Top of Mind
More information below! Thanks for reading the Parish News.
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News for this week:
- Calendar
- Sunday Schedule and Links
- DOK Offering Prayers
- Community Lunch & Fellowship Time
- Encounters with Faith in August
- Pool Party 8/3
- Announcements:
- Backpack Update
- Morning Prayer
- Bible Study with Rev Nancy Returns
- CGS Seniors Lunch 8/13
- Chorister Registration
- Men's Fellowship Lunch 8/14
- Family Weekend 9/19-21
- Did You Know?
- Rally Day 9/7
- ONE Wake Update
- Parish Directory
- We Are Hiring
- Mission Trip
- Prayer List
- Altar Photos
- Support Our Parish
- Connect With Us
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Worship with Us!
Sunday, August 3
Please note: Kid's Sunday School and Children's Chapel & Godly Play are on break during August.
8 AM
8:30 AM - 12 Noon
- Nursery Care Available (infant-4 yo)
9 AM
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Exploring Morning Prayer with Brett MacDonald in the Ennis Suite -- read more about it, below
10:15 AM
11:30 AM
- Community Lunch & Fellowship hosted by Beyond Our Doors Ministry Team
- Bible Amnesty with Rev. Justin in the Ennis Suite -- read more about it, below
- DOK Discernment Class in Room 403
4-6 PM
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Families & Children Pool Party at Nan & Jack Boyne's home (807 Harvey Street, Raleigh 27608) -- read more about it, below
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Daughters of the King Offering Healing Prayers on Sunday
During communion at both services on Sunday, Daughters of the King will be available to pray with anyone desiring prayers.
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Join Us on Sunday for Lunch and Fellowship Time
Beyond Our Doors Ministry Team invites everyone to our monthly Community Lunch this Sunday immediately following the 10:15 worship service. All are welcome! Contact: Gerard McNeill
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Ask, Pray, Read -- Encounters with Faith During August
This August brings a variety of opportunities for you to question, read, and pray with others. We warmly
encourage you to try something new, make new connections, and meet God real and alive in a new way.
This Sunday...
at 9 AM -- Exploring Morning Prayer
Come join Brett MacDonald, our diocesan intern,
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August 3rd, exploring the history of the daily office and its roots in the Rule of St. Benedict
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August 10th, a hands-on training for anyone interested in learning to officiate Morning Prayer.
And don't forget, Brett will be leading Morning Prayer Monday-Thursday (August 4-7 and August 11-14) at 8:30 AM in the chapel. Whether you’re new to daily prayer or returning after many years, this is a great opportunity to deepen your spiritual life and discover one of the treasures of our Anglican heritage. Contact: Brett MacDonald
at 11:30 AM -- Bible Amnesty
Join Rev. Justin and a panel of our resident Bible scholars to answer your questions about the Bible! Bible Amnesty will be held in the Ennis Suite at 11:30 AM on August 3 and 10. This event is designed for newcomers, but all are welcome to attend. If you would like to submit a question in advance, place a card in the question box located in the hallway leading into the the church. These cards can be signed or submitted anonymously. You can also email questions to Rev. Justin. Stupid questions are not only permitted, they’re encouraged!
Coming August 17...
August Pop-Up Book Group - August 17th at 11:45 AM
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
By Robin Wall Kimmerer
Kimmerer is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology, and the founder and
director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment. Her book, Braiding Sweetgrass, has
become an international bestseller. If you've read it already, you know why. If (like Imogen) you haven't
read it yet, perhaps this is your chance. “Robin Wall Kimmerer encourages readers to consider the ways
that our lives and language weave through the natural world... to illustrate the culture of gratitude in
which we all should live.” (Publishers Weekly).
Come join Rev. Imogen on Sunday, August 17th in the Ennis Suite at 11:45 to discuss this book.
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Pool Party for Kids and Their Families This Sunday, August 3
Good Shepherd Families and Children are invited to a Pool Party this Sunday, August 3! Please RSVP so we'll know who to expect!
