Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd

You can learn a lot at camp — and those lessons are often different than the ones on the curriculum. Take for example one of our Rite 13 group, who spent last week at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont.

She learned about a microorganism that can curl up and hibernate for 200 years if conditions become too hostile. She learned how to catch crawfish. And she learned what to do when confronted by a bear. The hard way.

This group of 24 middle-school girls was hiking through a field in Cades Cove when they saw two black bears at the other end of the field. The bears were far enough a way, and the group waited for them to move on. Suddenly, one bear started caught sight of the girls — who evidently looked very interesting. It started lumbering quickly toward the group.

Blessed with knowledgeable and level-headed leaders, the girls clumped together in a tight mass and ... screeched like banshees at the top of their lungs. The bear stopped; the screaming continued. The bear eventually decided that this large, screaming mass was Not A Good Thing and moved off into the woods.

Our camper learned a lot in those few moments: how to deter a bear, how scared you can be without passing out, and the fact that many car-driving tourists want to get out of their cars to follow bears. But she also learned something that translates into every part of life: Relatively powerless individuals can do great things when they work together. One adolescent girl is no match for a full-grown black bear. Two dozen of them, with the right strategy, can send it packing.

That's one of the underlying principles of most of what we do at Good Shepherd: Together, with courage and God's help, we can do just about anything.

Here's a rundown of everything happening at Good Shepherd this week:

Sunday, June 28
Check the server schedule.

• 8:30 am: Holy Eucharist, Rite 1 See the program.
• 9:30 am: Breakfast and program
• 9:45 am: Choir rehearsal
• 10:30 am: Holy Eucharist, Rite 2, with choir See the program.

Tuesday, June 30

• 10 am: Martha's Kitchen
• 11:15 am: Prayer service followed by text-critical Bible study and lunch. Join us as we listen to the Gospel for the coming Sunday.
  Gospel reading: Mark 6:1-13

Wednesday, July 1

• 10 am - 2 pm: Bridge Club
• 6:30 pm: Evening Prayer

Thursday, July 2

• 11:15 am: Prayer service followed by text-critical Bible study and lunch. Join us as we listen to the Gospel for the coming Sunday.
  Gospel reading: Mark 6:1-13

Sunday, July 5
Check the server schedule.

• 8:30 am: Holy Eucharist, Rite 1 See the program.
• 9:30 am: Breakfast and program (Mission Team "Surprise")
• 9:45 am: Choir rehearsal
• 10:30 am: Holy Eucharist, Rite 2, with choir See the program.