Weekly Parish News for Thursday, December 11 | | |
Announcements
- Service of Hope & Healing 12/14
- Alternative Gift Giving
- Christmas Pageant 12/21
- White Flag Shelter Nights
- Green Team Impact Tracker
- St. Nicholas Tree Success
- Can you help with First Night?
Worship With Us
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Prayer List
Support Our Parish
- Vision Accomplished Concludes – Thank You!
- Planning Your End-of-Year Giving
Connect With Us
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Advent
Advent is a special and busy time in the life of the parish. We hope that each of you will join us and bring friends to the special worship services and fellowship activities this Sunday and throughout December. Visit our Advent page for more info: https://www.cgs-raleigh.org/advent.html
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Advent 3: Service of Hope and Healing, December 14 at 4 PM
This year's Service of Hope and Healing at Christmas provides a holy space of stillness and comfort for all those for whom this holiday season carries a sense of grief, loss, or heaviness. Join us for a contemplative liturgy of music, prayer, scripture, and candlelight, as together we lift up the prayers of our hearts to a God who is ever present and ever with us, whatever we may be facing.
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Alternative Gift Giving
Feeling like you, your family, or your friends already have too much abundance? Do you need a gift idea that transcends clutter?
Here is a thoughtful solution for the season: Alternative Gift Giving (AGG)!
This year, the Outreach Committee is focused on Loving Our Neighbors, supporting proven charities with either a direct CGS connection or those dedicated to serving disadvantaged children and families. Visit our Alternative Gift Giving tables which will be set up in the PLC Lobby after both the 8:00 and 10:15 services on December 14 and 21.
For more information and to see the list of charities your generosity will support, or to make a donation online, please read our blog article: Alternative Gift Giving
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Advent 4: Christmas Pageant, December 21 at 10:15 AM
We warmly invite you to experience the joy and wonder
of the Christmas season at our annual pageant. Come celebrate the birth of Christ with us through a heartwarming pageant filled with music, laughter, and the true spirit of the season.
This year's intergenerational Christmas Pageant will take place during the 10:15 AM service on Sunday, December 21.
All ages are invited to participate! It's not too late: PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP, or contact Rev. Imogen or Rev. Justin.
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Volunteer for White Flag Shelter Nights
We need your help this week! Current weather conditions are necessitating a White Flag Alert through Sunday, December 14, and we are urgently looking for more volunteers. The White Flag status, issued by the Wake County Continuum of Care, has officially been declared, meaning The Church of the Good Shepherd will be activated to provide shelter on all of these nights:
- Thursday, December 11
- Friday, December 12
- Saturday, December 13
- Sunday, December 14
New Volunteer Signup Page: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0B4EA8AB2BA3FA7-61038762-white
WHITE FLAG INFO SESSION
On Sunday, December 21, during the 9 AM Adult Formation, we will offer another White Flag Information Session. This is the perfect opportunity for potential volunteers to get a sense of how and why we do this work. If you would like to know more about the Continuum of Care, White Flag Shelters, or our Wake County homeless population, please join us on the 21st.
STEERING COMMITTEE
As you may be aware, the white flag season started earlier and has been far busier than anyone expected. As a result, a number of issues have arisen around logistics, scheduling, and finances. To address these issues, we have created a White Flag Steering Committee. This committee is already hard at work developing protocols, identifying alternative sources of funding, and restructuring our volunteer efforts.
If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback that you would like to communicate to this group, please contact Rev. Justin Gabbard.
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Green Team Impact Tracker
We are excited to launch our new monthly Green Team Impact Tracker, reporting on the success we are achieving through our Battery Recycling and Community Composting initiatives! Every pound we collect or divert is a step toward a healthier environment and safer workplaces.
Here is what we accomplished together as of December 2025:
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Battery Recycling: Since November 12, 2024, we have safely collected and disposed of 313 pounds of used batteries, keeping them out of landfills and protecting recycling workers from fire hazards.