Sign up here!
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Well Done, Good Shepherd!
92! That's right! 92 backpacks loaded with school supplies are on their way to Dunn to be distributed to kids and youth served by Episcopal Farmworker Ministry. Our goal was 80, but we smashed it! Congratulations and thank you to everyone who participated. Also sincerest thanks to members of Raleigh Mennonite Church who contributed to this outreach effort.
On Sunday morning backpacks flanked the chancel steps and were blessed by Rev. Justin. Thanks to Caryl Fuller and Noom Baggett for the backpack photos below.
| | Gerard McNeill and Stephen McCann helped Cheira and Cheryl, staff from Episcopal Farmworker Ministry, load backpacks for the trip to Dunn on Thursday morning. | |
Come Join Us for Morning Prayer
Join us this August as we revive the ancient rhythm of Morning Prayer—scripture, psalms, and quiet reflection offered to God at the start of the day. Our Brett MacDonald, our diocesan intern, will be leading Morning Prayer at 8:30 AM in the chapel, Monday through Thursday, August 4–7 and August 11–14. All are welcome to come and pray. Interested in learning more? Brett will also offer two Sunday morning classes at on August 3 & 10 at 9 AM.
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Tuesday Bible Study with Rev. Nancy Returns Next Week!
- 10:30 AM in the Ennis Suite
- 5:30 PM at 3110 Belvin Drive, Raleigh 27609
Please contact the Parish Office (919.831.2000) if you have questions or would like more information.
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CGS Seniors and St. Ambrose Silver Angels Unite! August 13
Senior Lunch with St. Ambrose's Silver Angels on Wednesday, August 13th in Shepherd's Hall immediately following the noonday Eucharist service in the church. Come enjoy fellowship, a great meal, and an interesting presentation offered by Lynn Hoke, Good Shepherd parishioner and Diocesan Archivist, on the story of the 1896 St. Augustine to St. Ambrose name switch.
Can you make it? We hope so! Please RSVP by Friday, August 8th. To RSVP please email David Baggett or call the Parish Office (919.831.2000) Monday-Thursday, 9A-5P. Thank you!
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Chorister Program Register Now for 2025-2026
Information and registration form online
Do you know a child who loves to sing? The Church of the Good Shepherd is launching a chorister program this fall.
The Chorister Program at The Church of the Good Shepherd (CGS) provides musical education, community building, and faith formation through singing in choirs. Singers in grades K-12 have the opportunity to sing their faith and learn about the tradition of sacred choral music, which is musically enriching, challenging, and satisfying. This is one of the few opportunities for fostering intergenerational relationships in the community, as the choristers will regularly have opportunities to sing with the Chancel Choir. Choristers also learn that their voices are a gift from God and their love of singing will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Singing in a choir at church is also a wonderful way to share time and talents. And it’s fun, too! Please register your child today! Visit our website for more information.
Rehearsals will be weekly September-May, with a Fall Break, Winter Break, and Spring Break.
There will be two choirs at CGS for choristers beginning in September 2025:
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Junior Choristers – grades K-2 (Tuesdays 4:30-5:20pm) Our youngest singers will learn about how to sing with good tone, the basics of note reading, rhythm and pitch, and how to listen and work as a team. They will sing in worship once per month at the beginning of the service.
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Senior Choristers – grades 3-12 (Wednesdays 5:00-6:00pm; with an option to sing with the Chancel Choir for high school singers: 7:00-8:30pm) Singers in this choir will learn how to lead music with the Chancel Choir and continue to develop good choral singing skills. They will sing in worship once per month and lead all of the music in the service.
To learn more contact Kirsten Homdrom, Director of Music and Organist
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Monthly Men’s Fellowship Lunch – August 14
Men’s Fellowship Lunches take place on the SECOND THURSDAY of each month at 12 NOON at High Park Grill. Come enjoy lively fellowship and a reasonably priced meal--no reservation is required and everyone is welcome! Contact: Jack Boyne ( 919.832.3641)
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Please register by September 1
Family Weekend! September 19-21
Join us for Family Weekend
Trinity Center at Pine Knoll Shores
September 19-21, 2025
Contact: Rev. Justin
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Did You Know?
