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The Shepherd’s Crook The Church of the Good Shepherd

Pitman, NJ The Rev. Susan E. Osborne-Mott, Rector January 2019

“We Love Our Church”

I was sorting through papers and I found the following poem. I have no idea who wrote it or who gave it to me, but it seems so right for that quiet let-down time after Christmas as we thoughtfully and prayerfully enter into the New Year.

After Epiphany One by one the angels are leaving; (followed closely by Santa, various snowmen and every last reindeer). Poinsettias have shed their petals, evergreens their needles, and we are left with the bills and the pounds. And yet, is it not through the work of our souls: a child’s dearest dream come true, or music’s power to inspire you, that a tired old world is again made anew?

So easy to glimpse paradise at Christmastime, when miracles seem natural! Open hearts and hands endow our greatest gifts, as the cosmos bestows the solstice unto us. The celestial Power that moves heaven and earth will lengthen the day, keep night at bay, illuminate our way. So that our actions generous and humane, may coax the angels to remain.

Blessings! Mother Susan

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BELIEVE!

While we were driving around and looking at all

the Christmas lights in December, we noticed the

significant number of houses who placed large

signs in their yards. One was the word JOY! The

other was the word BELIEVE! When I saw the word

BELIEVE, I immediately looked around to see what

they wanted me to believe in. I looked for what

that clue in their yard that would cause me to

follow through and examine my belief in what they

were promoting.

To my surprise, in almost all cases, the closest

“symbol” located near this most powerful word

was either a manger scene, or – nothing (just

lights).

Accepting the challenge of “believing” in the

coming of Jesus into this world as God, and also as

man, requires a large measure of understanding –

and maybe most important, FAITH.

Frederick Buechner puts in this way, “Unbelief is as

much of a choice as belief is. What makes it in

many ways more appealing is that belief…takes

effort, not to believe doesn’t require much of

anything at all.”

Once again, we begin a new year after girding up

our faith and understanding as we take the next

journey –never alone, but with the full knowledge

of the Jesus being by our side.

Let us BELIEVE! Together as we go through 2019

Deacon Carl

Shawl/Caring Hands Ministry

Every so often we get a request for a Prayer

Shawl to be given to someone in need.

Sometimes it is during an illness, sometimes

during grieving periods after the loss of a loved

one. The Shawls are crocheted or knitted by the

women in this ministry. Every other Tuesday

morning you will find our Caring Hands Group

knitting/crocheting the shawls in our Conference

room. They are made with prayer for those who

will receive them.

I can’t begin to tell you of the peace and

comfort these shawls have brought to so many

people. They need not be members of our parish.

Need is spread everywhere.

If you know of a need, just ask Pat Braidwood

PAGE TURNERS’ BOOK GROUP

Jan 20 A FALL OF MARIGOLDS by Susan Meissner

Feb 17 ANN AND THE SWALLOW MAN by Gavriel Savit

Mar 17 FAITHFUL PLACE by Tana French

Apr 28 THE LEGACY OF LUNA by Julie Hill

May 19 I’LL BE YOUR BLUE SKY by Marisa de los Santos

Jun 16 TO THE MOON AND BACK by Karen Kingsbury

The Page Turners meet once a month, immediately following the 10am Holy Eucharist, in the Conference Room.

CONTEMPLATIVE GROUP

CONTEMPLATIVE GROUP will meet on

Wednesday, January 16 at 10 a.m. in the

Conference Room. Following our period of

Contemplation/Meditation, we will continue

our study of Fr. Rohr’s Fall Upward.

SERVICES

Saturdays: 4:30 PM – Contemplative Prayer 5:30 PM – Holy Eucharist

Sundays: 9:00 AM – Contemplative Prayer 10:00 AM – Holy Eucharist

Tuesdays & Thursdays: 9 AM Morning Prayer

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By Minnie Young

TAIZE CONTEMPLATIVE SERVICE

TAIZĒ SERVICE OF CONTEMPLATION WITH EUCHARIST will be held on Saturday, January 26 at the 5:30 p.m. service.

