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2019 Autumn Issue
The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd
Brentwood, TN 37027
The Shepherd’s Voice
To the People of Good Shepherd
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
What a delight it is to be chosen as the new Rector of Good Shepherd. I am hon-ored to come alongside you as your second Rector and to continue the work that you have begun. I also look forward to the prayerful work we will do to-gether as God leads us into new opportunities for mission and ministry.
You have been on my heart and mind for months now, and as a necessary part of the interview process, I have spent much of my free time poring over the par-ish profile and website. What I have already learned about you is a source of encouragement.
Your faith and generosity have created a vital community. You have developed a parish that routinely looks beyond your own walls in mission and ministry; and you have supported one another through major milestones in the life of your parish. I was also encouraged by the capacity for imaginative and thoughtful leadership that was reflected in the comments made by members of the search committee and your vestry. These are chal-lenging times for Christ’s church, but they are also rich with opportunity, and Good Shepherd is poised to pro-vide significant leadership for Christ’s work in Brentwood and beyond.
I am looking forward to beginning my ministry in a parish so deeply rooted in the gospel and the work of Christ. I am especially looking forward getting to know you as individuals. I bring a passion for preaching and teaching. I believe strongly in the value of spiritual formation for Christians of every age. I love our liturgy and believe in its power to change lives. I also believe that life in the church is an adventure led by the Holy Spirit. I cannot wait to begin this new adventure with you.
One of the prayers that has shaped my ministry more than any other over the years is one that appears in the “Celebration of a New Ministry” found in The Book of Common Prayer:
O Lord my God, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; yet you have called your servant to stand in your house, and to serve at your altar. To you and to your service I devote myself, body, soul, and spirit. Fill my memory with the record of your mighty works; enlighten my understanding with the light of your Holy Spirit; and may all the desires of my heart and will center in what you would have me do. Make
me an instrument of your salvation for the people entrusted to my care, and grant that I may faithfully administer your holy Sacraments, and by my life and teaching set forth your true and living Word. Be always with me in carrying out the duties of my ministry. In prayer, quicken my devotion; in praises, heighten my love and gratitude; in preaching, give me readiness of thought and expression; and grant that, by the clearness and brightness of your holy Word, all the world may be drawn into your blessed kingdom. All this I ask for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Quickened in devotion, heightened in love and gratitude, drawn into God’s Kingdom: That is my prayer for you – for myself – for us. I invite you to join me in that prayer as we discover what God has in store for us.
Yours in Christ,
Mother Natalie
Our Rector Natalie Van Kirk
Instant Church Directory? There’s an app for that! Did you know we have an online church directory? It’s a great resource--you can actually make calls and send emails right from your screen using the app on your phone! This is an easy way to keep in touch with your fellow church friends.
Once your contact information has been added to the database you may download the free Instant Church Directory app from the Google Play or ITunes store. Set up an account using the email address you supplied in your contact information. You can use the password of your choice.
If you and your family are not listed, please send your contact information to [email protected] or the church office and we will make sure you are included.
Youth Fundraiser
Sunday October 27th 5pm
Church of the Good Shepherd
1420 Wilson Pike, Brentwood
Wear a costume!
Invite your Friends and Neighbors!
Tickets: $10 per person or $25 per family
2018 Chili Champs!
COGS YOUTH
CHILI/BROWNIE
COOKOFF
Vote for your favorite chili and brownies with your dollars $$! We will supply all the sides and drinks. Prizes for best costume, face painting, photo booth and fun for all ages!
WE NEED YOU!!! Volunteer cooks get in free and prizes will be awarded by 6:30pm! To sign up for the competition to contribute your chili and/or brownie dish, email Jill at [email protected] or fill out the form below
and put the slip in offering plate or in Youth ministry box in the office.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
CHILI/BROWNIE COOK OFF ENTRY – to be placed in Youth Ministry box.
Name(s): _______________________________ Entry Type : 4 quarts of Chili 24 bite size Brownies
Email: _______________________________________ Phone #: ____________________________
**All participants must be present for the event to win. Set-up is at 4:30 and voting ends at 6:30.
Please plan to cook at home and bring your chili in a crock pot. Please pre-slice brownies in small bites! THANK YOU!!!
Please circle all that apply.
Tickets go on sale October 6th
A message from our Senior Warden
Fellow Parishioners,
It is an exciting time in the life of our church family as we prepare to welcome our new rector, the Reverend Canon Natalie Van Kirk! As I trust you’ve seen in recent worship bulletins and emails, her first service leading worship at Church of the Good Shepherd will be Sunday, October 20, 2019. That Sunday we will have one service at 10 AM, followed by a luncheon in Herlong Hall to welcome and meet Natalie, and her husband Fred. See you all there!
