ALL ARE WELCOME — ALL SKILL SETS NEEDED
For example: Landscaping projects, food bank, community gardens, schools. Jobs for the young and old and in between. There will be information meetings Sunday, March 5 and Sunday, March 12 at noon. Additional information is available at www.annunciationepiscopal.com.
A Message from Fr. George
Fr. George Choyce
Dear People of Good Shepherd,
At the end of the Eucharist, we are always dismissed with one of four lines. One of those lines is "Go in peace to love and serve the Lord." We respond, "Thanks be to God." I like all of the dismissal lines. This dismissal line in particular reminds us of our vocations as Christians to "go" and to "serve." We all have some kind of a ministry to which we are called.
We may be called to serve in our homes, at Good Shepherd, in Hayesville and the surrounding community, in the Diocese of Western North Carolina, or in the world. Some of us live out some ministry combination of the previous list, and see it as part of our mission as Episcopalians.
I particularly like literal Mission Trips. People are transformed by them in spiritual ways that were not there before they left to go on the Mission Trip. My bias for mission has been the times I have gone to New Orleans to serve in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans is a different and diverse culture in and of itself. When the groups I have been with in two other parishes have served in a myriad of ways, we have served the Lord in the people we work with and with those whose lives we touch.
November 29 through December 3, a group from Good Shepherd will team up with some parishioners from the Church of the Annunciation (annunciationmission.com/guesthouse) to work in certain areas of New Orleans and do various projects from rebuilding houses to serving in soup kitchens to other areas of ministry - there will be something for everyone to do.
Even if you cannot go on this Mission Trip, you can participate through prayer and financial support. To that end, there will be a Spaghetti Dinner on June 28 where you can buy a ticket or tickets. The money raised from the Spaghetti Dinner will go directly to support the Mission Trip to lower the total cost of each participant. There will also be other opportunities to participate. For example, you may sponsor a Missionary in order for them to have little or no financial obligation to participate on this Mission Trip.
I will be writing articles and making announcements from time to time so that this manner for Good Shepherd to "Go in peace to love and serve the Lord" will be kept before our hearts and minds, as well as in our prayers. Turner Guidry and Jim Redmond are also involved in the planning of this trip, so please feel free to ask them for additional information.
May God bless you in your ministry,
George+