Please be aware that clergy and staff never send emails or texts requesting discreet assistance or soliciting gift cards or cash transactions. Also, please be aware of scam emails/texts in general. It is always a good idea to verify that the email address/number matches the information in your contacts.

Weekly Update for August 27, 2026

Top of Mind...

Building Together in Love Part Three

I came to Good Shepherd as a newcomer coming from another church tradition, and my first encounters were with beauty — and with a liturgy that felt entirely foreign to me. I remember being struck by the church itself, and then by the wonder of the Eucharist offered every single Sunday, week after week, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. It was not natural to me yet. But it became so.


That foreignness did not stay foreign. Slowly, almost without my noticing, it turned into appreciation — and then into love. I came to love the worship itself, and I came to love the tradition carrying it. Much of that grew out of my first encounter with Debbie Moyer's Sunday school class, where I found not only friendships but a kind of intellectual and spiritual room I hadn't expected. Questions were welcome there. My questioning attitude never felt like a liability; it felt safe. Between the book studies, events like Bible Amnesty, and the general permission to explore, I found a community that trusted me to wrestle honestly with faith rather than requiring me to arrive with it settled.


My love for this church has also grown through the way our liturgy is saturated with God's Word — the readings we share every Sunday, drawn deep from Scripture, and the homilies that unpack them for us. That love deepened further through our morning prayer group and our Bible Reading Challenge, and through the friends I've made in both.


Love here has not only been intellectual or liturgical — it has been active. I have come to deeply respect this church's leadership, and I have watched that respect deepen through ministries like White Flag, which shelters our homeless neighbors on the coldest nights. Our priests have consistently encouraged me — and all of us — to serve, and to explore new ministry opportunities rather than settle into comfortable roles. Love, I learned, is also a cot and a warm room on a night when the temperature drops, and it is a priest asking, "Have you thought about trying this?"


And then there was Holy Week. Nothing prepared me for how impactful those services would be — the reverence of them, the authenticity, the way the whole experience humbled me. If the rest of my time here has been a gradual unfolding of love, Holy Week was the moment it became undeniable.


I did not expect, as a newcomer, to fall in love the way I have — with this church, with its people, with a liturgy that once felt so foreign, with an openness I did not know to look for. But that is exactly what happened — one Sunday, one question, one act of welcome at a time.


-Michael Burkhart 

Children and Family Ministry Playdate

This Saturday, join all your Good Shepherd friends for a playdate at Mordecai Mini Park from 10 AM-12 PM. If you haven't already signed up, please do so here.


Our special guest at this playdate will be the Rev. Polly Robb, our new Family Minister, who will be on hand to greet kids and their parents. 

EYC Fall Parents Meeting

The Fall Parents Meeting for the Episcopal Youth Community will be this Sunday, August 30 from 5:30-7:30 PM. All youth and their parents are strongly encouraged to attend.


During this meeting we will discuss the fall calendar, the 2027 Summer Pilgrimage, and other future plans. Dinner will be provided. Contact the Rev. Justin Gabbard for more information.

You Can Vote at September and October BOD Lunches

At the First Sunday BOD community lunch in September and October, a representative from You Can Vote will be present. You Can Vote is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit that educates and mobilizes North Carolinians to take civic action, know their rights, and successfully cast a ballot in each election. Please click here for more information about the organization or contact Shirley Sullivan.

On the Road with the Green Team

Come join us for a private tour of the beautiful JC Raulston Arboretum. It is a nationally acclaimed botanic garden located in Raleigh, with one of the largest collections of garden plants adapted for the southeast United States. The mission of the NC State’s JC Raulston Arboretum is to diversify the landscape by sharing our passion, our plants and our knowledge to plan – and plant for a better world. It is not only a teaching and research facility as plants are collected and evaluated, but also a magnificent pleasure garden that is a reprieve to enjoy nature for all. The arboretum has broad paths that are easy to navigate and benches to rest throughout.