Thank you all for your prayers and support in our church’s transition. We’ve been very fortunate to have an exceptionally involved and committed set of
Vestries and Search Committee who, over the past year and a half, worked diligently to prepare our church profile, to evaluate candidates, and to make a final discernment and call to our next rector. It was a significant body of work and commitment of their time. Now, we are all truly excited about the next phase of our church life together with Natalie at the helm. Thank you Search Committee, and thank you 2018 and 2019 Vestries!
Thank you to our staff for their superb leadership of all of their ministries in the absence of a full-time rector:
Jill Altom, leading our Youth ministry
Chrissie Coombs, leading our Children’s ministry
Judy Hollandsworth, leading our Communications ministries
Cathy Kennedy, our head Verger
Randy McLellan, leading our Music ministry
Angela Premoe, our Church Administrator
It wasn’t easy for them through the transition, yet they never missed a beat in all of the church opera-tions and ministries … thank you Staff!
A special thanks is in order to Tony Ferguson, who stepped forward from the pews here at COGS, led us in worship, cared for us pastorally, and helped us all become better Christians. We asked him to step in as our stated supply priest for 6 months, and as our search continued for the right person to lead us as next rector, 6 months became well over 16. Thank you, Tony, for your gift of leadership and ministry to all of us.
And now our work begins. With Mother Natalie, the Vestry, Staff, and Search Committee will get straight to work together on October 25 and 26 with a Leadership Retreat. Joined by The Very Rever-end Kevin Martin, who is one of the Episcopal Church’s authorities on evangelism and church growth, we will discuss defining our vision for Church of the Good Shepherd in our next phase of growth and church life together. Stay tuned for more!
Last, the same question I have asked in prior letters in the Shepherd’s Voice -- How will you “plug in” to the mission of the church? What community within COGS will you join? If you don’t know where to start, ask me, ask a staff or vestry member … please join us.
Best,
Chris Olson, Sr. Warden
Children’s Ministry News
Children’s 9am Sunday School K-3rd graders proudly displaying their Lectionary topic calen-dar! They finished tracking a year of Lectionary based lessons on 9/8/2019!
The Connect Class of 4th-6th graders began the school year in the Garden of Eden, waded through the Flood, scaled the Tower of Babel and will be learning about God's Covenants as they tromp through the wilderness with Moses and com-pany. They won't reach the Promised Land until January 2020!
In their lesson time, they take a look at the big picture of each week's lesson theme, and then dig deeper, exploring multiple places in the Bible that reveal the connections in the Old and New Testament. Kids highlight, underline, sketch on, search through, and draw in the pages of the Connect Bibles as they learn and process the theology, and then relate it to their lives.
The children in the Whirl class recently had an object lesson on
Praying Always. Each prayer adds to the beauty of our lives!
The Children’s Sunday School classes work together to pre-pare a Welcome book for Mother Natalie.
We did it! Breakfast for a year for all of
these little ones at San Jose Obrero
preschool in Ecuador
provided by the generosity of
COGS parishioners!
Thank you!
Will and Kate Johnson repre-
sented their Connect Sunday
School class by presenting a
clever skit to spark interest in
donations for Breakfast for a
Year for the Pre-school chil-
dren at our sister church in
San Jose Obrero.
It definitely worked, we ex-
ceeded the goal. Good job!
“Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending”
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
One of my favorite books is titled
Beautiful Things Happen When a
Woman Trusts God by Sheila Walsh. I
enjoy reading a random chapter eve-
ry now and then, noting how the por-
tion I explore opens the doors to in-
spiration. The author lived in Nash-
ville at one time and in the book she
shares their experience of trust lived out in faith through a
series of events that led to a move to Texas.
Uprooting our family and moving to a new city is an experi-
ence most can relate to. Remember the multitude of deci-
sions and tasks? It’s definitely a time of trust as we pray
mightily for guidance and to know that we’re doing the
right thing, that we are on the path God intends, that good
things await – things we wouldn’t experience or receive
had we not taken that leap of faith. I’m fairly certain our
new rector will be sharing a similar story of being called
and prepared by God to join us here at Good Shepherd. I’m
really looking forward to hearing about it and seeing the
plans God has in mind with Mother Natalie shepherding us.
Woven throughout Walsh’s book is a narrative that ex-
plores the background of the human emotions which likely
influenced the choices of people we read of in the Bible.
