When I stepped into the role as your new Senior Pastor, I had such a holy expectation for what I believed God would do. If I am honest, I also had a lot of fear and trepidation. When I arrived, Good Shepherd was coming out of a season of hurt with hopes of recovery. Many of you were also full of trepidation. I think we were all full of a mixture of holy anticipation and trepidation.

What if this fails?
and
God is on the move!
and
What if we can’t heal?
and
God is present!

God can hold all of our anticipation and also questions. As I reflect on our first year together, I am in awe that God not only held our questions, but God answered them. This is not a year I could have written or orchestrated – only God. This is not a year I could have predicted – only God. God has surprised us and blessed us and held us through the valleys and blessed our mountaintops.

God is truly on the move.

This coming Sunday following worship is our Annual Meeting. I have a sense of holy expectation for the next year ahead. I believe that God will continue to establish our steps as a church. We will gather as a congregation to celebrate what God has done over the last 12 months, and look forward to our future. We will hear from our Council President, our CFO, and I will also take time to share from my heart. Finally, we will gather for our final vote to disaffiliate from the ELCA and join the LCMC. Please come with holy expectation and awe for the story God is writing in our midst. I can only imagine God’s plans for us, but I trust it will be good. Learn more about our Annual Meeting here.

I love you more than you know.

From my heart,

Pastor Tara Beth