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The Church of the Good Shepherd
231 North Church St.
Rocky Mount, NC
eShepherd December 19, 2024
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This Sunday at Good Shepherd
The Third Sunday of Advent
December 22, 2024
8:00 AM
Rite 1 Holy Communion
10:30 AM
Contemporary Language Service of Holy Communion
with choir and congregational hymns.
Live streamed at gslive.org
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Serving this Sunday
8 a.m.
Altar Guild Lalor Smith and Jeanette Belfield;
Celebrant The Rev. Becky Zartman Carpenter;
Eucharistic Minister Lalor Smith;
Flower Guild Emily Bondy and Britt Myers;
Reader Lalor Smith
10:30 a.m.
Acolytes Jack McKellar and Matthew McKellar;
Altar Guild Sallie Colston;
Audiovideo Engineer Ron Sowers;
Eucharistic Minister Bob Larimer;
Flower Guild Emily Bondy and Britt Myers;
Greeters Bill and Millie Walker;
Intercessor Belinda Allen;
Musicians The Good Shepherd Choir;
Lawrence Goering, organist;
Presider The Rev. Becky Zartman Carpenter;
Readers Howard Weeks and Brandon Higson;
Vestry Counters Gayle Edwards and Barbara Hicks
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This week at Good Shepherd
Adult Formation Class at 9 a.m. in the Parish Hall. Don't miss this interesting discussion on Advent Hymns.
Coffee Hour Please join us for coffee and goodies in the Parish Hall after the 10:30 Service
Children's Chapel this week. Children are invited to follow the cross after the Collect. Nursery is available for the little ones. See an usher for directions.
Christmas Eve Eucharist at 5:00 p.m. with a musical prelude at 4:30 p.m. The Good Shepherd Choir, the Alleluia Choir, and soloists will sing favorite Christmas Anthems and Carols accompanied by violin, trumpet and organ. There will not be a Christmas Day service
There will be no Choir Practice or Mid-week Eucharist at Noon on December 25.u
Coming Soon!!
Christmas Pageant Sunday January 5
We plan to have our annual Christmas Pageant on Sunday, January 5th, at the 10:30 a.m. service. We will have a brief rehearsal in the church at 9:50 that morning and then will put on costumes in the choir area of the parish hall.
Volunteers have already signed up to portray Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. We still need volunteers for the roles of Angels, Shepherds, Wise Men, Isaiah, animals, and a star. We also need older youth to volunteer to read lessons at the pageant.
Please contact Lawrence Goering at lgoering@goodshepherdrmt.org or call 252-813-0190 if your child would like to be in the pageant and let us know what role your child prefers. We would like to include as many children's names as possible in the bulletin.
We look forward to hearing from you and hope that lots of children will participate in this year's pageant!
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This morning, my husband Les and I were talking about Christmas trees. Traditionally, my family waited until the fourth Sunday of Advent, and then we would go out and get a tree from the farm down the road. The tree then stayed on our front porch, tantalizing us, until my mother deemed the house immaculate enough for the tree to move inside. So we would tidy, throwing things out or putting them away, and dust and polish what was left over. The last step was cleaning the mirrors and picture frames. Then, and only then, could we start decorating for Christmas, garlands, lights, porcelain, even Christmas themed art to replace what normally hung on the wall – a red, gold and green bonanza that totally transformed our drafty old house into something wonderful.
As a kid, the cleaning process was interminable, frustrating, and entirely inexplicable. Honestly, I thought my mom was just conning her five kids into deep cleaning, (which may also be true, and, frankly, fair.) But there was something else going on. We had to get ready, really ready, for something wonderful to come our way. All of the cleaning and decorating was preparation for a celebration.
Advent was first developed as a season of preparation for the coming of something utterly new and transformative, and somehow, even in our mundane tasks, it became so.
These days as a priest on the go, we have our little Charlie Brown Christmas tree, and there’s not too much more than that. But I always clean before it goes up.
In the middle of all the overwhelming work it takes to make Christmas happen, take a moment and remember that the preparation is part of the process. We’re casting out the old, and making room for the new, an inbreaking of someone wonderful.
Happy Adventing,
Becky+
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Parishioners Celebrating Birthdays
December 19
Lisa Meadows
Liam Parker
Barnes Haley
December 20
Sarah Elizabeth Harris
December 22
Elizabeth Daughtridge
December 24
Barbara Hicks
December 27
Anne Craig
December 28
Mary Dawson
December 29
Quintin Mangano, Sr.
December 30
Frederick Frohbose
December 31
Courtney Bondy
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Outreach Committee Update
Christmas Stars
Thank you, Parish Family! You are amazing! Your support has ensured that more than 45 area children in need will have Christmas gifts. We can't thank you enough!
Would you like to help us distribute Christmas Gifts this Sunday? If so, please join us from 12:30 to 2:00 in the lobby of the Parish Hall.
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For those in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity: especially Nottie Vay Meadows, Florine McClain, Scott Sumrall, Fred Folta, Anita Fortier, Joyce Cuthrell, Whitney Herbert, Randy Reid, Dinah Fowlkes, Bill Harris, Aileen Harris, Amy McCotter, Jeanette Belfield, Linda Mattocks, Chris Poole, Gregory Strickland, Bruce Biggs, Willie Skinner, and Bobbi Weeks.
For continued health and healing: Bill Hudgins, Mary W. Dawson, Becky Bryan, Elizabeth "Sister" Cherry, Albert Ervin, Frances Gaither, Dwight Johnson, Boo White, and Brent Wilson.
For the blessings of this life: Samuel Barden Rosenbower, son of Allie Laughery Winstead Rosenbower and Alex Rosenbower
For those expecting the birth of a child: Morgan and Benton Moss
For those who have died: Bess Little
To add or remove people on the Prayer List please contact Cheryl Coppedge at coppedgecheryl@gmail.com. Please ask their permission before submitting.
A note about pastoral care emergencies: If you are experiencing a pastoral emergency (e.g. someone you love or you yourself are in the hospital, or you’re experiencing some distressing news) please call my cell phone (570-259-0671) and leave a message if I don’t pick up right away. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. If in doubt, please call – I can’t support you if I don’t know you need support!
BZC+
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