Dear siblings in Christ,
With the start of Sunday School, we wanted to mark the occasion with a blessing of backpacks!
Any and all students are invited to bring their backpacks to the 10 am service on September 18th.
The Rev. Andrew Reinholz
| Hello to all of our wonderful families! We have great news! Sunday School resumed at the Church of the Good Shepherd on Sunday, September 18th. We are in the process of securing volunteer teachers and preparing a new, fully Episcopal curriculum modeled on our Sunday worship, and are hoping to be able to offer four classes this year, including: infant to pre-K; 1st through 3rd grade; 4th through 6th grade; and 7th thru 12th grade. We will also plan monthly group sessions where all classes will come together to work on a fun and enriching project, and will plan to host monthly group sessions throughout Summer 2023. If you would like your child(ren) to participate this year, please complete the Student Registration form at: https://forms.gle/L5n4xwxkXS7UeKW47 Adults interested in volunteering to teach or serve as aides should complete the Teacher Registration form below as well. Previous teaching experience is NOT required. If this is your first time teaching or assisting with Sunday School, or if you have questions about our new curriculum, don’t worry! We will provide guidance along the way! A training session and information relating to the new curriculum will be available in advance of our start date. The Teacher Registration form can be accessed here: https://forms.gle/YYzQ8zQkcXhzp8mp9 Any questions regarding the Sunday School program may be directed to Jaclyn and Brad Davies at jaclyndavies77@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you all soon! ~Jackie and Brad [edited by admin 9-27-2022] |
Good Day, Good Shepherd,
Gloucester County has moved into the red or high COVID level. The vestry voted at a previous meeting to follow CDC guidance, which recommends, based on current levels, to “Wear a mask indoors in public and on public transportation. Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines. Get tested if you have symptoms. If you are at high risk for severe illness, consider taking additional precautions.”
We request that you kindly wear a mask while attending indoor parish events. Our worship schedule will remain the same, but we will be suspending coffee hour out of an abundance of caution. When the county moves back into the green or low level, masks will again be optional, and coffee hour will resume. Thank you in advance for your understanding and patience as we continue to navigate COVID together.
More information on current CDC recommendations can be found here:
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view
The Church of the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church of Pitman (Gloucester County) is pleased to announce its Lenten schedule of services, including Holy Week and Easter. Good Shepherd, which is celebrating its 115th anniversary in 2022, has an active and welcoming congregation and has resumed in-person services as well as live-streaming services on its website and YouTube channel, which are available for viewing at any time.
Holy Week is the most important time of the year for Christians. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, the days that lead up to Easter Sunday precede the most significant event of the Christian year, and the cornerstone of faith—the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Holy Week is one continuous service that begins on Palm Sunday and ends with chants of Alleluia at the end of Easter Sunday services.
The Church of the Good Shepherd’s complete Lenten schedule is as follows:
MORNING PRAYER
Tuesday & Wednesday Mornings in the Chapel & on Zoom
9:00 am
LENTEN STUDY
Monday evenings
7:00 pm via Zoom with Father Don & Mel Caron
STATIONS OF THE CROSS
Every FRIDAY at 7:00 pm
WEEKLY HOLY EUCHARIST SERVICES
SATURDAYS at 5:30 pm (Contemplative Prayer at 4:30 pm)
SUNDAYS at 10:00 am (Contemplative Prayer at 9:00 am)
THE SUNDAY OF THE PASSION: PALM SUNDAY
Saturday, April 9th at 5:30 pm – Blessing of the Palms & Holy Eucharist
Sunday, April 10th at 10:00 am – Blessing of the Palms & Holy Eucharist
TENEBRAE SERVICE
Wednesday, April 13th at 7:00 pm
MAUNDY THURSDAY
Thursday, April 14th
7:00 pm – Holy Eucharist and The Stripping of the Altar
8:00 pm until midnight – The Watch before the Altar of Repose & the Labyrinth
GOOD FRIDAY
Friday, April 15th
8:00 am and 2:00 pm – Reconciliation
10:00 am – Children’s Service & Stations of the Cross
12:00 noon – Adult Stations of the Cross
7:00 pm – Mass of the Pre-Sanctified Service
HOLY SATURDAY
Saturday, April 16th
7:00 pm – The Great Vigil of Easter and Holy Eucharist (*No 5:30 pm Service)
THE DAY OF RESURRECTION: EASTER DAY
Sunday, April 17th
10:00 am – Festival Eucharist with Easter Music and the “flowering” of the Easter Cross
The CDC has established COVID-19 Community Levels, which are a new tool to help communities decide what prevention steps to take based on the latest data. Levels can be low (green), medium (yellow), or high (red); and are determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area. Data Provided by the CDC with updates every Thursday by 8 pm ET. The link to the CDC Community levels can be found here:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html
Gloucester County is currently rated Low/Green. If rated as Low, the CDC states people may choose to mask at any time. People with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask. (If you are immunocompromised, learn more about how to protect yourself.)
