Mark Your Calendars and polish those pearls for the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church 2011 Auction.

A volunteer cast has been hard at work preparing a fun-filled evening and host of auction items for the event!

You won’t want to miss one step down the red carpet!

Saturday Evening, November 12th at 6:30 PM

Under the creative direction of the Parker family and the Marshall family, all Jr. High youth are invited to join in the fun. The night’s theme is:

CANDY!

We will be preparing for Trunk or Treat on Oct 30th. See you Sunday, October 9th from 5:30-7:00 PM!

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

Weekly Bible studies will be held in the Parish Library on Wednesday mornings at 9:00. This lectionary based study will serve several purposes. With our new Church School curriculum Feasting on the Word, these sessions will help teachers for all age groups prepare for the upcoming Sunday. This class was listed last week as meeting on Tuesday morning but has reverted to its former Wednesday mornings. It is a gathering for those interested in further contemplation and being a part of the church’s far reaching commitment to prayer, growth, and community.

A few years ago at Good Shepherd children gathered each Wednesday evening for an hour of community with a focus on music and creativity! The group was called RUACH. What does RUACH mean? Ruach means wind, breath, mind and spirit in Hebrew.

During the long range plan listening sessions this summer people spoke up that they would love to have this program back. And guess what? RUACH IS BACK!

Each Thursday from 4:45 to 5:45 RUACH will be “happenin!” Children of all ages are invited to participate. We will sing, play instruments, move and groove! The group will sing, play instruments, or move and groove in church once a month so there is a commitment involved and attending each week is important. Parents plan to attend at our first gathering so we can get all the nitty gritty details out of the way.

Please register by calling the church office. Our first night will be Thursday, September 8th at 4:45! Ben and Elizabeth are excited and can’t wait to hear from you! (757-423-3230).

We need YOU to be a Sunday School Teacher. What a great way to get involved in the church—working with young people. Their curiosity and innocence are refreshing. We are really working to make this year fun and educational. We want all members of Good Shepherd to want to come to church on Sunday mornings—and it starts with YOU! Show your children, grandchildren, neighbors, and friends you want to be involved and they will respond. EVERYONE can help.

I am hoping to get enough teachers that you will only teach once every two months- that is a max four or five Sundays all year. Three to five hours for an entire year—I hope that’s not too much to ask! Teaching dates will be planned around your schedule. I certainly appreciate everyone that has already volunteered to teach- we are almost half way there. Recruit a friend, ask a fellow parishioner, teach with your spouse! Even if you taught twenty years ago you can still teach. Let me know where you would like to help:

• Godly Play: 3-5 year olds
• 1st–3rd grade
• 4th & 5th grade

If you’re flexible, I’ll fill you in where you can help the most. Call or e-mail Elizabeth Hope, 423-3230 , or Elizabeth.Hope@goodshepherdnorfolk.org

Want to help with older youth or adults? Give Ben or Robert a call, 423-3230.

Faithfully,
Elizabeth