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  Good Shepherd participated in two MAP moves last weekend. See the picture of the happy recipient and our crew.

  Good Shepherd had a special treat last Sunday, Fr. Tim Baptized Landon Joseph Hofer--son of Kristine Weires and Larry Hofer. See the pictures here.

  Fr. Tim expected to just have a small family get-together. to celebrate his birthday. Boy, was he surprised!

  See the important request from the Women's Ministry supporting the recipients of MAP.

  Good Shepherd's MAP Project continues to shine

Easter Sunday 2008 was a great success at Good Shepherd. Wonderful turnout at all of the services. Great pictures, wonderful Sermon, and even coffee following the 10 AM service

 Earlier News

  The 2008 Good Friday service was astounding (The House was packed). We had the involvement of two of our Lay Eucharistic Ministers Tammy Briggs and Bob Shrewsbury who led the Congregation in the reading of "The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to St. John". Bob Shrewsbury then gave the Homily taking the congregation from "It is over", through a powerful vision of what that means to us today. Those of us in the pews listened in awe.

The Seniors (Ana O’Hara, Brody Allen, and Nick Fixsel) led the Good Friday Anthems, and also presented the realistic sounds of the nailing of Jesus to the Cross (All), followed by the raising of a rugged cross at the front of the Altar (Tim Fountain Jr., and Bradley Daucsavage). Also participating in the service were Christina O’Hara Janelle Perry and Ryan Stander. See the pictures.

Many of you have been hearing from Father Tim about the new outreach program we are responsible for at Good Shepherd. Now you have an opportunity to visit the MAP website and see what its all about for yourselves.

 Those of you who weren't able to attend last night's Maundy Thursday service missed a chance to hear a wonderful homily delivered by Steve Albrecht taken from the Gospel of St. John. Additionally, Father, helped by several of the middle-schoolers demonstrated the act of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples as described in Steve's homily. Melissa narrated the scene. See pictures.

 Find out what Melissa did this last Weekend

 Please go to the Annual Good Shepherd Stewardship Survey which  needs to be returned by February 3 (or later better than not responding. 

 You may not have caught Father Tim's  earlier request during Advent:

 I’d like to ask all of you for help in two ways:

    1.  To honor those who are praying in anticipation of each service, please try to keep noise to a minimum.  Please speak softly if you have to talk at all.  The general rule is that we should have no talking once the organist begins the prelude – that should be a time for prayer.

    2.   To keep our focus on God during worship, please practice simplicity when passing the peace.  “The peace of the Lord be always with you” is the Prayer Book greeting, although shorter greetings like “Peace,” “Peace be with you,” and “God’s peace” are good, too.  The passing of the peace is not a “break in the service” – in fact, we have plenty of time for fellowship over coffee after the service.  “The peace” is a sacred sign that we have heard God’s Word and are willing to come to His altar as brothers and sisters.

Fr. Tim +

 After a busy Advent season, Father Tim and Melissa joined Tammy Briggs; and Gene and Bonny Makinson at Blue Cloud Abbey for a much needed Retreat. The high point of the gathering was to witness Gene becoming an Oblate of the Benedictine order. Gene and Father Tim took pictures. Be sure to congratulate him the next time you see him. 

   Women's Ministry and the Center of Hope teamed to ensure some of the less fortunate will have a warmer winter. See the story.

   Father Tim celebrated his 3rd Anniversary at Good Shepherd October 28. Enjoy the pictures.

    Church History and Spirituality

•    This last weekend the Good Shepherd Women's ministry Retreat was held at Blue Cloud Abbey. See what happened here.

• An "Anglican/Episcopal Heritage" class began meeting on Thursdays, 1 - 2 p.m., at the church. Class will meet thru November 29th (no class Thanksgiving week). 

  Our new sign is in the ground, it lights up, and it contains a witty message. 

 Hope you didn't miss the Soup and Pie Supper see story. The event was put on by the Women's Ministry to raise funds for Christina O'Hare's  InterVarsity Ministry. You need to read more about the Ministry she's developing.

   We give thanks for the three surprise donations toward installation of our new street sign!

   We heard that there is trouble brewing at Good Shepherd Church. You'll find the news here.

   Father received a heartwarming letter from a man who was was one of the first babies christened at Good Shepherd in 1956, by then Bishop Roberts. Go here to read the letter.

