Church of the Good Shepherd

Good Shepherd Episcopal School offers high quality education programs in a Christian environment.  Students are exposed to an educated and experienced teaching staff, a low child/teacher ratio, a high level of parental involvement, and a fully developed fine arts program.  When you choose Good Shepherd Episcopal School, you are choosing to nurture the whole child – academically, spiritually, physically, and emotionally.

MOPS stands for Mothers of Preschoolers; our group is a local chapter of an international organization (at www.mops.org) offering care and nurture to mothers from pregnancy through kindergarten.  MOPS meetings include refreshments and a chance to visit with other mothers, a talk by an expert speaker, a small group discussion, and creative activities.  The MOPS format also provides an opportunity for guidance from “been there, done that” Mentor Moms on issues relating to children, womanhood, home, and marriage from a Christian perspective.

The Shepherd’s Nook is a thrift shop founded in 1978 by the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church Women.  The Nook is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization that receives donations of clothing, toys, books and household items from individuals in the community and sells them at deeply discounted prices.  The Nook is staffed solely by volunteers.  All proceeds from The Nook are distributed to local non-profit organizations.  The Nook also provides free clothing and household items to clients referred from area churches and community service agencies such as Christian Helping Hands (CHH).  In addition to monetary donations, the Nook has provided free clothing, household items, videos and books to Galveston area residents, the Seaman’s Center at the Port of Houston, the Purple Heart ministry, The Lord of the Streets ministry, Bay Area community schools and others.

Good Shepherd’s Blood Drive ministry holds five drives per year for the benefit of St. Luke’s Hospital. Since 2008, Good Shepherd’s donations have averaged approximately 167 units of blood per year. Based on attendance, parish participation averages about 10 percent, which is twice the national average for blood donation. This level of participation can be credited in large part to strong support from the pastoral and lay church leadership.

The parishioners in this ministry gather on Tuesday mornings, from 10-12, to knit and crochet prayer shawls.  These lovingly created shawls augment the Good Shepherd prayer ministry by extending a warm and physical touch—assuring the recipients of our prayers and God’s infinite love and care.  Typically, the shawls are presented by a friend or loved one to someone experiencing a life-threatening illness.  Experienced shawl makers are happy to assist anyone who is less experienced and would like to participate.  All are welcome!

On the second Thursday of each month, “The Classics”, a group of retirees and those who have some leisure time and love to have fun meet at Good Shepherd.  Members enjoy a pot luck salad luncheon, board games, bridge and fellowship.  The group also goes on picnics, local scenic tours, and to local eateries. Everyone is welcome to be part of the Classics!

Harvest Fest is our biggest and most popular event of the year! The event offers live music, a silent auction and exciting live auction, authentic food, and fun for the entire family. This major annual fund raiser, held in October, is also a major outreach event to our local community, focused on building our church family through inviting people who would not otherwise visit Good Shepherd.

Good Shepherd’s Stephen Ministry will help people who are hurting as a result of life’s occurrences by: Listening to them.  Praying with and for them.  Maintaining strict confidentiality. Walking with them through their troubled time(s) - such as: grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, re-location, or some other life crisis. Men are matched with men; women with women. When a care receiver’s needs exceed what a Stephen Minister can provide, the Stephen Ministry team makes a referral to an appropriate health professional or other community resource. Following the precepts, training and supervision of the Stephen Ministry organization, we will follow Jesus' command to share one another's burdens and through this ministry help fulfill the Great Commission to create disciples.

UTO begins with a yearly gathering of contributions from the local congregation.  It is traditionally collected on All Saints Day (November 1) and sent to the Diocese, which forwards it to the National Office of the United Thank Offering in New York.  Each year, the national office provides grants for worthy projects that have great need and little support from other sources.  The grants support ongoing programs and “bricks and mortar” projects.