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Community Composting: Since June, 2025 we have diverted 986 pounds of food waste from the landfill, which is now being turned into valuable, nutrient-rich soil!
New to these programs? If you want to know exactly how to drop off your batteries or sign up for the Community Composting Membership, please read our full guide to the initiatives here:
Read the Green Team Program Guide: https://www.cgs-raleigh.org/blog/recycling-and-composting
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The Angel/St. Nicholas Tree is another success!
Isaac and Felipe from the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry (EFWM) came Wednesday, December 10, with a large truck and collected the bags, boxes and bikes for the 80 kids that we sponsored. They are especially grateful this year as they told me "many of the children do not feel welcome now".
Thanks to all of you who participated and shopped; and special thanks to Randy Roberts for helping to check in all the gifts, to Stephen, Val and Amanda Penny who helped load the gifts, and to Jennifer Tlusty for coordinating this meaningful project. Once again, CGS is being "a light this Advent".
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Can You Help with First Night?
Again this year, The Church of the Good Shepherd will serve as a venue during Raleigh's First Night celebration on December 31st. Concerts will take place in the church at 7, 8, 9 & 10 PM. We are hoping for a few parishioners to be on hand during the event to welcome folks to our church. If you are able to help, please email David Baggett. Thank you!
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Sunday, December 14
8 AM
- Holy Eucharist, Rite I
- DOK Healing Prayers
8:30 AM - 12 Noon
- Nursery Care Available (infant-4 yo)
9 AM
- Kid’s Sunday School
- Advent Formation Series: “Making Room to Encounter Christ” in Room 323 (second floor Adult Formation room)
- Bible Study Led by Debbie Moyer in Room 303
10:15 AM
11:30 AM
- Fellowship Time on Sunday, December 14th, will be hosted by the Outreach Committee. Please join us after the 10:15 service for snacks and refreshments. Contact Katie Chimenti for more information.
4:00 PM
- Service of Hope and Healing
5:30-7:30 PM
- EYC (Episcopal Youth Community)
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Sunday’s Adult Formation Class - join us as we welcome Maggie Kane
You are invited to this Sunday’s Adult Formation Class (Room 323 at 9:00 am Sunday ) where we will continue a closer look at people at the Church of the Good Shepherd who are helping us “seek and serve Christ in all persons.” As a downtown church Good Shepherd has a tradition of outreach programs to our neighbors. This is evident in the Beyond Our Doors Monthly Sunday lunches, the Little Free Pantry, the Shepherds Table, Habitat for Humanity, St. Nicolas Tree, Community Resource Guides, White Flag Shelter, ReNew Mobile Showers, our participation in ONE Wake and more!
Come join us this Sunday as we welcome Maggie Kane, founder of A Place at the Table, the first pay-it-forward cafe in this area. It provides breakfast and lunch for our downtown community and is supported by volunteerism and donations. Maggie grew up in this area, attended NCSU, and had a vision and a passion for how she could assist the marginalized in our community. In addition to being an advocate for the poor and the homeless, Maggie is an excellent public speaker as you can experience by watching this TED Talk, Most recently our parish supported A Place at the Table during the recent government shut down, and we are looking at ways to strengthen our relationship with A Place at the Table.
Learn about all of our outreach programs here on the parish website.
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A very warm welcome to the two newest members of CGS's acolyte ministry!
William Scanlon, brother of Noah & Frankie, son of Kevin & Shelley and William's cousin Ella Bray Sharp, daughter of Luke & Kathryn. Both are the grandchildren of Noah & Gail Duncan, who were longtime active and devoted members of Good Shepherd.
William & Ella Bray completed their training (with flying colors!!) on Tuesday afternoon and are excited to serve as torch bearers for the first time this Sunday (12/14). When you see them, please let them know how glad we are to have them join our merry little band.
