Shepherd's Heart 4/11/25
Can you believe we’re at the doorstep of Palm Sunday and Holy Week? Whether you’ve been able to join our Wednesday services and activities, or have made your own commitment to grow your faith through spiritual discipline and reflection, I hope this has been a meaningful Lenten season for you!
You’ll soon experience the fruits of a lot of hard work and energy from our staff and volunteers—through beautifully transformed spaces and worshipful experiences intentionally designed to guide us on the journey to the cross and the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday. Alongside all of that planning and preparation, there has been a lot of effort put into the behind-the-scenes work that also must happen to support our church—because this year is like every other when the Lenten season and budget season overlap.
Each year at the Annual Meeting in May, we feel your overwhelming support for the effort that goes into creating a responsible spending plan that seeks the best stewardship of your resources given to further God’s kingdom through Good Shepherd Church. While just a couple of us stand on stage to present the plan and answer your questions, I want you to know just how much work goes into building the budget. Nearly everyone on our team plays a role. The process begins each year in early February when April Fecht compiles detailed reports and budget packets across all ministries. Our lead directors and ministers are then each responsible for their respective ministry’s plans, and I see them actively involving their teams in thoughtful and creative planning. And finally, our Council spends hours–literally–prayerfully discerning how to best steward the limited resources that we have. It all adds up to a heaping amount of work, but work that we recognize is necessary and that we’re happy to do for our church. And throughout it all, we give thanks for your generosity, providing the resources to serve Good Shepherd, our neighbors, and the world!
And speaking of stewarding our resources, I’m excited to be together with you again this Sunday at our congregational forums (see details in the PAG) to review our latest building plans. I’m still in awe of the generosity you displayed through your FORWARD commitments last fall, and the FORWARD Building Team takes seriously its responsibility to maximize those funds to move our campus at 1310 Shepherd Drive “forward” as well. I hope you can join us.
Good Shepherd Church, you are a special community, and I’m grateful to be with you!
Blessings,
Tom Anderson | Operations Executive Director
You’ll soon experience the fruits of a lot of hard work and energy from our staff and volunteers—through beautifully transformed spaces and worshipful experiences intentionally designed to guide us on the journey to the cross and the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday. Alongside all of that planning and preparation, there has been a lot of effort put into the behind-the-scenes work that also must happen to support our church—because this year is like every other when the Lenten season and budget season overlap.
Each year at the Annual Meeting in May, we feel your overwhelming support for the effort that goes into creating a responsible spending plan that seeks the best stewardship of your resources given to further God’s kingdom through Good Shepherd Church. While just a couple of us stand on stage to present the plan and answer your questions, I want you to know just how much work goes into building the budget. Nearly everyone on our team plays a role. The process begins each year in early February when April Fecht compiles detailed reports and budget packets across all ministries. Our lead directors and ministers are then each responsible for their respective ministry’s plans, and I see them actively involving their teams in thoughtful and creative planning. And finally, our Council spends hours–literally–prayerfully discerning how to best steward the limited resources that we have. It all adds up to a heaping amount of work, but work that we recognize is necessary and that we’re happy to do for our church. And throughout it all, we give thanks for your generosity, providing the resources to serve Good Shepherd, our neighbors, and the world!
And speaking of stewarding our resources, I’m excited to be together with you again this Sunday at our congregational forums (see details in the PAG) to review our latest building plans. I’m still in awe of the generosity you displayed through your FORWARD commitments last fall, and the FORWARD Building Team takes seriously its responsibility to maximize those funds to move our campus at 1310 Shepherd Drive “forward” as well. I hope you can join us.
Good Shepherd Church, you are a special community, and I’m grateful to be with you!
Blessings,
Tom Anderson | Operations Executive Director
Posted in Shepherds Heart