THE CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD

THE CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD
www.goodshepherd-towson.org
CALLED BY NAME
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you
are mine.” —Isaiah 43:1
The Fold
On the first Sunday of 2015, we’re having a baptism.
I love baptisms, but they can be a lot of work. There are the conversations to have with the parents and godparents, the special clothes to
buy or borrow, not to mention all the extra set-up that the Altar Guild
does! After the hustle and bustle and general business at Christmas,
you might think that we’d begin the New Year slowly at Good Shepherd. Instead, we’re beginning it with all the hustle and bustle of baptism.
The Book of Common Prayer calls baptism one of “the two great sacraments of the Gospel” (BCP
858; the other one, for the record, is the Eucharist). Baptism is a sacrament of the Gospel, as opposed to what the BCP calls “other sacramental rites,” because Jesus specifically commands us to
do it in the New Testament. Since the earliest days of the church, baptism has marked the beginning
of a person’s journey as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
It goes without saying that God loves us before we’re baptized. Baptism doesn’t make us somehow
more lovable to God. What happens in baptism is that we are assured of God’s love for us, a love
that existed before the beginnings of creation. Baptism, like the other sacraments, is an outward and
visible sign to us of God’s inward and spiritual grace for us. We all encounter God’s grace in many
places: gardens and mountains and while golfing or driving. Grace shows up in ordinary moments
every day of our lives. But sacraments exist so that we can have touch-points in our lives where we
know with certainty that we have come in contact with God’s presence. Baptism is the first such moment in each of our lives.
In the waters of baptism, God calls each of us by name, just like Jesus was called by name at his
baptism. We are marked as God’s own beloved child, sealed by the Holy Spirit forever. Forever is
probably the most important thing about baptism to remember. In the Episcopal Church, we believe
that the mark of baptism is indelible. It never wears off or grows old. We never need to be rebaptized, no matter what we do in the many years after we emerge from the water. Baptism, like
God’s love for us, is forever.
For all of these reasons, and for many more, it’s incredibly appropriate for us to begin the New Year
with baptism. As we welcome the newly baptized into the church, let us all remember our own baptisms, and the many times we have begun again since then.
Peace,
Josh+
January
2015
HIGHLIGHTS IN THIS ISSUE
OFFERINGS FROM WELL FOR THE JOURNEY—P3
CHRISTMAS PAGEANT PHOTOS—P3
The Fold—December 2014—Page 2
*CLERGY*
The Rev. Arianne R. Weeks
Rector
The Rev. Joshua RodriguezHobbs
Associate Rector
*STAFF*
Kim Chalmers
Business Administrator
Jennifer Defensor
Parish Administrator
Susan Andrews
Day School Director
Kevin King
Choirmaster
Jane Miller
Organist
Carolyn Sandler & Bernard Smith
Sextons
Jackie Williams
Nursery Care Provider
*OFFICERS*
Ellen Brinkley
Senior Warden
Harris Jones
Junior Warden
Suzanne Dentry-Meny
Registrar
Mark Steinberg
Treasurer
*VESTRY*
Dee Baker
Mitchell Brown
Sally Craig
Ceci Higinbothom
Ellen Hoitsma
Welby Loane
Bill Nesbitt
John Scott
Peggy Szczerbicki
Rob Spiller
Henry Thomas
Joan Thomas
*****
Joe Morales and
Suzy Dentry-Meny,
Diocesan Convention Delegates
The Rt. Rev. Eugene T. Sutton
Bishop of Maryland
The Rt. Rev. Heather Cook,
Bishop Suffragan
FROM THE RECTOR
Happy New Year!
We have some
tight deadlines at
CoGS for getting
The Fold out on
time! Hence, I
would like to share
with you our Presiding Bishop’s Advent
and Christmas message. While it may
be of an earlier liturgical season, Bishop Schiori’s message of incarnation is
worth reading and thankfully the impact
of God breaking into our lives is not
bound by “church-time” but continues
to lead us to all sorts of epiphanies.
Peace, Arianne+
The altar hanging at an English Advent
service was made of midnight blue,
with these words across its top: “We
thank you that darkness reminds us of
light.” Facing all who gathered there to
give thanks were images of night creatures – a large moth, an owl, a badger,
and a bat – cryptic and somewhat mysterious creatures that can only be encountered in the darkness.
As light ebbs from the days and the
skies of fall, many in the Northern
Hemisphere associate dark with the
spooks and skeletons of secular Hallowe’en celebrations. That English
church has reclaimed the connection
between creator, creation, and the potential holiness of all that is. It is a fitting reorientation toward the coming of
One who has altered those relationships toward new possibilities for healing and redemption.
The Incarnation, the coming of God
among us in human flesh, happened in
such a quiet and out of the way place
that few noticed at first. Yet the impact
on human existence has been like a
bolt of lightning that continues to grow
and generate new life and fire in all
who share that hunger.
Jesus is among us like a flitting moth –
will we notice his presence in the street
-sleeper? He pierces the dark like a
silent, streaking owl seeking food for
hungry and defenseless nestlings. He
will overturn this world’s unjust foundations like badgers undermining a crooked wall. Like the bat’s sonar, his call
comes to each one uniquely – have we
heard his urgent “come and follow”?
God is among us, and within us, and
around us, encountering, nudging, loving, transforming the world and its
creatures toward the glorious dream
the shepherds announced so many
years ago, toward the beloved community of prophetic dreams, and the nightwatch that proclaims “all is well, fear
not, the Lord is here.”
May Christ be born anew in you this
Christmastide. May his light burn in
you, and may you labor to spread it in
the darkness. The people who walked
in darkness have seen a great light,
and it is the harbinger of peace for all
creation.
