Newsletter April 2018 - Good Shepherd UCC€¦ · 06.04.2018 · Newsletter April 2018 Table of...

(1) No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.

Visit us online and see what’s new at:http://www.gsucc.org/

Newsletter April 2018

Table of Contents

Community

“. . . The sheep follow the shepherd, for they know his voice.” – John 10:4

Good Shepherd United Church of Christ 1050 NW Maynard Road, Cary, NC 27513

Intergenerational Sunday Study: 9 a.m. Sunday Morning Worship and Child Care: 10:30 a.m.

Sunday School Classes for Children Age 3 – Grade 5: 10:45 a.m. Wednesday Choir Rehearsal: 7:30 p.m.

Covenant

Holy Humor Sunday P. 2

Strategic Planning P. 2

Shepherd’s List P. 3

Pastor’s Corner P. 4

Wed. Spirituality P. 5

Women’s Fellowship P. 5

Golf Outing P. 5

Church Safety P. 6

Book Club P. 6

Serve P. 6

Newcomer Coffee P. 6

Treasurer’s Report P. 7

High House Update P. 8

March 24 Workday P. 8

Birthdays P. 8

CWS Hygiene Kits P. 10

Communion connecting with God Communion

Creative

Celebrate Easter P. 1

Training with IAF P. 8

Voting Issues Team P. 9

Habitat P. 9

By Carla Gregg-Kearns

Cross Cultrual

Creation Corner P. 10

7:30am Early Easter Worship—Our praise team ushers in Easter morning at this early service that includes communion. Please bring in flowers (but no lilies) to adorn the cross during worship for this service and the 10:30 a.m. service.

8:30am Pancake Breakfast—The breakfast includes world-famous pancakes, sausage, a wide variety of syrups, orange juice and coffee. Breakfast is served 8:30-9:30 a.m.

9:30am Easter Egg Hunt—Sponsored by the youth group. Children are encouraged to bring their own baskets and to join in the fun of seeking goodie-filled eggs that have been hidden around the church property.

Easter Bonnet Parade and Contest—Do you have a hob-by or passion you’d like to express? Put it on a bonnet, and compete for the highly coveted first, second and third place prizes, awarded by Youth Group judges. The only rule is that the bonnet must be able to sit on your head for judg-ing! Be as outrageous and creative as you can.

10:30am Easter Festival Service—Through favorite hymns, resur-rection stories, lifting our prayers and sharing the Sacra-ment of Communion, we will celebrate how Christ rose from the dead in Jerusalem, and look for the signs of his rising in the world around us. Bring your family, your neighbors, your friends and your flowers (but no lilies) to adorn the

http://www.gsucc.org/



By Linda Velto


Covenant connecting with each other

Over three Sundays in April you will have the chance to share feedback on the priorities that the Stra-tegic Planning task force has heard in conversations and meetings over the last few months. There will be posters up; and with post-it notes, you will get to answer two questions each Sunday related to the topics, “Why am I here?” and “How could we do this better?” April 8: Inclusion (ONA/diversity in race, sexual orientation, age, ability, etc.) April 15: Connection (relationships inside and outside the church) April 22: Worship The previous week’s topics will be left up so you’ll still have a chance to share feedback. Let us know if we’re on the right track as we continue to make plans for our shared future ministry. Strategic Planning Team: Annie Buchanan, Brandon Ellison, Katherine Gleason, Tony Hoshaw, Katie Sigmon, and Dave Yuska

Join us on April 29 for worship that is a little wacky! The Holy Humor worship service has become a

tradition at Good Shepherd. Easter is a season, not just one Sunday, and again this year we will cele-

brate the resurrection in worship with joy and humor. Remember, laughter is holy! Food, music,

jokes, and fun will be included.

Since this is a fifth Sunday, we will have an intergenerational service with children participating. And

following worship, we’ll have a covered dish lunch. So bring a dish or two to share.




The Shepherd’s List connects members and friends of Good Shepherd with the Deacons. The Dea-cons assist our pastor in her efforts to ensure everyone at Good Shepherd is supported in times of sorrow and in times of celebration. We invite you to find your name and your assigned Deacon be-low. If you have any joys or concerns you would like to share, you may call your Deacon directly or ask Pastor Carla to inform your Deacon on your behalf. In some cases, you may wish to re-quest Pastor Carla to keep your information in confidence. In the coming weeks, we will be gather-ing more information about how you would like your Deacon to stay in touch with you. We will also be inviting you to share other information, like your birthdate or milestones, that will help us cele-brate our lives together at Good Shepherd.