PICTURES!

Let’s get in the habit of taking pictures of

everything around here! Pictures of Sunday School,

meetings, even of events at services if you can be

surreptitious! Please identify who is in each photo

and what the event is. Thank you!

Maryane has received some great pics from people

keep ‘em coming!

Don’t forget to drop your spare change

in the SQUIRRELS’ NESTS!

They are in the back of the

Church and in the Parish Hall

CHURCH MINISTRY LEADERS

These are some of their names and numbers, if you have any questions.

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

Senior Warden - Deb Prieto – 856-478-0795

Junior Warden - Len Clark - 856/582-1113

Treasurer - Lee Braidwood - 856/228-0737

Asst. Treasurer - George Funk - 856/232-0941

Brotherhood of St. Andrew - Wayne Szalma – 856/469-3028

Women at the Well - Diane Wall - 856/374-9081

Altar Guild - Shelly Harris - 856/589-8160

Youth Group - Chelsea Richmond – 856-723-4123

2018 VESTRY LIAISONS

Endowment Planning – Frank Jackson

Personnel – Georgeanne Moore

Youth Group & Activities – Lauren Kaltwasser

Sunday School – Elizabeth Nelson

Outreach Ministries – Gail Morton

Newcomers/Greeters – Jack Daugherty

Internal Ministries – Steve Mackay

Columbarium – Diane Wall

Choir – Jim Wynkoop

Women at the Well - Diane Wall

Brotherhood of St. Andrew – Jim Wynkoop

Adult Christian Education – Jack Daugherty

Website & Social Media – Jim Wynkoop

Green Team – Lauren Kaltwasser

Stewardship Committee – Diane Wall (2018), Frank

Jackson (2019), Georgeanne Moore (2020), Deb

Prieto (Sr. Warden)

Senior Warden – Deb Prieto

Junior Warden – Len Clark

Treasurer – Lee Braidwood

Clerk of the Vestry – Chuck Lezenby

Assistant Clerk of the Vestry – Aimee Burgin

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

Please Be Considerate of Our Neighbors!

We are so glad you're here! But when you park near the

church, please be considerate of our neighbors and make

sure you have fully cleared their driveways. Thank you!

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Prayers for Parish Families For January

Farley family, Fedullo family, Ferri family, and Fortney family

OUR PRAYERS MINISTRY

Each Sunday during Communion time, our team of Pray-ers offer prayers with our parishioners. We have now expanded this meaningful ministry to our Saturday evening Holy Eucharist at 5:30pm. After you receive Holy Communion, if you want/need additional prayers, there will be a team of Pray-ers in the front of the Church who are willing to pray with you. These prayers can be offered in joy for a Blessing you have received, or can be to help ease a burden which lies on your heart. Please take advantage of this wonderful ministry of our parish. All prayers are confidential. Anyone interested in being a Pray-er Minister at the Saturday night or Sunday services please contact Barbara Elliott @ 589-3980 or elliottb@rowan.edu

CHURCH HISTORY DISPLAY

I hope that you have taken the time to view the items in the glass case in the parish hall each month. It is an exhibit showcasing items from our collective Good Shepherd past! Some of them have been of Pitman in general. We are a church family and it is fun to share with others past pictures and items of interest that have been part of our history together! If you have anything that you wish to share, please let me know. I try to rotate the exhibit every 3 or 4 months and will take good care of your items.

Thanks you! Ellie Dunn

HEALING PRAYER

Mother Susan is now offering Healing Prayer with anointing and laying on of hands on the first Saturday of every month following the Saturday evening service.

THURSDAY BIBLE STUDY

THURSDAY BIBLE STUDY will resume on Thursday,

January 10 at 9:30 a.m. in the Conference Room. We will

continue our study of Rob Bell’s What Is the Bible and will

continue with this book until January 31 when we will

begin a new series called Jesus and Buddha: Paths to

Awakening. This series does a comparison of the Four

Noble Truths in Buddhism with the teachings of Jesus in

the Gospels. Fr. Richard Rohr and James Finley (a

Trappist Monk) will be our guides.