Sheila Walsh shares how this insightful comprehension
deepened her faith as she went through life’s ups and
downs. It’s an interesting to view scriptural accounts this
way because we are feeling creatures, and our emotions
often are the catalyst to our decisions. It is liberating to
consider that your emotions and reactions are accepted
and understood by God; that He knows our trust in Him is
something we have to work on.
In a chapter titled Trusting God When You Have A Lot to
Lose, she focuses on Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Continued on the next page.
TRUSTING GOD
Walsh proposes they felt in their hearts Jesus was the
prophesied Messiah, but they weren’t quite ready to go
against his powerful adversaries and accept all that follow-
ing Him would cost them. Nicodemus and Joseph were
both prominent, wealthy members of the Sanhedrin. They
had a lot to lose taking a stand against the Sanhedrin who
bitterly opposed everything Jesus said and did. Anyone
who proclaimed Jesus as Messiah would be expelled from
the synagogue and renounce their status as Pharisees. The
Gospels clearly show us how Jesus viewed their corruption
and skewed priorities. In the midst of this, Nicodemus and
Joseph chose to do what most people can honestly relate
to: keep your opinions to yourselves, stay on middle
ground, wait and see if someone else will speak up. They
were likely present when the Pharisees sent the guards to
arrest Jesus.
Did they speak up then? We don’t know. Were they
waiting to see what Jesus would do next? I can imagine
that was a natural response. Even the disciples didn’t un-
derstand all Jesus said or anticipate what he would do next.
Like Peter, we all
want to think we
would act differ-
ently than we do
at times when
suddenly chal-
lenged to pro-
fess, or live out,
our Christianity.
But John 7:51
records that after
Jesus was arrest-
ed, Nicodemus
finally asks “Does
our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what
he is doing?” Maybe he hoped and prayed that the Phari-
sees’ love and reverence for the law will be enough to save
Jesus.
By Chrissie Coombs
take his life and reputation in his own hands and ask for
the battered body of Christ’.
This is grace – to allow us to change, to trust we are ac-
cepted, and to be redeemed. Walsh writes, ‘no matter
how often you fail, it is never too late to take your place
at Jesus’ side, never too late to trust him. God’s love for
us shows up more powerfully in our failures than in any
of our greatest successes’.
Trust is the pathway to something greater - to God him-
self. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were changed.
It’s certain they, and all other followers of Christ, would
have been expelled from the synagogue and persecuted.
We don’t know much about what happened, but we do
know they were starting over again with the experience of
having seen Jesus with their own eyes and knowing Him as
the risen son of God.
Stories like this resonate and fortify our trust in the Lord.
From the beginning, God had a plan to save His children.
We each experience our own chapters of trusting God and
relying on the redemptive power of the Savior.
As parishioners at Good Shepherd, we are turning the
page of an exciting new chapter; having battled fear, un-
certainty, exhaustion, the impatience of a long wait – fi-
nally the day is upon us to welcome a new Rector and en-
ter into a new era of our mutual history. Trust that your
walk, wherever you are on your journey- beginning,
changing, growing – is all part of His plan. By the salvation
given to us by Christ our Lord, we know our story contin-
ues in Eternity, in God’s presence with all who have gone
before us.
But as he discovers, reverence and law have nothing to do
with justice for those who don’t believe in or trust Jesus.
Then Christ was crucified. After Jesus dies, Joseph of Arima-
thea shows us where his heart was all along. He, a ruling
member of the Sanhedrin, not one of the disciples, is stand-
ing in the courtyard of the Roman ruler asking for the body
of Jesus so he can be buried according to Jewish custom.
It’s interesting that during an interval when the disciples
were fearful and numbed to inaction, these two men
stepped up.
I was touched reading Walsh’s account about
what it would have been like to remove Jesus
from the cross and carry him to the tomb. Nic-
odemus brings a 100 pounds of myrrh and al-
oes - a king’s ransom of spices - to bind with
the linen around the body of Jesus. Walsh
wonders, did he feel guilty because he too was
in the Sanhedrin and hadn’t taken a stand
when Jesus was alive? Was he finally moved to
give up his wealth, his power and status to
help bury Jesus? We don’t know why, but the
boldness of Joseph of Arimathea in asking Pi-
late for Jesus’ body and the huge amount of
spices Nicodemus arrives with indicates that
both men responded to the call in their hearts towards Je-
sus. What they did is proof that neither expected Him to
rise again, but when He does, perhaps Nicodemus finally
understands his conversation with the Lord. In John 3:1-5 ,
Jesus tells him “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is
born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom
of God.”
Up until that moment, what they wanted and what they
needed were at odds. Who’s been there? Everyone!
The Bible is full of people who didn’t get it right the first
time, but God loved them anyways. They, with their faults
and excuses, were still part of His grand plan; as are we.
