Shepherd's Heart 8/22/25
I have such vivid memories of going to the Last Fling as I was growing up. The atmosphere was filled with the excitement of the rides, the smell of cotton candy, the squeals of joy, the anticipation of which friends you’d run into, and the vibrancy of the community coming together. On top of that, the musical artists that would come through the Last Fling were top-notch! I rocked out to Hootie & the Blowfish, Cheap Trick, the BoDeans, and Everclear. On top of that, my band, Tres Moustache, had the honor of playing the main stage a few years back, opening up for Big Head Todd and the Monsters. Mom! We’ve made it! :)
This year, Good Shepherd has the honor of adding to the legacy of the Last Fling. On Sunday, August 31, we’ll be the first church ever to host a worship service on the main stage! For that one hour, we’ll have the resources of the Last Fling at our disposal to proclaim the hope, joy, peace, wisdom, and strength that are found in our Savior Jesus! What an absolute privilege and gift it is to have this opportunity to show up for our neighbors and direct everyone’s attention to God. This is a prime way we can serve our community and live out the mission of the Church to spread the Gospel near and far. We don’t just “play” church for one hour a week within the walls of 1310 Shepherd Drive; we are called to live as the Church 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, within every sphere of influence we have.
Many questions have repeatedly come up in conversations, so I’d just like to take a moment to say that our goal is to remove anything that might be a barrier to you (yes, YOU, meaning anyone who is reading this) attending this great opportunity to show up for our church and our community. Hopefully, I can shed some light on key details:
Where is the Stage located?
The Main Stage at the Last Fling is located in the parking lot on the corner of Main St. and Jackson Ave. (across from Sullivan’s Steakhouse). It used to be located at Rotary Hill, but that changed a few years back. You will not have to navigate walking down a steep hill or through grass.
What time is the service, and what will it be like?
We will be hosting a 60-minute service from 9:30 to 10:30 am. It will be a high-energy service utilizing the worship band from the Worship Center and a multi-generational choir consisting of vocalists from all worship services (including Student Ministries). We’ll even have an incredible group of horn players featuring the Tedeschi family as well as Kevin Braner. We will spend time praising through music, sharing in the sacrament of communion, and engaging with a teaching from Pastor Tara Beth. We will have options for both hard-copy and digital liturgies to use for lyrics and communal readings.
Where will we sit and what can we bring?
This is a BYOC (bring your own chair) event, so grab one of your folding chairs and come on down, bring your Yeti with your morning coffee too, along with an umbrella or hat for shade if you need it!. Many of us on staff will bring as many extra chairs as we can in order to provide chairs for anyone who might need them.
What will parking be like?
Worship Service will take place BEFORE the Last Fling is open, so we anticipate there will be available street parking in the downtown area, including several large parking garages within walking distance. On top of that, if you want to simply park at Good Shepherd, we have rented a School Bus that will transport you to and from the service! The bus drop-off is at the Southwest corner of Main and Jackson. We will have hosts to greet you in our parking lot and to help you onto the bus. There will be space on the bus to store your chair, so you don’t need to sit with it in your lap. The bus will leave at 8:50am and then return to the church after the service is over. You can register for the bus here.
Will it be livestreamed?
Yes! We have rented the services of NCTV’s broadcast truck, and they’ll be helping us record and livestream the service at 9:30am. It will be streamed to our usual YouTube page as well as Facebook. That being said, it’s not every day we get the opportunity to worship together in the heart of our downtown, so please make the effort to gather in person if possible.
What if it rains?
If there is potential for rain, we will make the call by midday Saturday, August 30, to shift services back to 1310 Shepherd Drive. We will disseminate that information through our website, through email, and through social media outlets. If we are back on campus that Sunday morning, we will do two services instead of our usual four. 9:00am will be a Traditional service in the Sanctuary, and 10:45am will be a Contemporary service in the Worship Center.
