Community Engagement
Good Shepherd reaches out to our community in a variety of ways not only to introduce ourselves, but also to offer a warm welcome to our church.
Boy Scouts
Boy Scout Troop #1377 is chartered by Good Shepherd and has an active membership of 50 to 70 boys ranging in age from 10 to 17. The troop meets in the church’s Parish Hall and loads buses in our parking lot to attend its many activities.
Great News Train Club
The Great News Train Club brings together train enthusiasts from both within our church family and in the broader local community. The club has two layouts, a 12’x24’ HO layout and a 9’x12’ Lionel O gauge. Details are always being added to upgrade the layouts and to present a new experience to the viewer. Layouts are set up monthly as well as for special functions, such as the Fall Festival.
Pumpkin Patch
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The Pumpkin Patch, one of Good Shepherd’s most beloved and successful fundraisers, takes place outdoors on the church grounds for two to three weeks before Halloween. An annual tradition, the Pumpkin Patch is a neighborhood draw where all manners of pumpkins are on sale and games are set up for kids. On weekday mornings, local elementary schools visit the Patch for a fun start to the day.
Fall Festival
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The Fall Festival is held on a Saturday during the Pumpkin Patch. Food trucks, games, bake sale, craft fair, and entertainment – including a dunking booth! – are all part of the fun. It’s a chance for the whole community to gather at Good Shepherd to celebrate the beauty and fun of fall.
Live Nativity
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The Live Nativity is performed on three consecutive nights before Christmas. In a manger set up in the church yard, costumed members of our Good Shepherd family, joined by live goats and donkeys, retell the story of Christ’s birth. Afterward, everyone is invited into the Parish Hall to share cookies, hot spiced apple cider, and conversation…while the kids watch toy trains run through a village decorated with snow – courtesy of the Great News Train Club, of course!