Many of the COGS music programs have weekly practices on Thursday nights during the year - but Thursday night December 29 was different - we gathered at the Gilmour home for an end-of-year potluck and fellowship as shown in the accompanying photos.

On Christmas eve, COGS held two worship services, one at 4 pm and one at 7 pm. The photos below are from parts of both services. The first service ended with a perfectly timed red sunset glow enveloping the Sandia mountains as we sang Silent Night by candlelight. Luminaria welcomed those coming to the later service. There was lots of music - by the Bell Choir, Good Shepherd Singers, Chancel Choir - interspersed with readings from the New Testament read by members of COGS.

During 2011, various groups of ten met over a potluck at member's homes. The last such dinner was held on December 17, 2011.

Each Christmas season, the Forever Young group (age 50 and up) holds a gift exchange and potluck at one of the member's home. This year we had to switch venues at the last minute because our host had a fall and ended up in the hospital. But we soldiered on and had a great time - good food and fun to open a gift and have the person with a higher number take it away - boo hoo! Enjoy the fun below with the photos.

The Chancel Choir performed the Bach cantata Unto us, a child is born in German. They were accompanied by an instrumental ensemble.

This year we have a new Christmas tree and new decorations for the Sanctuary. Here we show members putting up the decorations. [This was taken from an article in the December Staff.

Five new members join the Church of the Good Shepherd on the day that we had our annual Thanksgiving celebration.

A complete Thanks-giving dinner is an annual tradition at COGS - when we give thanks to all who pledged to the church, for our new members who are joining the church, and for all our blessings. We had a full house of at least 100 people which included members, extended family, neighbors and friends. As you can see, there was plenty of good food to be had. At the end of the meal, we had a chance to make crismons, Christmas tree ornaments.

This musical was a superb presentation by the Children's Choir led by Linda Gilmour. The children memorized both their lines and the songs. They spoke clearly so we all understood. There were many humorous lines in the musical which had the congregation laughing. A job well done!

Do you recognize Adam? How about Noah's Ark in front of the animals? Abraham and Sarah? Jacob and the many colored coat?

On Friday November 4 Forever Young had a tour of the Tamarind Institute, a state-of-the-art lithographer known throughout the world for the high quality of their fine art prints. The artist draws one color of his work on a specially treated limestone plate from which prints are made. This process is repeated for each color carefully aligning each printing. A fascinating and exacting process.

Three families with 9 children between them arrived on Sunday October 30th to spend a week at COGS. The youngest child was a 6 week-old baby girl who made a real hit with all of us.

We wanted to update you on the Crop Walk. We had 20 walkers (some didn’t make it to the photo shoot.) We raised over $4,000.00! We are so proud of COGS. A special “thank you” to John Palmer for taking the photo.

The Fall Sunday routine has resumed at COGS. Photos capture the Children's breakfast club, an adult education class, the Men's Ensemble singing in Japanese!, Pastor Bill delivering the children's sermon and then the regular sermon, and finally Pastor Bill greeting worshipers as they leave the sanctuary.

Members of the church council meet on the second Monday evening of the month to discuss church business. Others, besides council members, are welcome to attend. These photos show members gathering for the October council meeting.

Three families with lots of children of all ages stayed at COGS during the week of August 21-28. Various members of COGS cooked dinners for them, helped with home work or played cards, etc., spent the night, and/or transported them to and from work, schools, and the First Congregational Church. To do something a little different, on Saturday, our Leader, Jan, took the families up on the Tram to the top of the Sandias where they rode on the ski lift and had a picnic lunch. On Saturday evening we had a potluck of leftovers from the week and new contributions which included marshmellows over the campfire in the Kiva which was thoroughly enjoyed, especially by the children. Members of the church who had helped out during the week joined the families for the potluck. All in all it was a good week. One family from our previous hosting time were with us for a couple days before they moved into their own apartment! We had a cake to celebrate their success. That is sparkling cider (not champagne) for the toast. They returned for the potluck.

Special music is a feature of the worship services during the summer months; this Sunday The String Doctors played the Prelude, the Offertory, and the Postlude. The Good Shepherd Singers sang the Anthem. The congregation clapped during the playing of the Postlude.

