10/02/2026
Good morning Good Shepherd Church and supporters. I wanted to take this opportunity to update everyone about our church.
God has blessed us through the years with different meeting locations. He has sustained us with so many gifts to further the Kingdom such as Bibles, a sound system, etc…
In late 2024, my dad began to need more assistance to continue to live independently. He had two serious falls in 2025. He broke his left leg in two places in January. After he recovered, he broke his right knee. When he returned home in July, I moved in with him full time until he could recover. 13 months later, he still was unable to live on his own. In late July 2026, he was diagnosed with aggressive leukemia. He died 9 days later on August 1st.
In November 2025, I learned Hayden Methodist Church was without a pastor. I reached out to their congregation and preached for them a few times. I officially became a pastoral candidate for them. After interviews and extensive dialogue, they invited me to be their pastor for the next six months in order to see if we were a fit.
Hayden Methodist left the United Methodist Church more than two years ago. They are biblical and conservative. A few weeks ago, the church voted unanimously to call me as their permanent pastor and as one member said, “Our forever pastor.”
The congregation is very small. There are about 15 members. They are all senior adults with 3 members in their nineties and a few homebound. We usually have 10 to 15 men from a local drug rehabilitation center worship with us as well.
The church is debt free and the campus is beautiful. The sanctuary is over a hundred years old. We have a bell tower and electronic chimes too. We also have a large two story life center with kitchen and showers.
Our church has Sunday School at 10am and worship at 11am. On Wednesdays, we have choir practice at 2pm and Bible study at 3pm.
This Sunday, October 4, will be Lord’s Supper/Communion. I want to encourage all of our Good Shepherd folks to officially join Hayden Methodist. We will officially join the church at the beginning of the worship time.
Good Shepherd supports two missionary families, one in North Africa and one in Southeast Asia. We also support Campus Ministries at Wallace State Community College. We will continue to support all three missions monthly. We will work out the details to move them over under the umbrella of Hayden Methodist soon.
Good Shepherd will continue to exist legally as long as necessary. Until Hayden adopts our missions, we will need to continue to support them. There are a few other expenses such as some ministry subscriptions, etc… that we will need to continue to fund until Hayden is ready to be responsible for them.
During the months I cared for my father, I could not work another job because he needed constant care. I took care of him and the church. He was able to pay me a little. As he continued to need medical care, he quickly spent his savings. In order to make ends meet, he was not able to pay me any more. The next month is when I started pastoring Hayden Methodist Church. They were able to pay me the same amount as dad had budgeted for my help. Praise God.
Many of you have supported us faithfully. Thank you doesn’t begin to express our gratitude. Your giving allows us to continue to support our monthly missions, our subscriptions for ministry activities and training, and allows me to pastor full time which is the best way to grow the church and God’s Kingdom. I pray you will continue to support us.
I have tried to explain where we are as a church family and where God is leading us. Please, if you have any questions then let me know. Keep praying for us. Above all, your prayers to our Heavenly Father have covered us and been answered in the best ways.
God bless you all. We love you.
