A Letter from Our Pastor…
Hello and welcome to our website on behalf of Good Shepherd Church. My name is Robert Austell and I am the pastor at Good Shepherd. I am so glad you are exploring our website and have found me here!
I believe that all kinds of people (not just church-types or “Christians”) are interested in connecting with God. I think it’s something built into us – to long for something and someone much bigger and more lasting than ourselves. While you and I can go about identifying or even creating something bigger and lasting, I believe that what people really are looking for is God. Clearly, there are a zillion religions around the world, all with some way of trying to connect to God. And sadly, even within the Christian religion, there are countless confusing versions, with each group seeming to believe and do something a little different.
If you are interested in more details about religion and God, check out The Basics page on this site. For now, from me, I’d like to invite you to look around the whole site, write me, or come visit us because I believe that you will find connection with God at Good Shepherd. I’m not saying that because we have the corner on truth, because we’re Presbyterians or because we teach some special brand of Christianity. I say that because I believe God wants to connect with you. The whole God-thing isn’t about being good, creating a good philosophy or religion, or attending a church obsessively. If the God described in the Bible is truly God, then that God has made a way to us. He is not waiting around for us to figure out where He is – He actually is involved in human history, and “shows up” when people gather to seek Him and hear what He has done.
That’s what we do at Good Shepherd. We think the Bible is God’s love letter to the world and we get together to seek God and hear His story. And you know what? God shows up. It’s not mystical or spooky – there are no sparks or screaming people; there is no giant voice from the sky. But if you asked just about anyone who comes to our church… God is here. It’s a very special place full of very special people. We aren’t perfect – far from it. But we are all seeking the same thing – to connect with a God whose story is that He loves us and has come to us… all the way down to where we are.
Look around some more… think about it… take a chance… e-mail me or come see us. We’ll do some churchy things in the service – singing, praying, and such. But it’s very open, explained, and authentic. I talk the same in church as I do at my kids’ soccer games. You will be spoken to… will probably meet several very friendly folk. But they are not pushy. They just genuinely like having guests “in the house.” Or come to one of our special concerts or programs if you don’t want to start with the church service. We’ll keep information on all those things updated on the website.
I’d love to meet you in person or correspond by e-mail. Thank you for visiting our site and taking time to hear from me!
Warmly,
Robert Austell