Retirees. Honduras Mission. SEPT 10, 2014 Volume 19, No. 17

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1 SEPT 10, 2014 Volume 19, No. 17 Retirees Join us for Subway sandwiches as Joe & Liz Sherrock give a presentation on the Honduras Mission. Birthdays... page 2 This and That... page 2 By Still Waters... page 3 Day of Service... page 4 Columbarium Progress... page 5 In Session... page 6 Pastor s Pen... page 7 Please note regular CONCERN financial gifts for this month will go to Honduras to help feed the children there. Need a Ride? Gene Wrich has graciously volunteered to pick up and drop off any retirees needing a ride. If you would like to accept his offer, please call the church office by Thursday before the event. Contact Verna Trepka for more information.

2 News of the Congregation, Upcoming Events, Reminders, and Opportunities to Serve Dannon Kelley 09/04 Jo Muninger 09/04 Mike Glenn 09/07 Verna Trepka 09/07 Marjorie Corbett 09/09 Dwight Boesiger 09/13 Tim Johnson 09/17 Jeremy Welch 09/27 Contributions to the ENDOWMENT FUND were made by: Marie Millar in memory of Jean Boyd Thank you for your faithfulness! Please keep in your prayers our fellow Good Shepherd members and their families: Verna Trepka, John Favre, Dan & Joyce Cargill, Bob Wahlgren, and our GSPC homebound members. JPMC - Rm. 583: Joyce Cargill Green Country: Harry Brown, Phyllis Harriman, and Millie Yeats Sterling House South: Marge Corbett, and Mel & Virginia Shutt Sterling House North: Dee Joplin Adams ParC: Betty Jones Deadline for articles for the next Newsletter is Sep. 19th. 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! Wonderful Wednesday Nights We changed our Wednesday night s meal and programs based on feedback we received in the fall of Now, it s time to review how we did and plan ahead. If you d like to be part of the task force meet in the Pastor s study following the 10:50 service of worship Sunday, September 21. 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. Thank You! My Dear Good Shepherd Family, Bill and I want to express our appreciation for all the prayers, the beautiful get well cards some including meaningful bible passages personally hand written; some of the most delicious meals provided to keep us strong. Our church family has been tremendous. We thank each and every one of you for your special care. Bill and Verna Trepka GSPC Choir serenades the Trepka s Arlen Weins put on his sneaky thinking hat and made arrangements for he and Dee to come visit us in our home last evening. As we were visiting, there was a commotion at the front door. About 10 choir members enter and begin singing a hymn. They stopped singing long enough to say they are here to serenade us and hopefully make us feel better. What a delight it was to have them sing in harmony six beautiful hymns. The conversation was lively, loving and caring. Bill and I wish to thank the choir members for taking the time from their busy days to share with us. Bill and Verna

3 Purchase tickets in the finance office for Minute by Minute On a December Saturday, in Colby, Kansas, Connie takes a few minutes to enjoy the snow sparkling in sunlight from her kitchen window. It is a magical moment of beauty in the midst of a very long year in which her husband has fought cancer. The next day he is in the hospital, entering the last battle of his life. In Las Vegas, Nevada, Phyllis gives thanks as she returns home from a rehab center after complications from gall bladder surgery. True, she is sick and tired of being sick and tired from serious infections. But she sends a thank you to her many friends who have been praying for her during this latest siege of ill health. In eastern Colorado, Nancy wakes to another day on the horse ranch. She takes joy in her life with her husband. His job takes him to the city each day, and she stays at home tending horses, taking in stray kittens, baking bread, watching the glorious sunrises and sunsets of the Great Plains and caring for their adult son who is deaf and blind. I doubt that Connie has thanked God for her husband s cancer or Phyllis for her series of illnesses or Nancy for her son s profound disabilities. I m quite sure each has prayed fervently many times for healing. Though they do not know each other, the tie that binds them together is this: the ability to see God in the little things even when all the big things seem to be going wrong. There is much we do not understand and, sometimes, little we can do. But in our powerlessness is God s presence, giving grace that sustains us minute by minute and overflows in hearts attuned to His love. SEPTEMBER 27, 2014 Important dates to remember: SEP 23 Deadline for purchasing tickets SEP 25 Deadline for donations to the silent auction This event is open to EVERYONE. Remember it is a fundraiser for the Building Refurbishing Fund. Invite your non-gspc friends and family. Contact Margaret Boesiger for further info. Please refer to insert page for more details and for partial list of donated items. Remember 100% of the ticket price is tax deductible. Ministry to Support Marriage Of all of the things that might be done to help children in our world today, creating stable homes is certainly among the top suggestions. One strategy to assist in that is the support of marriages. Keeping Mom s and Dad s together is a way to strengthen the home and strong homes are a key component in developing strong, capable children. So, what would it be like to once or twice a year gather married couples together for encouragement? There are plenty of resources and no lack of things to do. But we need doers. Interested? Talk to Reverend Scott about how we might take one small step toward creating a supportive environment for Christian marriage. Slots are filling nicely, but we ve still got space for a few more teams to enter. Entry fee includes an awards banquet meal following the round. To sign up contact Carl Holmes at Remember: this is a fund raiser for the Building Refurbishing Fund. Competition is friendly; not fierce!