Chris Buchanan

Shirley Heiman and Frank Viscomi

Dan, Janet, and Jesse Edwards

Kristin Hall

Lisa Hartung

Grant Murray

Vernon Palango

Darrell and Stephanie Lee

Alex Velto

Bill and Karen Helton

Matt and Lisa Mead

Jody Bassett

Mike and Jana Dux

Mark and Karen Stinneford

Matt Mead

Katherine Gleason

Pam Lundin and Scott Geyer

Brenda Van Lunen

Sally Johnson

Dave and Kate Yuska

Tracy Atencio

Dave and Janet Sniffin

Maia Palango

Margaret Velto

Brandon and Alecia Ellison

Tony Hoshaw

Matt and Penelope Wagner

Jan Usinger

Sue Rice

Arthur and Barbara Bouvier

Barb Eilers

Nancy Akley

Carmen Johnson

David and Perla Prodoehl

John and Charlotte Speltz

Linda and Bill Velto

Linda Van Voorhis Olson

Janet Blum

Margaret Shimota

Shawn Rowland

Tommy Cooper

Mike and Tammy Rowland

Susan and Tom Anderson

Janice Meyers

Thelma Faulk

Mike and Susan Carney

Mildred Cox

Jack and Kathy Uebel

Bill and Leslie Cole

Russ and Susie Oliver

Bettye Aggerup

Yvonne Riddick

Tom and Molly Mead

Fran Straeffer

Jen and Kevin McKinnon

Jon DePue

Tony Hoshaw

Chuk and Carla Gleason

Emily Gleason

Toby and Connie Holleman

Annie Buchanan

Chris, Debra, and Margo Buchanan

John and Norma Young

Marcia Young-Rodriguez and Miko

Jimmy Gibbs

Sara Buchanan

Mindy DeLuca and Jacque Elliott

Fabiola Terron

Jackie and Chelsea Carré

Emily Gleason

Randy, Amy, and Davis Murray

Kate Hodgson

Dan and Ruth Hudgins

Karen Lundin

Rob and Carolyn Lundin

John Kelly

Thelma Faulk

John and Sarah Stoeckel

Fiona Susie

Stephanie Zimmer

Kim Campbell

Ashley Chapin

By Tony Hoshaw




The Pastor’s Corner


The brown stems of a rose bush may look dead, but Anne White taught me that if you scratch the branch with your thumb you may instead find it is alive. When you scratch, if it’s brown underneath, it’s dead. But, if it’s green underneath the brown covering, that branch is still alive and will produce leaves, buds, and eventually full flowers. When a group from Good Shepherd, Cary First, and Covenant went to Wilmington in March, we dis-covered that underneath a popular shopping district there was an entranceway to the Underground Railroad that southern slaves used to escape north. A bustling street of antique shops used to be a vibrant black-owned business district. Things are not always as they first appear. Neither are people. History is not the straightforward "facts" we have been given. There’s always more to the story than what we may see or know. Underneath the surface of warm smiles or cold shoulders, of old buildings or empty lots, are complex stories—stories of suffering, beauty, humor, betrayal, friendship, grief, etc. As we wait for the roses to bloom, I invite you take some time to go a little deeper. Get to know the person behind the hello. Get to know a different side of history. You might be surprised at what you find waiting, right under the surface.

Connie Holleman

Bob and Sonja Bedi

Debbie Rivenbark

Miriam and Dey Perez

Linda Lahre

Robin Miller

Carla and Lindsey Gregg-Kearns

Sue Calvin, Alexis, and Nicholas Rice

Gloria Hormuth

Josh and Katie Sigmon

Martha Reed

Adrienne Jones

John and Anne White

Shannon Kirk

Walter Ludewig

Rebecca Kasapidis

Batendaka and Bonheur Hamisi

Terry Hoffman and Lisa Stemkowski

John Kelly

Cindi Bristol-Kerr and Kevin Kerr

Mary Leong and Ken Breito

Jon Scarantino

Chris and Nan Alberti

Gordon Welles and Nan Nelson

Anne Mackie

Dave and Gail Stonefield

Barb Newman

Kathy and Allen Boyer

Jules and Wallie Coco

Dain and Rachel Palmer

Carla Gregg-Kearns

Matt Boyer

Carolyn Cole

John Cole

Thomas Cole

Pat Russell

June Fulton

David and Emily Lundin

Lexi Burki

Andrea Bedi

Ellyn (Bedi) and Seth Leonard

Steve Boyer

Scratching Beneath the Surface




By Dave Stonefield

Join us on Thursday, April 12, at 6:30 p.m., in

the sanctuary, when we learn to pack a carry-on

piece of luggage that will accommodate us for a

ten-day trip. Rachel Newman Horbelt, a AAA

packing expert will be on hand to show us all the

tricks.

