With One Voice We Sing This Song

These are the words of the beautiful hymn recently presented by our choir and never have they been more appropriate than in the past few months.  Despite the absence of a pastor, despite the absence of a community coordinator to attend to the office, we have continued to worship and interact successfully.   Employees and volunteers alike have stepped forward with exceptional efforts to continue the business of being Christ the Good Shepherd church together.  Our music director and choir director have coordinated the readings and hymns with supply pastors to present us with meaningful worship experiences appropriate to the liturgical season complete with bulletins to enable us to participate.  Our sacristan has coordinated readers, deacons, and worship supplies so that our services could continue smoothly.  Our technical personnel have continued to make it possible for YouTube sessions of our services to be available to those unable to attend in person, as well as making sure our newsletters and email notices are sent out weekly.  Our ushers print out the weekly bulletins and welcome all of us to our services each week.  Our coffee committee has made sure we have doughnuts each week, without which our worship would be incomplete! Our social action programs like Shelter Cooking, Safe Car Park, and Personal Care Café supplies continue uninterrupted.  Our personnel committee and council have been hard at work identifying a bridge pastor and new community coordinator, both of whom will start in October. Our council continues to work on our upcoming congregational meeting so that our nominating committee can be appointed, our lay representatives for the Synod can be identified, and our budget for next year can be presented for consideration. Our Call Committee has been elected and is working diligently to identify a new, permanent pastor who will help us to grow and will grow with us into our future as representatives of Christ.  Our beautiful sanctuary will provide worship and praise to God from another congregation as we share our facility with the Iglesia Pentecostés Shalom worshippers on Sunday and Thursday evenings.  Our classrooms and great hall continue to provide a welcoming space for groups working toward the betterment of each other.  There are so many areas for which we can be grateful.  We are blessed.


​As the song says, though we are many, we are strong.  Though we are many, we worship as one.  Let’s all say a prayer of gratitude for the gracious, generous people of Christ the Good Shepherd.

~ Jean Hope, council member