By what he says, does, and is, Jesus is Good News to the poor. At Good Shepherd. we take his example of servant ministry to heart, and we strive to live it out in our daily lives. We know that God's Reign of love and justice is broader than the Church, and so we seek to partner with those of other faiths and all people of good will. In virtue of Holy Baptism, we are called to represent Jesus wherever we are, in both word and deed.

Through our different outreach ministries, we strive to meet immediate needs and to remove the root causes of injustice. We also aim to create forms of community that transcend divisions in our society. Locally, our mission reflects our context in Appalachian Ohio. Our ministries have come to cluster around feeding the hungry; sharing God's love with those who are sick, lonely, or in prison; and renewing God's fragile earth. Parishioners and clergy are also deeply involved with the work of several local non¬profits. Internationally, we share the Episcopal Church's commitment to the Millennium Development Goals, simple, achievable goals meant to eliminate the most deadly poverty, and we dedicate at least 0.7% of our budget to achieving these goals, chiefly through Episcopal Relief and Development.

Outlined below are details about some of the outreach ministries of the parish and along with contact information for those who want to get involved. Wherever you are in your journey of faith, we'd like to help you find ways to serve and make a difference.

The Outreach Committee helps coordinate and promote all aspects of outreach ministry at Good Shepherd. It is responsible for evaluating new potential programs, for reporting regularly to the Vestry, and for making an annual budget proposal. Meetings are held on the fourth Sunday of odd numbered months (January, March, May, July, September, and November).

All interested persons are welcome!   Please contact
Dana Carlson     740-664-2022  

Each Wednesday, a crew from Good Shepherd serves an excellent meal to over 75 people. This ministry began in the late 90's by an energetic college student, Molly Gilbert. With a desire to serve, she simply began feeding peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to anyone in need of a free meal. Today th.at spark has been carried on by the parish as a whole. We have four teams who take one week of the month. There are many volunteer opportunities, from cooking and chopping up food to serving the meal and cleaning up.

If you would like to help please show up at the parish kitchen downstairs around 10 a.m. or contact
Phyllis Dean     740-593-8487;  

The Athens County Food pantry began over 25 years ago as an ecumenical ministry serving people in our county who are food insecure. Good Shepherd has been involved from the very beginning. Today, we continue to be a major contributor through donations, volunteers. and board members.

If you would like to volunteer at the food pantry or some other Athens county food assistance project please call Job and Family Services at 1-800-762-3775 and they can point you in the right direction.

Good Shepherd is active in the Kairos Prison Ministry. Kairos is an ecumenical ministry that operates in prisons throughout the United States and in several other countries. In Ohio the organization is active in about ten prisons. Trained teams enter the prisons sharing the love of Christ two weekends each year. Following the weekend, there are weekly follow-up Prayer and Share sessions and also monthly reunions when team members return to renew ties with the residents. Supporters of Kairos can be found baking cookies throughout Ohio: 10,000 dozen are needed each weekend in the larger prisons.

Please contact Gregory Proctor     740-814-5985;  
or Allyn Reilly     740-592-2596;  

The Creation Justice ministry helps educate the parish and broader community on issues of sustainability and environmental justice. This ministry parallels several efforts in other local congregations, which together form the Earth Justice Coalition. In the past, Creation Justice has led our parish and visiting groups on tours of our region’s extractive economy and to examples of a more localized and sustainable future. Actions also include performing energy audits on surrounding homes and churches, assessing our parish’s energy efficiency, and looking into renewable energy sources for our physical plant.

Please contact Dana Carlson     740-664-2022;  

Below is a fuller list of our ministries (beyond church officers) and ways the Church serves the larger community and a contact for each.

1. To continue to build upon our Episcopalian heritage of worship that is centered in the Eucharist and in the Book of Common Prayer and supported by a strong music program.
   
   
2. To develop programs and provide worship designed to attract young families, their children, college students and other underserved groups.
   
   
3. To revive our historic mission of Campus Ministry by nurturing, sustaining, and invigorating our ministries to university students, faculty, administrators, and others connected with the university.
   
   
4. To learn about and foster the financial stewardship necessary to sustain the operation and mission of the parish.
   
   
5. To encourage and strengthen vestry and other lay ministers who provide consistent and visionary leadership.
   
   
6. To continue to encourage and support existing individual and small group ministries and to work to establish new programs and ministries.