Since all events are more fun with food, please

bring a salad or appetizer-type food to munch on

as we fellowship and learn to be efficient travel-

ers.

By Kathy Boyer

Wednesday Morning Spirituality

Group: The Cup of Our Life

The Wednesday Morning Spirituality Group meets at 10:30 a.m., at High House. We are currently engaged in a six-week study based on Joyce Rupp’s book, The Cup of Our Life. Having the book is optional, but please do bring a cup to our meetings that is meaningful to you.

We begin each session with refreshments and always welcome newcomers. Note: there will be no meeting on Wednesday, April 4.


Good Shepherd/Covenant Christian/

Cary First Golf Outing

May 6, 2018

This year our annual golf outing will be on Sun-day, May 6, at Lochmere Golf Club, on Kildaire Farm Road in Cary. We have invited both Cove-nant Christian and Cary First to join us in this fun event.

We will tee off at 1:30 p.m. and play a four-person superball format. Following the golf, we will meet for pizza and prizes. The outing is open to all members and friends of Good Shep-herd, Covenant Christian and Cary First church-es. If you want to bring along some friends, please do. This year the cost will be $42 for adults and $30 for youth under 16. The cost includes the green fees, cart and a small bucket of range balls.

Family and friends are welcome to join the play-ers for a post tournament pizza party starting about 7:00 p.m. Cost for the pizza and drinks will be $6 for adults and $3 for children under 10.

In a four-person super ball tournament, each player on the team hits his/her ball and then the team decides which of the shots is the best. The other balls are picked up and moved to that lo-cation. This process is repeated until the team gets the ball into the hole. Super ball is a lot of fun for all the players even if they are not the best. The outing committee will try to equalize the teams so that each will have a chance to win.

A sign-up sheet will be placed in the church nar-thex asking for the player’s name, handicap or average score. Please note in the comment col-umn if you would like to play with certain indi-viduals. Deadline for signing up is noon on Sun-day, April 29. In addition, please provide the number of people coming to the pizza party, so the committee can determine the best place to have it.




By Sue Rice

The book club will meet Tuesday, April 24, to discuss The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jean-nette Walls. In this memoir, Walls recounts her unconventional, poverty-stricken upbringing at the hands of her deeply dysfunctional parents. We will meet at 7:00 p.m. at High House. Please join us for what is sure to be a great discussion.

In response to the recent tragedies across our nation, Good Shepherd has formed a Safety Committee to work on a safety and security plan. The committee members are Linda Velto, Jon DePue, Dave Sniffin, Stephanie Zimmer and Susan Rice. We are discussing matters ranging from first aid to fire safety to armed intruders. If you have input you’d like to share, please talk to one of the committee members. We plan to present our progress to the congregation at the Annual Meeting in June.

By Sue Rice

What do you enjoy doing? Is there something that we do as a church that you believe could be done differently? Are there areas in which you would like to see us serve that we don’t?

Perhaps you are just who we need to serve on a committee or ministry in our church. We are al-ways looking for new ideas and new ways to do things. Most of our committees and ministries try to be accommodating to everyone’s busy lives, by meeting only quarterly and sometimes after worship, so that you don’t have to come back on a different day.

The Nominating Committee may be approaching you to see if there is somewhere that you can help us carry on the missions of our church. If you are not approached and would really like to get involved, please see one of the people on the Nominating Committee: Kathy Boyer, Susan Rice or Kate Yuska.

We really look forward to getting to know you better and your new ideas.

By Kathy Boyer

Newcomer Coffee With the Pastor

If you are new to Good Shepherd, we invite you to coffee and light refreshments with

Pastor Carla at 9:15 a.m. in the sanctuary on April 22. It’s an informal time to learn

about the church and its ministries.

Remember to update your contact in-formation or photo with the church of-fice for our GSUCC Photo Directory.




Finances First By Rob Lundin

If you have any questions about the church’s budget or anything provided in this report, please con-tact me. Rob Lundin [email protected]

Have you considered including Good Shepherd United Church of Christ in your will?

