OCT 9, 2013 Volume 18, No. 19

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1 OCT 9, 2013 Volume 18, No. 19 October 21, 2013 ~1:00 PM BARTLESVILLE WATER TREATMENT PLANT Enjoy dessert and coffee Program -- Director: R J. Jenkins History and tour Hosts: GIL AND CAROLYN FRENCH Hosts: BILL AND VERNA TREPKA NOAH Retirees...Meet in the Church's south parking lot at 12:30 p.m. Carpools will leave at 12:40 to arrive at the Ted Lockin Water Treatment Plant around 1:00 p.m. Dessert and coffee will be served in their conference room. R. J. Jenkins, Water Plant Superintendent, will present a short program on the history of the water plants in Bartlesville followed by a tour of the new facility. Directions for those not carpooling: Go west on Frank Phillips Blvd., turn North on Sunset Blvd. Turn west on Hulah Road. Entrance to water plant is on your left. Need a ride? Contact Tiffany in the church office by Thursday, Oct. 17. Birthdays... page 2 This and That... page 2 Music Notes... page 3 Wonderful Wednesday... page 3 Operation Christmas Child... page 4 Day of Service Photos... page 5 KAIROS Prison Ministry... page 6 Pastor s Pen... page 7 Questions: call Bill or Verna Trepka at PLEASE REMEMBER monetary donations for the CONCERN Child Care Center

2 News of the Congregation, Upcoming Events, Reminders, and Opportunities to Serve Jim Chamblee 10/16 Bev Gisi 10/16 Lisa Soules 10/17 Lisa Roark 10/18 Allison Redding 10/20 Dee Wiens 10/20 Angela Adams 10/23 Maxine Bottenberg 10/25 Harry Brown 10/29 Ron Gisi 10/29 Becca Wiens 10/30 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: Sylvia McFarland celebrating Clayton s birthday Jean Crowley in memory of Ruby Purdum Sonnenfeld Thank you for your faithfulness! Mike Sauter Fund established Several years ago about $5000 was raised at a Mexican fiesta to support missionaries going to Mexico to build houses. Using that resource, a number of individuals were able to participate in our Mexico mission. However, the fund has not been used for the past couple of years because CPC in Piedras Negras closed. Without missionaries going to Mexico the fund would remain unused without the Session s action to re-designate the fund. Recently, the Session did exactly that. In honor of Mike s commitment to the Mexico mission the fund was designated the Mike Sauter Mission Work Trip Scholarship Fund. Along with the original fund amount (which has recovered its original value plus some through the wise management of Texas Presbyterian Foundation), memorial funds given at the time of Mike s death were added to it. Now, the fund stands ready to offer limited financial assistance to anyone attending one of Good Shepherd s mission work trips. If you d like to contribute to the scholarship fund, talk with Tiffany or go online to gspcok.org click the contribute button and designate your gift to the Mike Sauter fund. Please keep in your prayers our fellow Good Shepherd members and their families: Virginia Hottenstein, Maxine Bottenberg, Wanna Brookby, Pam & Monty Davidson, Bob Wahlgren, Bob & Dee Joplin and our GSPC homebound members. Green Country: Harry Brown, Wanda Fickel, Phyllis Harriman, George Rhodes, and Millie Yeats Heritage Villa: Lester Harriman Sterling House South: Marge Corbett Adams Parc - Bev Loffer Opportunity: Public speaking one of your talents? The 10:50 Service of Worship is looking for a Lay Reader to read scripture and giving script the 2nd Sunday each month. All readings are provided for you on large-print cards. Step out of your comfort zone and provide this essential part of the worship experience. NEW CHAIRPERSON FOR BEREAVEMENT COMMITTEE DEB WRICH has agreed to chair the Bereavement Committee starting immediately. Verna Trepka wishes to thank Deb for accepting this position. Verna served on this committee for 17 years and extends appreciation and gratitude to all Good Shepherd members for their help with food, assistance serving meals, plus all the responsibilities in providing the service to family and friends of the deceased. From Marie Millar -- then to Verna Trepka -- and now to Deb Wrich, with God s help, the Bereavement committee will continue to allow family and friends the opportunity to concentrate on the special day set aside for their loved one. Deadline for articles for the next Newsletter is OCT 25, 2013 Fellowsheep at Scott s Pond Friday, October 11 at 6:00 p.m. the Fellowsheep will gather at the Scotts for appetizers and drinks. Everyone is asked to bring their favorite appetizer and beverage. For information call Kim Scott at

