Christmas Pageant. Not Just Children! A children s. SUN, DEC 2 12:00 Noon Fellowship Hall. November 28, 2012 Volume 17, No. 22

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1 November 28, 2012 Volume 17, No. 22 Not Just Children! A children s Christmas Pageant SUN, DEC 2 12:00 Noon Fellowship Hall BETTER than any that went before, our children s Sunday School coordinator, Terra Turner, Angelyn Holmes, Heather Cutts, and Good Shepherd s children proudly present a traditional Christmas Pageant. The angels, the sheep, the wise men, the inn keeper, Mary, Joseph, and of course the baby Jesus will remind us of the true meaning of the season. Young and old alike will want to join us in Fellowship Hall to carry on this beautiful holiday tradition. New memories are sure to be made! All are welcome, cameras are encouraged. Lunch* is included in this lovely event to usher in the Christmas season. Birthdays... page 2 This and That... page 3 NOAH Retirees... page 3 Music Notes... page 5 Pastor s Pen... page 7 The prophets of the Old Testament foretold of the coming of Jesus. Join us each week during this Advent season as Rev. Dale Scott brings a message of their hope and our salvation: Jesus the bride groom, the healer, the King, the one true God of wonders, the Light of the World.

2 December Sue McClain 12/07 Beth Hessling 12/08 Rob Steinhart 12/08 Linda Johnson 12/08 Ron Glenn 12/08 Tim Hudson 12/10 Gary Hoover 12/10 Kim Scott 12/10 Blaine Janzen 12/13 Bailey Rascoe 12/14 Gayle Fish 12/15 Thank You! College Goodie boxes were mailed on Tuesday, Nov. 13. Thanks to everyone who donated treats for our college students. Also, thanks to Gayle Fish and Jan McCracken for helping to pack and ship the boxes. We had 18 in all...eight boys and ten girls! They should receive them before Thanksgiving break. -Heather Cutts Thank you to the following Santa s helpers for decking our halls for Christmas: Ken Ellis, Gayle Fish, Tim Hudson, Kathy Jones, Mike Roark, Marsha Sauter, Lisa Soules, Clint White & Mindy, Peggy White, and Good Shepherd Staff: Dale, Karen, Sue Ann, Tiffany and Deb THANK YOU The Endowment Committee wishes to thank all church members that have participated in the Endowment Fund Birthday Program so far this year. The Birthday Program is a great way to build the Endowment fund. Just donate your age in dollars in your birthday month to help this fund grow. Happy Birthday! ENDOWMENT FUND Contributions to the Endowment Fund were made by the following: Sue McClain, Rusty Cutts, Louise Yeats and Lloyd & Becky Cullison (in celebration of birthdays) and Dick & Ruby Sonnenfeld in memory of Pete Porter and Libby Leonard THANK YOU FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS! Helping Hands Ministry If you have simple needs at your home that can be addressed by a strong arm, a ladder-capable volunteer, or even a semi skilled crafts man, we re here to help. List your need on your Sunday response card or phone Deb at Once your request is received, it will be forwarded to one of the ministry team members who will phone you to get a better idea of the need, and how best to meet it. If you re interested in being one of God s helping hands, please let us know your area of expertise. The parents of Mikey Glenn invite our church members to Mikey s Eagle Scout Ceremony on Saturday, December 8 th, at 3:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. After the ceremony there will be a reception and a lighting of the first fire in Mikey s outdoor fireplace which was his Eagle project. Weather permitting hotdogs and marsh mallows will be cooked there.

3 MONDAY, DECEMBER 17 1:00 pm Christmas with the Ad Lib Singers Hosts: Jim & Mary Lou Chamblee and Barbara Hoffman RETIREES News of the Congregation, Upcoming Events, Reminders, and Opportunities to Serve Please keep in your prayers our fellow Good Shepherd members and their families: Deb Wrich, Verna Trepka, Monte & Pam Davidson, Bob Joplin, and our GSPC homebound members. New Addresses: George Rhodes, 1025 S Swan Dr #415, Bartlesville OK Libby & Dick Leonard, 5480 Marengo Ave, #G266, LaMesa CA Green Country: Harry Brown, Wanda Fickel, Virginia Hottenstein, George Rhodes, and Millie Yeats Heritage Villa: Phyllis Harriman Sterling House South: Marge Corbett Watch your Sunday bulletins for our Spotlight on Ministry. Each week we ll announce one of our very special members. It could be YOU. Questions: Call Verna Trepka, Deadline for articles for the next Newsletter is Dec. 6. PLEASE REMEMBER FINANCIAL DONATIONS FOR CONCERN S EARLY LEARNING CENTER Good Shepherd has been involved in the Agape Mission since Over the years our participation has grown to include serving every Tuesday and the second Saturday of the month. The Tuesday group is looking for more willing hands to help feed Bartlesville s hungry. If you would like to participate on a regular or periodic basis contact Gene Wrich. The GSPC staff has joined with the Agape team! We have committed to working each5th Tuesday during Kathy Jones invites everyone to her SATURDAY DECEMBER 22-6:00PM 2408 Chapel Hill Court - Bartlesville A G A P E M I S S I O N feeding the hungry of the Bartlesville area

