. Tickets are $8 each for ages 12+ (or at the Saint Dave Smucker special price of 2 for $20 for adults!), $4 each for ages 0-11. Join us on Tuesday, March 4th 5:00-7:00pm, for pancakes, sausage, apple sauce, coffee and juice as we raise funds to support our Good Shepherd youth ministry.

All current members of the Daughters of the King and all interested in learning more about this fellowship of women who support the mission of the church through prayer and service are invited to meet with Fr Bill for lunch in the undercroft on Sunday, March 2nd. This will be an organizational meeting as we move forward restarting and revitalizing the Daughters of the King at Good Shepherd. All interested women are welcome.

To recognize and honor Black History Month, we are pleased to display nine posters from the collection of Ann Miller Woodford which provide a history of African Americans in far Western North Carolina. The posters will be on display through the month of February which is designated as National Black History Month.

Ann Woodford - artist, author, community activist, historian and speaker - is a native of Andrews in Cherokee County. She has shared the history of African Americans with groups throughout our region. Ann will be our guest at Coffee Hour on Sunday, February 23rd. Please allow some time to view the poster display in our Parish Hall.

Save the Date, Bring a Date-  In February, we are "Spreading Love
Through Outreach”. Three of our ministries (Parish Life, Greeters, and
Outreach) are joining forces to help raise funds for Outreach & will
host a Spaghetti Dinner in the parish hall at 5:00pm. Come join us on
Saturday, February 15th, for an evening of fellowship, music, wine, a
silent auction and some delicious food- spaghetti and meatballs, garlic
bread, salad and deserts! There is a $10.00 donation per person, payable
by cash or check ONLY.

In this series, we will learn about prayer and how to pray using the Book of Common Prayer and by practicing some of the more commonly used prayer practices of the Christian Church. All who are interested in refreshing their prayer life and all interested in adding some prayer forms to their prayer toolbox are encouraged to participate. We will meet in the nave. At 12pm This gathering is led by Fr. Bill.

January 6 Morning Prayer
January 13 Noonday Prayer
January 20 Evening Prayer
January 27 Compline
February 3 Guided Meditation
February 10 Lectio Divina

Please come to enjoy a bowl of homemade soup during Coffee Hour after the late service (before the big game)! We will have Vegetable Beef and Tomato Basil Bisque to choose from. There will also be an abundance of saltine crackers.

Please bring with you an offering of dry soup packages (Raman, Knorr, soup bowls, etc…). Please bring packaged food that can be prepared only with boiling water. Kitchen space and equipment is limited at the shelter. These dried soups can be stacked in a cabinet and used as needed quickly, without much fuss, and no extra ingredients. “Soup”er Bowl Sunday was huge success last year! The Hurlbert Johnson Homeless Shelter was most grateful for the soup. We can arrange auditions for anyone interested in helping with the half time show. Questions? Contact Kathy Wright.

On Saturday, February 8, 2025, at 10:00 am, Jeff King will be teaching a class on floral design fundamentals in the Parish Hall. There’s no cost or sign-up associated with this event, so come join us! All are welcome!!!

In this series, we will learn about prayer and how to pray using the Book of Common Prayer and by practicing some of the more commonly used prayer practices of the Christian Church. All who are interested in refreshing their prayer life and all interested in adding some prayer forms to their prayer toolbox are encouraged to participate. We will meet in the nave. At 12pm This gathering is led by Fr. Bill.

January 6 Morning Prayer
January 13 Noonday Prayer
January 20 Evening Prayer
January 27 Compline
February 3 Guided Meditation
February 10 Lectio Divina

In this series, we will learn about prayer and how to pray using the Book of Common Prayer and by practicing some of the more commonly used prayer practices of the Christian Church. All who are interested in refreshing their prayer life and all interested in adding some prayer forms to their prayer toolbox are encouraged to participate. We will meet in the nave. At 12pm This gathering is led by Fr. Bill.

January 6 Morning Prayer
January 13 Noonday Prayer
January 20 Evening Prayer
January 28 TUESDAY Compline
February 3 Guided Meditation
February 10 Lectio Divina

There will be one service at 10:00am followed by brunch and Annual Meeting in the Nave which will be live streamed. Save the date. More information to follow.

In this series, we will learn about prayer and how to pray using the Book of Common Prayer and by practicing some of the more commonly used prayer practices of the Christian Church. All who are interested in refreshing their prayer life and all interested in adding some prayer forms to their prayer toolbox are encouraged to participate. We will meet in the nave. At 12pm This gathering is led by Fr. Bill.

January 6 Morning Prayer
January 13 Noonday Prayer
January 20 Evening Prayer
January 28 TUESDAY Compline
February 3 Guided Meditation
February 10 Lectio Divina

In this series, we will learn about prayer and how to pray using the Book of Common Prayer and by practicing some of the more commonly used prayer practices of the Christian Church. All who are interested in refreshing their prayer life and all interested in adding some prayer forms to their prayer toolbox are encouraged to participate. We will meet in the nave. At 12pm This gathering is led by Fr. Bill.

January 6 Morning Prayer
January 13 Noonday Prayer
January 20 Evening Prayer
January 27 Compline
February 3 Guided Meditation
February 10 Lectio Divina

Join us on Sunday, December 22nd at the 11:00 am service for Christmas Lessons and Carols. In preparation for Christmas Day, we will read, hear, sing, and celebrate God's promise of a savior fulfilled at the birth of Jesus Christ. Our worship that day will be followed by our annual cookie exchange. We invite all to bring cookies to share. See the tables set up in the parish hall that day.

Attention Blood Donors: The Red Cross Blood Drive which was scheduled for September 25th has now been rescheduled for Wednesday, December 11th from 12:30 - 5:30 pm. You may sign up now to donate blood at 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or redcrossblood.org.

Newcomers lunch- Sunday December 1st at 12:30pm with Father Bill. New church family members are invited to attend this personal welcoming event with Father Bill in the undercroft after second service. Lunch will be provided, please come join us.