Details:

  • When: Wednesday, September 16th
  • Time: 10 AM – tour lasts approximately 90 minutes
  • Where: 4415 Beryl Road, Raleigh NC 27606
  • Whom do I contact to sign up: Beth Hahn (or text/phone (919-274-0660)


Additional Information

  • Meeting Place: We will gather at the Bobby G. Wilder Visitor Center near the Brick Circle.
  • Parking: Available in the small onsite lot or on Beryl Road.
  • Accessibility: Two wheelchairs are available onsite on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • Policy: Tours proceed rain or shine but are canceled in the event of thunder or dangerous weather.
  • Dress: Wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather

(layers, sun protection, or rain gear).

  • Resources: Water stations are available at the Visitor Center, McSwain Education Center, and "The Necessary" in the garden.
  • The Visitor Guide is available for review prior to arrival.


Also: Please join us for lunch after the tour at Neomonde Mediterranean Restaurant – a short distance from the arboretum at 3817 Beryl Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607.

Reminders

August Book Study

Brett MacDonald's class on Peter Enns’ book The Bible Tells Me So wraps up this Sunday after the 10:15 service in the Adult Formation Room (PLC 323). See below for the class reading schedule. Contact: Brett MacDonald


● August 30: Chapter 7 and concluding discussion

Music Ministries Update

Church of the Good Shepherd Music Ministries rehearsals are returning the week of September 7th. Please reach out to Kirsten Homdrom with any questions or interest in joining any of our wonderful ensembles. We are specifically looking to grow our Handbell Choir which plays in worship services seasonally. No prior ringing experience required!



  • Good Shepherd Choir - Grades K-2 (Tuesdays from 4:30-5:20 PM)
  • Handbell Choir (Wednesdays from 6-6:45 PM)
  • Chancel Choir (Wednesdays from 7-8:30 PM)
  • Senior Choristers - Grades 3-12 (Sundays from 12-1 PM)

Let’s Build a Community Prayer Chain

As we are coming up to the end of the summer, don’t forget to contribute to the Community Prayer Chain! Soon, the chain prayers will be blessed and offered to God during Sunday services on Rally Day, Sunday, September 13th!  


Please continue to:


  1. Pick up a colored strip of paper in your worship space or PLC foyer. 
  2. Jot down a prayer--for yourself, for your loved ones, for our community, for our nation. Don’t feel limited to one prayer! Contribute as many prayers as you’d like, using one strip of paper for each prayer. 
  3. Leave your prayer(s) in the basket on the round table in the PLC foyer. 

Did You Know?

Help Wanted! Meals on Wheels

Good Shepherd presently delivers to 5 Meals on Wheels routes twice per month. We would love to be able to increase our number of PERMANENT routes, but we really ALSO need people willing to be SUBSTITUTES when one of our drivers needs to be off … it happens! Delivering a route takes around 2-2.5 hours out of your day - about 10 AM till 12 PM on the 1st and 3rd Monday of every month. You will be trained … not throwing you to the wolves here! This is a wonderfully fulfilling service - I promise!!


You get to deliver a balanced, nourishing meal to people who may otherwise be lacking - but maybe above and beyond all that, you may be the ONLY person that person has contact with that day - and you have just a few minutes to make that person’s day a little brighter. How in the world can your day get any better knowing that? Please see/contact Jan Harris (or 919-815-2556) for more info!!

St. Ambrose Episcopal Church Women

Save the Date

Our friends at St. Ambrose Episcopal Church are putting on an Episcopal Church Women (ECW) Women's Retreat. It will be on Saturday, September 19th from 9-3:30 PM. More details to come.


Dr. Kirsten Homdrom Presents a Solo Piano Recital

Our own Dr. Kirsten Homdrom is presenting a solo piano recital Expressions featuring works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Florence Price, Francis Poulenc, and others on three sepperate occasions. Admission is free; please join us! 


