On Easter we

proclaim the

greeting:

“Alleluia Christ

is Risen!”

When we say,

“Alleluia.” We are

saying “Praise God”

for God’s goodness.

This is an expression

of great joy!

When we say,

“Christ,” we are

claiming Jesus to be

the Messiah or

anointed one of God

who is the savior of

the world, the for-

giver of sins, and the

repairer of the

breach.

When we say, “Is

Risen,” we are de-

claring that we be-

lieve God can do

anything, even con-

quer death.

M A Y 2 0 1 4

was at that point that Blondin invited him to climb into the wheel barrow so he could push him to the other side. It is said that the reporter took off into the crowd with a look of panic on his face! On Easter we proclaim the greeting: “Alleluia Christ is Risen!” When we say, “Alleluia.” We are say-

ing “Praise God” for God’s goodness. This is an expression of great joy!

When we say, “Christ,” we are claim-ing Jesus to be the Messiah or anointed one of God who is the sav-ior of the world, the forgiver of sins, and the repairer of the breach.

When we say, “Is Risen,” we are de-claring that we believe God can do anything, even conquer death.

This Easter season let us not only profess with our lips, but also place our hearts, minds, bodies and resources in the hands of our death defying savior- Jesus. The early followers of Christ who did so changed the world and so will we! It is time that we put all of our (Easter) eggs in one basket and stop hedging our bets. This is not the time to disappear into the crowd, but to rise up and to be counted as the Easter people God has called us to be. He IS Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

CELEBRATING 63 YEARS IN GOD’S SERVICE

GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOL

Alleluia Christ is Risen! Dear Easter People of Good Shepherd, We have entered into the most glori-ous season of the Church. It is Easter, the time of resurrection and new life! The tomb is empty and Jesus is alive! So how is your life different? Is your trust in God renewed? For Jesus’ first disci-ples Easter anchored their trust. They knew they could put all of their eggs in the one basket that was Jesus Christ. No longer did they have to hedge their bets or worry about their end game. They were free to serve as the body of Christ in the world! But a few thousand years later… how does the message of resurrection inform our everyday thoughts and actions? In the year 1859 the French Acrobat, Charles Blondin, made several trips on a tightrope suspended across Niagara Falls. One day, he even carried a chair and an oven with him and sat down be-tween Canada and the USA and cooked and ate an omelet! On the last day with nearly twenty-five thousands spectators present he pushed a wheelbarrow with a three hundred and fifty pound bag of cement above the raging waters and the cheers of the people drowned out the sound of the falls! When Blondin reached the other side he asked a reporter if he believed that he could do anything on a tightrope. The reporter said that after what he saw that day that he certainly did believe. It

On behalf of the Congregation Council we would like to thank all those who par-ticipated in so many ways throughout the Lenten Season and Easter Sunday to make this special time filled with so many opportunities for us to come together as a vi-brant faith community. We thank our assisting ministers, our confirmation class members, choir members, our ushers and new ushers, our Lenten Soup makers and of course Pastor Eric and Vicar Nick for their unending hours of leadership and teach-ing. We continue to be a congregation that is energized and growing with new mem-bers in our midst each and every Sunday. We ask everyone new and old to engage each other in conversation, be intentional and invite participation in the various min-

istry teams that assist in the daily work of the church. We have finally acknowledged in a very lasting way the good work of two departed Saints of Good Shepherd, Connie Schwaninger and Henry Trapp. Please take a moment and see the two bronze plaques located in the front of the church, one for Henry Trapp on the Cross Base and the other by the steps leading down to the parking area. At some time in the future there will be a formal dedication of remembrance and service of these two very special members.

In Christ,

Kevin Ocker

Alleluia Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, alleluia! Happy Easter to everyone! What an incredible Holy Week and Easter we just spent together! I feel blessed that I was able to worship with you, to pray with you, and to live into our Christian calling as the broken and risen body of Christ for the world. Thank you to everyone who made Holy Week and Easter such a special time for me.

But of course the 50 days of Easter have just begun, and for me the Easter season is a time to celebrate community. On April 8, pastor and I and our Confirmation class had the

great joy of celebrating our larger community at Temple Chaverim. We gathered together for a night of “Food, Faith, and Friends.” We shared a meal, learned about each other’s faith traditions, played games, and either started or strengthened relationships. It was a very successful evening, and will hopefully be the first of many encounters for our youth!