4 Love God? Love People? Prove it! Serve on Oct 5. We re looking forward to this year s Day of Service. This is the one Sunday each year when regular Worship Services are suspended in order to go out into the community and show God s love in a practical way. The Endowment Committee has once again agreed to proved a breakfast for all before we head to our projects. Agape / Rori Roark we ll serve a Sunday meal for the local hungry who would otherwise not have a Sunday meal. Two shifts (10-12 and 12-2) are planned, you may sign up to work one or both. JP Hospital Fresh Start baskets / Denise Gregg 70% of the births at Jane Phillips return home to families who are on some form of public assistance. Our care items help them start out with the basic hygiene items. A pre-sort team is needed Thur., Sept. 25 from 6:00-8:00 pm. You may sign up for the pre-sort, or for the Sunday packaging and delivery (or both). NEEDED before the Day of Service! The project leaders are asking the congregation for the following: If you know of someone in ACTIVE military service, please give us their name and address so we may send a care package. Baby items: 3-pk onesies, sleep & play outfits, dresses or pant sets, 3-pk socks, hats, and bibs. Note: you do not need to sign up for these projects to donate to them. NEEDED on the Day of Service! We would like photographs taken at each event capturing our members in the act of serving. Electronic format is preferred; photos taken with mobile phones are fine. Kids Against Hunger / JB Minor assembling packets of boil-ready food for Bartlesville s hungry. This year we hope to make 6,000 meals. Concern is prepared to use these packets in their pantry distribution. We need at least 20 people (two lines of 10 each), plus extras who will rotate into the line to relieve folks as necessary. Children may participate; adults asked to be patient. Military Care Boxes/ Mike Roark boxes will be sent to current Military personnel. Be sure your service man or woman is in the distribution give their mailing information to Deb in the Church office. Path Finder Parkway/ Angelyn Holmes clean-up efforts on the parkway to eliminate trash and debris. Children encouraged to participate. Sooner Park Walkway / Rusty Cutts - clean up and pour concrete to repair stone walkway. New project this year. The city will provide materials needed; we supply the labor. The Endowment Committee invite all participants to enjoy breakfast at 9:00 am. before heading out to the projects.

5 Mothers of Pre-Schoolers Mothers of Pre-Schoolers (MOPS) is a national program that seeks to provide a ministry to Moms of young children. The format of the ministry is relatively simple, usually an hour a week the group meets for support and encouragement by gathering around the scriptures and concluding with prayer. This nationwide ministry comes with extensive step by step resources. We have a population of young moms here at Good Shepherd each morning. Have you considered passing along some mom wisdom along with spiritual support to moms just starting out? Contact Dale Scott for more information. Over the next few issues we ll run these articles on the Basic Beliefs of Good Shepherd. Answers to 10 Commonly Asked Questions? Good Shepherd Basic Beliefs Columbarium moves steadily ahead Good Shepherd s Columbarium and Memorial garden is taking shape just outside the Parlor windows. The Columbarium structure itself was delivered a couple of weeks ago and now the encasing of that structure in brick and building of brick screens around the HVAC equipment is actively taking place. Once the masons complete their work, walks will be added and finally the gardens will be established. You can ensure that a member of Good Shepherd is remembered by placing their name on the black granite Memorial Wall. You can also reserve your niche by contacting the Church Office. Pre and post-construction prices are: Pre Post Small Niche with single cremains $1600 $1800 Small Niche shared - w/2 cremains $2100 $2300 Large Niche with single cremains $1900 $2100 Large Niche shared - w/2 cremains $2600 $2800 The Memorial Wing price $ through January 1st, After that date $ Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless life and offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of every person by dying on the cross. He arose from the dead on the third day to demonstrate his power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven and will return one day to reign. On that day every person will acknowledge Jesus as Savior and Lord. Matthew 1:22-23, Isaiah 9:6, John 1:1-5;14:10-30, Hebrews 4:14-15, I Corinthians 15:3-4, Romans 1:3-4, Acts 1:9-11, I Timothy 6:14-15, Titus 2:13 Each Friday, and occasionally during the week, we send an Blast advising upcoming events at the church. Make sure we have a current address so you ll be included in this mailing. Remember: when you eat at Montana Mike s, save your receipt and give it to Vicki in the Finance Office. Montana Mike s will donate 5% of your bill back to Good Shepherd. Thanks for your participation. T I l a I s y a p s I l w l

