Many people around the parish have been and are currently making masks that will be on display at the Shrove Tuesday Taco Feast.

Interested in making a mask? Contact Ben in the parish office to set up at time.

Submitted by Noah Simpson

This past Sunday our confirmation group went bowling. We met at the bowling place around 5:30 and started bowling. Bowling was pretty fun, most of the people showed up to bowl, so it was a good turnout. We split into teams of two with about 5 people on each team. Every body did pretty well while myself did not do well at all. Even though there were a few gutter balls, there were some good bowls, and even some strikes. Over all it was a fun night of bowling.

Sunday Night Bowling

A special thank you to Ginger White and Ellen Selig for being troopers with the youth bowlers Sunday night.

NEST (Norfolk Emergency Shelter Team) is off to a delicious start! Since the beginning of Good Shepherds involvement with NEST the “A” Team has always kicked off the week with decadent southern fare. A succulent menu of homemade meatloaf, collard greens, and baked apples followed by homemade cake soothes the hunger of the 60 or so homeless guests!

The homeless in Norfolk will be at Good Shepherd through next Wednesday morning. Volunteers are always welcome! Stop from 5:00 p.m. through 7:00 a.m. and roll up your sleeves for a great time!

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.

The Good Shepherd 2012 Confirmation began this past Sunday evening. One thing we decided is that after each time we gather one of the youth will submit an article for the weekly e-mail. This week’s article is written by Lex Selig. I hope you will be energized by the spirit of this group’s stories as they travel together on the path towards confirmation.

Can you guess who is in the confirmation group this year?

Submitted by Lex Selig

This week’s youth group was very interesting. We made structures out of marshmallows and toothpicks, and Lawson Driskill, Noah Simpson, and Lex Selig made the highest tower. We also had fun playing a new game, Guess Who This Is, where all of the parents had sent in baby photos and you had to guess who was who.

After playing a few games and activities we all sat down to discuss what we thought was important and what needed to be stated for us to really understand what we were doing in confirmation. We came up with a list of things for the question, “Why are you here?”, asked by Ben Blanchard. Some of the things on the list were, to learn about the church, to learn about Jesus, to learn what goes on in the church, and also to connect with others/to bond.

Towards the end of our evening we discussed what we needed to do to be able to focus and learn about God. We talked about this with the parents, Ben, and us. We agreed on a basket designated for all cell phones, and a clock in every room.

The next youth confirmation group meeting is on February 12th at COGS (Church of the Good Shepherd).