Church of the Good Shepherd
3700 Rutherford Street
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17111-1940
The Reverend Kathleen J. Baker, Pastor
All the People of Good
Shepherd
Our frontline ministers are All the People of Good Shepherd. We
are average Americans, living in suburban
Paxtang and surrounding areas, and are proud of our church home. Our
membership numbers nearly 500 baptized adults and children. We live our
baptism as government workers, corporation managers, educators,
and health care professionals. We represent service occupations,
serve on the police or fire departments, drive trucks or work in
factories. Some of us have young families, as well as "empty nests" or
retired life
styles. Our parish includes students, athletes, artists, and musicians.
Wherever we are, we try to live out our calling to the "priesthood of
all believers."
A
few of our
members share their reasons for being attracted to Good Shepherd:
Joanna Ward is a manager in a legal office, a parent, and an Assisting Minister at Good Shepherd.
- Good Shepherd is blessed with a very special pastor whose love and commitment is bottomless, and manifested both in and out of the pulpit. Through his scriptural knowledge, belief and leadership, our parish enjoys a unique integrity and respect for worship and each other.
- I have lived in Paxtang for 53 years, before there was a Lutheran Church here. I became a Lutheran because my husband was a Lutheran. We watched the first church being built. My son was confirmed here, and my grandsons and great-grandchildren were baptized here. My best friends are members here, and we all feel this place is our church home.
- The year was 1975, and I was then a non-Lutheran in search of a church. I was originally attracted to Good Shepherd's beautiful, open and well-lighted sanctuary. Pastor Kester Sobers' warmth and inclusive style of preaching convinced me to fill out one of those little cards requesting a home visit. My family soon joined me at services, and I found myself enjoying the adult church school as much as my children did their classes.
- I had never been aware of the Lutheran reputation for being "cool or stand-offish" to newcomers, and I was stunned to hear of it because of the friendly acceptance I received at Good Shepherd.
- Yet, the most important part of my decision to become a member of Good Shepherd was learning about the Lutheran doctrine of Justification of Faith by Grace. The Good News of salvation as a gift from God, never earned but freely given, has become my strength and my guiding light as I continue to grow in the Body of the Church at Good Shepherd.
- I recently heard an anthem called Love Spoken Here. Those words best express why I am an active member of Good Shepherd. Love is spoken at Good Shepherd, in the care with which the weekly liturgy is planned and implemented, in the music, in the participation of the members, in the sermon, in the greetings to one another, in the Christian Education program, in the Youth Program, in the attention to paraments and vestments, in the beauty of the chapel and sanctuary, and in the worshiping, studying and working together. Yes, God's love is spoken here.
About Our Church