SHARPENED AND SHAPED

My wife Kathy and I joined The Church of the Good Shepherd just over five years ago. We were attracted to the church by the warmth of its worship services, and the world-class sermons given by Dr. Noland.

For the first two years of our membership, Kathy and I were content to limit our participation largely to attending the Sunday worship service. In the Fall of 2001, our level of involvement changed . . . in a fundamental way . . . when we enrolled together in the 34-week Disciple 1 class.

During this class, we became close to a group of church members we had not known before. Each week, all in our small class shared our thoughts and questions concerning challenging Bible passages throughout the Old and New Testaments. We also talked about our lives, jobs and reactions to the then-recent tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001. In short, Kathy and I forged a close, Christian bond with all in our class. This sort of relationship probably would not have occurred if Kathy and I had continued to limit our church fellowship to the Sunday worship service.

Going forward, the Disciple 1 experience energized our outlook toward church fellowship. The following year, we enrolled together in the 30-week Christian Believer class, taught by Dr. Noland and a stalwart lay member of the church. Like the Disciple class, this course focused on passages throughout the Bible. Also added were the writings of theologians through the centuries. Again, Kathy and I became close to the members of this class as we delved together into topics both enlightening and challenging.

Building on my time as a church “pupil,” I subsequently co-taught a Junior High Sunday School class. On a weekly basis, the students helped me look at Scripture and related topics in a new, fresh way. Undoubtedly, this experience will help me greatly when my sons are at a similar age. Now, I am in the midst of co-teaching the class that jump-started my terrific journey at the church: Disciple 1. I am becoming close to another group of students of the Bible, knowing that I am forging lasting and meaningful relationships.

For a church our size, I believe that The Church of the Good Shepherd is unique in its wide array of small-group opportunities. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

— Jim Lovelace

Courtesy of The Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist