MARCH & APRIL HIGHLIGHTS

May Joy rise from the depths of Grief and  move our lips to praise -- in the April glory  of the holy Easter days...may hopes long sleeping awake again and every doubt depart  --and may we see Him walking in the garden of the heart. Patience Strong

WORSHIP IN MARCH & APRIL

• March 3 - Evening Prayer, 7:15  
• March 7 - 3rd Sunday in Lent
  
• Morning Services, 8:30 (Holy Communion) & 11:00
  
• March 10 - Evening Prayer, 7:15
• March 14 - 4th Sunday in Lent
• Morning Services, 8:30 & 11:00 (Holy Communion)
  
• Evening Contemporary Service, 7:00, (Holy Communion)
• March  17 - Evening Prayer, 7:15
• March 21 - 5th Sunday in Lent
• Morning Services, 8:30 & 11:00 (Holy Communion)
• March  24 - Evening Prayer, 7:15
• March 28 -Sunday of the Passion, Palm Sunday
• Morning Services, 8:30 (Holy Communion) & 11:00 (Holy Communion)
• Evening Contemporary Service, 7:00 (Holy Communion)

• April 1 - Maundy Thursday
• Holy Communion at 4:00 p.m. in the Chapel and at 7:30 p.m. in the Nave
• April 2 - Good Friday
• Evening, 7:30, Tenebrae Service
• April 4 - Resurrection of our Lord, Easter Day
• Morning Services, 8:00, 9:30, & 11:15, Holy Communion at all services
• April 11 - 2nd Sunday of Easter
• Morning Services, 8:30 & 11:00 (Holy Communion)
  
• April 18 - 3rd Sunday of Easter 
  • Morning Services, 8:30 (Holy Communion) & 11:00
  • Evening Contemporary Service, 7:00 (Holy Communion)
• April 25 - 4th Sunday of Easter 
• Morning Services, 8:30 & 11:00 (Holy Communion)
  

• Faith Weaver - If you have a child enrolled in Sunday School or if you are considering enrolling your child, we offer this class especially for you. The same core lesson the children experience is used; the same Bible truth is focused on and lively discussion and meaningful conversation about how we are seeking to weave our faith into our daily lives is engaged in. This is also a good way to meet other parents. Alice will be happy to share information regarding this group ministry with you. Contact her through the church office - 215-357-4791.

• Parents and Tiny Christians - If you have a young child, particularly infant - age 2, then this class is perfect for you! You can bring your child with you and discuss parenting issues from a Christian perspective. We need the support of the church family as we strive to fulfill our baptismal promises to our children.

• Confronting Death  - Christian thinkers have long concerned themselves with the art of dying well.  Walter Wangerin, Jr., Lutheran minister and author who is terminally ill, describes how his faith helped him accept his cancer as well as prepare himself, his wife and children for his eventual death.  Confronting Death is for every Christian to learn how to be different from the world; by learning to look forward to the world to come without dismissing our responsibilities here and now.  (thru March 28)

• Making Marriage Work - A Biblical Look at Marriage - Dr. Les and Leslie Parrott, co-directors of the Center for Relationship Development at Seattle Pacific University, present their DVD groundbreaking program dedicated to teaching the basics of good Christian relationships. In this six-week course, they will discuss marital myths, handling pressures in marriage, diffusing the inevitable conflicts, and the importance of faith. Participants will learn the tools that will help to shorten the ebb and flow that happens in every marriage and how to make your marriage a great marriage. Two Sunday evening sessions remain -  March 7, 21 - 7:00-8:00 p.m. Please register for this class through the church office. Let the office know if you will need childcare. Refreshments provided.
 
Hope Lives - Poverty is a global plague impacting millions, crippling continents and bringing governments to their knees.  The sheer size of the problem pins Christians to their couches.  What can we do?  Can we make a difference?  The course offers a practical, guilt-free look at how Christians are called to respond to poverty. (April 11 - May 9)


Welcome Aboard! is designed for persons interested in an overview of the basic characteristics of the Christian Church, our denomination (The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - ELCA), and Good Shepherd. Although intended specifically for those considering possible membership in the congregation, this offering is open to all. April 11-25.

Bible Study Groups Monday morning Women into the Word, Saturday morning Women into the Word, or Wednesday morning (on hiatus until April 7)n on Romans.

THE SOUP IS ON!  YUM!- As in past years, the various ministry teams of the congregation will serve you their delicious soups and breads on Wednesday evenings at 6:00 p.m. through the end of Lent. We will worship together after we have shared the meal (7:15 p.m.). You don't have to be a ministry team member to share your culinary delights. Feel free to bring soups, breads, or desserts, even if you aren't on a team.

EARLY COMMUNION CLASSES - Boys and girls in First Grade and above (and their parents) are invited to participate in early Communion classes. Pupils and parents meet together for a series of three one-hour sessions. Class sessions are held on Thursdays, March 4, 11, and 25 at 6:45 p.m. Communion will be on March 28. If you would like your child to participate, please contact the church office.

YOUTH EVENTS:

• Youth Choir - rehearses Sundays at 10:45 a.m.
• Youth Band  - rehearses Sundays at 1:00 p.m.
  
• Youth group meetings are held every Sunday (unless otherwise noted) from 5pm-7pm. Hope to see you there!
• Friend Nite - First Sunday of the month
• March 14 - St. Patrick's Day party
• March 21 - e-Merge:  Knowing God
• March 28 - Service
  
• Club 45 meets on the fourth Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. All children in fourth and fifth grades are invited to participate. Please contact Robin Ford for more information.

