The Church of the Good Shepherd

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We are a United Methodist congregation just outside of Vienna, Virginia, and this year we celebrate 40 years of ministry in this section of Fairfax County. We offer this booklet of devotionals, written by members and friends of The Church of the Good Shepherd, as a gift to you this Lenten season. Lent is a time when we can back away from our busy lives and focus more clearly on what God in Jesus Christ has done for us.

As that most familiar of biblical verses tells us, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16). Lent can be that time when we truly reflect upon this great gift of God to all of humankind.

This booklet marks our eighth year of asking our members – everyday people – to write a Lenten devotional that speaks of their listening to God and trying to live by what they hear. The distribution of this booklet to others is just one of the ways we, as a congregation, reach out in Christian love to our neighbors. As a part of The United Methodist Church, we also are engaged in ministries throughout the United States and around the world.

We frequently hear the expression “giving up something for Lent.” This “giving up” is meant to be a time when we cast away those things that impede us from having a full and wholesome relationship with God in Jesus Christ. It is our hope that each day during the season of Lent, beginning with Ash Wednesday on Feb. 21, that you will “give up” some time and read these devotionals.

If you do not have a church home, we invite you to attend one of the services at The Church of the Good Shepherd. Our Sunday service times are 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sunday School is held at 9:45 a.m.

May you have a meaningful and blessed Lenten season, and may you experience the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Yours in Christ,

— Dr. Steve Proctor, Pastor
The Church of the Good Shepherd