Yours in Christ,
Caryl
| | | | The Church of the Good Shepherd Prayer List | |
- Catherine and Bob Williams
- JoAnn Kistler and Charles Latimer
- Roy Wright
- Janet Gilliam
- Ralph Sanders
- Pete Taylor
- Martha Bailey
- Janie Ward-Newton
- William Short
- Brinley Harris
- Don Caudill
- Jerry Smith
- Margaret Park
- Lynda Terrell-Rea
- The Rev. Sallie Simpson
- Patricia Harris
- Susie Rahal
- Larry Phearse and Family
- David Lovelace
- Dana Babbs
- Mike Newton-Ward
- Melissa Habel
- Gary Blaettler
- Dennis McKinnie
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- Bob Kochersberger and Family
- Susan and Jane Jackson and Family
- The Mogilski, Bormann, and Dangerfield Families
- The Ellington Family
- The Netherby 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.
And we pray for those who mourn, including the family and friends of Michael Riddle, Al Bass, Smith Lingerfelt, Paul Hoch, The Rev. Janet Watrous, Mary Best, A.B. Swindell, and Peggy Hawks.
In the Diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for The Diocese of North Carolina.
In the Anglican cycle of prayer, we pray for Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil (The Episcopal Church of Brasil)
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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.
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Vision Accomplished Concludes – With A Very Big Thank You!
As 2025 comes to a close, let’s take a moment to reflect on our very successful Vision Accomplished campaign – which concludes at the end of this year. Our gratitude goes to God for the many blessings we have received at The Church of the Good Shepherd, as do our thanks to our amazing parishioners, who answered the call to support of this effort!
When we announced the Vision Accomplished campaign, we set a fundraising goal of $150,000 (commensurate with CGS’s 150th anniversary), to help retire the debt on the Duncan-Giersch Parish Life Center. As you know, we exceeded that goal by nearly $80,000, thanks to the generosity of our congregation. Those additional pledges enabled us to pay off our mortgage early – and provided significant savings in future interest payments. All of the funds received in excess of the amount required to retire the debt are being held in the church’s Trust Fund and designated for upcoming and unbudgeted capital improvements.
Vision Accomplished enabled congregants to fulfill their pledges over a 2-year period, which will close on December 31. We have a few pledges that have not yet been received, so please take a moment to review your status to ensure you are up to date. All pledges received will be used to address the needs of our church.
Once again, thank you, Good Shepherd parishioners – and thanks be to God!
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Planning Your End-of-Year Giving
Some folks have been asking how to ensure end-of-year gifts are properly credited to their 2025 giving contributions, especially since the Parish Office is closed between Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Here are some options for your consideration:
- Make your online contribution by December 31.
- Mail your contribution to the Parish Office (check dated December 31 or earlier & envelope postmarked by December 31).
- Hand-deliver your contribution to the Parish Administrator during Parish Office hours:
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Monday-Thursday, 9 AM - 5 PM (regular office hours thru Tuesday, December 23rd)
- Wednesday, December 24, 9 AM - 1 PM
- Monday, December 29, 9 AM - 1 PM
- Tuesday, December 30, 9 AM - 1 PM
- Place your contribution in the alms basin during worship services on December 24, 25, and 28.
If you are planning to make a stock transfer to the church, please contact Parish Administrator David Baggett (919.831.2018) prior to December 24th for instructions.
If you should have any questions, please contact David Baggett (919.831.2018).
| | | | Altar Flowers from December 7, 2025. Photo by Peter Jezierny. | | If you are looking for meaningful ways to serve the parish, please consider the ministries listed below. The contacts listed can provide more information. | | |
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.
Thank you for reading the Parish News.
Announcements and photos to share with our parish family are always welcome!
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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A Friendly Reminder…
Have you moved? Changed your phone number or email address?
If so, please be sure to contact Parish Administrator David Baggett at david.baggett@cgs-raleigh.org or 919.831.2018). Thank you!
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