Walsh points out, as the men take on the sad task of pre-
paring Jesus’ body for burial: there is beauty in the kind of
trust from God (to us) that allows one, even a doubting,
fearful one, to hold the broken Christ, the Christ broken
for you and me, in his hands. At Jesus’ death, ‘a Roman
executioner proclaims trust at his feet, and a man who did
not speak up when he could have, now has the chance to
Continued from previous page
The Changing of the Seasons is one I am usually ready for. By the end of September, I am dying for cooler weather and less sun. By the end of Winter, I can’t wait for some warmth and light. With these changes from one season to the next I prepare myself for something new to begin.
These seasonal movements are also witnessed in our lives of faith and in the rhythms of the Church year. Last year the youth community reflected on the seasons of our faith through interactive prayer stations corresponding to Sum-mer, Fall, Winter and Spring. I brought these stations to youth group for us to experience again because the meta-phor was so beautiful and relevant to our own changes we are approaching as a church family at Good Shepherd, as well as all the changes we experience in a new school year.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1
Our relationship with God can feel like a cycle where we go from new beginnings of growth and life and renewal, to that of stagnation, dryness, and apathy and then we make our way back through forgiveness and repentance around again to renewal and focus on God. Often times it is in the new beginnings of life that we are inspired to start again and en-gage in new practices and disciplines. In new seasons we meet others who can revive our tired ways of approaching
faith or help us see things from a new perspective. That is one of the reasons why I appreciate the church year.
Going from Advent, to Epiphany at the start of the cold winter is so helpful as we long for Jesus to come again, for the light to come. Lent is a beautiful, and potentially in-trospective season when we consider how we are falling idle or missing the mark in our pursuit of God and His Kingdom. Then Easter approaches through the mystery and mournful wonder of Holy Week until we are eager with Joy at the New Life and Resurrection of our Lord. We bask in this new life as we watch the blooming of spring. Finally, we celebrate at Pentecost the power and glory of God’s Spirit at work in us and the Church.
However, one of the most challenging seasons I experi-ence is that of Ordinary Time. We trudge along for a very long stretch without a very particular focus in our Chris-tian Story until Advent comes again.
Perhaps that is where we have been lately as a church awaiting the work of the Spirit and the search committee/vestry to bring us a new Rector. We are ready for new beginnings and new life and long to get caught up in the story once again as a community renewed in its calling and focus.
Youth Ministry News By Jill Altom
Youth Minister
On September 15th our Youth Sunday participants gathered for a photo after the service.
This past month I felt a great surge of renewal as the youth through the process of arriving at our Youth-Led Sunday. We set our focus on the stories of the Lost Sheep and Coin from our Gospel, the very “lost” Israel-ites in the desert who worshiped a golden calf, and the formerly very lost Saul who persecuted Christians but was transformed to became the faithful Paul who wrote many of our epistles in the Bible.
It was in this process, I found renewal from God, speak-ing words of love and truth to me. I felt this renewal through the scriptures and the words of utmost pa-
Continued from previous page
tience I saw God pouring out everywhere. I felt it in the example and faithfulness of our teenagers who stepped up to serve and read and share about God’s work in their lives. I felt it as we listened to God in Lectio Divina on Wednesday and saw the works of art created as a
result. I felt it in the letters I received from youth and the recognition from the whole church body when they celebrated my 5 years of ministry here.
I pray as we embark on a new season, that God will remind us and teach us new things together. This fall on Wednesday nights, over the course of 6 weeks, the youth group is learning about The Shema. This ancient prayer from Deuteronomy reminds us to Hear and listen to God by paying attention and responding to God, Yahweh, the one who was and is and for-ever will be. I am excited to dive into the meaning of this ancient prayer to Love God with all of our heart, soul, and strength. Perhaps we will grow in our un-derstanding, actions, and relationship with God in new and exciting ways.
“Listen, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord alone,
and you shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart, all your being, and all your might.” -Deut. 6:4-5
By Carla Ponciroli Babb, EdS, ACS, LPC-MHSP Cypress Counseling Group, PLLC
What a confusing time this can be… at the precipice of a new beginning. We can often feel a mixture of such different emotions all at the same time that it can feel like it stirs us up. On one side of the coin there are feelings of excitement, joy, wonder, hopefulness, and new energy for all the things that may be present in this new future that is yet to be written. We are draw-ing closer to the moment we get to meet our new Rector of our church and to create a new story with her, a story of the New Good Shepherd. It is normal to feel the energy of excitement for this freshness of spirit, energy and wisdom as we join her in writing this story together.
