N E W S L E T T E R Vestry on Call for the week of June 1-7: Shaun Hardy “The Shepherd’s Voice”: During the last several years, we have had a combined June-July or summer issue of “The Voice.” But because there will be lots going on in terms of transition, there will be separate June and July issues this year to keep everyone up-to-date. We are also planning some extra fellowship events over the summer to help us stay connected and to welcome our interim when we know who that will be. The June deadline is past, but the July deadline is June 15. Stay tuned! “Quarterly-Plus” Statements: Stewardship statements for January through April are in the Narthex. They are filed alphabetically in blue envelope-sized files. Please locate yours and take it home with you to help us save postage. Contact Mary Drak if there are discrepancies or if you have questions. Thanks! **Thank You to all who helped in any way to make last Sunday’s send-off memorable. The service was beautiful and moving, the food was delicious, even the weather cooperated! Set-up and clean-up was well-organized and very much appreciated. **June Voice will be mailed early next week and you should have it by Wednesday. There are a couple of articles about who to contact should an emergency arise, whether personal or church-related. Deadline for the July issue is Sunday, June 15. **Sermons Online: Patty's "Trinity Sunday" sermon (May 18) and Farewell sermon (“Trust in God”-May 25) have been recorded and are now available on our website, thanks to our Communications Taskforce, chaired by Patty Mitchell. Click the purple box marked "Listen to sermons" on the main page, or go directly to http://www.gsecmd.org/sermons.html. Planning Ahead for 2008-09: A calendar planning and information session will be held the morning of Saturday, June 7, beginning at 10:00 in the Old Church. All committees and ministries should plan to send at least one representative, especially if you are a new committee/ministry or have several new members. New Vestry members should also plan to attend. More information is being distributed via email. The Rolling Shepherds are off and rolling. We are riding in the MS150 bicycle ride on June 7 & 8 to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society thru the Maryland Chapter. Please support your team members financially and in prayer: Gary Anderson, Jessica Graef, Diane Janesko, Nancy Maher, and Salli and Frank Hartman. For more information, contact Frank Hartman **The Fig Tree Spring Open House was a spectacular success! Thanks to all who volunteered, baked, and/or shopped. Let's make the next seven weeks equally impressive. We will still be open regular hours (Tuesday-Saturday, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm) through Saturday, June 28. Grocery Certificates Available: Help out Good Shepherd just by buying groceries through Good Shepherd's Grocery Certificate Program. Grocery gift cards for Giant and SuperFresh are available for sale by cash or check in the Narthex after both services on Sundays. We are trying to gauge interest in certificates for Magruder’s. You can voice your interest by stopping by the Grocery Certificates table. Those interested in volunteering to help sell grocery certificates should contact Doug and Francine Barrington, or Larry Robinson. The Social Ministries Committee has a scholarship available for youth of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church interested in a humanitarian outreach project. Opportunities are available through, but not limited to, the Diocese of Washington. Please visit their website or contact Paul Canady. At Good Shepherd, interested persons may contact Diane Janesko or Nancy Maher .   Stewardship of Talents and Time The Episcopal Church Web site (www.episcopalchurch.org/stewardship) tells us that “Christian stewardship is grateful and responsible use of God’s gifts in the light of God’s purpose as revealed in Jesus Christ. Christian stewards, empowered by the Holy Spirit, commit themselves to conscious, purposeful decisions.” Stewardship can also be defined as using the gifts that God has given us, to do the work God is calling us to do. Recently, we made pledges for the financial support of Good Shepherd Church based on conscious decisions regarding our stewardship of the material gifts God has bestowed on us. This giving is important but stewardship is much more than this. God has also provided each of us with the gifts of time and talent and we must decide how best to use these for His kingdom and glory. In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), a man going on a journey entrusted his property to his servants giving one servant five talents, another servant two talents, and a third servant one talent, each according to his ability. When the man returned, the servants who had been given five and two talents reported that they managed to double the amounts initially given to them and they were rewarded. The third servant buried the one talent that he received and did nothing to add to its value; he was punished. The parable illustrates that God does not give the same gifts to everyone – we shouldn’t compare ourselves with another person but rather we must concentrate on managing the gifts we have received from God. The parable also points out that the servant with the one talent was punished because he did nothing with it. We are accountable to God for how we manage the gifts He has given us. Here at Good Shepherd there are many ministries requiring a wide range of time and talents. If you do not yet participate in one of the ministries, now is a good time to make a decision to begin to do so. If you need more information, Good Shepherd’s ministries are described on the church’s Web site (www.GSECMD.org) and include the name of the person to contact. In addition, any member of the Stewardship Committee – Mary Drak, Doug Barrington, Liz Cocke, Janice Ezeani, Carol Lewis, Becky Parks, Lyn Womack – will be pleased to assist you in any way that they can.