4 Let Us Pray GSPC PRAYER MINISTRY The various GSPC Prayer Ministry opportunities are listed below. If you are interested in volunteering with any of these - Contact Marsha Sauter marsha3tims@aol.com or GSPC Prayer Team - Meets the 1st Mon. of each month 7pm Room 114. GSPC Weekly - (Purple Prayer Page) GSPC 5 - Volunteers daily lift 5 GSPC families asking God's Blessings to be upon them. your church family! GSPC Facility Prayees- The Church facility is divided into 10 areas. Volunteers specifically pray in/for an area each month. They pray for the people using these areas and the various activities/events that they provide. Each month their area changes. Women s Christmas Ornament Exchange The following are Prayer Ministries for ALL GSPC members : GSPC "Before and After" - praying for the GSPC family name before and after yours in the church directory. GSPC Worship - At your service of worship - lift in prayer the worshipper(s) sitting right in front of you. PRAY for them whether you know them or not! Prayer - is talking with our God - sharing our joys, fears, problems, ANYTHING with our Creator. There is no right or wrong way. Developing any relationship requires communication. Pray anywhere any time any length of time! Fall is here and Christmas is right around the corner. The annual Good Shepherd Christmas Ornament Exchange is one of the most popular events of the season! Visiting with all our friends and exchanging recipes is now a tradition. The ladies of Good Shepherd will be getting together for the Ornament Exchange on Sunday, December 16 at 3:00 pm. Please bring an ornament for dirty Santa and a dozen cookies for the cookie exchange. You re welcome to bring a friend; the more the merrier! If you have any questions please call Heather Cutts at We ve had such a great time in the past, I hope you all can be there! Christmas at Dwight December 6th, 7th, 8th If you ve never been to Dwight, or haven t been for a while, this is a great event to get you out: with a meal, a living nativity, a hayride, and cookie and ornament decorating. The entire Mission will be decorated with lights from the buildings to the "Living" tree. Spend the night there if you so desire. Wonderful way to give back to the area as well. Some are going from Bartlesville to help with the preparations for this event. Anyone is welcomed to be a part of that as well. For further info contact either Marsha Sauter or Joyce Golding(1st Presb) or golding1@cableone.net Come to Dwight Mission and have some fun! 20 YEAR TIME CAPSULE The Endowment Committee would like to invite all of GSPC Congregation to prepare notes, predictions, pictures, etc. for the Time Capsule and turn into Deb Davis by Dec. 9, These items would need to relatively flat. Yes, we would welcome small contributions to the Endowment Fund at the time you turn in your items for the Time Capsule. Current plans are to GSPC 2012 have some type of contest in conjunction with the opening in The Contest Plans will follow at some later date. Samaritan Purse Operation Christmas Child Where in the world are our boxes? Dannon Kelley spearheaded our Operation Christmas Child once again this season. This year we assembled 23 boxes at Good Shepherd, and excess financial gifts were given to fund boxes to be assembled by Samaritan s Purse. In total we took responsibility for getting 30 boxes to children around the world. Our boxes are being tracked and we hope after Christmas to know where in the world all of the Good Shepherd boxes ended up.

5 by Ashlee Elmore Choir Workshop has been moved to MONDAY December 3 from 5:15-6:15 Where Is Baby Jesus? Ah I love this time of year. A chill in the air, gathering of friends and family, and decorating for Christmas. Wonderful memories fill my heart of decorating the tree as Christmas music played in the background. My most cherished tradition is that of putting up the nativity, as my family and I have an ongoing game. My crèche is a simple one of tiny glass figurines which I carefully arrange atop a mirror. One by one I place them, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the wise men, the angels, sheep, camels, all radiating out from a central, empty manger. During their early years my children would ask, But, where is the baby Jesus? I would explain, He isn t there yet. He isn t born until Christmas day. As the days of Advent passed by, we would check and see if the baby Jesus had come, until finally on Christmas morning we would lay the baby in the manger to complete the set. (Yes, I know technically the angels and the shepherds and the wise men weren t on the scene yet either.) Year after year we ve delighted in having company over for the holidays because inevitably someone will ask, But where is the baby Jesus? Praise God. He is with us always. Have a blessed Christmas season! Deb Davis MONDAY, DECEMBER 24TH C H R I S T M A S E V E Catered Dinner 6:00 pm $13.00 Adults $6.50 Children 6-12 yrs Children 5 and under Free Call the Church Office by December 14th to make your reservations 7:30 pm Candlelight Service Childcare will be provided for the evening Please Help Us Remember Each year Good Shepherd sends out remembrance poinsettia s. These are delivered by a special group of volunteers to those in the church who have suffered the loss or a loved one, illness, surgery, or are homebound. If you know of someone who should receive one of these plants, please call the office or write their name down on the response card next Sunday. ALSO, let us know if you want to be one of the kindhearted people who deliver these gifts.

