Christ the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
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The Holy Spirit in our song

5/30/2018

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By Daniel Thomas, CGS Musician

As I mentioned in a previous article, as we move into the Pentecost season we will be doing more contemporary music in our worship service. Some of the songs will be familiar to our CGS family as pieces we used to do in our periodic praise services, while others will be new to most people.

As we read in the Book of Acts, as the Holy Spirit filled the Apostles they began to speak in many tongues, but those who were present “heard the speech in their own language, even though they were from many different countries.” I think this is an apt analogy to using different musical styles in our service – whether it is classical, rock, folk, jazz, or some other style (Pastor and I both want to do a ska service someday!), if we listen to the words, and if we remember that the Holy Spirit fills the hearts and minds of all those who write music to worship, I think we can all hear the music in our own “language” – even if it is not a style we might normally listen to.

Here are links to some of the music you’ll be hearing this season. Although we may not play the music exactly as you’ll hear it in these links, it will give you the chance to hear the melodies and take in the words prior to each service. As always, I welcome your thoughts and conversation!

Forgiveness Waltz
Holy Spirit, Come
Great Comforter, Descend
Hymn To The Holy Spirit
Christ Has No Body Now But Yours
Holy, Holy
Holy Communion
Holy Spirit, Light Divine
Forever

I’ll continue to provide links to music as we go through the season.


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Short-term housekeeper needed

5/24/2018

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CGS is seeking a part-time housekeeper for the month of June while Comfort returns home for the first time in approximately 20 years. To apply for this position, please fill out this application and submit it to pastormanda@cgslc.org. 
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CGS application

Temporary Housekeeper Job Description
Christ the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Mission Statement: 
  As Reconciling in Christ people, we proclaim, witness and wrestle with the Good News of God by striving for peace, justice, love, reconciliation and compassion among our community, the world and ourselves.
Vision Statement:
   Meet the spiritual needs of members and neighbors in this thriving, growing congregation where all use their gifts to proclaim Christ and welcome all people.
Short-Term Housekeeper
The Housekeeper reports directly to the Office Manager, and is reviewed annually by the Personnel Committee and Pastor, with input from the Office Manager and the congregation. This position is for the time period of June 1,2018 to June 30, 2018.
Type of position                                                                  Employee
Benefits Eligible?                                                                            No
Hours per week                                                                                  20
Hourly wage                                                                                $16.00

 Responsibilities
Exhibit leadership and compassion when working with paid and volunteer staff.
Office
general dusting and cleaning, including lamp shades, blinds and windowsills, clean phones, desks, tables, vacuum, wash windows
Bathrooms
 refilling soap, paper towels & toilet paper, dusting,  washing all sinks, all wood ledges in bathrooms, tables, mirrors, light switches toilets, furniture, and door knobs sweep and mop
Fireside Room
vacuum, maintain tidiness, dusting, dust all tables and surfaces, including piano and bench, clean glass windows, mirrors, light switches, and door knobs
Narthex
cleaning and tidiness of all surfaces, dust trees and plants,  wipe off light switches and chair arms and door knobs, clean water fountain, dust all door frames, and surfaces sweep
Columbarium
dust all surfaces, clean out baptismal font and change water sweep
Sanctuary
vacuum all carpet, dust all surfaces including altar, pulpit, baptismal font, woodwork,  piano, light fixtures, chairs, benches, and pews, 
Kitchen
dusting of all surfaces, clean refrigerator, stove, countertops, sinks, tables, and chairs washing of any dirty dishes and coffeepots  put away all items sweep and mop
Great Hall
dusting, including piano, lattice frames, any tables or furniture, and window ledges sweep and mop the floor wash windows
Nursery
general pick up any items that hinder cleaning wipe down all surfaces with disinfecting solution including tabletops, chairs, doorknobs, baby gate vacuum carpet sweep floors
Library
general cleaning and dusting, including tidiness and emptying trash  
 
Qualifications
Must be able to work with the CGS facility use schedule and hours.
Ability to reach, bend, stoop, kneel, and stand for extended periods of time.
Ability to lift 40 pounds.
Ability to work independently with verbal or written instructions
Willingness to submit to a background check 

CGS Application
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Prosperity and Poverty

5/23/2018

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By Kevin Visscher, CGS Treasurer

In a recent article headlining the NYT, there was an interesting discussion of the current prosperity of California (it reclaimed its position as “the world’s 5th largest economy,” largely driven by the Bay Area in particular) alongside its many significant challenges, like an already large homeless population that grew statewide by 14% last year.

The contrast between economic prosperity and poverty here is not anything new, but it reminds me of how easy it is to become apathetic toward the struggles of those around us, even in times of prosperity. Do I recognize the challenges faced by others, and what am I doing about it? Does an examination of how I spend my time and money reveal anything about my values?

What is CGS’s role in this economic environment?

