Why I Love Good Shepherd #4

“WHY I LOVE GOOD SHEPHERD” (March 2010)

This article is the fourth in a series presented by the 2010 Stewardship Committee. If you are interested in submitting an article for the series, please contact Father Matt, we’d love to print your submission! This month we continue the series with a note from Arleen Flury:

We first came to Good Shepherd in the summer of 1984 when my daughter Michelle was 9 years old. Her Brownie troop buddy invited us to attend a Sunday service with her family. It happened to be a “folk Sunday” which was held once a month. Fr. Dresser gave a children’s sermon using a puppet named Gloria and the music was light and uplifting. Michelle looked forward to returning, and although I was raised in the Presbyterian Church, and the Episcopal Church seemed a bit foreign to me, I was glad that she wanted to come back so I decided we should give it a try. At coffee hour the first people we met were the Stebbins and the Sotters. They were warm and friendly and made us feel welcome. That was over 25 years ago. Since then I have been involved with Sunday School, Altar Guild, Lay Readers, Ushers, WOCOGs and Vestry. I have made so many more friendships… and it all started with a simple “Hi, my name is…..Welcome to Good Shepherd!”.

What I love most about Good Shepherd is the real sense of family. I have felt God’s hand at work in this parish time and time again. Over the years, as a parish family, we have overcome some huge bumps in the road. Like most families, we have had some major disagreements and rifts. But even in those times, the issues never rose above our love and concern for one another. Whenever someone was hurting, we circled the wagons, dropped all other issues, and did whatever we could to take care of them. There were some years when there were more funerals than we thought we could bear, among them two precious children, which broke our hearts. But it was then that I learned we are God’s gift to each other. The faith and hope that we share supports us and helps us heal.

I can see that good things are happening now. The enthusiasm and sense of expectation is palpable; much of which is attributable to Fr. Matt’s enthusiasm and energy. We are growing in numbers and in fellowship. I see new faces every week, and the sound of chattering children streaming in from Sunday school during the 10:00 AM service gives confirmation that we are a living, thriving parish. The fact that nearly 100 family and friends attended the 12th Night celebration is exciting. I am certain that we are on a good path and things will only get better.

We came looking… we stayed because we found what we were looking for…. I hope that those who are new to Good Shepherd will come to feel this sense of family as well and stay with us for a long time to come.

Hi, my name is Arleen Flury….Welcome to Good Shepherd!