3 The session would like to invite everyone to a WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY on Wed., October 16 from 5:45-7:30 pm Adult Christian Conference OCT We ve had men s conferences, and women s conferences; but this one invites ALL. Rob & Dannon Kelley are gathering a group to attend Joyce Meyer Conference in Little Rock, AR. It is not necessary to attend all three days, and the Kelley s are wanting to try a one day trip. The cost of the conference is FREE, except for travel costs. Visit joycemeyer.org for info regarding speakers and topics. Let the Kelley s know if you are interested. This will be a CHURCH POT LUCK (side dishes and desserts) and the meat will be provided by the session. The purpose of this gathering (besides all the yummy food) is to hear various proposals by the session regarding the updating of our Good Shepherd facilities. Wednesday Nights - OCT 23-NOV 13 Some have asked about the congregation gathering on Wednesday nights for a meal and study. Study material is selected but as yet meal preparers have not. Beginning October 23 through November 13 are you interested in organizing the food selection and preparation for Wednesday night? Contact Deb in the church office if you are interested. by Rhonda Cerveny Remember: when you eat at Montana Mike s, save your receipt and give it to Tiffany in the Finance Office. Montana Mike s will donate 5% of your bill back to Good Shepherd. Thanks for your participation. Honduras Mission Trip Oct 19-26, 2013 We have a team of 9 going down on an exploratory mission trip coordinated by the Honduras Outreach International (HOI) organization. We re hoping this will be in line with our desire to serve the poor countries of the world in Christian love, and that we ll be able to gather a larger group in future years. Liz & Joe Sherrock are coordinating the effort. Joining them are: their daughter Allie Redding, her friend Christina O Rielly, as well as Barby Brown, Rob Kelley, Marsh Sauter, Gene Wrich. NAME THAT TUNE Do you have a favorite Christmas carol, or several favorites? How about a favorite hymn from the Presbyterian or other hymnal? Well, now s your chance to let your voice be heard! During the month of October, I d like you take a moment to fill out a response card with the name of your favorite Christmas carols and hymn tunes, then place it in the offering basket. I m looking forward to hearing from you, AND to hearing you sing! Someone in the hospital? Please let us know. The hospital is no longer allowed to advise churches when their members have been admitted. If you are aware of someone who would like to receive a visit from the pastor, please call the church and let us know.

4 Samaritan s Purse - Operation Christmas Child Since 1993, more than 100 million boys and girls in over 130 countries have experienced God s love through the power of simple shoebox gifts from Operation Christmas Child. Samaritan s Purse works with local churches and ministry partners to deliver the gifts and share the lifechanging Good News of Jesus Christ. Christmas, you say? Yes, even though the leaves haven t begun to drop from the trees, Dannon Kelley has begun preparations for this year s project. Shoe boxes are being collected as well as small items to fill the boxes. Drop off date at the church is NOV 10. We are happy to accept your small (unpacked) items, as we will hold a Packing Party with the children s Sunday school class to assemble all donations. Don t have time to shop? No problem. Monetary donations are also accepted, and we will go to Walmart to purchase items to complete our boxes. The parents and children of the Child Development Center are also participating in the event this year, so we look forward to being able to distribute a great number of boxes. For recommendations on items to include, see How to Pack a Box on right Thank you, Dannon for coordinating this effort again this year. Operation Christmas Child HOW TO PACK A BOX SCHOOL SUPPLIES: Pens, pencils and sharpeners, crayons or markers, stamps and ink pad sets, writing pads or paper, solar calculators, coloring and picture books, etc. TOYS: Small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yos, jump ropes, small Etch A Sketch, toys that light up or make noise (with extra batteries), Slinky, etc. HYGIENE ITEMS: Toothbrush, toothpaste, mild bar soap (in a plastic bag), comb, washcloth, etc. OTHER: T-shirts, socks, ball caps, sunglasses, hair clips, toy jewelry, watches, flashlights (with extra batteries) A PERSONAL NOTE: You may enclose a note to the child and a photo of yourself or your family. (If you include your name and address, the child may write back.) DO NOT INCLUDE: Used or damaged items; warrelated items such as toy guns, knives or military figures; chocolate or food; out- of-date candy; liquids or lotions; medications or vitamins; breakable items such as snowglobes or glass containers; aerosol cans. Look for Operation Christmas Child bulletin inserts in coming weeks.