The Easter season is a wonderful time for us to remember that God has called us, drawn us into deep relation-ship through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I reflected on this on Easter morning at the sunrise ser-vice. Mary went to the tomb to mourn Jesus but was surprised when, instead of encountering his dead body, she met him alive. But what intrigues me about this encounter is that Mary doesn’t recognize Jesus at first. It isn’t until he calls her by name that she recognizes him. And he calls each of us by name to be in relationship with him. It is with

immense joy that I enter this Easter season with you as we all enter into deep-er relationship with God.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In Christ,

Vicar Nicholas Sollom

Semi

SUNDAY, MAY 4

IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

10:00 A.M. WORSHIP SERVICE

We did it! Thanks to your donations and the participation of The Broggy Family, The Olsen Family, The Tollefsen Family, The Prevette Family, Stephanie & Alex Brienza, Vicar Nick, Helen & Robert LaBarbera, Marge Wenger, Bryan Larson, Allie & Andrew Olanick, the LuHi Meal Packing Event yielded 316,224 meals for local food pantries and the Andrew Grene School in Haiti. The need for food on Long Island is greater than ever and their meal packets were distributed to New Ground, the Freeport Food Pantry/LI Council of Churches, Helping Hand Rescue Mission, and Island Harvest among others. This is the fourth year LuHi has sponsored this event and we are grateful for your help in making this happen!

“Hope starts when hunger ends.”

Good Shepherd is holding its first Taize service on May 18 at 7:00 p.m. For us this is a new form of worship, but its roots go back to the 1940s. Sometimes new things can be challenging because we don’t know what to expect. What is a Taize service like? The Taize service is a non-threatening, welcoming form of worship. People enter a darkened church, lit only by candles. The icons and candlelight cre-ate a welcoming and contemplative atmosphere. Quiet singing, short songs repeated again and again promotes meditation. Bible readings are offered by

readers seated among the congregation. And there are silences, some short, some long, time to meditate, time to hear God speak in the quiet of one’s heart. There is a time just to sit and be, to reflect on whatever word or phrase in a par-ticular Bible reading touches our heart and this gives us time to meditate on it. It is a time to hear God speak and a time to let one's burdens down in the quiet of His Presence. Icons contribute to the beauty of worship as symbols of the Incarnation giving the eyes a spiritual message as the Word is a message to our ears. Icons take us back to a time when the Bible was not in the hands of the people and most were illiterate, yet the visual images were powerful con-duits of the gospel of Jesus the Christ and they remain so today. Please consider joining us!

- Submitted by Marge Wenger

During the weekend of May 31/June 1, Reverend Dr. John F. Roth will be officiating at our services and will speak about a ministry providing direct relief to the poor throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Pastor Roth will share what he has witnessed about Food for the Poor’s mission to care for the destitute as a means

of living out the Gospel mandate to love one another. Pastor Roth was ordained in 1958 for the Florida-Bahamas Synod. He is a fifth generation pastor who has served several congregations. Pastor Roth served in various leadership roles in the Lutheran Church, including being President of the Beaches Ministerial Association and a board member of the Christian Service Corporation. He has served as a speaker for Food For The Poor for over 13 years, travelling on mission trips to Haiti, the Dominican Re-public, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala. We look forward to his visit.

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DATE SERVICE

ASSISTING

MINISTER

LECTOR GUEST USHER

May 4

Third Sunday of Easter 10:00 a.m.

Anne Rickmeyer

Bonnie McGowan Richard Benson

Dean & Annmarie Brown

Kathy Prinz

May 11

Fourth Sunday of Easter 10:00 a.m.

Marge Wenger

Christin Walsh Helen Kwong-LaBarbera

Cathy Aldrich, Karen Faucera

& Eleanor Bierlmaier-Dugan

May 18

Fifth Sunday of Easter 10:00 a.m.

John Hinsch

Judy Hinsch Marilyn Benner

Rich & Ellen Benson

George & Inara Hirn

May 25

Sixth Sunday of Easter 10:00 a.m.

Anne Rickmeyer

Terry Miccio Marge Wenger The Uzzo Familh

Dear friends, So many of your donations were anonymous to Kristen that I wanted to share with you the letter that she wrote to all her sponsors. I add my personal thanks for whatever part you had in making this trip a huge success and memorable for my granddaughter and all the students at LuHi who were invited to participate.

