I began attending Good Shepherd in 1996 shortly after the death of my older sister Betsy who I was very close with. Despite always attending Episcopal churches I had never really fully engaged myself in a congregation. Quite accidentally (see Holy Spirit), I developed a friendship with an Episcopal minister who became a good friend and counselor and he recommended I check out the Men’s Group at Good Shepherd. Twenty-five years later, the Men’s Group has been and continues to be a core part of my life. The sharing of life experiences, support and brotherhood have been some of the gifts I found in the Men’s Group that helped me for the first time really join a congregation.
Not being a natural joiner, I was content for some time to limit my Good Shepherd participation to my Men’s Group involvement. Gradually though, I realized I had been making rather lame excuses to avoid (prevent, escape) deepening my involvement in parish life. Friends in the Men’s Group helped kick (start) me along into ushering, then becoming a lay reader, attending Bible study and other classes, and then working on the building capital campaign.
I was learning much more about parish life, but more importantly, I was encountering and meeting more of my fellow parishioners, getting insight into their faith journeys and their various gifts. I was discovering the community Christ wants all of us to have.
Over time, I have served on the Finance Committee, Stewardship Committee, Vestry (briefly), been an active Pumpkin Patch volunteer, and until COVID disrupted everything, the start-up of the Congregational Care Committee. While serving on these different committees each with their assigned responsibilities I met and got to know so many more hard-working, faithful parishioners hoping some of their dedication would rub off on me along the way.
The place where I feel the greatest pull and fulfillment is the Outreach Committee. My love of outreach service comes from the call I believe we have to be Christ’s hands and feet in the world serving those who are less fortunate and are underserved. I have had this call to serve for a very long time. Working on the Outreach Committee pairs up very well with my 30-year connection and involvement with the Saint Francis Center which is a day shelter mostly for homeless men in downtown Denver. (sfcdenver.org)
I have been richly blessed to have a church home and family at Good Shepherd. My involvement has connected me with many warm, welcoming human beings. There is no question that societally today many people feel they are disconnected and lonely contributing to our national mental health crisis, but I see the spirit of Good Shepherd as a great antidote to this crisis.
Right now is a great time to go for test drive. As we regather into parish life it would be terrific for us to step a little outside of our comfort zones, perhaps by attending a coffee hour or adult faith forum, or by dropping in on a committee meeting to see what that group is working on and focused on. The goal is to meet some parishioners you’ve seen on zoom or in the pew but have never visited with.