As far back as I can remember, these words have been familiar to me. Until recently, however, I could not for the life of me have told you where they were found in the Bible. I was relatively sure (though not certain), though, that it was a passage in scripture.

Why was I familiar with this passage? Every Sunday, before he began his sermon, the rector of the church where I grew up would open his sermon with these words. Quite honestly, it wasn’t until I was in seminary that I truly understood that a sermon didn’t have to open with those words!

On Tuesday, this verse was the subject of my morning devotion. As I read the devotion and meditated on the passage, I began to hear the verse in an entirely different way. Naively, I always associated this verse with preaching, the church and the “proclamation of the Word.” I had heard the verse and only considered it in an official, formal, and “churchy” way.

The devotion invited me to meditate on the verse as it might relate to and

impact my times of prayer as well as my conversations with others. How can I make my words and thoughts acceptable to the Lord? Better yet, do I even think about, or care, whether or not my words or thoughts are acceptable to the Lord?

The Collect for Purity, one of the first prayers of our order of worship for Holy Eucharist, states that God knows our hearts, our desires and our secrets. The prayer continues by asking God to cleanse the thoughts of our hearts so that we can praise the Lord.

What if my standard for the words I spoke, as well as my innermost thoughts, was that they be acceptable to God? Of course, I don’t have it within me to even approach such a lofty goal, but the Psalmist is setting such a standard. How might any of us come to a place where our words and meditations are acceptable to God? Would prayer or worship or the reading of scripture make a difference in the words we speak to others? What if we were supported and nurtured by a loving community of folks with the same goal? Would a dose of all of the above matter in how we think or speak? I am

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable

to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. ~ Psalm 19:14

Robert Childers, Rector

Continued on back page ...

July 2018

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InsIde ThIs Issue Keeping Cool & Keeping the Faith p. 2 - 3 Moving Forward with east side p. 3 the Mystery oF holy CoMMunion p. 4 singin’ in the suMMer tiMe p. 5 July rota/serving sChedule p. 6 - 7 Chattey visits heiFer int’l p. 8 - 9 reFleCtions FroM haiti p. 10 suMMer at gss p. 11 Moving Forward with East Side

Bena Devaney, East Side 2.0 Coordinator

So many of you enjoyed hearing Greg Wilkey of East Side Elementary School speak on Sunday, June 10. If you missed his visit, I would like to fill you in. Greg has been a part of the Hamilton County Department of Education for almost thirty years. He began his career as a Spanish teacher, then became an Assistant Principal and is currently the Principal at East Side, where he hopes to remain until retirement. He views his work with the East Side students and community as his ministry. Greg’s care and concern for all the families of East Side were clearly communicated through his message.

According to Greg, East Side can best be understood for what it is not - it is not a failing school. Rather, it is an academically progressing school. Seventy percent of the students are Guatemalan and speak little English at the start of Kindergarten, but by Christmas vacation, they are almost fluent. East Side has high attendance. The parents send their children to school and want them to succeed. The students may begin the year behind grade level, but at year’s end have made tremendous progress.

East Side is not a behavior problem school. Some of the children are homeless and most are poverty-stricken, but all are happy to be in the school where they feel safe, respected, and eager to learn. When there is a small infraction of a school rule, parents are contacted and respond immediately. East Side is a clean, welcoming place to learn.

Good Shepherd has joined Greg in his ministry to this school and its families by donating the Easter offering to the Principal’s Discretionary Fund. Greg expressed his heartfelt thanks to us for our generosity and plans to use it to help purchase Google Chromebooks for all K-5 students.

Good Shepherd has several similar opportunities in the upcoming school year to continue helping this beautiful community in need. An immediate opportunity is to help on registration day, Friday, August 3. You can help in the morning or afternoon, whichever time suits your schedule. Look for details in Thursday’s Good News email. Our help at Chattanooga Food Bank’s mobile pantries will continue on the third Wednesday of every month. Please look for upcoming information on a clothing drive, book drive, and astronomy assembly by our very own man of the stars, Matt Harbison.

Thank you to everyone that has embraced East Side, and if you would like to be included on the volunteer email list, please email me at davobena5@gmail.com .

(really, lots of room, period) at the 8. You’ll be done before 9. Come as you are to the 5 p.m in the chapel.