6 Sanctuary Poinsettias Don t forget to order your poinsettia in honor or memory of a loved one or friend. You may clip out the forms below, find on in your Sunday Bulletin, or call Deborah at the office to fill one out for you Christmas Poinsettia Order Form Name: In Memory of: OR In Honor of: OR In celebration of the season, we will have beautiful poinsettia plants adorning our church. You are invited to purchase one in memory of or in honor of a loved one, or in celebration of a specific milestone. Be a part of this wonderful, Good Shepherd tradition. Other: Number of poinsettia s ordering: Cost is $16.50 each Total Amount $ Please include payment with this completed order form. Plan to pick up your poinsettia after the Christmas Eve Service December 24th, or on Sunday, Dec. 30th. Deadline for ordering poinsettias is Sunday, December 9th

7 The story of former General Electric chairman Jack Welch is nearly legendary. As part of his acrimonious divorce proceedings, his retirement package from GE became public. What was revealed was a remarkable assortment of luxurious lifestyle "perks" that made headlines. "During an appearance at a public forum, Welch was asked what he had learned from a brush with death: Had he had an epiphany during his heart surgery? His answer: 'I learned I didn't spend enough money.' When pressed they thought he was joking he added that, after his bypass surgery, he vowed never again to drink wine that cost less than one hundred dollars a bottle-and he was completely serious. In ancient times the Epicureans had such an understanding of the world; the purpose of being alive was to consume the best and enjoy the moment. In many ways we are no different. Our materialistic worldviews have choked out the oxygen of purpose for life. In light of the rampant materialism of these days is it any wonder that, for many of us, chance does govern our lives and some conclude that we are simply products of impersonal forces. If that's the case, it makes sense to do all you can to maximize your material enjoyment. Whether it's drinking the best wine, eating the best food, flying in a private jet, or getting that trophy vacation, it makes no sense not to spend more money if this life is all there is and this wealth all there is. And that is a bankrupt, and ultimately hopeless way to live. What you and I know is that chance doesn't govern the universe and that there's much more to our existence than this transitory life. Because we believe that life is infused with a purpose born of God, we need never lack a reason for getting up and getting on with life. Life is not all about you, life is all about God and, until you and I understand that, life is just a series of random events. But if we knowing that, you and I can get up every day excited that God has something for us in the day and away to make a difference in the lives of others. Christmas is all about that. God chose to make a difference, eternally, in our lives by living among us. Now, Life is not all about you, living through us, he seeks to make a difference in the lives life is all about God. of those individuals we come in contact with each day. If there is peace, and joy, and hope and love this Christmas it won t be because of the lavish gifts we give. It will be because we understand the purpose of life and the purpose of the lives we live every day.. CONCERN SUNDAY is DEC 2 END OF YEAR GIVING Good Shepherd s expenses are running a bit ahead of our giving as we approach the end of the year. It s an important time to consider how you are doing at returning a portion of God s blessings for his work. Please pray about how you may help meet our mission and routine expenses so that we are able to keep our commitments. Please drop items to in the designated box or shopping cart. to help the less fortunate in our area. Paper goods, non-perishable food items, and monetary donations are always appreciated. Current needs: Boxed stuffing mix cornbread mix, and canned fruit. Good Shepherd s contact for CONCERN is Paul Crawford.

8 (USPS ) Periodical Postage paid at Bartlesville OK Return Service Requested CONTACT US Church Offices Fax Sunday 8:30 am Early Worship Parlor 9:30 10:30 am Continental Breakfast 9:30 am Connections Worship Fellowship Hall 9:30 10:30 am Adult and Children s Sunday School 10:50 Noon Traditional Worship Sanctuary Monday 9:00 am Monday Morning Bible Study 9:15 am -2:45 pm Preschool & PDO 5:30 pm Bartlesville Children s Choir 6:30-7:30 pm Zumba 6:30 pm (1st Monday) Prayer Team Meeting Tuesday 9:15 am -2:45 pm PDO Wednesday 7:00 am Morning Prayer Group 9:15 am -2:45 pm Preschool & PDO 6:00 pm Youth Group 6:00-7:30 pm Fun Flock Small Group Thursday 9:15 am -2:45 pm PDO 6:30-7:30 pm Zumba Friday 9:15-11:45 am PDO SUN DEC 2 12:00 noon Christmas Pageant & Lunch MON DEC 3 5:15 pm Choir Workshop THU DEC 6 Articles Due FRI DEC pm CDC - Parent Night Out SAT DEC 8 3:00 pm Mikey Glenn Eagle Ceremony SUN DEC 9 10:50 am Communion MON DEC 10 9:30 am CDC Chapel MON DEC 10 7:00 pm Session WED DEC 12 10:00 am Newsletter Mailed SAT DEC 15 9:00 am Boesiger - Piano Recital SAT DEC 15 2:00 pm H. Welch - Piano Recital SUN DEC 16 9:30 am Communion SUN DEC 16 3:00 pm Ladies Ornament Exchange MON DEC 17 1:00 pm NOAH Retirees Christmas