The Most Rev.Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church
Advent leads us into darkness and decreasing light. Our bodies slow imperceptibly with shorter days and longer
nights, and the merriness and frantic
activity around us are often merely
signs of eager hunger for light and
healing and wholeness.
THE FOLD is a publication of the Church of the Good Shepherd, 1401 Carrollton Avenue, Ruxton, MD
21204, and is published monthly online except once each quarter, when printed copies are available. We
can be reached at 410-823-0122 or at our website www.goodshepherd-towson.org. Send address changes
by mail to: The FOLD, Attention: Editor; or email: [email protected].
The Fold—December 2014 - Page 3
OFFERINGS FROM WELL FOR THE JOURNEY
Sacred Awareness: Mary Oliver
Explore the poetry from modern mystic and poet Mary
Oliver and enhance your awareness of creation and life.
Thursday Afternoons │ 1:00 – 3:00PM | Jan. 8, 15, 22
Emmanuel Monastery, Lutherville, MD
Cost: $25 per class or $65 for the series
Death: Today’s Taboo Topic
Learn about and explore death so that you can live life
more fully. Each gathering will include a theme with a
presentation, discussion and reflection.
Wednesday Evenings, Jan. 14 and Apr. 15 | 7:00 - 9:00PM
Cost: $25 per session
Women at the Well: Inner Landscape of Prayer
How does nature intersect our spiritual lives? Experience
new aspects of prayer in your daily life.
Mondays | 7:00 – 8:30PM │ Jan. 12, Jan. 26, Feb. 9, Feb.
23, Mar. 9, Mar. 23, Apr. 13, Apr. 27
Wednesdays | 9:30 – 11:00AM │ Jan 14, Jan 21, Jan 28,
Feb. 4, Feb 11, Feb 18, Feb 25, Mar 4
Thursdays | 10:00 – 11:30AM │Jan. 15, Jan. 22, Jan. 29,
Feb. 5, Feb. 12, Feb. 19, Feb. 26, Mar. 5
Cost: Early-bird rate $90 by Jan. 5, thereafter $100
Cosmos, Creator, Connectedness II:
Science Meets Spirit
Continue the prayerful conversation on the implications of
modern cosmology and evolution for our spiritual journeys.
Open to those who participated in Cosmos, Creator &
Connectedness or those who have read and reflected
upon Judy Cannato’s book, Radical Amazement, this
continuing dialog will center around Cannato’s final book,
Field of Compassion.
Date: Tuesdays | 3:00 – 5:00PM │ Jan. 20, Feb. 3, Feb.
17, Mar. 3
Cost: $100
Enneagram: Growing Deeper with the Enneagram
The Enneagram is a map to self-discovery that offers
insight into our behaviors, motivations, values, habits and
fixations. This class is designed for anyone who has taken
the introductory classes and desires to go deeper in their
Enneagram journey.
Date: Tuesdays | 9:30 – 11:30AM │ Jan. 20, Jan. 27, Feb.
3, Feb. 10, Feb. 17, Feb. 24
Cost: $150
Mid-Winter Celtic Retreat Day
Warm your spirit with Celtic ancient wisdom that reveals
God in all of life.
Saturday, Feb. 7 │ 9:30AM – 3:30PM
Cost: $85 (includes lunch)
Pre-registration is required for all programs. Please visit
our website (wellforthejourney.org) to register, or call
the office at 410.296.9355.
CHRISTMAS PAGEANT PHOTOS
THE CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD
1401 Carrollton Avenue
Baltimore, Maryland 21204-6518
410-823-0122
Fax: 410-823-4003
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Lutherville, MD
Permit #739
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
DATED MATERIAL—PLEASE RUSH DELIVERY
The people of the Church of the Good Shepherd aspire to grow continually in spirit with Christ as our
head and the Holy Spirit as our guide.* We are a parish of many blessings, and we pray that our spiritual growth will be witnessed through loving concern for, and service to, our parish family as well as
the broader community, especially our neighbors in need. * We find strength for the journey in diverse
worship experiences, rich Christian education for all ages, and active lay ministry. * We give joyful
thanks for the many blessings of the Lord.
BULLETIN BOARD
LENTEN REFLECTION BOOKLET
It’s time again to prepare our annual Lenten
Reflection Booklet. Our theme this year is “Stories
of Forgiveness.” If you have contributed a reflection
in the past, you should be receiving, or have
received, an email asking for your participation this
year. If you wish to participate in this illuminating
worship opportunity, please email Hilary Sargeant at
[email protected]. Forms to volunteer are
also available in the Foyer. All reflections will be
due on Friday, January 30th.
DAY SCHOOL UPDATE
The students, families and staff of Good Shepherd
School wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year!
Please let any young families you know, know that Good
Shepherd School is accepting applications for the 20152016 school year. We offer classes from Parent/Toddler
through Kindergarten. Families can contact us at 410-825
-7139 for more information.
Susan Andrews, Director
BOOK GROUP
The Book Group will have their next meeting on January
8, 2015 at 10:15 AM in Room 14. We will be discussing A
Higher Call, by Adam Makos. This is a gripping story
about WWII American and German pilots. New members
are always welcome.
PASTORAL PRAYER GROUP
The Pastoral Prayer Group meets once a month
on the second Thursday of the month at 1 PM. We pray
for the needs of the parish and for any prayer requests
that we have received. Please consider either joining us
to pray, or let us know of prayer needs that we can pray
for.
Jeanne Owings
[email protected]
NEXT FOLD DEADLINE
Tuesday, January 13th at 5:00 PM—This
deadline is for material for the February 2015 issue.