5 ENDING HUNGER ONE STEP AT A TIME Join CONCERN in a fight against hunger locally and world-wide. Take part in this year s CROP WALK SUN, OCT 13, 2:00-3:30 pm. Walkers are encouraged to obtain sponsors, and collect pantry items to be donated to CONCERN. Monetary donations are also appreciated. Entry forms are available on the credenza outside of Fellowship Hall. Contact Paul Crawford for more information. Mission Possible - Haiti Mission October 8-14 Pray for the continued construction of the Ebenezer Creole church in Dominican Republic. The church is still currently meeting in a building much too small for the congregation. The church members (mostly poor people) are giving the funds to build their own church. Pray they will continue to grow, even as they wait for the completion of their new building. October School has begun in Haiti this month. Pray for the teachers, students and the students families to be committed to the school year and to working hard. Pray for each Mission Possible employee to keep the Great Commission in their hearts and to work as unto the Lord. Thank you for your participation!

6 IT S THAT KAIROS* AGAIN! PRISON MINISTRY YOUR PRAYERS AND COOKIES ARE NEEDED The next Kairos* four-day weekend at Dick Conner Correctional Center, Hominy, is November Fortytwo inmates of that 1,000 prisoner facility will be introduced to the Kairos* Christian ministry experience and we pray that it will be truly God s special time, a Kairos* of spiritual rebirth or renewal for these brothers of ours who are incarcerated. It s a lot like a Cursillo weekend, including excellent home style meals brought in by Kairos volunteers. It has been over 5 years since Kairos has been allowed to conduct a 4-Day weekend at Dick Conner. The ministry has continued during most of the time these five years with weekly Thursday night sessions of prayer, praise, scripture reading and small group sharing with previous Kairos graduates in the prison as well as monthly Saturday morning reunions. COOKIE bakers are invited to support this ministry by providing homemade cookies, a very rare treat for men in prison. COOKIES must be oatmeal, chocolate chip, or peanut butter and must contain no nuts, raisins, sugar sprinkles, icings, or other additives or coatings. Suggested recipes are available from Deborah in the church office or may be sent as an attachment. Please take COOKIES to the church kitchen by noon, Wednesday, November 6, and mark the boxes with Kairos*, your name, and the type and approximate number of COOKIES. Prisoners will not see these boxes. We repackage them according to Department of Corrections requirements. Please layer completely cooled cookies in boxes with layers interleaved with wax paper. No individually wrapped cookies or bags or sacks of any kind, please. We need about 4,000 dozens cookies! So, if you want to get started early, you could freeze them. If you deliver them to the church kitchen counter frozen on November 6, they will be perfectly thawed in time for our repackaging operation in Hominy on Thursday, Nov. 7. Individuals in adult classes and other groups will be given an opportunity to sign up (first names only) for the PRAYER CHAIN which becomes a wall display showing the prisoners that they are being PRAYED by a wide community of Christians everyday during their Kairos* weekend. Prayer diplomats (warriors welcome too) make the following commitment for 1 or more of the 4 days: I will PRAY in my own way at some time during the day to lift up the prisoners, the volunteers, and the prison staff to God for guidance, care, strength, new openings of hearts, and for the movement of the Holy Spirit for a lifechanging experience of Christian love and renewed faith and hope in God. Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church also supports the Kairos* prison ministry with a mission budget allocation each year. Anyone wishing to SUPPORT the ministry with additional money may send a check to Kairos, Inc., Oklahoma District, Memo line: Dick Conner Kairos, c/o David Calvin, 1629 S. Beech Ave., Broken Arrow, OK $ will sponsor one prisoner to a 4-day weekend, but any amount is welcome and needed. Thank you! -Jim Chamblee, coordinator * KAIROS is not an acronym! Kairos is that New Testament Greek word for time which has a different connotation from Chronos, that other Greek word for time. You read Chronos on your watch or calendar. Kairos is the more natural, less mechanical kind of time, like harvest or gestation, or like the fullness of time when the Messiah comes into the world or into the life of someone in prison, or someone in a prison of her own making!