On the other side of the coin… feelings like fear, loneliness, concern, hesitation, guardedness… for this experience that is still undefined, so unknown. What will it be like to have Mother Natalie guide our time in our faith? What changes will come? How will I come to know her and her to come to know me? Changes can create a feeling of being unsafe – and without safety we can struggle to be vulnerable.
A counselor mentor of mine calls it “Joypain.” It’s one unique word that describes the idea of both/and – and reminds us that it is okay to hold all of these feelings at the same time, and all can be guides to our hopes and our needs.
As we collectively enter into this new season of our church life together, give yourself the gift of honoring this JOYPAIN and be curious about what it might have to tell you about how to make this new chapter become a wonderful new be-ginning.
Here are a few ways to be mindful in sitting with these feelings:
1. Sometimes when we sit with what feels like competing feelings at the same time it all just feels like a swirl of con-
fusing emotion. We notice lots of overwhelming feelings but can’t quite get clear on the wisdom of these feelings. Give yourself permission to sit with one side of the coin and then the other. If there is joy, dig into this for a little while. What are your hopes and dreams about this new beginning? How can you share these ideas or energy with others at the church and be a part of the change you wish to see? Is there a hope you have that is yet to be spoken? Do you desire something that our new Rector has to offer that you can communicate clearly and contribute to its fruition? What about those fears… are there things about your experience at Good Shepherd that you are hopeful will continue? Do you feel hesitant and lonely for a deeper relationship with a spiritual guide? How can you take that loneliness and allow it to move you toward vulnerability and connection?
2. Vulnerability is key. Brene Brown, Licensed Social Worker and Shame Researcher, shares that she was once asked
by a church congregation how to create safety in their church community. She acknowledged that safety does not come first. Vulnerability comes first and when that is honored well, safety flows from that. To create a safe and con-nected system – we have to SHOW UP. Be vulnerable, get to know new people, welcome them in. Allow them to SEE YOU.
3. This is a new beginning for our new Rector too and what a beautiful new beginning it can be. How can we show
her who we are and how we love? Create moments to get connected, introduce your family and have intimate mo-ments where you and she can start to build a new foundation together… not just a church relationship but a REAL RE-LATIONSHIP. We often hear pastors talk about having a relationship with Jesus, coming to know Him and talking with Him. That can happen through building a real relationship with the Mother of our church.
Change, any change, can provoke a response of looking at things as better than/less than. This can be a tricky lens to wear as you sit and witness what changes look like in this new system we are all a part of creating. What if instead of looking at things in comparison to how we have done things in the past, we challenge ourselves to look at things as having differences without judgment. We have a choice to engage in this New Beginning and seek to find the beauty and value in the changes. If we slow down, and check in with our own fears, changes can be a beautiful thing.
An Invitation to a New Beginning Finding the Gifts in Community and Connection
The Men of Good Shepherd got together for fellowship at Cajun Steamer in Franklin on September 12. Every month we alternate between gather-ing for a breakfast and evening meal at a restaurant or a member’s home.
I hope to see you on the first Saturday in October for our next breakfast.
Sean Coakley
The Men of Good Shepherd enjoy fellowship
In August several men from The Church of the Good Shepherd attend-
ed the 73rd Annual Laymen’s Conference at DuBose Conference Cen-
ter in Monteagle. Above: Bishop John Bauerschmidt with a group of
our members. Right: Perry Happell serves with the Bishop and others.
The Legacy Society of The Church of the Good Shepherd
Charitable Giving Through Life Insurance
By Bill Bailey
How It Works
Life insurance is an economical way to make a much larger gift than the dollars you would actually spend.
You buy a new life insurance policy naming your church the owner and beneficiary of the policy. You pay the premiums and have a tax deduction every year. The premium amount is based on the size of the policy, your age, your insurability, and the number of years to pay premiums. This method is particularly advantageous for younger donors.
To an existing life insurance policy, you may change the benefi-ciary and name the church of your choice. You may also trans-fer the ownership of the policy to the church; this gives you a deduction immediately for the cash value and in future years a deduction as you pay the premium. Or if you have a paid-up policy, you might give to the church and receive an immediate tax deduction.
You may make the church a secondary beneficiary of a policy in the event your family beneficiary dies first. Some people have their spouse as the primary beneficiary and their church as sec-ondary.
You may use life insurance as a wealth replacement procedure along with a life insurance trust or a Charitable Remainder Trust. This can save capital gains taxes resulting in more assets left to heirs.
What To Do
Contact a life insurance agent who also understands total financial planning. The agent can sell you the policy, but more importantly, look at your overall financial plans (if you wish that additional service).