As CGS’s treasurer, I see many indicators that CGS shares in the area’s prosperity.  While our general giving through March is below our budget (by $15k, or 20%), it typically picks up significantly in the second half of the year to meet it and giving is quite similar to prior years by this time (less than $2k, or 3% lower than last year). Expenses are in line with what we budgeted ($5k under budget, or 5%). Net income is also similar to prior years at this time. Our cash and investment reserves are currently over $900,000. I think we are in a strong economic position, which is incredibly fortunate.

I'm also encouraged by the ways the CGS community is actively seeking to welcome and serve those who are struggling. For example:
  • Getting started on the building into the future project and rethinking how we can share this space with those that may need it. Council and the building committee are working with consultants to start a listening phase and architectural drawings.
  • Supporting local non-profits through congregational donations (we donated $5k to 4 organizations in January, which is approved in our annual budget). Did you see the thank you note we received from the LGBTQ Youth Space in the narthex?
  • Cooking meals for people who are hungry at the Julian Street Inn (we reimburse our teams that cook monthly for the cost of the meals, about $2k annually).
  • And many other ways I don’t have space to write about here.

​Looking forward, let’s work together to notice the needs around us and act together to share the abundance with which we’ve been blessed.


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​Thank you!

5/16/2018

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On behalf of the church council,  a tremendous "Thank you" for your engaged participation at the special congregational meeting last Sunday, May 6. For those unable to attend, following a great discussion, the congregation unanimously voted in favor of adding the additional funding to proceed with the listening phase of the Building Our Future program. A task force is being assembled to work with our development consultant to engage the CGSLC community in a variety of surveys and interviews that will provide guidance on our capacity to do a capital campaign. In the coming weeks watch for more information, including a web page that will be the central place to get information about Building Our Future. Again, thank you for your support and participation in our Special Congregational Meeting. 

In service, 
Theo Olson
President,  CGSLC Council
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Let the games begin!

5/15/2018

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​This summer CGS is getting serious about fun.
Every Thursday night is a chance to get goofy, be silly, and delight in the presence and gifts of our community.

Every Thursday night everyone is invited to dinner prepared by one of our loving CGS friends.
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After dinner, games for everyone (but especially geared for kids and the people who love them) will commence. Sometimes we’ll get physical and sometimes we’ll challenge our gray matter.

Dessert break is at 7:00pm when we hope all the commuters will join us just before the Game Show begins.
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Each week we will play a different game and you can play along or come be our studio audience as your CGS friends test their wits. Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Minute to Win it, and Pub Trivia are some of the chances you’ll have to walk away with one-of-a-kind prizes. 
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Composer Focus: Pepper Choplin

5/15/2018

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​By Rey Lambatin, Choir Director
​

At 61 years of age, Pepper Choplin is a full-time composer, conductor, and a self-proclaimed humorist, and has gained the reputation as one of the most creative writers in church music today. After obtaining a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, he went to earn a Master of Music degree in composition from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. With a diverse musical background, Choplin incorporates varied styles such as folk, Gospel, classical, and jazz, in his published works that include over 300 anthems for church and school choir with 20 church cantatas and two books of piano arrangements. In 2013, he made his Carnegie Hall debut in a joint concert with Joseph Martin and continued to conduct three cantatas at the Lincoln Center with 250 voices and orchestra. He currently spends most of his time visiting many schools, churches and conferences, conducting and leading music workshops.
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I believe it’s helpful to have deeper appreciation of a music to know a little bit about the person behind the songs, and our CGS Choirs are very familiar with some of Pepper Choplin’s music. As a contemporary composer, quite a number of his compositions have been performed by our choirs in our worship services and church special events, such as the Lent cantata “Come, Touch The Robe,” the Keynote Vocal Group favorites “Lay Up Your Treasures In Heaven” and “Fill-A Me Up”, and this past Sunday’s anthem “Beloved, Let Us Love One Another.” His uncomplicated yet beautiful and catchy melodies, paired with lovely arrangements that lend to exquisite harmonies, create a sound that brings both the singers and listeners to a pleasant musical experience.

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Pentecost \PEHN-tih-kawst\ n:

5/9/2018

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Pentecost \PEHN-tih-kawst\ n: A great name for a ’57 Chevy convertible, the birthday of the church, or the longest most ordinary time of the church year.
 