6 Fall Get-Together.Taste of Fall Kim and Dale s house October 3-6:30 pm David Soules and Gene Wrich will serve as sommeliers for the wine tasting portion of the entertainment. Please bring a bottle and appetizer to share. By Angelyn Holmes On my way home the other day I was feeling disappointed in myself, inadequate in my ability, and struggling with my lack of knowledge on how to handle a certain situation. I had a problem, a big problem, and I didn t know what to do. I felt I had really let someone I loved down and I was trying to figure out what to do. I wondered where I could get some great information, what book I could check out at the library that could teach me what I needed to know, what website I could go to or what expert I could talk to. This mind exercise went on for my entire 40 minute drive home. It was tiring and emotionally exhausting and I no more had an answer when I pulled into my driveway than I did when I left campus. I got out of my car, went to the back of the car to get a bag from the trunk, opened the trunk and what I saw took my breath away. It was a beautiful, wooden, decorated cross with the word FAITH written on it. There in my very own trunk was the answer..faith is the answer.god is the answer..faith IN GOD.is the answer any time, any place, any problem. Why I had accidentally forgotten one of my crosses in the trunk, no one will ever know. Carl and I have been making crosses (he cuts the wood and I do the painting, writing, and glittering) for a while now. It is just fun to do and we enjoy it. I never thought that I could have my breath taken away by one of our simple little crosses. That day, when I needed HIM most, He showed up and gave me the answer: FAITH! GSPC!! My Life!! My Church!! We will get THERE from HERE!! Mission Possible: H A I T I Prayer calendar September 1-7 A Leadership Academy is happening this week in Haiti. Pray for the safety of all involved and lasting results for the Mission Possible leaders. Mission Possible Canada is holding a golf tournament in Edmonton on September 6, Pray for safety for the golfers and a successful fundraiser for Mission Possible. September 8-14 Thank God with us for the connections made while at the Hancock County Fair in Findlay, OH. Pray these connections will breed more Mission Possible ministry partners. Pray for the MP teachers and staff as school begins this month. September Pray for the safety of the Mission Possible students traveling to and from school. Pray for wisdom and direction for the Mission Possible USA board as they meet this week. September Pray for each Mission Possible staff member to work as unto the Lord. Pray for the safety of Mission Possible leaders serving Haiti and DR as they face oppositions. Good Shepherd Passes 2013 Audit Once again Bryan, Little, Haley and Kent have completed their audit of the 2013 Financial Procedures used by Good Shepherd in the receiving and expensing of contributions for the work of the Church. The audit of 2013 was conducted in July of This year s audit was surprising in that very few exceptions to our established procedures were found. In a sampling of 80 transactions there was one instance where a signature was inadvertently left off of an approval document. If you d like to see the audit and the response approved by the session talk with one of the Finance Team (Ron Gisi, Sue McClain, Kim Shipman or Dale Scott. However there are two practices common to Churches to which the auditors called our attention. While there is nothing illegal about the practices, they are not the best practices that we aspire to and my potentially create problems for the church or its contributors in the event of an audit. After hearing them the Finance team agreed that our practices needed to change and the Session, upon hearing these suggestions, has adopted these modified practices offered by Bryan, Little and Haley and Kent. First, is the practice involving receipts being posted as a cash contribution to the church. Sometimes a volunteer is buying something for church use, pays for it, and then brings in the receipt asking, Please post continued bottom page 7