- Loretta Ruff I wanted to thank you for supporting me on my trip to Nicaragua. My experience was life changing and I could not have done it without your help. It's incredible to see the joy in the people's eyes when they are given things as little as a shirt or as big as a

sink with running water. Many of these things we take for granted. They have basically nothing! They live in shacks and sleep on the dirt or in small beds with many people, and every other day the government shuts off the water. But even though they don't have much, the love and unity of their family is so strong. On one of our last days, we were driving but realized the school we were delivering the bags to had just ended. So we stopped on the side of the rode and handed bags out to kids who were walking home. The kids who were ahead began running toward us, and their faces lit up when we handed them school supplies. It's truly amazing to see what happens through the works of God. We put a sink in for a woman who could not stop thanking us and offered us what little she had. She kept saying that it was because of God that we were here. At the end of every day we got together as a group and had devotions. We each reflected on what we saw and how it affected us. One person who really affected me was a boy

named Pedro. Years ago he met our pastor from LuHi and asked to practice his English. He was how this whole mission trip began. Through the works of these mission trips Pedro and his sisters have gotten the opportunity to go to college and pay it forward by helping those around their community. One of my greatest moments was when I gave him two of my shirts. Even though he was given many things from LuHi and all the other stu-dents, he was so grateful for my gift. Although I do know a minimal amount of Spanish, at times it was hard to communicate; but even with this language barrier, I still felt a great connection with the people. I never felt like I was working for these people, but with them. Kids would grab a shovel and help us dig the holes for the pipes. One thing I kept saying to the people was "proximo ano" which in Spanish means next

year, as I hope to return again. Every time the people replied that they would be wait-ing for me with happiness. In the beginning of the trip we got stuck in Houston, Texas, for a night be-cause of all the snow storms and were not really sure if the 40 of us would even get to Nicaragua. We prayed and prayed and finally made it there. On the way home we were stuck in Houston again for the night, but we never complained because we were all so happy that we were able to go to complete our trip. While waiting at the airport a lady overheard our situation and bought 40, $10 Starbucks gift cards and cases of muffins for our whole group. We knew God was with us at all times. Arriving back home was very hard. I realized what I have and felt guilty because

of what little they have. I am very grateful for all the Lord has blessed me with. My body was sore, and I did get sun poisoning; but I never complained and would do it over again 100 times. I really feel God has worked through me, and I am so grateful for the experience I've had. Thank you so much for your donations. Your used luggage was heavily packed with school supplies, toiletries, and many things for those in need. Without your support I wouldn't have been able to go to Nicaragua and help all those amazing people.

Kristen Klose Long Island Lutheran High School

Brookville NY

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Miranda Benson - 5/5

Grace Berry - 5/30

Joseph Brienza - 5/8

Addison Coupe - 5/18

Gianna Genovese - 5/18

Evan Haupt - 5/29

Victoria Herbst - 5/31

Joanne Krisztin - 5/28

Louise Lamont - 5/19

Alex Lessman - 5/4

Travis Maffei - 5/7

Judi Miranda - 5/21

Melissa Monten - 5/11

Gretchen Ocker - 5/10

Angela Santos - 5/31

Gretel Saul - 5/16

Eleanor Ulich - 5/7

Danielle Vollono - 5/13

Tom & Dellann Benson - 27 years on 5/24

Joseph & Natasha Pecora - 7 years on 5/7

Bob & Anne Rickmeyer - 45 years on 5/10

George & Melissa Saueracker - 14 years on 5/20

Kim & Hugh Witenack - 5 years on 5/15

WEPRAY FOR...

