April 3
Beloved of Good Shepherd Church,
Grace to you and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord!
Spring is the long held dream of winter. Early blooms and little bits of green are emerging from the trees as God breaks ground on the cathedral canopy of the upcoming season of light and warmth. All the new growth in nature puts me in the mind of the growth of Good Shepherd. We are welcoming new members, and I see growth in you who have been here for years and years as we all go deeper in our relationship with God and each other in love. Growth and depth abound in this place!
In this final stretch of Lent I am thinking a lot about Easter season and the hope that Spring brings, and I am also thinking excitedly about the long held dream of a parish hall that we, the people of Good Shepherd, have harbored in our hearts for more than 40 years.
The possibility of a parish hall newly constructed on our property is full of promise. I imagine that if we build it we will use it almost every day of the week. It will serve as a large and accessible meeting place for a multitude of ministry activities including meals, classes, activities for children and youth, Bible studies, overflow seating, and prayer groups. If you press me to give one purpose that rises above the rest as primary in my mind and heart I offer one word - fellowship. Christian fellowship is the depth of relationship birthed from getting to know each other by spending time together in the glow of the Gospel. A parish hall will be a gathering place for all the members of our church to get together before and after worship and at all manner of other times in order to deepen our bonds of friendship and love. I can see a vibrant, intergenerational coffee hour, monthly parish breakfast, parish picnics that have outdoor and indoor seating, and events that don’t have to be canceled when it is cold or rainy. When we have a comfortable, accessible, spacious room in which to gather, we can get to know each other at a deeper level, then proceed into the world from a place of depth to carry the love of Jesus into the community. Likewise we can invite the community into our parish hall, like welcoming neighbors into our living room, so that they too can enjoy the fruits of Good Shepherd’s fellowship, care, and love.
The vestry hears your voice asking that we continue to chase the parish hall dream that the people of Good Shepherd have had for so many years. It seems clear that it is time for us to answer the question, Is God calling us to grow in this way at this time? It is an exciting question, and I am eager for us to answer it together. After Easter we will dive into further discussion and discernment about a capital campaign and parish hall design as we seek to align ourselves with God’s dream for the fellowship of our church. Do you want to be a part of this visioning and building project? Stay tuned, your invitation to participate is coming soon.
Remember this always - God loves you, and I love you too!
Love is all,
Hendree+