Come visit the church during the day. Let your kids wander around and look at the Stations of the Cross, the baptismal font and the altar. I promise they will feel the holy hush of the place as the sun shines in and the tree branches rustle outside. Try sitting in different places to see what you notice from different perspectives. Early one morning before VBS one of our elementary aged kids was walking through the church with me. He’d told me that he was about to have a new cousin that day (his aunt had gone into labor). When we came part way up the aisle, he said, “Can I pray for my aunt and my cousin?” I said, of course! He headed to where he usually sits but then asked if he could pray at the communion rail. Of course. I joined him and as I bowed by head in prayer for his aunt and cousin, I also thanked God for drawing this young friend close and I gave thanks for his parents’ regular presence in this place that helped him have the comfort, ease and awareness to kneel and pray at such a time.

Family Dinner/Movie/Game/Activity Nights. Children blossom, grow and prosper the more family time they have. At the very least, designate a night or two for family dinners. Encourage your kids to plan for the family by letting them choose a family movie or a game to play for family game night. Make a special treat of family activities like star-gazing, miniature golf, geocaching or a Lookouts game.

God on the Go Boxes still available (call for delivery!)Come get your God on the Go box – or call for delivery! Flat Jesus, crayons, bubbles, travel car games, conversation starters, special prayers, ideas for family service to others included.

Keeping Cool and Keeping the Faith in the Green and Growing

Days of SummerKathleen Crevasse, Director of Christian

Formation

2 more movie nights! July 8 and 22, 6 p.m. in Talbird Hall. Pizza, popcorn, lemonade and all-age pleaser films. Bring: your own chairs or blankets, your own alternate beverages, your friends, a small donation for the pizza.

Try a different church service. Have a big day planned and the 10:30 a.m. service isn’t going to work? How about the 8 am (Rite 1) or the 5:00 p.m. (Rite 2) in the chapel? Lots of room up front on the right

Why is family dinner so important?60 Years Ago, the average dinnertime was 90 minutes. Today it is less than 12 minutes.

Kids and teens who share family dinners 3 or more times per week:• Are less likely to be overweight• Are more likely to eat healthy foods• Perform better academically• Are less likely to engage in risky behaviors (drugs, alcohol, sexual activity)• Have better relationships with their parents

And “More frequent family dinners are related to fewer emotional and behavioral problems, greater emotional well-being, more trusting and helpful behaviors towards others and higher life satisfaction,” Journal of Adolescent Health, April 2012.

Miss Kathleen is ready!

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The Mystery of Holy CommunionMac Brown, Assistant to the Rector

I am going to take a little time this month to write about one of my favorite mysteries. I cannot tell you how it happens. I only know that it does happen.

I was asked by a young man serving as a crucifer at one of the weddings at Good Shepherd this spring, “It seems like we are having communion at more and more weddings and funerals, why is that?”

What a great question. It shows that this young man is paying attention as he serves at the altar and is full of wonder about why we do what we do. I affirmed his observation, and my explanation went something like this: “Our ‘new’ prayer book is almost 40 years old and one of the major differences from the previous prayer books was to make the celebration of Holy Communion our principle act of worship. Before, we would gather for Morning Prayer and would only celebrate Holy Communion once a month or so. But now we have lived with the practice of Holy Communion weekly and people have come to expect it. It is my preference,” I said, “to celebrate the Eucharist at these events. However, if pastoral concerns are present, if folks will not come to the altar for dogmatic reasons, then I may pastorally suggest we celebrate communion with the family at the wedding rehearsal or privately before the funeral. But generally, I prefer it as part of our celebration or grieving.”

In regard to the wedding we served together, I pointed out to this young man that the first meal this young married coupled shared was a holy meal - one in the presence of God and of God’s holy people. It wasn’t the catered meal of the reception or the champagne toasts, but instead the body and blood of Christ shed for us all so that we may know that we are loved. The couple had chosen to celebrate the Eucharist because they understood the love they shared to be a gift from God, and the Eucharist as a gift from God that elucidates that love in palpable ways. It was a way for the couple to share the abundant gift of Love they had received with those close to them so that those friends and family may be strengthened to share the Love they have received with others as well.