   Go to the new link on the home page to see a list of biblical warnings on false teachers.

   We have the pictures from Brody Allen's Baptism. Check it out.

    Want to know how to be a good Anglican Christian? Read the following sermon from Fr. Kendall Harmon 

   Guess where Sanford Chaplains Hang out on rainy Saturdays.

   Please check out the wonderful Garden in Iraq.

   Thanks to Mark Barker and his reciprocating saw, the Fountains backyard fence that blew down a few weeks ago is now history. Fr Tim has decided not to replace it at this time.

   We just got some great new pictures of the elevator provided by the contractor. 

   On the 22nd after the 10 AM service, we had a great turn out for the training on inviting new people to our services. Check out who attended.

   The Heavenly Comforters did us all proud at the Dow Rummel Quilt Show April 21st. See the pictures.

   Saint Joseph's Guild picnic was a great success. Following the April 29th 10 AM service, many of Good Shepherd parishioners stood in line in the Fellowship Hall to get their plateful of scrumptious food. Once having plates, they all decided where to eat, where they were, or go out and enjoy the glorious  sun. Go here to see pictures of both groups.

From the wad of cash and checks collected (twice what was expected), we may be able to sod more than just the side yard.

      Wonderful Mission Goals Potluck. The Vestry put on quite a show. Father Tim "primed the pump" by outlining the four 2007 Mission Goals established by the Vestry. Those of you attending know what I mean. For those of you that missed out, I've provided a summary of the presentations. For any needing Member Survey forms check with the webmaster.

  Wonderful, well attended Holy Week Services. If you missed any of them, you missed out on a great experience thanks to Father Tim and many others responsible for preparing and presenting programs.

    The elevator was installed and "flight tested" by a number of the 8 O'clockers, and your rotund reporter on Easter Sunday. (Dotie, Altie and Melissa snuck in for a "lift" before the Good Friday Service. Evidence should be arriving soon.)

  Some of you may have noticed that several of our regular attendees were missing for our Palm Sunday service. The 4 members just happened to be participating in a special ceremony at Blue Cloud Abbey. Mary Pat Forsberg was taking her final vows as an oblate of the Benedictine Order. Accompanying her were Tammy Briggs, Gene and Bonnie Makinson. Marci Leichtman had been planning on attending, but was unable to do so.

More training was achieved for our Mutual Ministry Team as three of its members (Tammy Briggs, Bonnie and Gene Makinson) attended the Hospice Foundation of America’s 14^th Annual National Bereavement Teleconference held at Avera McKennan Education Center on March 22, 2007.  The members, along with social workers, physicians, nurses, hospice volunteers, care givers and clergy learned of the most current approaches to assist individuals struggling with the loss or life-threatening illness of their loved ones.  The 3-hour conference touched on new ways of understanding grief and that it has greatly changed over the last 20 years and is an ongoing learning process.  Our Mutual Ministry Team members, having received instruction on presiding at funerals, found the training very beneficial.

The American Anglican Council sounded the warning concerning the latest actions by the bishops of the Episcopal Church. Read here.

Canon David Anderson Visits Sioux Falls

Canon David Anderson, President of the American Anglican Council (AAC) and a former Rector of Emmanuel, Rapid City, visited Sioux Falls March 12-14.

Speaking to several informational meetings at Good Shepherd, Sioux Falls, Canon Anderson spoke about issues facing the Episcopal Church in the United States as well as the world wide Anglican Communion. Go here to see some of the pictures taken at a luncheon for Canon Anderson Tuesday, March 13.

He made many eye opening and encouraging points, including:

• The main problems facing the Episcopal Church are flawed teachings about Jesus Christ and disregard for the authority of the Holy Bible in church teaching;

• The media only concentrates on headlines that grab attention, therefore many people are led to believe that the church is arguing about "sex" – when in fact several foundational Christian beliefs are being compromised;

• The Primates (Presiding Bishops) of the Anglican Communion have given the Episcopal Church until September 30 to stop several disruptive practices and to provide care by biblically traditional bishops for those dioceses and congregations desiring orthodox leadership;

• Episcopalians need both "biblical literacy" and a gracious response to hostile people when standing up for faith;

• Only God can "judge" a person, but we are called to "discern" right and wrong through biblical teaching and live accordingly;

• Events in the Anglican Communion today are likely to have impact for hundreds of years to come. We should feel honored to be Christ’s people, chosen for a time like this.

