MISSIONS
OUR
MISSION
To know Jesus and make him known in Normaltown, Athens, and the world.
Our mission is the simplest possible statement of how we will accomplish our vision. In order to stay rooted, to reflect, and to reach, we will strive to know Jesus above all else. The cross will be central to who we are and how we live and love. Furthermore, the cross is what we will preach and promote as we go out into our spheres of influence: our homes, our neighborhoods, our schools, our places of work.
Contact our Missions Committee
LOCAL
Downtown Ministries
The Downtown Ministries story began as an initiative out of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, with a visionary group of believers who saw the stark dichotomies of the Athens community and felt God’s call to act.
What started with a volunteer-led youth football team in 2003 has grown into a multi-faceted ministry that includes a fully accredited K-5 Christian School, a robust sports program with 5 seasonal offerings, a community kitchen and volunteer programs that engage more than 400 volunteers annually.
NATIONAL
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Jacob Tanner
RUF Intern at Belmont University
The Lord called me to faith right before I started college in the middle of the pandemic. While I initially had no discipleship, I quickly found it not only at Good Shepherd, but also at RUF at UGA. At RUF, I learned what it meant to pick up my cross and follow Jesus. I believe in the importance of college ministry and now feel called to walk in the steps of the interns before me and serve the Lord at Belmont University!
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Molly Kerr
RUF Intern at University of Alabama
Thank you to Good Shepherd for supporting me as I intern for RUF at the University of Alabama for the next two years, reaching students with the gospel and equipping them for a life of being a disciple of Jesus! I graduated from UGA in spring 2024 and absolutely cherished being a part of Good Shepherd since fall 2022! I am thankful to be financially and prayerfully supported in my ministry venture by my church that means so much to me, with people that have welcomed me in so well! RUF was such a sweet place for me in my four years of college where God placed people in my life who wanted to walk through life with me as a beloved child of God. I want others to experience such a loving community of believers in college like I did, so I’m exited to see what the Lord does through this RUF internship!
GLOBAL
Edgewood Ministries
We provide teaching, training, mentoring, and coaching to African pastors, church planters, lay church leaders, and Christian businessmen/women for the work of God's Kingdom in Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. We have a fast-growing network of African pastors and church planters in Uganda and South Sudan who are receiving training and mentoring through Edgewood. Our four areas of ministry focus are: 1) biblical/theological training for church leaders; 2) University campus ministry (RUF-Global); 3) Economic development through missional business projects; 4) church planting. At the center of all the training we do is assisting Christian leaders in Africa in formulating a theologically-driven philosophy of ministry that transcends cultures and brings the life-changing power of the Gospel to the hearts of people right where they are. We believe the Church in East Africa has incalculable potential for global Great Commission impact, but it is our conviction that well-equipped African leadership is essential for this vision to be realized.