He said, “That makes sense since a wedding is a celebration, but why then do we also do it at a funeral, a time of sadness?” I said, “For the very same reasons.” You see, when we celebrate Holy Communion, we transcend time and space. It is as if all the altars and all the celebrations that have been and will be are happening now; moved mystically to all be concurrent and gathered together around the great heavenly altar. In our funeral liturgy, we pray that at the altar we receive a foretaste of the heavenly banquet prepared for all of God’s children. So, for those of us who are grieving, it is a way for us to share a meal with those we love but see no more. It is one last holy meal with those who have died and are about to be buried. And that is true of all our celebrations of Holy Communion. We who are gathered at this altar, in this place, are mystically gathered into one great celebration with God. We are gathered with those we do not see and with those whom have not yet been born. So, whether in our joy or in our grief, we are called to gather with God and the saints to praise and worship, to be fed and strengthened, so that we may love as we are loved.

He said, “Cool, I like that.” I said, “Me too.”

Singin’ in the Summer TimeJohn Wigal, Director of Music

Summer Music!This summer we are welcoming several guest artists to provide music for our 10:30 a.m. service. As has been our custom, we are focusing on student musicians from across the Chattanooga area from a variety of schools and at various ages. Guests through July 1 have included:Jessica Kodsi, rising 9th grader at Center for Creative ArtsMonte Coulter IV, rising Senior at the Blair School of Music, Vanderbilt UniversityJessica Butler, rising Sophomore, Tennessee Technical UniversitySophie Hassevoort, rising 10th grader at Chattanooga Christian School.We are looking forward to hearing from Alison Hanna, Annabelle King, and Iain Hassevoort in the coming weeks.

Adult Choir Needs YOU!The Good Shepherd Adult Choir is saying good-bye to two of our members, Katie Hutcheson and Dawn Abel, both of whom are moving to faraway places! We are sorry to see them leave us and take their talents with them as they will be missed for many reasons.So, we are searching for new members! The choir is one of those things that it is hard to get started because it sounds like such a commitment, but once you are there it is fun and a relaxing and different part of your week! The choir is made up of many volunteers with music education and/or experience that is all over the map! Several people who sing in our choir right now last sang in high school or maybe not even AT ALL! We have exciting works on the list for this fall and would very much like to add some new voices to the group! Please consider making this part of your spiritual and artistic life. Rehearsals will begin again in late August and run through Pentecost Sunday in May 2019.

Want some more information, call me at the church office, (423) 821-1583 or email me at jwigal@gslookout.com . “All God’s creatures got a place in the choir…”

Requiem by John RutterGood Shepherd Episcopal Church, Lookout Mountain, TN is pleased to announce that on All Saints’ Sunday, November 4, 2018, the choir of Good Shepherd and soloists will offer the beloved and well-known Requiem by John Rutter. The performance will feature a full orchestra in celebration and remembrance of loved ones on this holy day. The program will begin at 5 p.m. A pre-concert introduction to John Rutter and the Requiem presented by Bob Bernhardt, Chattanooga Symphony and Opera’s Music Director Emeritus and Principal Pops Conductor, will be offered at 4 pm. In addition to the offering of the Requiem, there will be an opportunity for the remembrance of loved ones as part of the concert program. A reception for musicians and members of the audience will follow in the

church’s Talbird Hall. Watch for more information!

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ChattEY Visits Heifer International RanchMatt Harbison, Director of Youth Programs

Last month, seven youth members from Good Shepherd, along with 35 other students and chaperones from ChattEY, participated in an educational mission trip to the Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas. Twelve parishes took part in this first ever combined Youth Mission Trip which was supported by many different churches and our own diocese. Over the course of five days, our students learned about food sustainability by making their own pizza from scratch and about community sharing by participating in a Global Village simulation for 20 hours.

To learn about food sustainability, students embarked on the production of pizza with things they had touched. This meant no store bought products. They walked through the grain harvest process, yeast and cheese creation (yes, we made them both from goat milk!), and, finally, planting, fertilizing, and picking the tomatoes and vegetables. The entire process took two days and 8 hours of solid work to produce one pizza. Students shared the pizza and remarked that it tasted wonderful. Incidentally, this group had eaten 18 pizzas the night before and the irony was not lost on them. One student commented that it “Would have taken forever

for us to make enough for everyone.”

The community sharing aspect of the trip came in the form of a simulated global village. Students were divided into regions with their own unique environments and resources. Some groups had firewood, others had clean water, some fruits and vegetables, and others livestock and protein sources. Students entered the global village with a sleeping bag, pillow, and flashlight. Some students slept under the stars (thankfully there was no rain) and other students had a hut or shanty for shelter. The 20 hour event surely impressed upon students. One group of students were “refugees” and not allowed to talk. Basically, they received all they had from the kindness of other groups. I was told by the Heifer leaders that success was measured by how many went hungry. Thankfully, none of the participants did and all received food. The morning brought chores and things associated with life in the different regions. One of our students commented to me, “Nothing here is easy. I didn’t get enough to eat last night and I’m starving, but I still have to work.”