T H O S E S E R V I N G

I N T H E M I L I T A R Y

T H O S E W H O A R E C E L E B R A T I N G

Maureen Kelly Araujo, Alex & Derek Bartkow, Cindy Becker, Maya Berger (Vicar Nick’s friend), Eleanor Bierlmaier Dugan, John Binsfeld (Benner family friend), Edwina Bishop, Martin Bolivar (Louise Lamont’s cousin), John & Eddie Brusdeliens (J. Hinsch family friend), Evangeline Cappatos (GSL teacher Stacy Milios’ sister), Brad Carbone & Fami-ly (R. Benson family friend), Lynne Carlson (Irma’s daughter-in-law), Edna Carrera (Martha Peterson’s friend), Carol

Cassis (Elaine Cassimatis’ mother), Ava Cataldo (GSL student), Rita Cooper (Ruth Strakele’s friend), Gisela Conforti, Dorothy Cronin, Ernest Curtis (Deb Steinhilber’s relative), Frank D’Elia, Claudia DeMauro, Kristin DeMayo (McGowan family friend), Denise, Ken Dixon (Pastor Eric’s friend), Susan Dowd (Maisch family friend), Brooke Ducey, Sally Ducey, Anna Duda (Denise Bartkow’s mother), Becky Ernst (Paul Wenger’s cousin), Ryan Faret & family, Irene Fields (Naomi Hulver’s aunt), James Fields (Vincent Cronin’s nephew), Pat Froelich (Peggy Lang’s friend), Rashid Ghani (Mason family friend), Mary Gessing (Vincent Cronin’s cousin), Lilah & Jim Gillett (Kathy Prinz’s friends), Erika Green, Liz Haley, Margaret Holleran (Eleanor Pearson’s

friend), Renee Iannone (Irma Carlson’s niece), Alexis Jacobsen (GSL teacher LeeAnn’s daughter), Anna Jerome, Jo-anne Jurasek (GSL Teacher Joni Prevete’s mother), Robert Kamps (Lee family friend), Lois Kazarian, Chris Kim (Hu Jin’s friend), Dillon Kwarta, Toni Anne LaGois, Christian Lakis, Kenneth Lane, Martha Langhahr, Claire Larrie (Mary Wiegert’s sister), Lois Lengenfelder, Angel Lorch, Joan Lombardo (Rickmeyer family friend), Maryanne Macy (Rosemary McNair’s mother), Kathy Matullo, Bea McCabe, Pastor Fred McElderry (St. Andrew’s in West Hempstead), Claire Mehrhoff (Alice Vorstadt’s friend), Yanni Milios, Linda O’Brien (McGowan family friend), Ruth Odwazny, Rose Oliver (Ellen Benson’s friend), Meghan Ortega (Lisa Olsen’s niece), Shari Paterakis, Olga Pet-ras, Nick Portugal (Liam Broggy’s friend), Kathy Prinz, Dr. Mark Prowatzke (Danny Wenger’s father in law), Antho-ny Realmuto (Olsen family friend), Cathy Reese (Alice Vorstadt’s friend), Justin Rogers (Karin Kienle’s nephew), Glenn Schabel, Lilli Schulz, Audrey Schwartz, Maryann Senia (Alice Vorstadt’s friend), Adam Sink (Judy Hinsch’s nephew), Ian Spadaro, Nancy Stingelin, Anna Stutzbach, Joyce Tare, Emily Trapp, Madison Von Bargen (Ruff family friend), Hugh Whitenack, and Brother George Zenle (Wenger family friend).

Keith & Kyle Calderone (Army), Specialist Sean Hassett (Lori Mason’s cousin), CPT. Paul Rick-meyer, Captain Robert Saueracker, LTC. Phillip Sounia, USMC, Corporal Nicholas Ventrelli-O’Connell (Patty Larson’s family friend).

T H O S E P R E P A R I N G

F O R O R D A I N E D M I N I S T R Y

Along with their family & friends, the people of Good Shepherd celebrate the baptisms of Kaitlyn Rose White-nack (4/27), August Paul Dondero and Nora Jade Ocker (5/18) as well as Heather Kienle’s marriage to Etienne Bouchard on 5/17.

T H O S E I N N E E D O F H E A L I N G

P R A Y E R L I S T C O N C E R N Worship and Music has been dealing with concern expressed regarding the time taken to read all the names on the prayer list during the prayers of the people. We have discussed several ideas including just reading names new to the prayer list, but believe in the importance of lifting up each individual on our prayer list by name. We will be imple-menting the following suggestion in the near future. We will divide the names on the prayer list into three groups, each group to be read at one of the three liturgies. This would allow all those on the prayer list to be raised up before God and named aloud between the three services. The names would be rotated between the services each week. While we may not hear the name of someone we put on the prayer list every week, someone in another liturgy is hear-ing their name and praying for them. “The prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective.” James 5

Roger Griffith & Nick Sollom

D uring our

Sunday

School

Family

Time on April 13, we had

a great time coloring

eggs, making pretzels,

and folding palm crosses

On Easter Monday, our “raze the roof” project began!