Wondering about the virtues/benefits of fasting? Check here. Passed on by Fr. Tim.

Fr. Tim is asking all at Good Shepherd to pray for guidance as we seek to expand outreach ministry in our community.

On All Saints Day, November 5, Good Shepherd welcomed two new Saints into Good Shepherd. Brittani Jolene White and Tommee Sue Morrison were presented for Baptism by their parents, Leroy and Shannon Bingen. Father had the children help with the Baptism ceremony by pouring the holy water into the Baptismal Fount and sprinkling holy water on the congregation.

Friday October 27-29 was the Good Shepherd Women's Prayer Retreat at Blue Cloud Abbey. Go here to find out more about it.

The Congregation named Sunday, October 8th Rector Appreciation Day. Quite a crowd helped Fr. Tim celebrate the occasion.  Flowers on the Altar were given in thanksgiving and appreciation of Fr. Tim. Go here for the pictures.

Father Tim provided us with his view of the  2006 Diocesan Convention. Thanks to Gene Makinson, we've included a picture.

Fr. Tim's comments: I would like to praise the congregation for faithfulness in worship.  The attendance at Morning Prayer on Sept. 24 was excellent.  There was only a slight dip in average attendance, and that's because a number of folks were at Diocesan Convention. Also, I want to praise the new Youth Bible Study and the Wednesday Adult Bible Study.  Members of both groups have invited friends to come with them in recent weeks.  That's how churches grow!

For those of you that joined Ryan and Karina Stander's study group, Beliefnet  has a site that may help you in your studies. Thanks Father Tim for telling us about it.

September 21st was the first meeting of the St. Joseph Guild Meeting in the church basement.  The Guild's main purposes are fellowship and improving the physical structure of the church. Anyone interested in joining the group should get in touch with Craig Friedel. 

Sunday September 17, was the monthly Healing Prayer Services. These services are held every 3rd Sunday of the month. Following the 10 o'clock Service, The Food For the Heart potluck and presentation was held. There was such a large crowd that Ron Briggs, Jr., our Sextant, had to set up another long table. 

Sunday, September 10 Sunday School began -- Go here for pictures.

Wednesday, September 13  Multi-church Methamphetamine Seminar held at Holy Apostles

Wednesday morning Bible study is getting to be the place to be--show up at 10:30 to find out why. You're welcome to come first to Holy Eucharist at 10:00

Presiding Bishop Clarifies September Meeting of Bishops (As reported by The Living Church 8/22/2006)

Please go here for other news regarding the State of the Anglican Church  (includes comments from the Meeting of Bishops in NYC, and Archbishop of Canterbury's response on Sept. 13, 2006)

Licensed lay ministers from Good Shepherd attended special training. Tammy Briggs, Melissa Fountain, Gene Makinson and Hal and Janelle Perry were in Martin for continuing education in their ministry areas, including ministry to the sick, home communion services and ministry at time of death.

Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day and potluck supper was held on May 21st to thank the Sunday school teachers for all their hard work  after the 10am service. The celebration was well attended. This is an older item the the pictures are new. 

May 21st was also the last Sunday the choir sang until next Fall. To help you remember them, I'm including their picture.

A number of Good Shepherd Canaries fans spent Father's Day afternoon at the Bird Cage (part of the annual GS event) and advertised Come, Grow, Celebrate while they were at it. Just to make you feel bad you didn't join them, I've included pictures!

Mother's Day was a while ago, but now you can see the pictures of Katherine Watkins' Baptism

Your vestry meets on the second Tuesday (instead of Thursday) of the month to allow more members to attend.

Be sure to see the new display of ministry licenses on the wall near the office and sacristy doors.  It is a great testimony to the shared ministry in our congregation, including Fr. Tim's letter of institution as rector and the licenses of trained lay ministers at Good Shepherd.  Special thanks to Janelle Perry for the framing and display work!

Please keep your pledges and offerings current over the summer.  Consider prepaying pledges before going on vacation.  Your generosity is having a big impact and may allow us to expand the scope of our improvements and ministry in coming years.

The Episcopal Church elects their first Female Primate - Go to link to see report made by The Living Church.