7 Where is God present for you? Where is God showing up in your life? That s a question I ve been asking in worship as we prepare for our time of prayer each week. It is a question that is greeted by many with frightened stares not unlike a deer in the headlights. Others fidget in their seats realizing that once again they ve gone through a week without catching a glimpse of God. The point of the weekly question is really two fold. First, is an attempt to highlight the relational nature of our faith in God through Jesus Christ. In the last article I suggested to you that this personal relationship is fueled through conversation which we call prayer and personal experiences which we call ministry and mission. If we are not engaged in the relationship in these ways, then we are prone to have our connection to God become distant and general. An indicator that our relationship may be drifting toward the formal and less relational is that we are aware of God only in the pleasant weather, or a beautiful sunset. The second purpose of asking the question is to highlight the essential connectional nature of the Church. There are numerous metaphors used to describe the relationship of the church, and local congregation to Christ ie: the servant to her Lord, or the Bride to the Groom, or the body to the head. Jesus described it various ways, but in the Gospel of John he said, XX. I have some potato vines at my house. The vines are robust and so need frequent pruning. I ve noticed that cut off lying on the lawn they look good for a while but after a few hours they begin to wilt. Jesus said to stay vital we have to be connected. God leads us to what he wants us to do so that his purpose for us can be achieved. The other thing Jesus said to his disciples was that they would do greater things than he did. Jesus did not, I think, mean we would perform larger more spectacular miracles. But I think he did mean we would perform miracles, the greatest of all being midwife to the birth of a God consciousness within men and women. When we ask the question, Where is God showing up? we are asking the question corporately where is the life of Jesus Christ flowing through us into the world to the end that lives are being transformed by God. Second, we ask the question to illumine the path. How does God direct the church? God directs the Body of Christ by acting in our midst. By showing up in this way, God leads us to what he wants us to do so that his purpose for us can be achieved. Discovering that purpose is important. God has assembled each congregation, with a unique constellation of individuals, so that they can achieve his purpose for them. So if the Lord of the Church would direct us we need to know in which direction to go. Knowing where he is active and leading us is the first step in discerning that direction, the first step in discovering the unique purpose for which he has designed us and the first step at becoming effective in building Christ s kingdom. Where is God showing up in your life? It is an important question because in its answer lay indictors of your connection to Jesus Christ and our next steps together as the people of God. 72 to Connect So close and yet so far, that s the way our lives are in many ways. We know the names of those in our exercise class but not much more. We say hi to the same people in our service club each week but don t know the name of the spouse or children. We see the car go in the garage at the neighbor s house but don t know much about the people who live there. But, we believe as Christians that these people are in our lives not by accident but by purpose. What if God had a reason for you and that other person to be in proximity to each other? 72 to Connect hours for you to connect with someone you know, but don t know very well November , You might invite someone to share a cup of coffee, you might invite some to lunch, or you might throw a block party. Whatever you choose to do the point of getting to know these people is not to convert them, not to pass out religious literature, not even to bring them to church or make them church members. The purpose of 72 to Connect is just to get to know someone God has brought into your life s circle so that God might show you what he has for you, and how you might be part of what he desires to do in that relationship. 72 to Connect --- only God knows the possibilities!

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 9:15 am -2:45 pm Preschool & PDO 6:30-7:30 pm Zumba 6:30 pm (1st Monday) Prayer Team Meeting Tuesday 8:00-9:00 am Men s Hopestone Coffee Hour 9:15 am -2:45 pm PDO Wednesday 7:00 am Morning Prayer Group 9:15 am -2:45 pm Preschool & PDO 6:00-7:00 pm Heritage Ringer Bells Practice 7:00 pm Choir Practice Thursday 9:15 am -2:45 pm PDO 1:00 pm Ladies Small Group 6:30-7:30 pm Zumba Friday 9:15-11:45 am PDO THU OCT 10 9:30 am CDC Chapel OCT Joyce Meyer Conference FRI OCT pm CDC PNO FRI OCT 11 6:00 pm Fellowsheep at Rev. Scott s SAT OCT 12 Margaret Boesiger - recital SUN OCT 13 11:50 am Elder Ordination SUN OCT 13 2:00 p m Crop Walk for CONCERN WED OCT 16 5:45 am Wonderful Wednesday OCT Fall Break OCT Honduras Mission Trip MON OCT 21 12:30 pm NOAH Retirees to Water Plant MON OCT 28 7:00 pm Session Meeting TUE OCT 29 10am-2pm GSPC Staff Agape THU OCT 31 Halloween