Donations from the Ars Longa Quire Concert will help support this effort

Women’s ChoirSpring Concert

When: Sunday, June 8th, 2014

Where: Church of the Good Shepherd

(99 Central Park Road, Plainview, NY 11803)

Time: 4:00pm (Doors will open at 3:30pm)

A suggested donation of $5 for children and $10 for

adults is encouraged. Donations will be put towards

helping Church of the Good Shepherd with a new roof.

Please join us for an afternoon in song.

This concert is open to the public.

UPDATE FOR APRIL 2014

WITH COUNSELING SITES LOCATED IN: NASSAU SUFFOLK MANHATTAN QUEENS WESTCHESTER STATEN ISLAND & BROOKLYN

Prepared especially for LCC Association Congregations & Schools

Every year at Holy Week, I am amazed at

the depth of emotional and spiritual honesty articulated by Jesus, particularly on that fate-ful Good Friday. Of all the “seven last words”

from the cross, the one that stands out for me is, in the Aramaic, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabach

thani?” which is translated, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken or abandoned me?” This saying of Jesus, traditionally the fourth

word from the cross, is remarkable in and of itself, for it models a deep intimacy with God.

But what amazes me even more is that Jesus is quoting from the psalter in order to give full expression to what he is feeling in the present

moment. If I was less familiar with the Holy Week

story, I might assume that he would quote one of the most beloved Psalms of all time, the 23rd Psalm, as an example of steadfast faith in

God in times of trial and suffering: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shad-

ow of suffering and even death, I will not be afraid. And yet, it is not the familiar 23rd Psalm that Jesus quotes, but amazingly the one di-

rectly before it: Psalm 22: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? The juxtaposition

is quite striking, and I would say that it is in-tentional. Why? Jesus could have quoted the

more familiar Psalm 23, perhaps the “right thing” to say, spiritually, when facing adversi-ty: I will not be afraid! This, however, was not

what he was truly feeling on Good Friday, and so instead he quoted the 22nd Psalm, for it

would give a more authentic expression to what he was feeling at the time: My God, right now in this moment it feels like you have

abandoned me. At this pivotal moment, Jesus is absolutely honest, emotionally and spiritual-

ly, and therefore models for us an authenticity and integrity that is at the heart of the spiritu-al life. In this fourth word from the cross, he

speaks what he is truly feeling, rather than ut-

tering pious words that do not resonate with

his lived experience. No doubt there were oth-er times in his life when the beauty of the 23rd Psalm resonated, but on this day it would be

the words of Psalm 22. With courage and vulnerability, Jesus

speaks what he truly feels, not what he should or is supposed to say. Having recently seen a production of the Shakespeare classic, King

Lear, I find it reminiscent of the final scene of the play, and the timeless words of Edgar, the

Duke of Albany: The weight of this time we must obey, so speak what we feel, not what we ought to say. Indeed, our capacity to be

emotionally and spiritually honest with our-selves, with others, and with God, is the hall-

mark of our growth and development. The truth, as Jesus put it so famously, ultimately sets us free to be the unique person God cre-

ated us to be, to embrace our one and only life with authenticity and integrity.

In my practice of pastoral counseling, I often hear clients express gratitude and some-times relief that they can bring the totality of

themselves into the counseling session, that the expectation is not that they must leave

certain “shadow” parts outside the door, e.g., their anxiety, fear, anger, grief. The pastoral

counseling session is a unique place where all “parts” are welcome, where clients following the example of Jesus can learn more and more

to identify and articulate what they are truly feeling in the present moment of their lived

experience. We can learn to speak the truth with love and care and compassion to our-selves and others, to speak what we feel from

the heart and to feel less need to always say the “right thing”, what we should or ought to

or are supposed to say. What we learn from Jesus’ life and teaching is that the truth ulti-mately sets us free, that in fact, it is only in

truth that we experience the fullness of life.

The Quest for Authenticity

By: The Rev. Dr. Kirk A. Bingaman, LCC Pastoral Counselor

Contact Lutheran Counseling Center at 1-800-317-1173 or e-mail us at Center@lccny.org for more in-formation or to set an appointment. Visit our website at www.lccny.org .