The Children’s Ministry, Youth Ministry, and Adult Education Ministry of The Church of the Good Shepherd would like to graciously thank the following persons for sharing in ministry by teaching, leading, mentoring, and volunteering their gifts in the faith formation of our congregation.

Come Join Us for a Safari Adventure this Summer

Summer enrichment for the children of the Good Shepherd community has a long tradition. This summer our theme will be “Baobab Blast” from Augsburg curriculum. A baobab is a tree in Africa that holds many different lives within it’s environment. We will see all kinds of living creatures as we encounter the Scripture story each day. Our time will be July 26-30 from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. All children 4 through 4th grade are welcome!

Parents with younger children are welcome to help and enjoy nursery care provided when they are helping out.

Fifth graders through youth in high school age are our most important mentors for the children’s groups throughout the week. Adult help is also needed for one, two, three, or all the days. Simply let us know the area you are most comfortable serving.

All registrations for children, youth, and adults can be made on our one registration form. Adults and Youth must be trained before helping in leadership. Contact patricia.mckee@goodshepherdnorfolk.org with any questions.

Download the registration form.

What is your ministry?

You might be surprised to think of your life in the workplace, the gym or the carpool line as ministry, but every Christian is called to do God’s work in the world.

Join us for Education for Ministry and spend time getting educated for your ministry. We meet weekly for a two and a half hour class. We spend about one hour studying scripture, church history and theology using an intensive curriculum provided by University of The South at Sewanee. The other hour is dedicated to applying our studies to real world stories and gleaning theological lessons from those stories. Although it is an intense time of study, EFM is also a rewarding group building experience that helps you define your own personal theology and ministry.

Want to know more? Contact Carrie Short at catshort@cox.net or 757-489-3032.

New groups are forming now for Wednesday or Thursday mornings, beginning Fall 2010. The Thursday Evening EFM group contact is Tricia McKee, patricia.mckee@goodshepherdnorfolk.org or call 423-3230.

Also you may check the EFM website.

Nursery for Infants through Threes

9am through the 10am service
Caregivers: Linda Garciga and Nadine West

Children’s Sunday Morning Schedule

Each week our nursery, and worship/educational activities for children ages 4 through 3rd grade are available beginning at 9:15. Please contact Tricia McKee in the church office with any questions: patricia.mckee@goodshepherdnorfolk.org.

Church school in the summer—Our triptych at the entrance to the children’s end of the building is from Bible School two summers ago, depicting Wandering In the Wilderness, right when the people of God crossed the Red Sea and came into a new and strange place. Going out not knowing what to expect, but called to move, and grow. This summer our worshipping congregation has another opportunity to move into that call as we begin a summer service joining both our 8:00 am and 10:00 am worshipping community. As per our usual schedule, children will not have regular Sunday school during the summer. But as they come into worship each week, activities, worship, and snacks will be ready for them in the Parish Hall to enjoy beginning at 8:45 am. Then they will proceed into the service of worship to join their parents and our whole worshipping community at The Peace and Eucharist.

We will be counting on families, individuals to help in leadership and enjoyment of the children each week. Please contact Tricia McKee in the church office to gain a week with the wonderful children of Good Shepherd. Youth are welcome to sign up and help also!

Godly Play – This tradition honors the child’s natural sense of the sacred and seeks to provide a richly structured environment in which the religious potential of a child may freely develop. This method of storytelling and exploration brings children into our worshipping community from the very youngest ages. The class has proven to be helpful to families at Good Shepherd for quite some time. Regular attendance is encouraged so children can learn the routine and behavioral process of the class.

Elementary Primary (1st through 3rd Grade) uses Living the Good News curriculum with activities designed specially for our faith community and worship each week. Teams of teachers rotate throughout the month, September through May.

Elementary Intermediate (4th and 5th) gives these edge of youth children a chance to gain the tools they need to take part in more responsible ways in our faith community. Teams of teachers also rotate throughout the month.

Our teachers of children are Safe Church Trained through the Diocese of Southern Virginia. They are all volunteers from our church community.

Following the Theme of ‘Landscape, Language, and Love’ the following classes for Adults are offered on Sunday mornings:

Adult Forum and Coffee at the Courtyard will meet together in May.

Weeks include:

• Sunday May 9: EFM, Education for Ministry—not for those headed to seminarians. EFM’s program for ministry out of Sewanee Seminary of the South is for each of us as lay persons moving out from the Eucharist to life in the world. The four year program deepens spiritual life and helps make connections between our faith and life in the real world. Come hear from those involved in the program this Sunday.
• Sunday May 16: Stepping into baptism. To be led by mothers in our congregation. The meaning and purpose of baptism in our faith community at Good Shepherd.
• Sunday May 23: Educational Evaluation for the year of learning “Landscape, Language, and Love.”
• Sunday May 30: Trinity Sunday—six person panel to address questions of our concept of the Trinity.

Equipping the Saints during the week!

You are invited to attend:

Wednesday Morning Study/Intercessory Group 9:00am

A first encounter with the Scripture for our lives and worship for the week. This study group is welcoming of new members each week.

~Facilitated by Tricia McKee,
Associate for Education and Newcomers

Sunday evening Bible Study

From the language and context of the early church to our lives today.

We will be completing our study of the Gospel of John this fall. Everyone welcome to come and enjoy this small group! We are open to many and diverse perspectives as we gather for study and prayer, listening together to our lives as we follow Christ.

5‐6 PM in The Well each Sunday.

~Facilitated by Tricia McKee,
Associate for Education and Newcomers

EFM ongoing groups

Education for Ministry, also known as “EFM” is a wonderful chance for lay persons to experience their faith in a real way for their life. The task is to connect with the content of our faith through a seminary based study of Scripture, tradition (history), and reason (theology) and also make that jump to relevance in our lives today.

We have at Good Shepherd two EFM groups that are ongoing. One on Friday Morning mentored by the Rev. Robert Davenport, and one on Thursday evenings mentored by Patricia McKee, Director of Education Ministries.

A Note from the Director of Education Ministries

There is something so wonderful about the teachers who have been working and ministering with children and youth of our congregation this year which cannot simply be held until the picnic. Teams of leaders have come together and enjoyed the children of all ages coming in our doors each week. A moment of THANKS to all of you! The response to this calling is such a gift for our church.

For those of you missing this opportunity there are still areas available to serve with older youth as mentors and coming into the Godly Play and Elementary teams as we move through the spring. Please feel free to contact me if you are so inclined. One always learns more when teaching a group than simply participating. Opportunities to fulfill your baptismal covenant by teaching and leading are open now for the fall at Good Shepherd. Please contact Tricia McKee.