Sunday, September 7th is National Grandparents Day!
So what are you planning to do on that special day? Here's a great idea: bring your family and anyone you love to our Rally Day Festival! The whole family will love it. What's not to love? Food, fellowship, games, and lots of fun. See you there!
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Hey! Don't Miss It...
Sunday, September 7th
Get a Load of These Rally Day Festivities!
NEW! The Great Cookie Bake-Off & Sale is coming to Good Shepherd! Join the fun! Whether you enter the contest or just contribute to the bake sale, you will be supporting a vital ministry of our church, the Little Free Pantry. We are looking forward to sampling your Granny's best recipe for Snickerdoodles or the latest internet sensation. So use your time and talents for a wonderful purpose. It's easy! It's fun! It supports a great ministry! See you at Rally Day! Contact: Jean Knepley
Back by popular demand: The Pre-Owned Book Sale! Bring those books you no longer need so that someone else can enjoy them. Books will sell
- hardbacks -- $5 each
- paperbacks -- 3 for $5
Proceeds will go to support our Little Free Pantry. You will find a bin in the Parish Life Center lobby waiting for books you would like to donate. Contact: Susan Lewellen
It's BACK...The Dunking Booth! Yep, this parish favorite is returning to the Rally Day Festival, and we'll have a blast dunking some of our parish favorites. This year proceeds will go to support our Little Free Pantry.
- 3 balls -- $5
- guaranteed dunk -- $10
You want to nominate a "dunkee"? Please email David Baggett with your suggestion(s)! Great fun for a great cause!
And So Much More! Stay tuned for details.
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What's Rally Day?
It is our parish-wide celebration to kick off our new church program year! This year's Rally Day Festival will feature fun, food, and fellowship (and more!) for everyone in the parish. Don’t miss it!
Lots of help is needed to make this year's Rally Day Festival a success. Here’s how you can help...
1. Plan now to be there!
2. Make a financial contribution to help offset costs. If you'd like to contribute, please send your check to the Parish Office. (Please send your check, payable to The Church of the Good Shepherd, to David Baggett's attention and note Rally Day on the memo line of your check).
3. Join the team! Lots of folks are needed to make the event a success. If you'd like to help, please fill out this form or contact David Baggett.
If you have any questions about Rally Day, please don't hesitate to contact David Baggett (919.831.2018). Thanks very much for your support!
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ONE Wake Accountability Assembly Resulted in Progress but Not the Goals Set
On July 12, eight members of Good Shepherd joined over 1000 ONE Wake members from 47 other churches, and non-profit organizations to press elected officials for more affordable housing. The wins were:
- Many of these officials pledge support for a future affordable-housing bond.
- A number of these representatives went to Brooklyn NY to see the success of the Nehemiah housing project that is a template for the proposed solution to Wake’s housing crisis.
In addition to the impressive turnout, there was reasonable coverage in Indyweek, News & Observer and Enlace Latino NC. So, our leaders clearly see the support.
The amount needed in the bond, and city/county land needed for a project was not met. Thus, there still needs to be a push towards public land and public funding to provide affordable homes.
Loving and supporting the diversity of our neighbors is a key thread in our Christian belief. This Church has many examples of promoting diversity of income, education, race, sexual orientations, political leanings and even religion. The non-partisan multi-organizations of ONE Wake offer a strong mechanism to express this fundamental belief.
Learn more on Rally Day. You can sign up for CGS’s ONE Wake group and become more involved in ONE Wake by emailing Jeff Whittaker.
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Parish Directory
Did you know we have a parish directory? It is available from the parish website and is refreshed about every 6 weeks. The file is password protected. If you need the password, please contact David Baggett, Parish Administrator.
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We Are Hiring!