STEPHEN MINISTERS - The 2010 Training Class meets Monday evenings at 6:30. Commissioned Stephen Ministers will meet in the Library at 6:30 on Mondays, March 1 & April 5 for supervision and March 22 & April 26 for continuing education.   Stephen Ministers are members of Good Shepherd who go through fifty hours of care-giving training and then work alongside the pastors in providing emotional and spiritual support to people going through difficult times, such as: divorce, grief, hospitalization, unemployment, terminal illness, relocation, chronic illness, or loneliness. If you feel the Holy Spirit gently nudging you to become a Stephen Minister, please express your interest to Pastor Harkness.  It's not too late to join the 2010 Training Class!!

GOOD SHEPHERD SENIORS MEETINGs - wear green at the March 16th social.  There will be a special treat - Ms. Cheryl Dungan Cunningham, a harpist, is the guest entertainer.  Good Shepherd seniors meet at 12:15 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of each month.

SENIOR TRIPS - On March 11 the Seniors go to Hunterdon Hills to see The Great American Songbook (cost is $75) and on April 15 there is a guided bus tour of murals in Center City, with lunch and a show at the Mummer's Museum (cost $65).  For ticket information, contact the church office.

A CELEBRATION OF SPRING - March 19 at 7:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. The Women of the ELCA (WELCA) invite all members of our church family (including children and friends) to attend an Ice Cream Social to help usher in spring. HATMAN will be there!  He brings many, many hats with stories about them and has the kids (and adults?) participate. There is no charge, but please sign up on one of the posters that you'll see around the church building or email the church office and they'll add your name. This is WELCA's treat so come on out and celebrate spring!

NURSERY SCHOOL NEWS - A whole -lotta shakin's going' on!  One of the classes is all set to make bean bags'  The beanbags will be used, along with a special CD, for some shakin' beanbag fun!  Making and using beanbags strengthens fine motor development and improves hand-eye coordination.  Come shake with us!   Registration for the September '10 school year is underway. If you are considering early childhood education for your child, you are invited to visit our nursery school. You may arrange an appointment by calling the church office at 215-357-4791 or by emailing the Nursery School Director. Use the button above to download our Nursery School's brochure.

BOOKS! BOOKS! BOOKS! Start saving your books...the 5th Annual Used Book Sale is just around the corner! Used books donations can be dropped off at the pew in the hallway across from the Library from April 18 thru May 2. (Please, no books drop-offs before or after those dates). Books will be on sale on Sunday, May 2, 9, and 16 as well as in the Library during the week. Stock up early at the bargain price of twenty-five cents for paperbacks and fifty cents for hardbacks. Book exchange shelves are available in the library and at the Plum Street entrance. Take a book/leave a book...no charge...no checkout. Please limit your contribution of exchange books to recent popular publications. Bookworm's book club meets on Thursday, March 4 at 7:30p.m. Stones Into Schools by Greg Mortenson will be discussed. Do you want to donate a book to the library's permanent collection? Please take a moment to read the Donation Policy on the Library bulletin board to see if your item fulfills a library need.

DIETRICH BONHOEFFER - Pacifist, Conspirator, Theologian, Martyr - Saturday, April 10, 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. This adutl education program is about a man who was a larger than life phenomenon. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Lutheran pastor and theologian, was brought up by a pious mother and agnostic father during the pre-Hitler years in Germany. He was a prolific writer and was deeply affected by "morality" as a form of religion. When Hitler assumed power, Bonhoeffer was very active in the underground resistance movement and was involved in a conspiracy to asassinate Hitler. This cost him his life and has enshrined him as one of the greatest witnesses for Christ in the 20th century.  Please register for this class in advance by contacting the church office. Let the church office know if you will need childcare. Also, please bring a lunch. Drinks will be provided.

AUDIO CDs OF SUNDAY SERVICES are now available. If you or someone you know would like to receive a copy, please contact Pastor Harkness for details.

MINISTRY IN MOTION This new ministry is an opportunity for those who enjoy driving and are willing to transport those unable to drive to doctor appointments, a store, the hospital, or to church services or activities. Good Shepherd is forming a list of volunteers. Please leave your name and telephone number with the church office if you would like to serve in this way.

LOOKING AHEAD

• Hershey Park Tickets - Good Shepherd's Fellowship Ministry Team is once again offering discount tickets to Hershey Park. Watch for details in the Sunday bulletins and flyers given out through Sunday Church School and Nursery School. Your tickets can be used ANY TIME during the 2010 season. 

• Get ready to experience the most amazing community get-together under the sun,  BAOBAB BLAST,  this year's Vacation Bible School's breathtaking journey. Set in the expansive African savannah, under the impressive baobab tree, the program offers kids the opportunity to listen to the Word, be amazed at God's wildlife creations, and be a part of a community of believers.  Just as the sun rises and sets on the savannah, so, too, will faith and relationships grow as kids explore connections with God, family, friends, others, and the world. 
  

Please consider helping with this joyous endeavor. You won't regret a moment of the time you spend. Just one look at all the children singing, laughing, playing, and learning about God will lift your spirits and bring a smile to your face. Please consider contributing your time - you can just help out for a day if that's all the time you have, you don't need to commit to the entire week. The more volunteers there are, the lighter the load for everyone. Contact the church office if you can assist.

Last updated on 3/1/10 by G. Davidson.