Contemplative Prayer Time Before Our Worship Services

For those who seek a time for quiet prayer on Saturdays and Sundays, Mother Susan opens the church on Saturdays at 4:30 PM for the 5:30 PM service. We ask that 4:30 PM to 5:15 PM be a quiet prayerful time. Likewise, for Sundays, she will be in the Church at 9 AM for a quiet time from 9 AM to 9:30 AM. We ask that all who come early to church honor these times as times for quiet prayer and contemplation.

JANUARY ADULT FORUM

ADULT FORUM will meet on Sunday, January 6 following the 10 a.m. service in the Conference Room. We continue our study of World Religions with a focus on Part II of Buddhism.

HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT PUTTING OUR BELOVED PARISH, GOOD

SHEPHERD, IN YOUR WILL?

DEADLINE

The deadline for the February 2019 Crook will be on January 15, 2019. Please e-mail all articles and pictures to goodshepherdpitman@gmail.com.

Maryanne Charlton Parish Administrator

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Debbie Crystal Snoke Peggy Francis Pvt. Emmett Foreman Pvt. Hannah New Pvt. Benjamin Key Pvt. Alan Kryszak Pvt. Cardre Jackson, Jr. Pvt. James Foster and their families Dorothy Marylou Mitchell Morgan Janice Enstrom Robert Linda Rebecca Sharon Reneé April Ellerbe John & Candace Jemilo Ben Trunzo Harvey Corbett Denise Ladd Barbara Gattinella family Howard Caitlin John Joseph Whaley Anne Lewis Edna Spratt Michael Beard Katherine Lesher Presiding Bishop Curry

Church of the Good Shepherd Prayers of the People

Prayers for the Church and Clergy For all Churches in the Diocese of NJ & Ecuador Michael Curry, the Presiding Bishop William “Chip” Stokes, Our Bishop The Rev. Susan E. Osborne-Mott, Rector Sister Cass, AF Charles Nakash – Missionary in the Dominican Republic Rev. Carl Dunn, our Deacon

Prayers for the Nation Donald Trump, Our President Phil Murphy, Our Governor

“For all those who serve and protect us at home”

Prayers for the Sick and in Need

Tod Porter Tara Ryan Bubnoski Ashley Aaliyah Seely McFadden family Seely family Art Dilworth Bill Brower George Farley Audrey Andrew Buck Joe DeMarco James Anna Candyce Rich Reiniello Emily Mike Daly Maripat Makalusky Helen & Ken Michelle Siegle Natasha Tuoy Melissa Czechowicz Janie Kraus Dora & Ed Beard & family Debbie Milward Tom Rigg Shelly Harris Ruth Buck Paul Kathy Busser Janet Paraschak Asher Poolke Rosalie Jenkins

Prayers for all Military Personnel

* We pray for our enemies and for those with whom we are at war. *

“Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

MORNING PRAYER

Morning Prayer is on Tuesday & Thursday

mornings at 9AM with Mother Susan in the

Chapel.

Peter Larrabee Brian Almondrod Raymond Harris, III Steven Sanders Matt Spangler Lynn Spangler Scott Thomas Glen Tim Dan Hurlbut Zak Bartelt Brian Randazzo Buzz Parish Charlie Hiemeril John A. Lukacs Joe Sheridan Hal Wagner Matt Rebecca Jon S. Lehr Keith Tucker Dave McElwain Hugh Robinson Andrew Olsson Joshua Albright Zachary Guise

Scott McPherson Andrew Ten Eyck Matthew Cushinotto Theresa Cushinotto Mike Grzybowski Ted Mike McHugh Tom Devore Bonnie Weis Kane Lawlor Drew Naphy Rhen Brinkerhoff Brian Opel Jonathan Dickson Matt Michael Marta Marcos Bryan Jensen Allistair Edinger Andrew Kyle Ryan Bubnoski Chris Carson