Picking weeds to feed goats

Thankfully, after our night in the village, the cafeteria provided a lunch of roast beef, mashed potatoes and fried squash picked from the garden. A giant salad bar with fresh produce rounded out the meal. There were no leftovers. Overall, the trip was a success with new insights gained. As one student put it, “I have a new appreciation for those who have and those who have not. The people with nothing took me in and fed me, but the people with all the resources didn’t want to share.” On the last night, crammed into the boys cabin, Rev. Lou Parsons from St. Francis, Ooltewah celebrated communion with our group. The words, “Though we are many, we are ONE body” fell silently, yet profoundly on our hearts.

Thank you to all who participated and donated so that the Youth of Chattanooga might become ONE in thought, word, and deed.

Plenty of rice for some, or some for all?

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Hallie Grace, 4

Campbell, 4

Summer at Good Shepherd SchoolSandy Skorput, Director of Good Shepherd School

It’s been a great summer so far! The Good Shepherd School Summer Program brought smiles to the faces of lots of children last month. With more informal educational activities, we can spend more time outside in the sun and being crazy and creative with our friends. Come join

the fun!!

Reflections from a Brief but Holy Trip to HaitiRobert Childers, Rector

If you are on a flight to Port au Prince, Haiti, it is a pretty safe bet that you are on some kind of “mission trip.” You might be building or repairing houses, working in a medical clinic, doing a Vacation Bible School or, in some form or fashion, “taking Jesus” to the people of Haiti. A group of ten, four from Good Shepherd, three from St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, St. Louis, and three “others,” just spent a long weekend in Haiti, mostly in the tiny community of Petit Harpon, where folks from Good Shepherd have been going for over 20 years.

In this community, the people of Good Shepherd, along with others, have built and supported a school, medical clinic and the parish church, St. John the Evangelist. As far as I can tell, in all of our visits to Petit Harpon, we have never “taken Jesus” to the people of this community. Instead, from my limited experience, Jesus is already there. We have seen him in the faces of the many people we have met who have befriended us.

The reason for this brief trip was to reacquaint, renew and strengthen our relationships with the people of the community and hear about their hopes and dreams for the parish, the school and medical clinic. What is abundantly clear is how much the presence, support, and love from and by Good Shepherd has meant to this community and all the people there. As we told our stories back and forth about experiences and encounters over the years, everyone in the conversation became emotional and most of us choked back tears.

On this trip we took some gifts for the church and Pere Banna, the priest there. Margy Oehmig wanted the priest to have the chasuble and stoles of her husband, King. In addition, we took a chalice and paten and a thurible (the censer for burning incense) to give to the church. When we presented these gifts to Pere Banna (pictured left)and church leaders, the excitement and joy on their faces was like Christmas morning. Seeing their joy and excitement, brought the same to us.

Through the school, clinic and church, the people of Petit Harpon have been touched, transformed and renewed in mind, body and spirit. Certainly, the same can be said for the many folks from Good Shepherd who have made this trip to Haiti. Though some might call our journey to Haiti a “mission trip,” I would call it something more like a family reunion. Whether you have ever been to Petit Harpon or not, the people of Good Shepherd are connected to and are a part of

the lives of everyone in the parish of St. John the Evangelist. We are a part of each other’s lives. We are not “taking Jesus” to them. We are seeing Jesus in their eyes and meeting him through our hearts.

Blessings, grace and peace, Robert

Ready? Jump!

Fletcher, 3; James, 4

guessing that it would.

It is difficult for us to please or even be acquainted with God unless we are familiar and intimate with God’s ways. Through prayer, worship, scripture and time with and in a Christian community, we are changed; we are renewed. Our thought patterns are changed. The words that come tumbling and rushing out of our mouths are different.

How might our relationships, families, communities, and even our world be different if the words and the meditations of our hearts were always acceptable to the Lord? Dear Lord, please grant us the grace and will to do these things that are pleasing to you, our rock and our redeemer.

Blessings, grace and peace,Robert

the ChurCh oF the good shepherd 211 Franklin Road Lookout Mountain, Tennessee 37350

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