Director of Children and Family Ministries
The Church of the Good Shepherd seeks a Director of Children and Family Ministries to sustain and expand our family ministry programs. The director will oversee all children’s curricula, programs, and activities, recruit and develop a team of engaged volunteers, and foster meaningful connections with the children and families of the parish. They will create a welcoming and nurturing environment and provide opportunities for children and families to grow in their love and knowledge of God, their call to serve others, and their unique significance in the life of the parish and the world.
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A Successful Summer Mission Trip
July 20-27 was an impactful week for the Church of the Good Shepherd's mission team! While this trip was initially organized solely for members of the Episcopal Youth Community, the urgency of the need convinced us to open it to the entire congregation. Deep in the mountains of western North Carolina, this dedicated group of teens and adults was actively engaged in Hurricane Helene relief efforts. Based at the Burnsville Rebuild Center in Yancey County, just north of Asheville, they worked hard on the ground from Monday through Saturday and returned to Raleigh on Sunday, July 27th.
Operating under the guidance of Baptists on Mission, the team poured their energy into rebuilding hurricane-damaged homes. Most of the demolition had been complete, so the focus was then on reconstruction, making a difference in the community.
Beyond the hard work, the group enjoyed fellowship time with each other, strengthening bonds and sharing in this impactful experience. It was a successful mission trip, and it was great to help people who were impacted by Hurricane Helene.
If you could not attend, but would still like to support this effort, please consider making a financial contribution. Additional proceeds will be donated to the relief effort.
| | The Church of the Good Shepherd Prayer List | |
- Roy Wright
- Catherine and Bob Williams
- Janet Gilliam
- Ralph Sanders
- Pete Taylor
- Martha Bailey
- Peggy Hawks
- Janie Ward-Newton
- William Short
- Paul Hoch
- JoAnn Kistler Lattimore and Charles Lattimore
- Brinley Harris
- Don Caudill
- Janet Watrous
- Jerry Smith
- Margaret Park
- Lynda Terrell-Rea
- Susie Rahal
- Tamara Gregory
- Larry Phearse and Family
- Bob Kirchgessner
- Josephine Placa
- Randy Roberts
- Bob Wood
- Patricia Harris
- Lynn Wiss
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- Dawn Downs
- Jamey
- Jesse Murray
- Diane and Gary Gabbard
- Mike Newton-Ward
- Carolyn Lowery
- Dick Metheny
- Michael Riddle
- Andrea
- The Chestnut Family
- the people of Israel and Palestine
- the people of Ukraine and Russia
- victims of gun violence
- those affected by drought, heat, floods, storms, and fires.
In the Diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for St. Luke’s, Salisbury; St. Matthew’s, Salisbury; and St. Paul’s, Salisbury.
In the Anglican cycle of prayer, we pray for The Episcopal Church in the Philippines.
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Prayer Requests: The people of The Church of the Good Shepherd are eager to join you in lifting your prayers to God. Please tell us how we can pray with you by CLICKING HERE to submit a prayer request.
Prayer requests added to our public prayer list will be refreshed every month; please feel free to resubmit them if you would like them to remain on the prayer list.
| | Altar photos courtesy of Noom Baggett | |
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If you are looking for meaningful ways to serve the parish, please consider the ministries listed below. The contacts listed will be excited to provide more information.
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News from the Diocese
The vision of the Diocese of North Carolina is to be a community of disciples committed to following Jesus Christ into the dream of God for us and for all creation, in Becoming Beloved Community.
Be sure to check out news and information from the Diocese and The Episcopal Church on their websites.
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Parish Office Hours
Monday-Thursday, 9 AM - 5 PM; Fridays by appointment
Pastoral Care Emergencies
Please call the Pastoral Care Support Line 919.831.2008
Prayer Requests
Please CLICK HERE to submit a prayer request.
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Announcements and photos to share with our parish family are always welcome!
New! Please email your contributions to Dana Deaton at cgsnews@cgs-raleigh.org
The deadline for newsletter submissions is Wednesday at 2 PM. Thank you!
Announcements may be edited for content and space.
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