| December 2011 |
The Good News |
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Bah Humbug So what changed? He moved to a small town in New England and became involved in the local church choir. And as they began rehearsing hymns and anthems for the Christmas concert, the music stayed with him throughout the week, echoing in little phrases of joy, wonder, and mystery. And it wasn’t long before he found himself humming the songs and thinking about the lyrics, and along with that looking forward to the celebration of Christ’s Birth. When we were children, most of us looked forward to Christmas with eager anticipation. In fact, we couldn’t wait for the holidays to come. Advent calendars and other rituals helped us count down the days towards Christmas. It was a time of mystery, magic, sparkle, and joy. Some of us have never lost this spirit of joyful anticipation. But for others the joy of the holidays has become overshadowed by a variety of circumstances. For those who have recently suffered the loss of a beloved family member, the first Christmas without that family member can be particularly difficult. Those who are unemployed, or separated from their families, or challenged by illness might feel down or “blue” around the holidays. Depression likewise can worsen around the holidays. And stressful family dynamics, misunderstandings, discord, and estrangements, which are painful at any time of the year, can become more troubling when the holidays approach. And finally, there are those who are simply “not in the mood”. And yet, observing times and season is healthy and helpful. The yearly round of rituals and observations grounds us in the cycle of life. It gives our soul a home with many rooms. But if we wait until we are “in the mood” some of us might never celebrate. So, rather than letting circumstances dictate our mood, we can set the mood: We can begin to sing, whether we feel like it or not, and then discover, like my friend, that through the singing our mood has lifted. We can light a candle, set out a pretty cloth, and place a small ornament in a corner where it catches our eye. We can invite friends, and it doesn’t have to be a lavish party. We can surprise a neighbor with a little gift. In all these ways we can lift up the mystery of Christmas: God has made a home among us so that we could see God’s glory – full of grace and truth! From Pastor Jim 2012 Budget The lion's share of the budget, however, is a result of unspoken priorities: our dependence on having a full-time, highly experienced pastor, a professional administrator, a professional organist and choirmaster, professional Sunday School teachers, professional janitorial service, professional landscapers, and a professional drummer. Controlling expenses here requires a decision to "do without," or marshalling teams of volunteers committed to doing the work week after week, month after month. Though response to very specific appeals, such as the recent roof repair effort, has been consistently generous, our track record for the unrestricted general giving which funds the day-to-day work of this congregation and makes everything else possible, is another matter. Indeed, general giving has been essentially flat for years, and our budgets have had to rely on drawing down reserves and restricted gifts to cover operating expenses. If giving and expenses continue at their current level, this congregation will suffer a financial crunch in 2012, and will probably run out of money for operations in 2013. This is not good. Where do we go from here? We all know the answer from managing our own households. We have some variously painful ways of controlling expenses, and the rest will need to come from special fundraising activities and increased general giving. How much? Balancing the proposed 2012 budget will require a 37% increase in general giving. If you already tithe, we can't ask for more. But if you're currently donating $50 per week, consider making it $70; if you already give $100, try for $140; if you currently give $20, try for $27 or even round it up to $30. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21) Bridge the gap As it stands now, there is a significant gap between our proposed ministry goals for 2012 and the funding for these ministries. During the recent congregational meeting the council instructed the congregation to address this gap, and to answer the following two questions:
In each case we will make arrangements to provide for some type of lunch, so that we will have adequate time for an in-depth and constructive meeting. We hope that you care about the ministries of the congregation and will participate in one of these meetings. The documents outlining the budget discussion can be found at here. Please feel to review and print them up. There will be study questions on the site as well, so check back often for updates. Pastor Bea Chun and Finance Committee Time to collect your thoughts for the 2011 Annual Report
Away in a Manger: Children's Christmas Pageant
Christmas Tea and Violin concert
Education Today discussion panel
Social Action Update
Fair Trade Coffees
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December Good News In this issue: Bah Humbug |
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The Good News e-Version December 2011 If you wish to subscribe to this newsletter, email us here. Our mailing address is: 1550 Meridian Ave San Jose, CA 95125 Our telephone: 408-266-8022 Copyright (C) 2011 Christ the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church All rights reserved. |
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Advent is a time of anticipation; anticipation of the celebration of the birth of Christ. As the church is anticipating the celebration of the birth of our Savior, so is our Sunday School ministry anticipating a new and exciting year ministry for children!
