Dear Good Shepherd Families,

As we draw near to Easter, I want to highlight our Holy Week offerings for families. Beginning with Palm Sunday, Holy Week is one of the most intense periods of worship and prayer in the Christian calendar, leading up to one of our greatest celebrations at Easter. It can also be a confusing time for young or new church-goers, and Holy days like Maundy Thursday and Good Friday can be hard to understand without some explanation.

Three things stand out to me that I hope are a helpful encouragement to those of you who are on the fence about attending these services, particularly with your family. First, most of our liturgies (worship services) are multi-sensory and participatory. Worship in the Episcopal tradition engages all your senses. We speak and hear the prayers and responses; we stand, sit, and kneel throughout the service; in some services we smell the fragrance of incense; we taste and eat the bread and wine of Holy Eucharist. Because we are hard-wired to learn best when multiple senses are engaged, our worship isn't just something we watch, it's something we do—young and old, alike!

This leads to my second point that participation is key. It is a dim view that suggests that worship is simply "going through the motions." It will always be easier NOT to come to worship, so I believe anyone who walks through the church doors is being led by the Holy Spirit. And if the most you can muster on any given day is just to follow along, I am confident that you have done something important and holy, and that God is working in you. Moreover, this is absolutely true for children and young people whose habits of living are shaped by repetition. Thus, the habit of participation is vitally important for raising young worshipers. It is enough just to show up!

Finally, give yourself permission to show up and not understand everything that's happening. We live in a world obsessed with information and anxious to understand. But God is awesome and mysterious and totally incomprehensible. We can encounter God, but we can never presume to understand God in God's totality. What we can do is enter into the holy mystery of God through prayer, worship, reading the Bible, and walking alongside others who are doing the same. Over time, we do come to know God, but more importantly, we come to love God. And the love of God will shape you and your children much more than information about God can. We can love even when we do not understand.

Through our Early Church worship services we try to meet the young-in-faith where they are on their journeys of faith, giving age appropriate expressions and opportunities for responding to God. As you will see in the announcements below, we are offering Early Church styled services on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday to help you and your children participate with body, mind, and spirit, in the mystery of God as we walk the way of the cross toward Easter. I hope you will join us for these multi-sensory, interactive, and wonder-filled services this Holy Week.

Thursday, March 28, 2024 | 6:15p, Windsor, PLC

This interactive service, designed especially for children and their families, will recount the events of the Last Supper where Jesus celebrated the first Holy Eucharist and washed the feet of his disciples. Using simple language and active participation, this service is perfect for all ages of worshipers.

Friday, March 29, 2024 | 3:00p, Windsor, PLC

Sunday, March 17, 2024 | 12:00p–2:30p, Windsor, Allen Hall

Join us on St. Patrick's Day for a Youth Group Party & Acolyte Training. Follow the rainbow to Allen Hall where we'll start with a brief training to get our acolytes (current and new) ready for the Easter season before we move on to a festive lunch and St. Patrick's Day games to celebrate the day. Register to attend HERE.

Saturday, March 23, Windsor, playground

We need 2,000 eggs! We are accepting donations of nut-free individually wrapped candy and eggs. Please consider ordering online and sending directly to Good Shepherd by Thursday, March 21!

Saturday, March 23 | The Hill, front playground

We need 2,000 eggs! We are accepting donations of nut-free individually wrapped candy and eggs. Please consider ordering online and sending directly to Good Shepherd by Thursday, March 21!

Sunday, May 5 | 10:30a service, Windsor, nave

Each year Good Shepherd honors our graduating high school seniors with a special prayer of blessing and a festive treat on the common following the service. This year we will honor our seniors on Sunday, May 5 in our 10:30a service in the nave. We will also print the names of all graduating seniors who would like to be included in our bulletin on May 5. To help us honor your graduating student and celebrate with your family, please complete this form no later than Sunday, April 28. Contact the Rev. Brin Bon with questions.

June 24–June 28 | Windsor campus

We will follow the story of John the Baptist through a week of music, art, mindfulness, and lots of fun. Shepherd Camp is designed for children in Pre-K (3 years old and potty trained) - 2nd grade. Edge Camp is designed for children in 3rd-5th grade. Shepherd Camp is 9:00a–noon, and we are excited to extend Edge Camp this year from 9:00a–3:00p.*Campers should be registered for the grade level they just completed for the 2023-2024 school year. Registration is now open through May 1 for our favorite week of the year! 

Shepherd + Edge Camp is entirely made possible by volunteers. We need adults and youth to assist throughout the week. Nursery care is available for volunteers with children under 3 years.

Sundays | 10:15a-11:05a*, both campuses

Our Godly Play program is growing! Starting on Sunday, February 18, we opened a new classroom for kids 3 years old (and potty trained) through 5th grade at our Hill campus. During the Lenten season we have been looking at The Faces of Easter, which follows the story of Jesus's life from his birth, to his baptism in the River Jordan, to the Last Supper. We hope your preschool and elementary age kiddo's can join us for this each Sunday.

*Pick kids up during the Peace so they can rejoin you for Holy Eucharist.

PLEASE NOTE: There will be no Godly Play on March 10 (Spring Break) or March 31 (Easter Sunday).

Sundays | 10:15a-11:05a*

Edge Bible Study, Windsor, Edge Room

Middle School Bible Study, Windsor, Youth Corner

Our Edge (3rd-5th grade) and Middle School Bible Studies continue with a four-session unit on Worship where we will explore why we do what we do on Sundays. Come check them out on Sunday morning!

*Students will be let out at the Peace so they can rejoin you for Holy Eucharist.

PLEASE NOTE: There will be no Bible Study on March 10 (Spring Break) or March 31 (Easter Sunday).

Starting on Wednesday, April 10, our Edge Kids and Youth Group will meet at a new time. Edge Kids and Youth Group will still have separate programs, but will meet concurrently beginning with dinner at 5:00p and ending with Compline at 6:30p. If your child hasn't joined us yet this year because of sports or other activities that might be winding down, now is a great time to come check it out! These groups offer the unique opportunity for students to build a faith community for themselves through activities and fellowship that reinforce the message of God's unconditional love for them.

To stay up-to-date on all our activities and to RSVP for our Wednesday meals, please join our Youth Group GroupMe, HERE.

Our final meeting of the school year will be on Wednesday, May 8.