Sophia Capano Joseph Capano Steelman family Evelyn Recinello

Jessica Carter Maryalice Ross Chris Burness

Jackie

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WHAT’S HAPPENING IN JANUARY

All Tuesdays & Thursdays - 9 AM Morning Prayer

All Thursdays – 9:30 AM Bible Study 6:30 PM Bell Choir Practice 7:15 PM Choir Practice

January 1 – NEW YEAR’S DAY - Parish Office Closed

January 2 – 7 PM Brotherhood of St. Andrew

January 5 & 6 - EPIPHANY Saturday, 4:30 PM Open Prayer 5:30 PM Holy Eucharist Healing Prayer Sunday, 9 AM Open Prayer 10 AM Holy Eucharist 10 AM Sunday School 11:15 AM Children’s Choir Practice 11:30 AM Adult Forum 11:30 AM Youth Group

January 8 – 9:30 AM Caring Hands

January 9 – 7 PM Property Committee Mtg.

January 12 & 13 – EPIPHANY 1 Saturday, 4:30 PM Open Prayer 5:30 PM Holy Eucharist Sunday, 9 AM Open Prayer 9 AM Parish Breakfast 10 AM Holy Eucharist 10 AM Sunday School 11:15 AM Children’s Choir Practice 11:30 AM Vestry Meeting

January 14 – Women at the Well – ECW

January 16 – 10 AM Contemplative Prayer 6:30 – 8 PM Good Shepherd Quilters

January 19 & 20 – EPIPHANY 2 Saturday, 4:30 PM Open Prayer 5:30 PM Holy Eucharist Sunday, 9 AM Open Prayer

10 AM Holy Eucharist 10 AM Sunday School 11:15 AM Children’s Choir Practice 11:30 AM Page Turners 11:30 AM Youth Group

January 22 – 9:30 AM Caring Hands

January 26 & 27 – EPIPHANY 3 Saturday, 4:30 PM Open Prayer

5:30 PM Taize Service Sunday, 9 AM Open Prayer

10 AM Holy Eucharist 10 AM Sunday School 11:15 AM Children’s Choir Practice ANNUAL MEETING

JANUARY BIRTHDAYS

01 – Connie Parent

03 – Tyler Froio

05 – Ronald Smashey III

05 – Jenna Sobolewski

06 - Lori Vicente

08 - Becky Snodgrass

08 – Anamaria Pastiu

11 – Scott Braidwood

14 – Betty Beard

14 – Ethan Klein

14 – Pat Parker

15 – Kaitlyn Greco

15 – Ave Irving

16 – Lauren Braidwood

THE FOOD PANTRY

We have changed our approach for collecting food donations for the Pitman Food Pantry. Each week we will be collecting a different food item. We will announce the upcoming needed food item each week in the trifold. Also we will have a monthly list in the Crook.

Food donations for January are: 1/5 & 6 – Tuna 1/12 & 13– Peanut Butter 1/19 & 20 – Cereal 1/26 & 27 – Mac & Cheese

All donations are greatly appreciated and accepted.

The Pitman Food Pantry is open on even dated Tuesdays each month from 6pm – 7pm.

16 – Jullian O’Brian

17 – Victor Prieto

17 – Sarah Marie Foster

18 – Carson Price

21 – Katey McFadden

23 – Melissa Long

23 – Heather McFadden

24 – Judy Taylor

25 – Stuart Lynd, Jr.

26 – Grace Yahnke

27 – Ashley McFadden

31 – Sue Dixon

31 – Grace Morris

Lee & Pat Braidwood

wearing their ugly

Christmas Sweaters

on Ugly Sweater

Sunday!

So festive!

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OUTREACH

Thank you so very much for the wonderful

donations of shoes and clothing for the people of

Camden! They are thrilled to receive them at St.

Wilfrid’s clinic to be distributed each month! They

need men’s shoes and clothing the most of all! If

you have something that you would like to donate,

in good condition, please place it in manageable

size bags only, and leave them on our front porch.

We will make sure that they get to Camden where

they are in great need! With the cold weather,

coats, sweaters and gloves would be very much

appreciated also!

We are at 223 Highland Terrace, Pitman.

Thank you,

Deacon Carl and Ellie Dunn

Thank You God for a Fresh Start

by Alice Aultman

So here we are looking at a brand new year. What ever happened or was accomplished in 2018 is history. The media is offering all sorts of advice about doing great things. Buy a new car, join a fitness club and change your pattern of eating along with all sorts of other suggestions we have all heard before and managed to forget to follow through on after a few weeks in to the cold of January.

My thought is why not do something needed, that should be done that might your improve your living situation and quietly move on. Let’s start with sorting through the volume of Christmas decorations that have to be stored. How many years have some of them been around? Is it time to discard some and start out with a new container or at least pack away carefully what is left?

Or why not tackle a chore that would help on a daily basis like cleaning out the drawer that seems to collect everything or sort through your clothes closet? My project is to organize batches of recipes. For years I have clipped and saved with the thought of using them someday and have envelopes, folders and loose clutter that I will never use. I am going to throw away what I will never use.

Thank You God for giving us items that are useful in their time and the minds to be able to decide what is best for us.

Camden Christmas Was a Wonderful Experience!

I wanted to just take a moment and thank everyone at the Church of the Good Shepherd for your prayers, donations and your presence when we shopped, wrapped and helped at the event on December 23rd. My heart continues to be filled with gratitude and thanksgiving for ALL you did to make this a wonderful time for everyone who attended. The joy we experienced together as the kids and adults came through was amazing. I thank God for each of you. I pray we take what we have experienced and then use that to find ways to be a blessing to everyone we encounter in 2019! May God Bless you and your families in the days ahead. May you know and feel the Lord’s peace and His presence each and every day. May you KNOW God has been with you and worked through you to touch the lives of those who continue to need to experience His love as they struggle beyond our understanding in this life. You are an amazing congregation because you put God first – every day.

Your VERY Thankful Deacon.

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January 27th!

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Green Initiative Ministry

The Green Initiative Ministry held its first meeting on November 14, 2018. We briefly reviewed the Mission Statement, discussed goals and action items during the meeting.

Additional updates include:

Signs for trash cans and recycle cans have been made and will be posted.

Additional recycle cans will be priced and ordered.

Ideas for introducing environmental issues and solutions to present to the

congregation, Sunday School and Youth Group are being researched.

There was a lot of discussion and great Ideas shared about using the church grounds to grow flowers, vegetables or in some way better serve the environment. Also discussed were methods for collecting or redirecting rainwater run-off. There was lots of interest and potential for these ideas.

Another meeting will be held after the holidays. Anyone interested in joining should contact Lauren Kaltwasser or Diane Wall or any Vestry member. We encourage you to join us in these efforts, and if you have any ideas or suggestions, please let us know. Together we can make a difference by reducing the impact we have on our Earth. Care and justice for all creation is a core value of the Episcopal Church.

Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation, that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others and to your honor and glory. (BCP 388)

The Annual Meeting will be held January 27th

after the 10 AM Service

The Spirituality of the Twelve Steps…. If you’re like me, you thought the Twelve Steps were only for those who were addicted to alcohol, drugs or food. Surprise! The Twelve Steps are a spiritual path on which everyone can find spiritual growth and maturity.

In his book, Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps, Richard Rohr states that the Twelve Steps actually parallel and/or makes practical the teachings Jesus gave us. Jesus called it being called into an enlightened life. AA says that it is a call into a life of recovery. Worked honestly, the Twelve Steps bring us into the hidden place where we disguise our addictions. You see, we all have addictions – alcoholics or drug addicts just have their powerlessness out there for all the world to see!

So….First Month, First Step. Step One – “We admitted we were powerless over ____________ [alcohol] – that our lives had become unmanageable.” {AA Big Book)

“I cannot understand my own behavior. I fail to carry out the very things I want to do, and find myself doing the very things I hate…for although the will to do what is good is in me, the performance is not.” (Romans 7: 15, 18)

“Until and unless there is a person, situation, event, idea, conflict, or relationship that you cannot “manage,” you will never find the True Manager.” (Breathing . . ., p. 3) Albert Einstein frequently said that no problem can be solved by the same consciousness (ego) that caused the problem in the first place. Simply stated – we cannot heal ourselves.

As I gave up the drink I began to realize that was the easy part. My addiction turned to candy, ice cream, “stuff” – anything to keep from dealing with the inner part of me that was hurting – the true part that I couldn’t manage - that which was broken, wounded, loveless. Nothing else could enter in – no matter how good a face I put on for those around me.

You have to fill in that blank for yourself. What in your own life are you powerless over? Is it food, work, relationships, ego, pride, anger, fear, loneliness or perhaps hatred? Like me, you will search to find something, anything to ease the discomfort and pain this powerlessness causes in your life. Taking this first step, recognizing and admitting that you are not the solution can be the beginnings of a new joyous life!

From Mel Caron

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January 2019

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

1 New Year’s Day Parish Office Closed Sumer Lunch Program

2 7 PM Brotherhood of St. Andrew

3 9 AM Morning Prayer 6:30 PM Bell Choir 7:15 PM Choir Practice

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5 4:30 PM Open Prayer 5:30 PM Holy Eucharist Healing Prayer

6 Epiphany 9 AM Open Prayer 10 AM Holy Eucharist 10 AM Sunday School 11:15 AM Children’s Choir Prac. 11:30 AM Adult Forum 11:30 AM Youth Group

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8 9 AM Morning Prayer 9:30 AM Caring Hands Sumer Lunch Program

9 7 PM Property Committee Meeting

10 9 AM Morning Prayer 9:30 AM Bible Study 6:30 PM Bell Choir 7:15 PM Choir Practice

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12 4:30 PM Open Prayer 5:30 PM Holy Eucharist

13 Epiphany 1 9 AM Open Prayer 9 AM Parish Breakfast 10 AM Holy Eucharist 10 AM Sunday School 11:15 AM Children’s Choir Prac. 11:30 AM Vestry Meeting

14 7 PM Women at the Well - ECW

15 9 AM Morning Prayer

Crook Info Due

16 10 AM Contemplative Prayer 6 – 8:30 PM Good Shepherd Quilters

17 9 AM Morning Prayer 9:30 AM Bible Study 6:30 PM Bell Choir 7:15 PM Choir Practice

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19 4:30 PM Open Prayer 5:30 PM Holy Eucharist

20 Epiphany 2 9 AM Open Prayer 10 AM Holy Eucharist 11:15 AM Children’s Choir Prac. 11:30 AM Page Turners 11:30 AM Youth Group

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22 9 AM Morning Prayer 9:30 AM Caring Hands

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24 9 AM Morning Prayer 9:30 AM Bible Study 6:30 PM Bell Choir 7:15 PM Choir Practice

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26 4:30 PM Open Prayer 5:30 PM Taize Service

27 Epiphany 3 9 AM Open Prayer 10 AM Holy Eucharist 10 AM Sunday School 11:15 AM Children’s Choir Prac. ANNUAL MEETING

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29 9 AM Morning Prayer

Summer Lunch Program

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31 9 AM Morning Prayer 9:30 AM Bible Study 6:30 PM Bell Choir 7:15 PM Choir Practice

Place Fridge Magnet here!

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Church of the Good Shepherd 315 Highland Terrace Pitman, NJ 08071

Telephone – 856-589-8209 E-mail – goodshepherdpitman@gmail.com

www.goodshepherdpitman.org

The Shepherd’s Crook

Pitman, NJ

January 2019

Church of the Good Shepherd