7 What s your favorite color? Is it more 450? Or do you tend towards 600? Maybe even 700? In case those numbers don t immediately mean anything to you, on the visible spectrum scale for light 450 nanometers means blue, 600 is yellow, and at 700 nanometers you are seeing red. But we don t see numbers, do we? We see the beautiful, variable, illuminating colors that light takes on as it is refracted and reflected before our eyes. We don t experience nanometers. We bask under a blue sky? Or we bathe in wonder at the beauty of a sunset that melts from orange to red to crimson and purple. Whether we catalogue light as 550 nanometers or perceive it as green is all a matter of perspective. Are we dissecting the idea of light into its most basic components (measured nanometers)? Or are we responding to the expression of that light as we experience it in the world (colors)? In Matthew s account of the Sermon on the Mount, immediately after Jesus lays out his blessed be Beatitudes, he lifts up two metaphors of how disciples of the kingdom will be known to this world. They will be the salt of the earth, they will be the light of the world, a light that will shine before others. Salt sharpens flavors. Light sharpens both sight and insight. Jesus is calling would-be followers of the kingdom to sharpen lives by living on the sharp, the cutting edges, the places where new perspectives, new tastes, and new visions are embraced. Jesus is calling would-be followers of the kingdom to sharpen lives... Light does not just banish darkness and illuminate corners and crevices. Light also works to provide a new perspective. In the light there is depth and shading that inform our sense of how things fit together. And with the light we get to see the true nature of things. True light allows the colors and variations of color to be seen and appreciated. A small fish in our pond a year ago seemed to completely black like his three sisters. But every so often he would venture into the light and his black scales almost became a velvet like blue. A year later he is a brilliant blue and white fish. But his true nature was revealed in light. Salt of course is a staple at our tables. We add salt to bring out flavors in foods that might other wise be under appreciated. Sometimes its taste helps set up a contrast so that salt and sweetness might be appreciated at the same time. Put salt on the rim of your favorite sweet drink and you ll see what I mean. But of course salt is also a preservative. It ability to hold at bay the forces of decay is well known to anyone familiar with jerky or old fashioned smoked meats. Salt and light. Preserving, enhancing, revealing, delighting. Do these qualities describe you? continued from page 6 this to my contribution statement. Given the current state of IRS regulations this is no longer a best practice. The best practice is for the receipt to be stapled to a standard form letter acknowledging a gift to the church. The Decision to claim it as a non-taxable contribution and the amount to claim as a contribution then become the responsibility of the donor not the church. So, if you have a receipt expect to receive it back with a form letter if you wish to deduct it from your tax liability. Second, we have had various vendors over the years who wish to give a service to the church in exchange for a dollar amount credited to a contribution statement. Again this seems to be an easy enough request, and yet it is not a best practice. Non-cash contributions should not be credited as if they were cash contributions. As in the first case above, a contribution letter can be issued to the service provider who then may assign a value and deduct it from their tax liability. While the church will acknowledge the gift, the value of the gift is a matter between the service provider and the IRS. By making these slight changes in practice Good Shepherd members, and guest can be assured that their contributions are being handled with the highest level of integrity and accountability. Simplify your life with ONLINE giving. If you enjoy the ease of automatic bill paying for your phone, electric, water and gas, you ll love this feature. No checks; no stamps; no envelopes; no squirming in your seat to find your offering as the baskets are being passed. Our website gspcok.org offers a secure, online method of contributing to Good Shepherd as either a one-time or recurring gift. If you would like assistance in navigating the website, please contact Megan in the finance office.

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 am 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 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 Heritage Ringer Bell Practice 7:00 pm Chancel 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 WED SEP 10 10:00 AM Newsletter mailed SUN SEP 14 12:00 PM Edmond Museum Trip MON SEP 15 12:00 PM NOAH Retirees FRI SEP 19 1:00 PM Golf Scramble Adams Golf Club FRI SEP 19 5:00 PM Newsletter article deadline SUN SEP 21 9:30 AM & 10:50 Communion SUN SEP 21 12:00 PM Wednesday Night Planning Team MON SEP 22 7:00 PM Session TUE SEP 23 3:00 PM Deadline RSVP Dinner/Auction WED SEP 24 11:00 AM Newsletter mailed THU SEP 25 3:00 PM Deadline donations for auction THU SEP PM Baby pack sorting team SAT SEP 27 6:30 PM Silent Auction / Dinner TUE SEP 30 10AM-Noon GSPC Staff Day at AGAPE