Benefits To You
You pay for a large gift in small payments over a number of years. You receive income tax deductions for each year in which you pay premiums to a policy owned by the church. Your gift does not reduce the size of your estate, nor does the gift have to be probated.
For questions or assistance, not professional advice, contact Bill Bailey, 615-481-6360, [email protected], volunteer
Planned Giving for the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee.
Room in the Inn is Back
By Grant Glewwe
The start of a new Room in the Inn season is just around the cor-ner. With our current heat, one wonders if Winter will come in like a lion or if we will just have pleasant mid-60s through
Spring. Good Shepherd will continue its tradition of support of the Room in the Inn ministry in partnership with our brethren at St. Bartholomew’s in Nashville.
Room in the Inn (https://www.roomintheinn.org/) coordinates a Winter Shelter program from November through March working with close to 200 congrega-tions like ours to provide warm meals, a safe place to sleep, and some brotherly love for members of our community dealing with homelessness. Mary and Jo-seph were lucky enough to be taken in by a kindly inn-keeper. Look for a signup in Herlong Hall to see how you can extend a helping hand to those less fortunate than ourselves.
1. There are four main ways you can help: be the innkeeper working with an experienced St B’s innkeeper to coordinate volunteers, spend the night, and drive a few guests to and from the Campus for Human Development;
2. provide dinner and fellowship for the dozen guests (three volunteers);
3. provide breakfast for the guests (two volunteers), usually taken to St B’s by the innkeeper; and
4. launder two tubs of linens (1 volunteer).
Throughout the 2018-2019 season, Good Shepherd provided well over 30 volunteers to cover the various jobs serving 60 guests. The Youth Group came out in January to help provide dinner for guests as well as breakfast provided by the Nashville DeMolay group.
If you have questions, find Grant Glewwe in Herlong Hall between services or contact him at [email protected] / 615-400-2586. This is a very rewarding experience. Volunteers are needed for the first Saturday of each month for the 2019-2020 season: November 2nd, December 7th, January 4th, February 1st, and March 7th.
excluding friends or favorite charities) in an established order of precedence, in set percentages, and makes no ex-ception for anyone in unusual need.
Probate is a court-supervised process concerning the final disposition of a person's estate after death. If a person dies without a will, probate is often more complicated, time-consuming and costly than distribution under a will. Per-haps of more importance to most people, if a person dies without a will, the process of disposition is administered by court-appointed administrator, not one of the decedent's family or friends designated in a will to act in such role, who disposes of the estate according to Tennessee's intes-tate laws after all taxes and expenses have been paid and claims settled.
If you wish to be as good a steward of your property after you have died as you were during your life, consult with a qualified attorney to properly draft a will and ensure com-pliance with the law.
Every so often I will come across a situation where some-one dies without having made a will and invariably it is a unholy mess! It is very upsetting and nobody, nobody truly benefits.
If you are reading this and have not made a will, please, RUN, do not walk, to an attorney and have one drawn up!
Where there is a will, you want your loved ones to be in it.
Father Tony
Have you made a Will?
Did you know that in the Book of Common Prayer on page 445 this exhortation occurs?
“The Minister of the Congregation is di-rected to instruct the people, from time to time, about the duty of Christian parents to make prudent provision for the well-
being of their families, and of all persons to make wills, while they are in health, arranging for the disposal of their temporal goods, not neglecting, if they are able, to leave bequests for religious and charitable uses.”
A last will and testament is a legal document that governs the disposition of a person's property after death. The prin-cipal benefit of a will is to provide the person making the will with control over what happens to their property and affairs after death. With a will, a person can plan to provide for surviving friends and relatives, or to support favorite causes or charities. A second benefit, if the amount of the property is significant, is to provide for distribution of the decedent's property with as little tax burden as legally al-lowed.
If a person dies without a will (known as dying intestate), his or her property will be distributed according to a formula defined by Tennessee law governing intestate inheritance. The law is rather rigid; it only recognizes relatives (thereby
Thank you Father Tony!
A HUGE thank you to our
stated supply priest, Father
Tony Ferguson. He and his
wife Normie were recog-
nized by the congregation
for their service to Church of
the Good Shepherd.
Tony blessed us for sixteen
months during our search
for a new rector. Well done!
Congregational Rhythm An Invitation to Listen
As part of my continuing education as Music Minister, I recently attended a spiritual retreat that focused mostly on prayer, solitude, silence, and rest. It was an invest-ment in my body, soul, and spirit, and I’m so grateful to Good Shepherd for sup-porting me in this way. During part of my time there, I found myself praying, “Holy Spirit, Tune My Ears.” It came after an extended time of silent prayer, seeking to listen and “let my words be few,” like the writer describes in Ecclesiastes 5:2. I felt like the prayer itself was a gift from God and I have continued this prayer outside of the retreat; praying it in church, before dinner with my family, or even strange plac-es like the basketball court! =) The idea is that I want to tune in to the Holy Spirit in every part of life. Chances are good that God is active all around me every day, but will I miss it?