Friday, September 25 at 7 PM - First Presbyterian Church Raleigh, NC

Friday, October 9 at 7 PM - Reid Center in Richmond, IN

Friday, October 23 at 7 PM - First Presbyterian Church Burlington, NC

Come Worship & Learn This Sunday


The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost


8 AM

Holy Eucharist, Rite I


8:30 AM - 12 Noon

Nursery Care Available (infant-5 yo)


10:15 AM

Holy Eucharist, Rite II


11:30 AM


5:30 PM

EYC Parents Meeting; Contact: Rev. Justin Gabbard

Next Week (Monday-Saturday)


Monday, August 31

  • 9 AM Morning Prayer


Tuesday, September 1

  • 9 AM Morning Prayer
  • 10:30 AM Bible Study in Ennis Suite
  • 5:30 PM Bible Study at Van and Gigi Giersch's Home(6433 Chapman Ct, Raleigh, NC 27612)


Wednesday, September 2

  • 9 AM
  • Morning Prayer
  • Kaffeeklatsch Fellowship Group (at Cafe Carolina and Bakery, 2130 Clark Ave, Raleigh 27605); Contact: Jean Knepley
  • 12 PM Holy Eucharist
  • 1 PM Pastoral Care Meeting


Thursday, September 3

  • 8:30 AM Books & Bagels Book Group at Starbucks (3800 Lake Boone Trail, Raleigh, NC 27607)
  • 9 AM Morning Prayer


Friday, September 4

  • 9 AM Morning Prayer

News & Updates

Our Altar Flowers this past Sunday

Photo Courtesy of Peter Jezierny

Parish Prayer List


Catherine and Bob Williams; JoAnn Kistler;

Roy Wright; Janet Gilliam; Ralph Sanders;

Pete Taylor; Martha Bailey;

Janie Ward-Newton; William Short;

Brinley Harris; Don Caudill; Margaret Park;

The Rev. Sallie Simpson; Patricia Harris;

Larry Phearse and Family;

Mike Newton-Ward; Rock Kershaw;

Bill White; NY Mike Smith;

Tamara Gregory; Lynda Terrell-Rea;

Elise Abernathy; Marsha Sample; Susan Doty;

Lynn Wiss; Kari Molvar Kim; Jemma Kim;

Sue Johnson; The Fyfe and Simon Families;

The Pursley Family; The Cooke Family;

The Rahal and Anderson Families;

The Smith and Acton Families;

The Vitaglione Family;

the people of the Middle East;

the people of Ukraine and Russia;

victims of gun violence; and those affected

by drought, heat, floods, storms, and fires.


And we pray for those who mourn,

including the family and friends of

the Rev. Janet Watrous, Mary Best,

A.B. Swindell, Peggy Hawks, Charles Latimer,

Nolan Simon, Karen Pursley,

Deborah Cooke, Susie Rahal,

Jerry Smith, Gerard Spagnoli,

and Guy Vitaglione.


In the diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for

St. Mary’s, Speed and Trinity, Statesville.


In the Anglican cycle of prayer, we pray for

The Church in the Province of the West Indies.

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.

Support Our Parish

Thank you for Supporting the

Life and Ministries of Good Shepherd

Ministry Opportunities

If you are looking for meaningful ways to serve, please consider the ministries listed below. The contacts listed can provide more information. More opportunities are listed on our webpages: Serve our Parish / Serve our Neighbors



News from the Diocese & The Episcopal Church

Parish Partners

Connect with Us

Parish Office Regular 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. 


Thank you for reading the Parish News. 
Announcements and photos to share with our parish family are always welcome! 

A Friendly Reminder…

Have you moved? Changed your phone number or email address? If so, please be sure to contact Parish Administrator David Baggett or 919.831.2018. Thank you!

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The Church of the Good Shepherd | 121 Hillsborough St | Raleigh, NC 27603 US