Confirmation – Only the Beginning

This Sunday, by signing a pledge to commit them-selves to studies and exploration and yes, fun(!), that will culminate in the Rite of Confirmation, a group of our young people will take an important step in their faith journey.

All of these people have been baptized. Their par-ents and godparents made vows to bring them up “in the Christian faith and life” and to help them “grow into the full stature of Christ.” All of us then vowed to “do all in our power to support them in their life in Christ.”

Today they vow to continue that journey and we vow to continue it with them.

Today they commit to a 12 lesson course of studies, at least two field trips, and to a personal relationship with a mentor. They commit to prayer and to being informed and educating themselves. We commit to supporting them.

As of today, they will be Confirmation Candidates. During or after their course of studies and work with each other and their mentors, they decide whether or not to confirm the vows made on their behalf when they were baptized.

Confirmation is an adult decision. It is only the begin-ning of a life-long journey with Jesus. It is not auto-matic or assumed. As with all journeys there will be bumps in the road. There will be moments of doubt. The questions never end, and that is good. Again, we all vow to support them in their lives in Christ. We, their whole church family, are all a part of this process.

The best thing about all of it is, for every promise we make, we say, “I will, with God’s help.” Everything we do, we do with God’s help. We can do nothing with-out God.

Then, at the Confirmation service, our Bishop, Bishop Stokes, lays his hands on each of our Confirmation Candidates, calling upon God to bless them and em-power them and sustain them forever. He asks that God renew the covenant God made with them at their baptism. He asks that the Holy Spirit may in-crease in them daily for the rest of their lives and be with them on into eternity.

Yes, this is a big deal!

Worshipping With Us

Episcopal worship is participatory. We stand, we kneel, we respond vocally during parts of the ser-vice, sometimes with singing! Please join in at your level of comfort. If you’d like to learn more about what we as Episcopalians believe and do, or if you have any questions, please fill out one of the yel-low cards in the pew and give it to Mother Susan or one of our ushers. We hope you feel welcome here and that you will come back often to feed your faith.

A Word About Receiving Communion in the Episcopal Church

All are invited to the Altar to receive. If you would like a blessing, just cross your arms over your chest. If you decide to receive only the bread, extend your hand for the wafer and cross your arms over your chest to decline the wine. For the wine or grape juice you may guide the chalice to your lips by placing your hand gently on the chalice’s base and guiding it. Or you can dip your host (wafer) into the wine. Or you can give the host to the Lay Eucharistic Minister, who will dip the host into the wine and place it in your mouth.

Holly Fair Information

We are collecting items for the “Dollar Store”, "More Than a Dollar Store" and the "Christmas Store", if you have any gently used items that fall into these catego-ries... please consider donating them! You can drop them off in the All Purpose Room downstairs starting October 15th. We are also looking for donations for our Holly Fair Table. We hope you will consider making some items for us to sell. If you have any questions, please call Jenniffer and

Rich Harrington at 856-383-0823.

Don’t Forget About the Squirrels’ Nests!

One in the Back of the Church

and One in the Parish Hall.

All Waiting to Take Your Spare Change!

A Word About Receiving Communion in the Episcopal Church

All are invited to the Altar to receive. You may stand or kneel. If you do not wish to receive, but would like a blessing, cross your arms over your chest. If you decide to receive in one kind extend your hand for the wafer and cross your arms over your chest to decline the wine. If you desire to receive the wine you may guide the chalice to your lips by placing your hand gently on the chalice’s base and guiding it. Or you can dip your host (wafer) into the wine. Or you can give the host to the Lay Eucharistic Minister, who will dip the host into the wine and place it in your mouth.

Gluten-free Communion Hosts

Gluten-free Communion hosts are available for those with allergies. Please let the priest know.

Bible Study

We are now looking at the Book of Acts. How did a rag-tag group of disciples become the Church? How did all of this get going? 7PM on Tuesday nights.

Inquirers’ Class

INQUIRER'S CLASS will meet on Sunday, June 5, following the morning service in the Conference Room. Our topic this month will be "Evil, Suffering & A Loving God." Mark your calendar for the next study of Up-pity Women of the Bible! We'll begin on Thursday, September 8 at 9:30 a.m. (following Morning Prayer). Our focus for this study will be the book of Judith. Watch for more details toward the end of summer.

Pitman – Glassboro CROP Hunger Walk (Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty)

It's that time of year again. The air is crisp, the leaves are falling and CROP Walk is upon us. Sunday October 15th is the date at 1:30pm. Hopefully you will mark your calendar and join us for either a 1 mile or 5 mile walk in an effort to curb hunger. If you are unable to walk and would like to contribute to someone who is walking or to the Good Shepherd team that would be greatly appreciat-ed too. If you Google on your computer or phone Pitman-Glassboro CROP Hunger Walk you can donate on line to either an individual or the team. It's an easy and quick way to contribute. Of course you can also always give a walker a check or cash. Let's set a goal of $3,000.00 this year and 27 walkers. Thank you in advance for your par-ticipation. If you have any questions please contact Gail Morton or Connie Parent.