Friends, God has gifted us with this fantastic opportunity to show up in our neighborhood to spread the Good News! Let’s roll out the red carpet for our potential guests, and may we show them the Christ-centered community we are as we invite everyone to walk in the calling of Christ for a life of eternal impact! Head to www.gshepchurch.org/fling for additional information.
~Ryan Hammer
This year, Good Shepherd has the honor of adding to the legacy of the Last Fling. On Sunday, August 31, we’ll be the first church ever to host a worship service on the main stage! For that one hour, we’ll have the resources of the Last Fling at our disposal to proclaim the hope, joy, peace, wisdom, and strength that are found in our Savior Jesus! What an absolute privilege and gift it is to have this opportunity to show up for our neighbors and direct everyone’s attention to God. This is a prime way we can serve our community and live out the mission of the Church to spread the Gospel near and far. We don’t just “play” church for one hour a week within the walls of 1310 Shepherd Drive; we are called to live as the Church 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, within every sphere of influence we have.
Many questions have repeatedly come up in conversations, so I’d just like to take a moment to say that our goal is to remove anything that might be a barrier to you (yes, YOU, meaning anyone who is reading this) attending this great opportunity to show up for our church and our community. Hopefully, I can shed some light on key details:
Where is the Stage located?
The Main Stage at the Last Fling is located in the parking lot on the corner of Main St. and Jackson Ave. (across from Sullivan’s Steakhouse). It used to be located at Rotary Hill, but that changed a few years back. You will not have to navigate walking down a steep hill or through grass.
What time is the service, and what will it be like?
We will be hosting a 60-minute service from 9:30 to 10:30 am. It will be a high-energy service utilizing the worship band from the Worship Center and a multi-generational choir consisting of vocalists from all worship services (including Student Ministries). We’ll even have an incredible group of horn players featuring the Tedeschi family as well as Kevin Braner. We will spend time praising through music, sharing in the sacrament of communion, and engaging with a teaching from Pastor Tara Beth. We will have options for both hard-copy and digital liturgies to use for lyrics and communal readings.
Where will we sit and what can we bring?
This is a BYOC (bring your own chair) event, so grab one of your folding chairs and come on down, bring your Yeti with your morning coffee too, along with an umbrella or hat for shade if you need it!. Many of us on staff will bring as many extra chairs as we can in order to provide chairs for anyone who might need them.
What will parking be like?
Worship Service will take place BEFORE the Last Fling is open, so we anticipate there will be available street parking in the downtown area, including several large parking garages within walking distance. On top of that, if you want to simply park at Good Shepherd, we have rented a School Bus that will transport you to and from the service! The bus drop-off is at the Southwest corner of Main and Jackson. We will have hosts to greet you in our parking lot and to help you onto the bus. There will be space on the bus to store your chair, so you don’t need to sit with it in your lap. The bus will leave at 8:50am and then return to the church after the service is over. You can register for the bus here.
Will it be livestreamed?
Yes! We have rented the services of NCTV’s broadcast truck, and they’ll be helping us record and livestream the service at 9:30am. It will be streamed to our usual YouTube page as well as Facebook. That being said, it’s not every day we get the opportunity to worship together in the heart of our downtown, so please make the effort to gather in person if possible.
What if it rains?
If there is potential for rain, we will make the call by midday Saturday, August 30, to shift services back to 1310 Shepherd Drive. We will disseminate that information through our website, through email, and through social media outlets. If we are back on campus that Sunday morning, we will do two services instead of our usual four. 9:00am will be a Traditional service in the Sanctuary, and 10:45am will be a Contemporary service in the Worship Center.
Friends, God has gifted us with this fantastic opportunity to show up in our neighborhood to spread the Good News! Let’s roll out the red carpet for our potential guests, and may we show them the Christ-centered community we are as we invite everyone to walk in the calling of Christ for a life of eternal impact! Head to www.gshepchurch.org/fling for additional information.
~Ryan Hammer
Posted in Shepherds Heart