Vestry at their meeting on Sunday amended the existing COVID policy, and in accordance with the current CDC guidelines, effective immediately masks will now be optional as long as Gloucester County remains in the Green/Low level.
The CDC updates will be checked every Friday morning, and if Gloucester County’s level has changed to yellow or red, the requirement for everyone to wear masks will be re-instituted.
Please enjoy this short Q&A with our incoming Rector, Father Andrew Reinholz. Hear from Father Andrew for the first time around these topics and more:
How was he called to the priesthood?
How did he find us here in Pitman? What’s his favorite church season?
What can we do to help the transition for him, Mother Kim, and the children?
This introductory conversation was hosted by Jeff Bathurst, who served as Chair of the Discernment Committee. Look for other opportunities to ask Father Andrew questions in the coming weeks, and make sure to join us for services on March 20th to welcome him for his first Sunday at Good Shepherd!
In follow-up to multiple requests and as endorsed by Vestry, I have scheduled a Zoom “Virtual Coffee Hour” to immediately follow this Sunday’s 10am service.
Please see your Flocknote email for meeting details as they will not be made available publicly.
This is an appropriate time to roll it out, as the increasing infection rate may discourage parishioners from attending in person and instead utilizing the YouTube live stream.
I will host the Zoom – if you are willing to host in the future, please let me know!
Many thanks, and wishing you each a safe, healthy and blessed New Year. Beth
| Camden Christmas 2021 is scheduled and ready to go! This year, we are giving you the opportunity to participate by selecting the names of children that are hanging on the Christmas tree we have set up in the Parish Hall at Good Shepherd! You and your family can take as many Tags as you like! Beginning this Sunday, November 7th, you may go into the Parish Hall, take a tag off the tree. The Tag has the following information: 1. Child’s Name 2. Gender and Age 3. Classroom # (that will be either Room #5, Room #6, or Room #10) You purchase the gifts, bring the gifts to the Church, and make sure the Tag is attached to the gifts on November 21! It’s that simple! (Please, do NOT wrap the gifts.) On November 21st*, following the 10:00am service, we will bring the Christmas gifts into the Parish Hall and celebrate with a Hot Dog and smores Luncheon (in the courtyard and Parish Hall) – sponsored by the Brotherhood of St Andrew! So, beginning this Sunday, November 7th, take a tag and enjoy the feeling that comes from helping so many children. (While checking out the Camden Christmas gift tags, please sign up to volunteer for the Hol-Lee Fair!) Merry Christmas and thank you for bringing joy into the lives of children in Camden. Deacon Carl and all the Brotherhood of St. Andrew at Good Shepherd, 609 868 7102 *Gifts can be delivered to the church through Sunday, December 5th. |
This Sunday, September 12th has been designated as “Homecoming Sunday”. A luncheon will be served in the Church Courtyard immediately after the 10:00AM service (Raindate: Sunday, September 19th). Our theme this year is “HOPE & GRATITUDE”. In addition to lunch, a couple of special surprises are being planned. We hope you will attend; and rejoice that we can gather together as a congregation in the spirit of fellowship and celebrate our youth as they return to Sunday School for the first time in 18 months.
A “Free-Will” offering will be taken-proceeds to go to the Episcopal Relief & Development fund to support relief efforts in Haiti & provide for Afghanistan refugees here in NJ. If you would like to help, please contact Beth Portocalis, Diane Wall, Brad & Jackie Davies, Lori Bathurst, Deb Prieto or Cheryl Burness.
Click on link below to register. There are 150 total “slots” available.
https://churchofgoodshepherd.flocknote.com/signup/67386?noteID=13447624
| After consulting with the Sr. Warden, I have decided to suspend in-person worship at Good Shepherd (effective immediately). The infection rate in Gloucester City is now 33.4 per 100K (next to Cape May county-which has a 52.5 rate- Gloucester City has the highest infection rate in the state of NJ). This means: #1. There will be no Saturday evening service this evening #2. The pulpit exchange with Fr. Todd Foster will be rescheduled #3. Tomorrow’s service will be broadcast on the YouTube channel #4. We will not resume in-person worship until the infection rate is below 25 per 100K (which is in harmony with what the Diocesan protocols recommend). We were hoping to avoid the suspension of in-person worship, but I am convinced that the most prudent thing (in the face of the threat of the Delta variant and a dangerous rise in the infection rate in our county) is to do precisely that. Thanks for your understanding and for your prayers. Fr. Dave+ |
The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd 