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Good Shepherd E-News, 20 November 2020

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Good Shepherd E-News(20 November 2020) The Episcopal Church of the GoodShepherd in Athens, Ohio

Church Building and Office Reminder

CHURCH Office Hours: 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.

Monday through Thursday (until further notice). Please knock.

The building remains closed.

10:30 Outdoor Service

Christ the King Sunday November 22. The Church Year ends this Sunday with ourcelebration of Christ the King at the 10:30 amoutdoor service and the Sunday email. Both willfeature a special Prayers of the People written byKelly Latimore on the occasion of the presentationof his Christ the King Icon commissioned and givento Church of the Good Shepherd.

This will be our last in-person service untilChristmas Eve. If you join us, please bring a chair and Book ofCommon Prayer if you can. We will have fewchairs and BCPs available. Wear a mask coveringyour nose and mouth at all times, keep at least sixfeet from others, and use hand sanitizer whenappropriate. We are looking forward to celebratingtogether,

Follow this link and browse for the most recentCOVID-19 Update from the Ohio Department ofHealth (updated at 2:00 pm every day).

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45701

Authority and the Pandemic andChanges to In-person Services

On Monday, Bishop Breidenthal sent an email to allclergy in the Diocese calling for us to considersuspending in-person worship services for a fewweeks. This request is because of the spike in newCOVID-19 cases statewide and the new mandatesfrom the Governor, including a curfew and limitingoutdoor public gatherings to ten or fewer persons.Although the Bishop admits churches are exemptedfrom these new mandates, that is no excuse for usto ignore them. The intension of the separation ofchurch and state - as I interpret it - is not sochurches are free to do whatever we want, but toprotect churches from the state controlling ourmessage, ministries, and structure and vice versa.When it comes to issues around public health, Ibelieve those are opportunities for our churches to

remember we are all part of the same neighborhood and our actionsand choices will impact each other. I don't believe we will help anyonein our neighborhood by acting like we are above the law.

The truth about the pandemic is the virus does not discriminate. Anyof us are at risk of catching or transmitting it. That is why we takeprecautions to lower the risk. Therefore, I believe we need to take the Bishop's message to heart. Atthe moment, Athens County is still at a Level 2/orange safety level. Ofcourse that could change. That is why I encourage you to keep trackby following the Athens City County Health Department's daily COVIDreports, as I do. Considering the numbers of new cases this week, Ithink we can have our outdoor service at 10:30 am this Sunday,November 22 as we have. However, I am concerned the ages of people that account for the dailynew COVID cases are now much more diverse, which means the virusis spreading in our community, not just in one age group. This meanswe will not be moving inside for worship any time soon. Consideringthe Bishop's message, the colder weather, the Governor's newestmandates, and another factor I'll write about separately, together with

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCELRqmOFadjYYT0uQivYbCg

https://www.chogs.org/Covid19CornonavirusLinks.htm




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David Burton our Senior Warden and Marsha Reilly our Music Minister,we have decided Sunday, November 22 will be out last in-personservice until Christmas Eve. This means we will go back to only offering Sunday emails during theSeason of Advent. We hope our slowing down will help slow the spreadof the virus and so much of the anxiety I am seeing and hearing rightnow. Advent is a season to reflect on the second coming of Jesus,and is a time to name and face the darkness in the world with thetrust of Christ will put things to rights when he returns in glory. Ihope our absence of worshipping together is filled with finding newways to engage in this prayerful reflection.

I will deeply miss worshipping with you on Sunday mornings. Yet Ibelieve those in authority over us make a good point and this is thebest thing for us to do at this time. Many Blessings,Mother Deborah

Mother Deborah's Good News, Bad News, and It Will Be All Right

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Church of the Good Shepherd,

As many of you have observed, I have been experiencing pain in myknees for some time. Prior to the pandemic, the pain would come andgo, but during the pandemic, the pain steadily worsened until I hadtrouble walking. I have been seeing doctors this fall and I can reportsome good news and some bad news. The good news is the doctors figured out what is wrong. Surprisinglyto me, it isn't my knees. It is my hips. Both my hips are in thesevere end stages of osteoarthritis. The bad news is I need not one but two complete hip replacements,as both hips need to be replaced. I will have my left hip replaced on Thursday, December 3. This will bean outpatient surgery. The second surgery will be scheduled after Ihave recovered from the first surgery. Due to the pandemic, the process before the surgery is a bit morecomplex than usual. I will have to quarantine before the surgery afterI take a COVID test. My family has decided to quarantine with me. Quarantine means I will not be able to be in in-person contact withanyone. Although I will still be available via email, phone calls, text



messages, etc. Recovery will include physical therapy, using a walker, then a cane. My surgeon strongly discourages me leading in-person church servicesbefore Christmas, as he is very concerned I could fall. Considering the ever changing mandates from the Diocese and theState of Ohio concerning gathering during the pandemic, I haveconsulted with David Burton our Senior Warden and Marsha Reilly ourMusic Minister and we decided it is best to return to on-line Sundayemails only during the Season of Advent. While I will not be available the day of the surgery, and probably theday after, I will be available via phone, text, email, etc., during myrecovery. As we are getting quite used to working from home andzoom meetings, it is likely I will still be able to keep up with much ofmy responsibilities. There may be a few tasks I need to delegate, andDavid Burton assures me he is up to it. Please keep me and my family in your prayers. Although this may besurprising news (it was to me at first), I have trust in the surgeon, myhusband to help with my personal care, all of you, and in God who Iknow will be with me every step of the way. We may have to helpeach other even more, but that is okay. It's going to be all right. Many Blessings,Mother Deborah

FREE Advent Devotionals

Living Well Through Advent PracticingHope with all your Heart, Soul,Strength, and Mind is now available.

This daily Advent devotional is a gift to usfrom the Episcopal ministry Living Compassbecause Mother Deborah used to work withthem. Reflections are written by Episcopalclergy and laity from many different partsof the Episcopal Church. This year's themeis Practicing Hope. This devotional can beused by individuals, groups or families. This year you can also participate in groupsthrough Facebook. Books will be given outat this Sunday's outdoor service (Nov. 22). After that, you can stop by the church andpick one up from the bin beside the chapel



door. You can also request to have onemailed to you.

Share your Advent Activities

To help us all feel more connected during the Season of Advent,please send a picture of you and/or family's Advent practices to TedFoster at [email protected]. Ted will feature these pictures in theweekly church emails. Whether it's lighting candles on an Advent,opening windows on an Advent calendar, reading reflections fromAdvent devotionals, putting up seasonal decorations, or whatever yourpractice is, it might help all of us learn more about the season andinspire us to observe this time in the Church Year.

In-Gathering

We hope by now you have had the opportunityto read the letters sent by the Treasurer AllynReilly and Senior Warden David Burton aboutyour financial commitment to Church of theGood Shepherd in 2021. This is always the timeof year parishes ask for your financialcommitment for the coming year because that information is helpfulwhen planning the parish budget. Church budgets are just an expression of how we are living ourministry. They show both cost of ministry and where the money goes.



I am incredibly grateful to all of you who have faithfully kept up yourpledge and volunteer commitments during this pandemic. Yourfaithfulness has allowed for me as your rector and the rest of the paidstaff to do what need to adapt to the challenges and changes causedby pandemic so that Church of the Good Shepherd continues to bepresent to our neighbors. Thank you! Considering all the changes and continued uncertainty of thepandemic, and financial concerns at OU, estimating a budget for 2021will be more challenging than usual. And I am deeply grateful to youfor your prayerful thoughtfulness for the financial and volunteercommitments you can make to Church of the Good Shepherd in thecomingyear. Thank you! Many Blessings,Mother Deborah We will continue gathering in completed pledge cards this Sunday,November 22. But after that please return your completed pledgecard to the church by:

Mailing your completed pledge card to the Church of the GoodShepherd, 64 University Terrace, Athens, Oh 45701,or; dropping off your completed pledge card during office hours.

Despite the challenges, we believe we will continue to work togetherand do what we can to continue our life together as followers of Jesusin the year to come.

Thanksgiving Day Service

Please look for a special Thanksgiving Day email from Church ofthe Good Shepherd that will include Scripture, prayers for theday, brief message, and hymns. No matter how we give thanks this year, Mother Deborah isdeeply grateful for you.

Coffee Makes A Great Gift

Church of the Good Shepherd's coffeeshop ministry CrossRoads Café is ready to



take prepaid orders for coffee. This year,in addition to select Deeper Roots coffee,we are also offering coffee sugar scrubs.Coffee is $15 per pound, $10 half pound.You choose if you want beans ground orwhole. Ask CrossRoads manager Eleanorfor order form or print one from THISLINK. Completed forms need to bereturned to Eleanor by December 4,2020. Coffee and scrubs should be readyfor pick up or delivery the followingweek.

2nd Annual Athens County Survivors of Suicide Loss Day Event

https://www.chogs.org/chogarchives/ChristmasCoffeeOrderForm2020.pdf

https://www.chogs.org/chogarchives/ChristmasCoffeeOrderForm2020.pdf



The 2nd Annual Athens County Survivors of Suicide Loss Day Event isthis Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020, and promotes connection and healing



for those who have experienced suicide loss. This event is beinghosted by the Athens County Suicide Prevention Coalition and NAMIAthens and is an online/virtual event. Although social distancing is acritical component of maintaining health and safety, that does notmean we have to be socially isolated. To more information about theabove activities, or join the zoom meeting, to get/give support orconnect with other survivors follow this Facebook event link (https://fb.me/e/8jdgA0dnS).

The Way of Love Advent Series

Becoming Beloved Community

Everyone is invited to attend The Way of Love Advent Series

LOCATION Zoom

https://fb.me/e/8jdgA0dnS



DATE AND TIME 12/02/20 7:00pm - 12/23/20 8:30pm

We'll gather each Wednesday in December (12/2; 12/9; 12/16; 12/23)from 7-8:30pm to reflect on and practice the Way of Love.

Follow this link http://dsobeloved.org/#DSOBeloved for moreinformation and to register. If this link does not provide theinformation, contact Amy Howton at [email protected].

UpBEAT Be Educated and Active Together

Caitlin Bond, UpBEAT ProgramCoordinator for a group called UpBEATthat serves older adults in thecommunity is inviting Good Shepherdparishioners to participate in the

program.

UpBEAT is a program of OhioHealth O'Bleness Hospital that sponsorsfree health and wellness activities for adults age 55 and older. Manyolder adults are taking social distancing guidelines especially seriously,which, though beneficial for their physical health, puts them at risk forisolation and depression.

In these coming months, we will all be faced with yet another changein our lives, the winter season. UpBEAT is another option formaintaining connections throughout the months to come. Whetherinterested in making friends, staying engaged with learningopportunities or working towards fitness goals. UpBEAT membership isfree and only requires members to provide their name, contactinformation and their year of birth. Once signed up to become amember, participants will receive a monthly UpBEAT newsletter andwill be able to choose which programs they have interest inparticipating.

Follow this link to learn more about the UpBEAT program, signup,and where you can subscribe to their monthly newsletter or contactCaitlin Bond at 740-566-4680 or [email protected]

Wednesday Lunch Report

Correction - Free LunchWed. Nov 11, 2020 (Group2) Eighteen lunches

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distributed.

Free Lunch, Wed. Nov 18,2020 (Group 3)Nineteen Lunches distributed.Sandwiches: Hummus andCucumber on Whole Wheat;Ham and Swiss on Rye withSpicy Brown Mustard; Turkey and Cheddar withHummus on Whole Wheat.

With Chips, BabyCarrots, Cookie, Water

NOTE: This coming Wednesday, Nov 25th, Free Lunch willnot be served.

Volunteers:

Group 1: Sally and Bob SperoGroup 2: Anne Walker, Betty Hollow, Ester HernandezGroup 3: Lois Wagner, Kathleen GilkeyGroup 4: David Burton, Alex Buckley, Jean Thomas

Hailey Luelloff sets up and hands out lunches weekly, and once amonth David McCoy, Jack Flemming, Allyn Reilly, and Marsha Reillyassist Hailey.

A Survey InvitationCOVID-19 Pandemic: The Path Forward in Appalachia.

Dear Participant,

We invite you to take part in a research project called "The COVID-19Pandemic: The Path Forward in Appalachia." We are trying to gain abetter understanding about the impacts of COVID-19 on members ofthe Appalachian community.

The research team wants to capture a variety of diverse perspectivesin Appalachian Ohio. We are asking you to help us by answering abrief, but thorough survey. We will ask you some general information



about yourself and how the coronavirus has impacted you on variouslevels. We are also interested in learning about your knowledge,attitudes, and practices related to COVID-19. There are no right orwrong answers and you can choose to skip any questions you do notwish to answer. Your responses will remain completely anonymous.

Your participation in this project is voluntary, and you must be at least18 years of age to participate. The survey should take approximately15-20 minutes. There are no right or wrong answers to any of thequestions. The responses from you and other participants-includingresidents from other states in Appalachia-will be combined and thenanalyzed to look for common themes. An electronic copy of ourfindings will be made available to the public.

If you choose to participate, you can access the survey online athttps://tinyurl.com/yy22xorw. You can request a paper copy orcomplete over the phone by calling 740-593-2217 or [email protected]

Thank you in advance for your consideration in completing the survey.Your input will help us better understand your perspective on thehealth of your community and important issues surroundingcoronavirus.

Should you have any questions about this letter or the researchproject, please feel free to contact the project team at 740-593-2217or by email at [email protected]

Ohio University's Institutional Review Board acknowledgement of thisproject is on file. OU IRB Protocol # 20-E-246.