If this idea resonates with you at all, I invite you to join me in this prayer/challenge in a simple way on Sunday mornings. When we read or sing Psalms, pray the Lord’s prayer, say the Nicene Creed, or anything where we unite our voices together, don’t just read it at whatever pace flows naturally from your lips. Instead, open your mouth to speak, but simultaneously open your ears to “tune in” to the congrega-tion’s voice. See if you can find your words falling into the same rhythm as the ma-jority. It will require a little self-restraint and a more sensitive participation, but this practice is one small way we can unite our hearts as a body of believers, listening for the Holy Spirit’s voice among us. This spiritual practice of listening to the Spirit is something that will be crucial as we enter this new transition, welcoming our new rector, Mother Natalie.
As we continue in the second half of the season of Pentecost, we sing each week, “We have come with open hearts, O let the ancient words impart.” Let us continue to honestly, earnestly seek God’s face with open hearts while we also tune in to the congregation’s voice all around us. May our hearts be united as one, worshipping God not only in Sunday morning songs and prayers, but worshipping throughout the week by offering our lives, our bodies, our time and energy, to God. God is active every day in and around you -- will your ears be open to hear it, and your eyes open to see it?
Get involved:
Our team of worship leaders is never a closed group. If you have interest in singing, playing, dancing, running sound, or helping in any form of worship, please consider this your official invitation to plug-in. Please don’t hesitate to email, call or text me, or just find me on a Sunday morning, and let’s chat. May our great God continue to bring us together and grant us the grace necessary to open our ears, our eyes, and our hearts to hear and respond to the Holy Spirit.
Randy McLellan, Music Guy [email protected] 615.594.5058
Randy McLellan Music Minister
By Evelyn Weems
Summer is a memory and with it the trips we took, whether across town to the
zoo or Cheekwood or lunch at The Café at Thistle Farms or a picnic at Arrington
Vineyard or something more involved like a drive to a beach or the mountains. We
rejoice in all we’ve experienced.
Marshall and I made our annual pilgrimage to what we call “the real beach”, aka
the coast of North Carolina, more specifically for us, Emerald Isle, a town that co-
vers about half of the island of Bogue Banks across the Bogue Sound from Morehead City and Beaufort.
This annual trip started out as much a trip to see visit family as be at the shore. (My family roots are
deep in Eastern NC.) It is such a part of our life now that we consider it our beach in our town on our
island.
And each of the journeys we’ve made to that beloved place is made up of different legs. Every trip is –
even if you take a direct flight somewhere – the legs just look different. To go to anywhere for us the
first leg get to I-840 then to whichever of the three major interstate that leads to our destination, near
or far. 840 East to I-40 East is the next leg toward Emerald Isle. And for us senior citizens with less stami-
na behind the wheel that we had when we moved to Middle Tennessee from the Carolinas 38 years ago
with three young daughters, the legs of our trip are also divided into where we spend the night. And we
spend several nights making that trek. But one joy of being a North Carolinian is that we know places
and people and enjoy fitting them into our “legs” of travel.
When we start out on our vacation trip, we don’t think of it as a “new beginning” as people tend to do
when life takes on a new direction; it is just the start of a leg. We at Good Shepherd see our lives about
to be on a new leg of the journey we’ve been on since we accepted Jesus Christ as Lord – an eternal life
journey moving toward life in glory for ever. This is not our beginning; it is our next leg.
The time of waiting has been like some of those stretches of miles between here and Knoxville or be-
tween Raleigh and EI: They seem endless. And yet in the midst of those stretches we’ll drive through a
charming old town like Trenton, NC with its old mill and mill pond that you hope if you’re in passenger
seat that you didn’t sleep through because the scene is so sweet. In these past sixteen months here at
CoGS we’ve worshipped, celebrated, sung, shared meals, studied, met new people, baptized babies,
buried saints. That leg of our journey wasn’t one endless passage of boring time. It was filled with
meaning.
With Mother Natalie and Father Fred’s arrival we will not be at a new beginning. We will be entering
the next leg of the journey of Christians at Good Shepherd in our life in Christ. I pray we will rejoice and
be glad in it.