Pop quiz: What are the three major festivals of the CHURCH year?
And your answer is…
Okay, forget for a second that you are reading an entry on Pentecost. If you weren’t, would you have named Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost? Really? With God as your witness?
Speaking of WITNESS, Pentecost is all about witness and fire!
Pentecost was the day that the Holy Spirit came and lit a fire – quite literally (read all about it in Acts 2) – under the witnesses of the church. On the day of Pentecost – fifty days after the first Easter – tongues of fire appeared on the disciple’s heads, they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began witnessing to Christ. Some people refer to this day as the birthday of the church.
Each year the church (all around the world) celebrates its birthday – that is, the day the Holy Spirit came and lit a fire in us – by marking the festival of Pentecost. The church also celebrates the season of Pentecost, which lasts from the Day of Pentecost until the first Sunday of Advent. It is the longest season of the church year.
See also: Church; Holy Spirit; Tongues (speaking in); Witness; Apostolic Mission

Apostolic Mission \ap-us-STAH-lihk-MIH-SHUHN\ A loosely organized effort to spread the world that, after a period of about 70 years, pretty much succeeded.

The story of the “Apostolic Mission” begins with Pentecost. (see above) On the first Pentecost, Jerusalem was crowded with foreign-born Jews who were in town for the Jewish festival of weeks. The followers of Jesus had been told to stay in Jerusalem and “wait for the gift my Father promised” (Acts 1:4). There they sat. Until that fateful fiftieth day when – woosh! The Holy Spirit came upon those followers and, spilling into the streets, they began to tell about Jesus. And here’s the neat trick: they told about Jesus by speaking in the native language of those foreigners that were in the city that day. A crowd gathered, and Peter had to explain that everyone was perfectly sober, since it was only nine o’clock in the morning. (We’re not sure why the time of day makes a difference, but maybe that says more about us than anything else.) Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached. It was the first Christian sermon and it must have been a pretty good one since “about 3,000 were added to their number that day.”
The miracle of Pentecost is, in fact, a perfect metaphor of the Apostolic Mission. The mission of those early apostles was, put simply, to get the word out – to translate the gospel into other tongues, cultures, and world-views. The members of Jesus’ inner circle of followers were called “Apostles,” and it was these twelve Apostles who were originally charged with leading the mission to spread the word (When you think “apostle,” think “emissary,” or “ambassador,” or “messenger.”) Generally speaking, these apostles were eye- and ear-witnesses to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. In addition, “signs, wonders, and miracles” were “the things that mark an apostle” (2 Corinthians 12:12).
The top two definitions are taken from {Crazy Talk} edited by Rolf Jacobson. They’re a great refresher as we inch up on Pentecost Sunday in a couple weeks. While we might enjoy the social scene, the opportunity for charity, or getting our emotional needs filled – the heart of our purpose is our mission – our Apostolic Mission.
Someone once told you about Jesus. What or who Jesus is, what God/Jesus means in their life, how they see God differently than others. Were it not for them, you wouldn’t be here. Were it not for the people who told them about Jesus – they wouldn’t have told you. The whole heart of why we are a community, become voting members, get baptized, come to worship, sing our hearts out, etc. – is our calling to talk to one another about God. Have you ever told someone about Jesus? In the cheesy way or in an authentic way? Have you ever spoken about Jesus in church? What’s stopping you? Email me and tell me what stops you from telling other people about the God you know: pastormanda@cgslc.org.

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Special Congregational Meeting

5/2/2018

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by Jean Herriges

I never imagined that I would be a regular churchgoer. As a child I attended church just a handful of times, and as an adult I found the idea of faith highly suspect. There always seemed to be so much hate mixed in with faith that I didn’t see any place for me, especially when I came out as a lesbian. Somewhere in my heart I felt envious of faithful people, like they had a secret I couldn’t share. Then my wife and I found CGS, and this special place made me – and us – feel normal, and welcome, and part of a community. Even then it took me awhile, and I still struggle, but I now realize that faith is there for me, too.

Now I find myself here at CGS week after week, and more involved in our shared church life every day. This has helped me strengthen my faith and feel the power of connection to all of you. I have been called to serve in so many ways, and this year I am honored to serve on the CGS Council as one of your leaders. As you probably know, the church is working on many exciting projects. Council would like to update the congregation on our progress and next steps, and so there will be a Special Congregational Meeting on Sunday, May 6, after worship.

Topics of discussion include the following:
· Council Updates
· Stewardship Report
· Christ Community Church
· Building Our Future
· Vote on additional expenditure to fund Listening Study
· Council Round Tables

Childcare will also be provided. Council will discuss each issue and answer your questions about the items. I’m particularly excited about the Building Our Future topic and the Listening Study. I am eager to hear what people are thinking about for the future of our church, and especially about how we might meet the needs of our surrounding community. Welcoming Christ Community Church to our building is one way we have connected to our broader ELCA community, and we will also discuss additional ways to help them serve their congregation.
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Working with Council on these and other issues has helped me feel more connected to you and the rest of the congregation. My faith is evolving, too. I see the potential for us to tackle issues and solve real problems with the power of our hard work plus faith. I am looking forward to seeing you all at the Special Congregational Meeting on May 6, and appreciate everything you do for our community.
 
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1550 Meridian Ave. 
San Jose, CA 95125

(408)266-8022
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church@cgslc.org
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  • About Us
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