eVOICE for April 16, 2026



GOOD SHEPHERD EPISCOPAL CHURCH



The Third Sunday of Easter

April 19, 2026



We will be celebrating with Transfiguration Church via Zoom at 9:00 am and in-person at Good Shepherd Church at 10:30 am.

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Thank you for attending the Annual Maundy Thursday Bread & Soup Supper on April 2nd, 2026. Approximately 20 of us gathered and shared four delicious soups and a variety of breads. Several bags of non- perishable food items were collected along with monetary donations and gifts to a local grocery store. All food items along with the gift cards as well as previously collected gift cards totaling $355 were delivered to MUM on Tuesday 4/14/2026. Thanks again for your generous support and for living out our Motto: 'Feed My Sheep.' - Florence Walters, Coordinator

Creators and Shoppers: Remember this Sunday is the Creativity Fair. It would probably be wise to bring a shopping bag to put all your treasures in so they’ll get home safe and sound. Bring cash or a check made out to Good Shepherd Episcopal Church with “Creativity Fair” in the note field. Lynn Wood will be the cashier for all the purchases, so the shopper will need to take what they want to purchase to Lynn so she can add up the price tag amounts and then collect the money from the shopper. Thanks to all the creators and shoppers that will make this a fun and hopefully lucrative event.

AIM Candidate Forum, Wednesday, April 22. 6-9 pm, Harvest Intercontinental Church, 16227 Batchellors Forest Rd, Olney.  In October last year, Good Shepherd held its first congregation-wide Listening Session to understand the social concerns of our congregation and community. Many in Good Shepherd spoke very passionately and eloquently about their concerns for housing and the cost of living and the well-being of our immigrant neighbors. We now have the opportunity to act on our concerns. Attend the AIM Candidate Forum where we will ask candidates for County Council and County Executive to support these needs in our community.  For more information contact: Lillian ldohertyuam@gmail.com or Ray raybatt@verizon.net.

Wednesday Bible Study - 11:30am in-person with Deacon Linda Mahler

Telephone prayer meeting every Thursday at 9:15 am. The number to call to join the prayer meeting is 518-318-5354. If you have any questions contact Lynette Clark at 301-357-1726.

Celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month at Coffee Hour on May 3rd. May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month in which we celebrate the diverse cultures, traditions, and vital contributions of AANHPI communities in the US. What began as a week-long celebration in 1979 was expanded to a full month by Congress in 1992. May was selected to commemorate the first Japanese immigrants' arrival (May 7, 1843) and the transcontinental railroad's completion (May 10, 1869). At Good Shepherd, we will mark the beginning of AANHPI Heritage Month with an AANHPI themed coffee hour after services on May 3rd. Come enjoy delicious foods, share in fellowship, and help us kick-off the month-long celebration of the AANHPI community!

Tomato and Basil Plant Sale - Owing to Evergreen School construction we will be doing a "light" version of our annual Plant Sale this year, focusing on tomato plants (15 different varieties) and Joe Burckle's homegrown basil seedlings. The plants will be available outside the narthex immediately following the 10:30 service on Sunday, May 3.  Allen, Shaun, and Joe will be on hand to offer free gardening advice. As always, 100% of the proceeds will benefit Good Shepherd. Cash or checks only, please.

Food Drive - We are accepting non-perishable food donations and work with partner organizations like MUM (Midcounty United Ministries) and Luther Rice to ensure that all food donated to Good Shepherd reaches our neighbors in need. Here's how you can help:

· Bring your food donations to Sunday services and place them in the wooden chests at the rear of the sanctuary

· Drop off food on weekdays when the Office is open (currently Wednesdays and Thursdays)

· Drop off food in the plastic bin outside the narthex entrance any time, even when church is closed

With your help we can continue to respond to the words of Jesus that have become the motto of Good Shepherd: Feed my Sheep.

WARDENS' MESSAGE

At the Annual Meeting we announced that the Vestry has begun the process for discerning a new halftime Rector for Good Shepherd. We are working closely with Canon Anna Olson (our previous Interim Rector) who is now in charge of this process in the Diocese. The Vestry had reached out to Canon Anna in December of last year (she had just been installed as Canon of Faith, Leadership and Collaboration) and we are at a point now that we feel confident we are ready to move forward. It is important to remember that we suspended our rector search in March of 2024 after a financial retreat with the vestry and Canon Andrew Walter of the Diocese (at the time) who did a thorough analysis of our finances. It was determined at that point that we were not in good financial shape to be able to hire and sustain even a halftime rector. With the opening of the Evergreen Montessori School this coming September, an increase in revenue from our newest tenant congregation (Iglesia de Dios Casa de Dios), increased attention to reducing our operating costs and most of all the sustained support from our faithful congregation, our finances are in much better shape as explained at the Annual Meeting (see the Annual Report here). As a result the Finance Committee and the Vestry budgeted for a halftime rector beginning in September and the budget was approved by the vestry at the vestry meeting prior to the Annual Meeting February 18. The budget was presented during the Annual Meeting (see link above). We met with the Rev Thom Sinclair (our prior seminarian!) who is now the Chief Operating Officer in the Diocese and who has given us the GREEN light on our finances!! His analysis assures that we are ready financially to hire a halftime rector!!!

In short, the process is the same as it was when we were first conducting a search two years ago. However, we are not starting from scratch! The Office of Transition Ministry (OTM) profile that the vestry (back then) wrote is still applicable according to Canon Anna. Canon Anna (who, of course, is working closely with Bishop Mariann) knows the clergy who are seeking positions in our Diocese and is our source for candidates. At this point and for obvious reasons the process is confidential (who the candidates are) which has always been the case. Also the vestry has supplanted a 'search committee' as explained 4 years ago so the vestry is responsible for both the search and the selection (subject to approval by the Bishop) of the rector. 

The Wardens and the Vestry will keep you posted as the discernment continues and let us know if you have any questions. Also please keep us and our congregation in your prayers as we move forward!! 

GOOD SHEPHERD EPISCOPAL CHURCH

818 UNIVERSITY BLVD. WEST, SILVER SPRING, MD 20901

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