Sincerely,

Melissa Thomas, PhD Primary Care Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine

Reverse Advent Calendar

Jack and I have decided to observea Reverse Advent calendar, whichhelps us to collect food for donationto a food pantry. There are manysimilar calendars out there, butTHIS is the one we'll be using. We're inviting anyone else in theparish who'd also like to keepAdvent this way to join us. If

https://tinyurl.com/yy22xorw



https://passionatepennypincher.com/reverse-advent-calendar/



enough of us do it, perhaps we cantake all the donated food to theAthens County Food Pantry in onetrip. Any questions? Send me an email message at[email protected]

Leslie Flemming

Athens County Children Services

33rd Annual Santa Tree Project

Link to information and donating

Receiving Holy Communion During a Pandemic How to Receive Holy Communion andSocially Distance:

Mother Deborah will distribute HolyCommunion from behind a new altartable designed to help with socialdistancing from the top step of the porch.In addition to a face mask covering bothher nose and mouth, Mother Deborah willalso be wearing a face shield to provideone additional layer of protection. Beforedistributing Holy Communion, MotherDeborah will use hand sanitizer andthoroughly sanitize her hands.

After the Invitation (when MotherDeborah says, "The Gifts of God for the


https://www.athenschildrenservices.com/calendar/2020/09/23/2020-santa-tree-project



People of God.") individuals who wish toreceive Holy Communion will:

1. Walk to the altar,2. Stand on the spot marked on the ground,3. Extend hands with palms up and together,4. Mother Deborah will drop a consecrated wafter into your hands

using a pair of tongs (zero contact),5. Return to your seat,6. Keeping your mask ON your face, slightly lift the bottom of your

face mask and slide the concreted wafer into your mouth.

Please come to the altar one at a time, making sure to maintain atleast six feet from others. Hand sanitizer will be provided.

The official Guidelines from the Diocese for receiving Holy Communion(which we are following) can be found at this link provided.

An instructional video on how to receive Holy Communion during thepandemic can be found at this link provided on the Church of theGood Shepherd Youtube channel.

Reprinted from October -- Proposed amendment to theParish By-Laws concerning Vestry membership.

If you remember at the Annual Meeting back in late January (or was itearly February?), the Executive Committee presented a proposedamendment to the By-Laws of Church of the Good Shepherd.

The proposed amendment would reduce the number of Vestry

https://episcopaliansinconnection.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Communion-Guidelines_v2.pdf

https://youtu.be/TWBRDepAaY8



members to a total of eight (8): Senior Warden, Junior Warden, six(6) members. Traditionally we also elect a college studentrepresentative, but that member, while a voting member, is notcontemplated among those six. Neither is the Treasurer a votingmember of Vestry, nor is that person considered among the six othermembers. The reason for the reduction in size is that, because of thesize of the parish at present, it has become increasingly difficult to findthree individuals who are willing, and available to serve on Vestry.

As a parish, we will need to vote on this proposed amendment at ourAnnual Meeting in early 2021. If the proposed amendment passeswith a favorable vote, the amendment would not go into effect untilthe Annual Meeting in early 2022.

Vestry is asking that all parishioners read the following alterations toArticle III in order to be prepared to vote on it at the time of theAnnual Meeting, most likely to be held in late January/early February2021. The Vestry unanimously recommends a vote FOR.

Should you have any questions, feel free to contact the Rector, the Sr.Warden, or any Vestry member.

It is proposed that the following alterations be made to Article III:

"The Vestry of the parish shall consist of a Senior Warden, a JuniorWarden, and six (6) other members, plus a college representative.

The Wardens shall be elected to a term of one (1) year. Afterservingthree (3) consecutive terms, they are ineligible for re-election tooffice for a period of one (1) year.

The Vestry members, exclusive of the college representative, whowillserve a renewable one-year term, shall be elected for a term ofthree(3) years. Two (2) Vestry members shall be elected at each annualcongregational meeting. Vestry members may not succeedthemselves but become eligible for re-election at the expiration ofone (1) year.

Follow this link to the current Parish By-Laws.

Contacts, Office Hours, & More

Contact Information

https://www.chogs.org/chogarchives/By-laws(2013).pdf



For pastoral needs, please contact The Rev. Deborah Woolsey at937-689-8895 (cell) or 740-593-6877 (church), or by e-mail at[email protected]. To find out more about Good Shepherd and other matters, pleasecontact David Burton, Senior Warden, at 740-593-5634 or by e-mailat [email protected] For maintenance matters, please leave a note at the officeor contact Ted Foster, Junior Warden, at 740-593-8615 or by e-mailat [email protected]. For emergencies, please call The Rev.Deborah Woolsey at 937-689-8895.

NOTE: NON-emergency messages can be left on the churchanswering machine (740-593-6877).

Note: Office Hours: 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. Monday throughThursday (until further notice). Please Knock.

The building is not open to the public all other hours.The parish office administrator is Barbara Martin (740-593-6877 or [email protected]).

The Episcopal Church of the Good ShepherdSeeking and Serving Christ in All Persons

64 University Terrace, Athens OH 45701

740-593-6877 [email protected]www.chogs.org

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