This spring we are celebrating the joy of our Good Shepherd family during Spring Stewardship. Everyone is invited to Wine and Cheese after the Saturday 4/28 service and/or our Spring BBQ after the Sunday 4/29 service. Come and enjoy fellowship and food with your Good Shepherd family.

Please return your 2019 Estimate of Giving Card by 4/29 to the church office, to the parish hall basket, or to the offering plate at one of the weekend services or events. Pledges made this year (either Spring or Fall) are intended for calendar year 2019. We do not ask you to pledge twice. Your Good Shepherd family welcomes and appreciates all that you do. Thank you! Thanks be to God!

We are blessed to have each other here at the Church of the Good Shepherd. As Mother Susan reminds us, we are the Church. The Vestry is grateful for all of your trust and support as we work together to keep us moving forward.

Together, we did something new this spring: we introduced the Squirrels’ Nest Reserve during the Spring Stewardship Campaign. Much gratitude to Claude Coulson and the Property Committee for creating the detailed spreadsheet predicting what we will need to periodically replace the big stuff: roof, boilers, AC, flooring, windows, etc. This inspired a collaborative effort that led to the Squirrels’ Nest Reserve. Keep in mind that unlike an endowment, this reserve fund will be continuously spent and replenished. More about that later.

The Spring Stewardship Campaign was conceived in the spirit of ministry, mission, gratitude, and growth. We started after Easter with a BBQ to celebrate the new ministry of Deacon Carl Dunn. The following week we celebrated Mission and Ministry with moving and uplifting stories about some of our myriad ministries at Good Shepherd. The stories were of parishioners working as the hands and feet of God in the world. The theme of the third week was Many Gifts One Spirit. What better way to wrap up Spring Stewardship than a Sunday School celebration honoring everyone who gave their time and love to our young parishioners? Truly the Holy Spirit at work among us! We are blessed!

The outcome of the Spring Stewardship Campaign reflects the generosity and love of our congregation.  In our recent Spring Stewardship Campaign for FY2018 there were 42 pledges.  Of these, 8 were new and 7 represented an increase. The net change relative to last year for these 42 pledges was +$12K.  That’s awesome! Some folks moved their pledge from fall to spring. Some pledged last spring and did not pledge this spring. We are blessed with new members at Good Shepherd who made new pledges, and there were others who pledged anew this spring … just about every possibility occurred. Many parishioners prefer to wait until fall to pledge, as this is the traditional time in the Episcopal church to make a commitment for the upcoming year. We will continue to provide this opportunity during our Fall Stewardship Campaign.

Something else to look forward to: a spotlight on growth. We recognize our growth as a parish as stewardship of our greatest gift: each other! The children of God. The people of our community and beyond.

Regarding the Squirrels’ Nest Reserve, George Funk is still counting coins. Keep them coming! Good Shepherd is blessed, we are blessed. Thank you all and praise God for our blessings!

The Stewardship Committee: Lee Braidwood, Claude Coulson, Jack Daugherty, George Funk,  Rich Harrington, Elizabeth Nelson, Deb Prieto, Chelsea Richmond, Jeff Snodgrass, Jim Wynkoop, Jason Vail, and Mother Susan Osborne-Mott