We are very close to filling our Sunday School director position! We have had two applicants for our Sunday School Director position and interviews will begin shortly, with the hope that by the first of the year, we will have a Sunday School Director ready to lead CGS into the new year!
Some of our prayers have already been answered too. In Sunday School, we now have some assistants for our teachers. As you can imagine, having an assistant in a class really frees up the teacher to focus on communicating the Gospel. Personally, I find assisting more fun than teaching. With assisting you get to be with the kids without having to spend time preparing. Of course, we can never have too many assistants in Sunday School so please feel free to come help our wonderful teachers anytime.
The Ed Committee has had their second meeting. We are on track for setting up a winter/spring calendar of adult education courses. While the courses are intended to meet needs within the family of CGS, the courses will be coordinated with Evangelism so that there is an aspect of outreach ministry. Our meetings are held the second Tuesday of every month. Please come if you feel called to shape the learning future of CGS.
Respectfully yours,
Pr. Jim
In the 2012 draft budget presented at the congregational meeting on November 20th we tried to reflect the priorities voiced by the congregation at the Summer Suppers. These include the vision of increased Evangelism, growth of the Sunday School program, increasing our opportunities for spiritual growth, and deepening our relationships with each other.
Dear Members and Friends of Christ the Good Shepherd:
If you lead a Ministry or a Committee, please take a few minutes to write down this year's major accomplishments and challenges, and your plans for next year. Please send your input to the church office. The annual report will be made available electronically via the congregation's website in time for the January annual meeting, so make sure to have your reports in to Laura by January 8th
Our Sunday school children have been working hard and are exited to present Christ's birth in story and song as part of our Sunday morning worship service. You don't want to miss this!
Join San Jose String Academy after church on Sunday the 11th for a violin recital and following that, a Christmas Tea. The kids of the String Academy have been performing here for a number of years and many of you look forward to this. If you haven’t had a chance to see them, make sure to stick around this year.
After the recital we have tea and cookies, so bring your cookies to share. See Esther R for more information or to give her your cookies.
The Education Panel decided to skip December due to the holidays and all the special events going on.
We will resume January 8th, the second Sunday as usual, at 11:45 am in the Fireside Room. We will examine how your support systems functioned throughout the holidays. We also will establish an agenda for the following few months. Calling educators of all persuasions, parents, and interested individuals!
We have been asked by the Lord’s Pantry at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church to provide gifts for six year olds (25 girls and 25 boys) this Christmas Season. During the year the Lord’s Pantry provided food for 35 to 60 low income families a day. They will be providing food for many families at Christmas and in addition to this they make an effort to have a gift for their clients’ children from newborn through 13 years of age. Many of the families are referred to them from Second Harvest food bank. If you would like to take part in this project you can take a card off our Christmas giving tree in the narthex and bring a gift, unwrapped for a boy or girl as indicated and place it under the tree. The dead line for the gifts will be Sunday December 20. If you would like to donate some food also the following are the items needed:
Don't forget to enroll with 
CGSLC has had a rich tradition of celebrating our diversity. What began as an annual smorgasbord dinner eventually evolved into an International Potluck. In honor of our diversity and anniversary we revive this tradition with a fresh concept. 
An eventful Potluck of the Decades and CGS Living History Night!
CGS is lucky enough to have not one, but two choruses that regularly perform here. They both have upcoming Winter Concerts here at the church this season.
Then, December 16,17, and 18, the Silicon Valley Gay Men's Chorus will be here with their show "Songs for a Winter's Night." 
Congratulations to Sarah and Lewis, who just welcomed Isaac Hugo into the world on November 26. Join us December 4th during coffee hour for a baby shower for the newest addition to the family.
Ruth Hargens—Services were held Saturday November 19th at CGS for Ruth, a long time member here. She passed away peacefully November 6th, surrounded by her husband Dave and their family.
