The 120th Council of the Diocese of Southern Virginia met this week. Gordon Tayloe as Chancellor of the Diocese sat at he big table with the Bishop. The rest of us: John Meek, Treasurer of the Diocese; Barbara Byers, Diocesan representative to Rebuilding Our Church in Haiti; Grace Strid, Episcopal Church Woman’s Treasurer; and the rest of our delegation, official and unofficial, of Beth Williams, Gerry Smelt, Keith Byers, Pat Tayloe, Lizzy Allen and Robert Davenport enjoyed, as it was called, “Table Fellowship.” This was both in and outside the meeting hall. We were happy to see Joanne Berkeley and Anne Brockenbrough. (from Good Shepherd)

A little know fact: The Church budget includes several thousand dollars for staff development. Each year the staff and clergy of the parish are expected to take a week, sometimes two off per year for their own professional growth. In the not too distant past this has included Ben Blanchard traveling to Seattle to visit parishes with innovative music programs, and me, Robert Davenport, attending a program in congregational development at one of our seminaries.

At the time of this writing Elizabeth Hope, Interim Director of Christian Education is in New Orleans attending an important ritual in the life of the Episcopal Christian Education Directors. Their mission is straightforward. They work to provide their members and the Episcopal Church with professional support, networking, resources, and leadership development. They seek to provide a forum for Christian Educators to explore issues of professionalism in ministry and networking with other leaders in Christian formation, promoting the balance of professional development and spiritual enrichment. Elizabeth went to New Orleans to attend their inaugural program for those new to the ministry of lifelong Christian formation. We hope she has a wonderful time both at the conference and in the French Quarter.

Also this semester Robert Davenport is auditing another class at Tidewater Community College. He is taking a third course in American Sign Language pursuing an interest in language, and strengthening his ability to be a part of the Deaf Community both here and abroad. It might also help him communicate more clearly with his wife. In any event, he heartily endorse the programs at TCC for all ages.

At this point both Ben Blanchard or B.J. Taylor are working on what shape their work of enrichment and growth will take.

The parish significantly commits itself to strengthen and support those who receive a stipend to work here with this program. Such an effort is a norm in all Episcopal Churches but also a large expectation for everyone. It is much appreciated.

February 19, 2012

The son of a missionary and a Baptist minister, seventeen-year-old immigrant David George Ball was following his destiny to become a pastor. He had always dreamed of making a difference in people’s lives. But when he met the relatively unknown Martin Luther King, Jr., the course of Ball’s life changed forever.

In this memoir, A Marked Heart, Ball narrates his journey, beginning with growing up in wartime England; immigrating to the United States in 1954 to take the pastors’ course at Chicago’s Moody Bible Institute: attending Yale University as a scholarship student; and, most importantly, meeting Martin Luther King. Later he worked on Wall Street as a lawyer, started a family, championed the 401(k) plan, and served as assistant secretary of labor.

A Marked Heart describes how Ball’s encounter with King inspired the rest of his life’s work, and it provides a multifaceted look at his immigration, education, family relationships, career, and his commitment to public service. Though Ball never became a minister, his story communicates how prayer and trust in God guided his life.

Diocesan Council, presided over by the Bishop, and composed of clergy and lay members, is the ultimate organizational decision-making body for our Diocese. It is held annually in February.

Council decides the Diocesan budget (based on recommendations from the Program Budget and Review Committee), elects members of the diocese’s various administrative, executive and judicial bodies and votes on any resolutions – including t hose that amend or add to the Constitution or Canons – that may be brought before it. When necessary, it elects the Bishop(s).

The Church of the Good Shepherd has four delegates and two alternates to Council. They are Beth Williams, Gerry Smelt, Grace Strid and Barbara Byers. Pat Tayloe and Keith Byers are our alternates.

A special note of thanks to all the dedicated participants, mentors, parents, grandparents, and host of volunteers and staff that made this past confirmation weekend successful and memorable!

The overwhelming support from the congregation at large reaffirmed it’s dedication to youth ministry in this parish.

As those confirmed continue on their journey “To Know Christ And Make Him Known With Faith, Joy, And Service” may they hold the faithfulness and support of this congregation as a light that will lead them on.

A little before 5 Tuesday morning the fire alarm at the Church went off. A fire was smoldering on the altar in the Children’s Chapel. The altar and hangings were destroyed. There was some smoke damage on the first floor of that part of the building which includes Loch Meadow School. The Norfolk Fire Department was extremely helpful. They thought the cause was probably accidental, and saw no reason to call for an arson investigation. We are evaluating the situation including possible causes, insurance coverage, and the safety systems we already have in place.

Clearly, we avoided what could have been a much bigger problem. As one of the firemen said, “thank God for working fire alarms.”