Alert Us to Changes

If your financial situation changes during the year and you need to make changes on the amount you have pledged for the year (up or down), please contact me: Rob Lundin ([email protected]).

Thank You!

Thanks to all of you not only for your monetary gifts but also for your gifts of time and talent.

Mortgage Rate Monthly Payment

(Interest & Principal)

Additional Principal Payment

Balance

Estimated Payoff Date

Capital Improvement 4.50% $1,077.67 $136.45 $125,470.76 6/22/2029

Total Year to Date Income and Expenses as of February 28, 2018**

YTD Budgeted YTD Over (Under)

Budget Delta %

Total Income $66,297.07 $45,929.17 $20,367.90 44.3%

Total Expenses $32,747.14 $36,199.00 -$3,451.86 -9.5%

Difference $33,549.93

**Does not include special capital expenses or special income

Offering Status as of February 28, 2018

Offering Type YTD Budgeted Over (Under) Budget Delta %

Pledges Received* $19,082 N/A N/A N/A

Received in 2017 $42,186 N/A N/A N/A

Total Pledges $61,268 $38,167 $23,101 60.5%

Loose $3,338 $3,359 -$21 -0.6%

Total for 2018 $64,606 $41,525 $23,081 55.6%

* Includes prior year pledge payments


mailto:[email protected]




By Dave Stonefield

5 Kathy Uebel

6 Karen Helton

8 Toby Holleman

8 Anne Mackie

8 Mike Rowland

11 Dey Perez

17 Margaret Velto

Our April Birthdays

If you have a birthday in April

and it is not listed, please call

(919) 481-1441 and let us

know.

March 24, 2018 Workday

The Property Ministry thanks the 24 people who came out for our all-church workday on Satur-day, March 24. The early morning started with sunshine, clouds rolled in around noontime and the rain told us that 3:30 was quitting time. We completed most of our projects, although the rain came before we could finish a couple. If you were unable to attend the workday and want to help, see Dave Stonefield for some of the unfin-ished projects that you can do on your own schedule.

High House Renovations Update We are starting to see some progress on the renovation of High House. Our contractor for the inside work has filed for the construction permits and expects to start construction in early April. Many of us involved in the process agree with Robin Miller, our church secretary, when she said, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” We have received bids for most of the work re-quired by the Town of Cary. However, the total costs were significantly higher than we anticipat-ed, especially for the driveway and walkway contract. As a result, the Church Council is ex-ploring ways to pay for these renovations includ-ing securing a loan from the UCC Church Build-ing and Loan Fund. More information on this will be available in the coming months.

By Dave Stonefield

Community connecting beyond our walls

Training with IAF

Pastor Brickhouse and Cary First are hosting an infor-mation session about the work of the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF). The IAF assists communities in organizing residents with the purpose of contributing to human flourishing in communities where human development is often devalued and human dignity trampled. These efforts take the form of imaginative responses to seemingly intractable problems, new relationships overcoming racial, reli-gious and socio-economic divisions and immediate, and concrete victories that change communities for the better and inspire hope in the future.

For over a year, we have been working to create an organization that has the ability to act on the is-sues that are important to families in Wake County. For the year 2018, this collective body, known as WAKE COUNTY SPONSORS will be dedicated to equipping clergy and lay leaders with the skills needed to lead this effort.

The session will be held on Monday, April 9, at 7:00 p.m., at Cary First Christian Church. We will be bringing together members of the community to hear more about how we can work to enact real transformative change within our community.





By Linda Velto

By Linda Velto

The Cary Coalition Habitat build in Apex is get-ting closer to completion, but there is still a need for folks to help get it to the finish line! Volun-teers are encouraged to sign up for Saturdays April 7 and April 14. If you have weekday availa-bility, volunteers are welcome on work crews on most Thursdays and Fridays. Get the complete detai ls and s ign up at http://vhub.at/carycoalition. Our hope is to have the house done in mid-April so the family can move in and enjoy the spring in their new home.