Gail Morton

PAJAMAS!

Women at the Well is collecting new pajamas for Mom’s Pajamas, a non-profit organization. A box will be in the back of the church for donations. The pajamas should be new and sized for women adults. Mom’s Pajamas is an organization that collects women's pjs and distributes them to local domestic abuse shelters. If a woman has entered a shelter under these circumstances, she is going to worry more about her kids than herself. So it’s comforting to have a pair of pjs to help her relax. The women who run Mom’s Pajamas are sisters who started the organization in memory of their mother. She always gave pjs for Christmas, so when she died tragically in an accident, the sisters decided that collecting and giving out the pajamas would be a way to honor her memory.

More information can be found at momspajamas.org.

Friendly’s FUNraiser Everyone is invited to Friendly’s Restaurant, 1100 Delsea

Drive, Glassboro, NJ on October 4, 2017 for a Friendly’s

FUNraiser. 20% of all purchases made between 5PM

through 8PM will be donated to the Sunday School program

of Good Shepherd Church. In order for the 20% donation to

be made to our Sunday School, you must present the dis-

count flier to your server when you are paying your bill.

These fliers will be in the Church worship bulletins and will

also be available on line.

T h i s W e e k a t G oo d S h e p h e r d S e p t e m b e r 3 0 t h t o O c t o b e r 6 t h

Pentecost 17 September 30 & October 1 Saturday 9/30 - 4:30 PM Open for Prayer! 5:30 PM Holy Eucharist Sunday 10/1 - 9 AM Open for Prayer! 10 AM Holy Eucharist 10 AM Sunday School 11:30 AM Youth Group 11:30 AM Adult Forum 4 PM Blessing of the Pets Tuesday 10/3 - 9 AM Morning Prayer Wednesday 10/4 - 5 - 8 PM Friendly’s FUNraiser 7 PM Brotherhood of St. Andrew Thursday 10/5 - 9 AM Morning Prayer 9:30 AM Bible Study 6 - 6:30 PM Children’s Choir 6:30 PM Bell Choir 7:15PM Choir Practice

Pentecost 18 October 7 & 8 Saturday 10/7 - 4:30 PM Open for Prayer! 5:30 PM Holy Eucharist Healing Prayer Sunday 10/8 - 9 AM Open for Prayer! 9 AM Parish Breakfast 10 AM Holy Eucharist 10 AM Sunday School 11:30 AM Vestry Meeting Monday 10/9 - 7 PM Women at the Well - ECW Tuesday 10/10 - 9 AM Morning Prayer 9:30 Caring Hands Wednesday 10/11 - 7 PM Property Committee Meeting Thursday 10/12 - 9 AM Morning Prayer 9:30 AM Bible Study 6 - 6:30 PM Children’s Choir 6:30 PM Bell Choir 7:15 PM Choir Practice

Blessing of the Animals We will be having our annual Blessing of the Ani-mals today, October 1st at 4PM. Please bring your pets. Rain or shine! Treats for all!

Food Pantry Next week, October 7th & 8th we are collecting Tuna for the Pitman Food Pantry. All donations are greatly appreciated and accepted.

T h e E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h o f t h e

G o o d S h e p h e r d

The Rev. Susan Osborne-Mott, Rector 732-759-4358

revmomott@gmail.com

The Rev. Carl Dunn, Deacon 609-868-7102

carl@carldunn.com

Parish Office 315 Highland Terrace

Pitman, New Jersey 08071

Phone: 856-589-8209 / Fax: 856-582-2306

Email: goodshepherdpitman@gmail.com

Http://www.goodshepherdpitman.org

VESTRY

Deb Prieto - Sr. Warden

Sue Burkhard - Jr. Warden

Chuck Lezenby - Clerk of the Vestry

Diane Wall – Assistant Clerk of the Vestry

Wayne Szalma, Chelsea Richmond, Connie Parent

(Class of 2017)

Len Clark, Elizabeth Nelson, Jack Daugherty

(Class 0f 2018)

Gail Morton, Jim Wynkoop, Frank Jackson

(Class of 2019)

Lee Braidwood - Treasurer George Funk - Asst.

Parish Office Hours

Monday through Thursday 8:30AM to 2:30PM. Friday - 8:30AM to 1:30PM

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

September 30 & October 1, 2017

Pastoral Emergencies

If a Pastoral Emergency should come up for you, hos-pitalization, death in the family, please call the Church Office 856-589-8209 or after Office hours please call Mother Susan at 732-759-4358.