Robert Davenport

Worship in the Episcopal Church is a community and participatory event. While we are governed by The Book of Common Prayer and the guidance of the clergy, there are literally hundreds of people who contribute to the making of worship at Good Shepherd: ushers, lectors, choir members, Eucharistic ministers, Eucharistic Visitors, greeters, acolytes, children’s chapel leaders, and the altar guild all serve in important ways. These roles are not reserved for special people; all members are encouraged to participate actively in putting together our worship gatherings. They are all described in the yellow parish “Ministry Guide and Directory 2010-2011.” If you wish to participate in one of these ways, please call the Church office. It is no mistake that the word liturgy literally means “the work of the people.”

Before attending a corporate Sunday worship service, it is important to prepare one’s self individually. I try my best to take a few minutes to be alone in my study. The choir is expected to sit quietly in the Gunn chapel for prayer and meditation. This chapel is a small, quiet place for prayer anytime. It also houses our columbarium where members of the congregation often have urns interred as part of the burial office.

Before any worship service you are encouraged to prepare yourself by sitting or kneeling quietly in the Church nave and praying or meditating in ways that best suit you. I find it helpful to simply say the Lord’s Prayer slowly or to read a psalm from the Book of Common Prayer. You might help to prepare yourself by reading over the scripture lessons appointed for that day. We use the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. The lessons can be found on the computer at satucket.com/lectionary or in the Sunday bulletin.

For good reason The Good Book says somewhere, “The Lord is in His Holy Temple. Let all the earth keep silent before Him.” As we begin a new academic year, I invite us all to adopt a discipline of quietly entering the narthex before worship so as not to disturb those who have begun their preparation, and then joining with them. There is plenty of space outside and in the parish hall to socialize as well as plenty of time afterwards.

Thank you,
Robert Davenport

When our son, Matthew, was in primary school, I remember the time right about now when all that was to have been done in summer was just about done and everyone was getting a little bit bored. He probably didn’t eagerly declare he was ready for football practice or hockey practices to start up again or to go back to school, but we knew he was. At this moment, I feel a little like him… happy for the summer to have come and anticipating the start of new things in the fall.

There’s fresh new energy in the office with Elizabeth and Jessica. There’s a lot of anticipation about our new Curriculum for the fall, “FEASTING ON THE WORD.” There is excitement about Robert teaching Sunday School for the youth and everyone is thrilled about RUACH returning with Ben and Elizabeth leading that on Thursday evenings from five to six. We are also excited about a liturgical curriculum that allows everyone at every age to learn and ponder the liturgy for each week and to be able to do that together.

There’s also a buzz around the church as we prepare the physical plant. Robert Taylor is shining the floors so we can see our reflections. Memorial Hall is being cleaned top to bottom and the classrooms are being set up for the fall. The Building and Grounds folks will be helping with larger jobs and the buzz in the air will continue as we Celebrate Good Shepherd at the Parish Fair, Sunday, September 11.

Emily Filer and Bob Starck are working on Stewardship with a wonderful committee of folks committee to helping Church of the Good Shepherd to be good stewards of all that we have. Stewardship Kickoff is October 2 (Don’t miss it!!!).

Finally, the Long Range Planning Process is on schedule as we wind up our last three sessions in the next few weeks. We are pleased with the dialogue and discussion and with the wealth of information the committee, the vestry, and the Rector have received. Some of that information is already being implemented in our educational programs.

So, I’m getting ready – how about you???

Faithfully,
B.J.

As a result of last week’s notice in the e-news, a parishioner whom I would fondly call a “kitchen angel” has volunteered to pick up any items you would like to pass on for the kitchen. Please call the office if you have something you’d like to donate.

• Acolyte Training…for all NEW and CURRENT Acolytes: Sunday Sept. 13th, immediately following the 10AM service (@ 11 AM – noon). Meet at the Altar.
• Lector Instructional Session…for all NEW and CURRENT Lectors: Come to one session only, Sunday, Sept. 20th or Sunday, Sept. 27th. Each session will take place during the Christian Education hour starting at 9:00AM – 9:45AM. Meet at the Lectern.
• Altar Guild Instructional Session…for all NEW and CURRENT Altar Guild participants: Come to one session only, Wednesday, October 7th, 10AM, or Saturday, October 10th at 9:30AM. Meet in the front pews near the Altar.

A few of the kids from the Mission of the Holy Spirit, Keith, Sandy Bond and Ben traveled to California for the 2009 General Convention! They were there representing Good Shepherd & presenting the AMAZING Millennium Development Goal Banners they worked so hard on earlier this year! Thanks to everyone who donated and helped make this trip possible!

Photos below: The Mission Girls (1), The Presiding Bishop, Keith & Ben (2), The Representatives from Southern Diocese (3). 

Last night a crowd of youth came out and began working on an awesome flaming Pentecost fire hanging for Sunday. The crew got so excited they decided going to do a repeat tonight!

Any Jr. or Sr. High youth that want to join in tonight-COME ON! Folks will be here anytime from 5:30-8:00. It will be a wild time. (oh yeah- and plenty of pizza) call, txt, or Facebook Ben if you have questions.