April 13 Voter registration deadline, including change of address or party affiliation

April 19 Early voting begins at the Wake County Board of Elections office

April 26 Other early voting sites open around Wake County

May 1 Last day to request absentee ballot

May 5 Early voting ends

May 8 Primary election

Voting Issues Team

Spring flowers are blooming, and sprouting alongside them are signs for candidates. Cam-paign season has begun! Voting is one of the fundamental rights and responsibilities of citi-zenship. The Voting Issues team is engaged in registering voters, both within our congregation and in the larger community. We are also in-volved in voter education because an informed electorate will make informed voting decisions Here are the important dates to know for the spring primary election season:

During early voting, you may cast your vote at any early voting site in your county of residence. If you vote on May 8, you must go to your own polling place or you will receive a provisional bal-lot. One important thing you can do now is look up your ballot to know exactly which races you will be casting votes in by clicking here: http://www.wakegov.com/elections/info/Pages/nextelection.aspx. On that page you will find a link to access your ballot based on your registration information.

Look for more information to come from the Vot-ing Issues team—voter guides to candidates, up-dates on redistricting maps, proposed laws on voter ID, and other concerns. If you would like to be part of our ongoing work, please contact Lin-da Velto.


http://vhub.at/carycoalition

http://vhub.at/carycoalition

http://www.wakegov.com/elections/info/Pages/nextelection.aspx

http://www.wakegov.com/elections/info/Pages/nextelection.aspx



Cross-Cultural connecting beyond our borders

By Kathy Boyer

Church World Service, through the UCC, is in need of hygiene kits to pass out in areas of disaster around the world. Throughout April, we will be collecting supplies to fill an estimated 50 kits to deliver to Church World Service. We will have tags available from which you can pick to help us supply the items needed to fill the kits. We will assemble them on Sunday, April 29, during our 5th Sunday potluck. Thank you for helping us “connect beyond our borders” with our Cross-Cultural “C.”

Creative connecting beyond our comfort zone

By Charlotte Speltz

Garden Matters – With the help of Jean Miller, John and Charlotte Speltz fertilized all the beds on Febru-ary 24. Over two Saturdays, Steve Halsted, Rebecca Kasapidis, Terry Hoffman, Andy Lawing, Penny and Isa-bella Wagner (and Juliana and Joceyln), Anne White and

Charlotte Speltz amended the soil with compost and Perma Til. This required digging down 8 to 12 inches and turning the soil so all elements were mixed. Following the amending process, Anne White supervised the direct planting of lettuce and radish seeds in two beds.




Good Shepherd United Church of Christ 1050 NW Maynard Road

Cary, NC 27513 Phone: 919-481-1441

Website: www.gsucc.org

Staff Ministers: The People of Good Shepherd Senior Pastor: Rev. Carla Gregg-Kearns Associate Minister: Linda Velto Director of Children & Youth Ministries: Jon DePue Moderator: Bob Bedi Secretary: Robin Miller Pianist: Linda Velto Choir Director: Carla Gleason Praise Team Director: Chris Alberti Custodian: Supreme Cleaning Newsletter Editors: Kathy Boyer & Susie Oliver

Office Hours: Senior Pastor: W 10 a.m. — 2 p.m. Secretary: M, T, W, Th 9:30 a.m. — 12 p.m.

FOLLOW

& SERVE

Janice Meyers has done a thorough testing of pH and nutrients to determine which vegetables should be planted in specific beds. She and Anne will supervise volunteers who will help plant. Other volunteers will water the seeds dai-ly for a week, then every three days. A new gate is being constructed that will make entering the garden much easier. Four rain bar-rels (we only had two last year) are being in-stalled that will provide all needed water at pre-sent. By the end of April the drip irrigation sys-tem, purchased last year, will be placed in the garden beds as a back-up.

Composting – Thank you to all who are bringing rinsed egg shells to church each Sun-day and putting them in the bucket in the breezeway. They will be crushed and compost-ed.

Recycling – Recycle small batteries at the church each Sunday in the bucket in the breeze-way.

Climate Change and Environ-mental Advocacy Action Group– A subcommittee of Caring for Creation will meet at Kathy Uebel’s home in early April. They are researching how best to respond to emails from organizations without becoming bogged down. They are writing sample letters that can be per-sonalized by the individual sender. A list of phone numbers and addresses of state and na-tional officials is being compiled. Please contact Anne White at [email protected] or Charlotte Speltz at [email protected] with sug-gestions for environmental organizations you support, and which do not share emails of re-sponders. Interested persons should also request The Pol-linator: An environmental justice forum for the sharing of ideas and inspiration, availa-ble through the UCC at www.ucc.org/pollinator.


https://www.facebook.com/pages/Good-Shepherd-United-Church-of-Christ/153226561450977



http://www.ucc.org/pollinator

Newsletter April 2018 - Good Shepherd UCC€¦ · 06.04.2018 · Newsletter April 2018 Table of...

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