The next leg of our Journey
Join us for Morning Prayer every Tuesday at 7am
Perhaps you are considering how to enhance your spiritual walk by some added devotion. Consider joining the Morn-
ing Prayer congregation for half hour every Tuesday morn-ing in Dunnavant Chapel at 7:00. It is our hope that those who come will apply the pray-ers and readings found in the Book of Common Prayer to every morning, not just the one we share together. If you
have any questions, please feel free to email Evelyn Weems at [email protected].
Please join us on the Altar Guild Team!
Are you interested in finding a
meaningful way to serve in our
church?
The Altar Guild of COGS is in
desperate need of more volun-
teers. This is a great oppor-
tunity to do a small job that
fills a big need. Men and women can participate.
What is Altar Guild?
In general terms, the duty of the altar guild is to pre-
pare all the things necessary for the celebration of the
Eucharist or any of the other sacraments and offices of
the church. Being part of Altar Guild is one of the most
rewarding gifts you can give yourself.
Training is provided and you will be paired with anoth-
er Altar Guild member during the learning process. You
usually serve only one Sunday per month and we have
one meeting a year to catch up.
Please prayerfully consider being part of this ministry.
We really need you. Please contact Patti Dietrick by
text 615-642-7627 or by e-mail: [email protected]
Are you called to be a member of DoK?
By Gayle Happell
The Daughters of the King are women and girls between the ages of seven and one hundred and seven who de-sire a closer walk with the Lord. We are Christian women, both lay and or-dained, who are strengthened through the discipline of a Rule of Life, and sup-ported through the companionship of
our sisters. We are all at different stages of our Christian journey – some have just begun and some have been on this path for a long time. But no matter where we are on our sacred journeys, our primary goal is the same – to know Jesus Christ and to make Him known to others.
The St. Bernadette Chapter at Good Shepherd was installed in 2003. We have 19 Senior members and meet monthly. We pray together, share, do service projects, and serve Good Shepherd however we can.
Coming next year, we will once again have an informational gathering for any women who might be interested in discern-ing a call to be in the Order.
fHs,
Gayle Happell
Amazing dad and daughter team, Chris and Catherine Olson participated in Ride for a Cure with JDRF! JDRF Middle TN Cycling Team - Ride to Cure Diabetes
Neighbor serving Neighbor, by the power of God’s grace. Job loss. Hunger. Unexpected medical bills. Crisis. Where would you turn for help?
In Williamson County, TN, struggling families turn to GraceWorks Ministries, a Christian nonprofit which helps supply the basics of life.
In 1995, a small group of Williamson County residents re-alized people within their own community had real needs and those needs were not being met. Together, this small group of concerned citizens planted a small faith-based ministry to help struggling neighbors with basic physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Today, thousands of Wil-liamson County residents have joined together to make a difference. Schools, businesses, civic groups and nearly 100 local churches of many denominations support the mission of GraceWorks. Church of the Good Shepherd is one of the church partners making an impact in the lives of our neighbors in need.
GraceWorks offers relief by providing financial assistance with rent or utilities, sustenance by providing food and hope by providing a listening ear and offering prayer.
Stay tuned every month to find out ways you can help through our church outreach ministry. We can always use your help with fuel bags, food drives, school supplies,
Christmas Manager, and so much more. One upcoming fund-raiser and family-fun ac-tivity is the 2019 Turkey Trot. See details be-low, register to par-ticipate and put the walking/running shoes on. It’s time to trot!
The 2019 Turkey Trot benefiting GraceWorks will take place Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 28, at 7:45 a.m. at a NEW LOCATION – Cool Springs Galleria.
The largest 5K Run/Walk in Middle Tennessee and a certified 10K Course is followed by the Kids (ages 9 and under) 1K Turkey Chase at 9 a.m.
Long-sleeve t-shirts are guaranteed to the first 3,000 registered 5K/10K runners and the first 200 to register for the Kids 1K Turkey Chase. Information in this article is shared from the GraceWorks Minis-
tries website https://www.graceworksministries.net/. For more
information on how COGS partners with GraceWorks, contact
Dayna Moseley ([email protected]).
Clergy and Staff Natalie Van Kirk Rector
Jill Altom
Youth Minister
Chrissie Coombs
Children’s Minister
Randy McLellan Music Minister
Judy Hollandsworth
Communications
John Shedron
Treasurer
Cathy Kennedy Head Verger
Angela Premoe Administrator
Monica Coakley Godly Play Leader
Vestry Members
Chris Olson, Sr. Warden
Kim Terry, Jr Warden
Paul Wholley
Trey Jarrard
Cathy Kennedy
John Schaefer
Peter Sheridan
Sean Coakley
Kim Kreth
George Fossey
Susan Hailey
Horton Frank
