Friends of Good Shepherd UMC, 

We are a church with a beautiful past, beginning in 1965, and we are looking ahead with hope to our bright future in 2025 and beyond. In our present, we are facing a hard season, while we continue to heal from recent wounds. As we discussed at the First State of Good Shepherd Town Hall, we are in a liminal season. Liminal spaces or liminal seasons are marked by the end of something. Endings are full of grief, even if they are good.  Endings are challenging and usually full of anxiety and anger. It can be disorienting to say the least. 

Our church has gone through and continues to process several ends, changes, and liminal seasons as we start a new chapter together. This chapter begins in hardship as we must unpack, process, and find the way forward relating to our finances. But the conversation about our financial situation asks us to consider more central questions to our stewardship which are: What are we a church for?  What do we give of our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness? Who do we want to be as stewards of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church?  

“Stewardship” is something that is commonly misunderstood as the church’s way of asking for money. This idea could not be further from the truth or God’s word. Stewardship is our response to God’s grace in our life and our world. It is not simply an act or a performance, but the way we choose to live our lives. Being a steward of the church means that we all understand what goes into keeping our building safe and functional, as well as how we are living out God’s call for our church and community.  

I am asking each of us to pray, diligently and earnestly, about what it means to us to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, and what it means to us to be a part of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church. Pray and ask God, converse with one another and me about how God is calling you to grow, to engage, and to be a steward with your prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. 

Our future begins now as we pray over our pledge, our offering to the church for the year ahead. Our Stewardship series started on September 8th and will conclude on October 20th with a consecration of our pledged giving. I thank you ahead of time for your grace, your commitment, and your love for our church. 

In Christ’s Love,  
Pastor Nikki