Members of the church council met for 4 hours to discuss their vision and possible plans for COGS in the next few years. It looks like they are a serious, hard at work, bunch of folks!

To start off the Fall musical season at COGS, members of the COGS Praise Band, Chancel Choir, and Bells Ringers came together at a potluck.

A special Sunday morning worship service - with a confirmand becoming a new member of COGS.

Each summer, members of COGS attend an Isotopes ballgame - this time it was on August 3.

Pastor Bill's sister, Barbara, and her family have been visiting Bill and his father, Chester, this week. Today, a big crowd of COGS's folks showed up to have breakfast with them at the El Camino Dining Room on 4th Street.

A photo with identification of the newly elected officers is given on the Our Church page along with their Ministry as appropriate. Included are the Officers and Council members who were absent at the installation.

The first Sunday in July, the tomato and pasta products started to trickle in - but we've gained momentum - by the end of the second worship service on Sunday July 17; behold the pile!

Update: July 24 - photos 6 and 7; photo 7 shows how the piles are starting to obscure the view from the organ.

Keep bringing tomato and pasta products to the church - but, please, not the huge bottles of tomato sauce because much of them will get wasted. July 31 is the last Sunday of the month to bring in your contributions as we will collect them all and drive them to The Storehouse at noon that day.

Sunday morning is a little different at COGS during the summer. We still have the children's Breakfast Club, two worship services at their regular times and both a children's and adult educational program between the services. However, the Sunday School summer program includes children of all ages working together on the same project (see one of the above photo sections) and adults are invited to meet informally in the parlor to discuss whatever topic they wish.

There is still a Hospitality time to mingle and chat with folks over light food but this is held outdoors on the front patio between the two church services. This arrangement gives families who normally attend the first service a chance to meet those who usually attend the later service and vice-versa. The Chancel Choir has the summer off but several choir members and others from the congregation participate in smaller musical ensembles or sing a solo during the second worship service. Pastor Bill continues to give a children's sermon during each service.

Three families stayed at COGS during the week. There were several children including a darling baby. Unfortunately, no one signed a permission form to allow photos of their family on the website; therefore, only a photo of the pair of cooks on Thursday night appears here. However, you may view some photos that are posted on the Family Promise bulletin board at the church. Doesn't the dinner look yummy!

Not to be outdone by the women on Mothers' Day - ....

This was a special day for the COGS confirmands and their families. The service included special music, introduction of the confirmands, baptisms, and their official membership in COGS.

The children had fun making pizza - and eating it!

COGS prepares and serves dinner at the homeless shelter for Project Share when there is a 5th Sunday in a month as there was this May.

Breakfast with Pastor Bill remains popular with members and friends. There were 11 participants at the May breakfast that was held at Garcia's at the corner of Juan Tabo and Comanche. Some of the participants are shown in the photos.

Hear My Prayer     and     ‘Ritmo’

The Children's sermon was to answer the question : What constitutes a Christian family?

The Sermon The Christian Home: Three Perspectives was presented by three members from the congregation. Each gave a distinctive message from their own experiences. You may see them being greeted by the congregation after the worship service.

Finally - we were encouraged to wear hats - Thanks to John Palmer for the collection of photos of hats.

A photo of COGS members who attended the SW Conference. On Sunday May 1, we had the pleasure of hearing a sermon by Susan Sanders who is the Ministerial Team Lead for the Global Sharing of Resources of the All Wide Church Ministries of the UCC. Part of her message quoted from the daily web blog of a missionary working in Sendai Japan - reporting on the recent disaster relief after the earthquake/tsunami. Pictures show her passing out gifts of soap, water bottles, and a can of tunafish to the children during the children's message during the first service. Some young at heart grownups joined the children during the second service.

The children's choir played the Orff instruments during the second worship service on Sunday. The photos below were taken during that Sunday morning's rehearsal.

The Dinners for Ten are a great way to meet other members and friends of COGS in an informal setting.

The Forever Young group attended a demonstration of Ikebana - Japanese Flower Arranging - and then tried their luck themselves (sorry no photos of their results but one of their arrangements graced the altar the following Sunday).